Claremont School Board — August 25, 2025 | Reduction in force and extracurricular cuts

Participants

Everyone heard or recorded as present. Names follow the approved minutes; where the dialogue file labels a person differently, the label is noted. Citizens’ comment speakers are listed in the minutes’ order; many of their rows are labeled Unidentified in the dialogue file.
Name	Role	Participation
Heather Whitney	Board chair	Presided; amended the agenda to add the RIF update and move citizens’ comments ahead of the board’s votes; seconded the RIF motion; asked O’Hearn how contracts limited the cuts.
Michael Petrin	Vice chair; fundraising liaison	Community-fundraising report at 0:17:51; seconded the extracurriculars motion. Called “Michael. Patron” by the transcript at the second.
Arlene Hawkins	Board member; Policy Subcommittee chair	Moved to authorize elimination of the 20 positions; asked whether the cuts were necessary and whether other options had been explored. The minutes also credit her with the question on IEPs, which the dialogue file labels Whitney.
William “Bill” Madden	Board member	Moved to eliminate or reduce all non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs. The dialogue file also gives him the Medicaid-clerk questions during deliberation; the minutes give those to Sprague (see Sprague).
Frank Sprague	Board member; Finance Subcommittee chair	Per the minutes, asked how the Medicaid clerk’s work and revenue would be made up and how much the position had brought in to date; abstained on the RIF motion and opposed the extracurriculars motion. No row of the dialogue file is labeled Sprague; the diarizer is known to merge his voice with Madden’s.
Loren Howard	Board member	Present; opposed both motions, per the minutes. No speaking turn is attributed to him in the dialogue file.
Candace Crawford	Board member	Absent
Noelle Kronberg	School Board Clerk	Called the roll at 0:00:41 (addressed as “Miss Cromer” in the transcript); timed the three-minute comment limit; signed the minutes.
Matt Angell	Business Administrator, SAU 6 (see note)	Finance update and the Claremont Savings Bank borrowing; the $500,000 full-year extracurricular figure; the city’s tax remittances; the unreconciled records. Introduced himself as “the senior controller”; the agenda calls him “Comptroller/Acting Business Administrator” and its masthead “Senior Comptroller”. The September 3 presentation states that the SAU 6 Board hired him as full-time Business Administrator on August 22. Labeled “Matt Angel” throughout the transcript text.
James “Jim” O’Shaughnessy	Attorney, Drummond Woodsum	Reported the meeting with the governor’s office and the Commissioner; bankruptcy ruled out; the deficit as a taxpayer obligation; notice of the borrowing hearing; the April 15 non-renewal limit; “there’s no sports” without funding.
Patrick O’Hearn	Human Resources Director, SAU 6	Presented the reduction in force: criteria, position list and savings schedule; answered on the Medicaid clerk and on contract limits.
Mike Koski	Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6	Concerns related to student life: class sizes, mixed-grade classes, schedules; answered on credits and on textbooks returned to classrooms.
Mike McCosker	Director of Student Services, SAU 6	The Fly Academy alternative program and the Maple Avenue building; confirmed at 2:11:04 that IEP services would be delivered. The September 3 presentation reports that he resigned on August 29.
Doug Beaupre	Athletic Director, Stevens High School	Athletics costs, officials’ fees, transportation waivers and the fundraising outlook, from 1:53:15.
Jeff Small	Director of Technology, SAU 6	Brief remark on tech-center students from other districts at 1:17:28.
Derek Ferland	Volunteer moderator for citizens’ comments	Set and enforced the ground rules from 0:23:12. Introduced himself as “a citizen here”; the project roster identifies him as the Sullivan County administrator. Rendered “Derek Furlan” in the transcript; not named in the minutes.
Cynthia Lembke	Citizens’ comments	Money raised by athletes’ families; whether it would be returned; administration should have been cut first. Labeled “Cynthia”.
Jason Benware	Citizens’ comments — Ward 1	Asked for a number and a safe place to put donated money. Labeled “Jason”.
Mark Chamberlain	Citizens’ comments — Ward 1	Teachers told not to use GoFundMe or Amazon wish lists; asked where the city’s tax money had gone. Labeled “Mark Timberland” in the dialogue file.
Jessica Christian	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	Asked Petrin to consider the middle school in fundraising (minutes).
Mr. Bryant	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	Asked what “sports are cut” means with games that week; drew the $500,000 figure from Angell (minutes).
Michelle Springer Blake	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	Staffing levels and special-education protocols; “not a single position at the Dow building” cut. Labeled “Michelle Springer”.
Shaylor Duranleau	Citizens’ comments — Unity resident	Asked the size and cause of the deficit; spoke a second time on tech-center funding under the spending freeze.
Lilly Clark	Citizens’ comments — Stevens High School student	Athletics and extracurriculars; worried teacher cuts would close off needed classes. Name and spelling per the approved minutes; her remarks are unlabeled in the dialogue file and are placed by the minutes’ order.
Brad Moulton	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Students before contracts; per-student spending and graduation rate; spoke twice. Announced as “Brad Bowen” in the transcript; the minutes print both “Moulton” and “Multon”.
Rachel Malcolm	Citizens’ comments	Mary Henry’s paid administrative leave; vetting and hiring; fundraising accountability; teacher-to-student ratio.
Chris Cogswell	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Whether the shortfall is one-time or structural; inflation planning; teacher workload.
Karin Denholm	Citizens’ comments	Support for students and educators; class sizes; future contracts; fundraising accountability (minutes). The September 3 draft minutes spell her first name “Karen”.
Sheri Williams	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	Credits if school closed early; music and arts as credited courses; alternative-program savings. Spelling and ward per these minutes; the September 3 draft minutes print “Sherry Williams, ward 3”.
Kiara McCoy	Citizens’ comments	Special education, special educators and Title I reading; spoke against raising taxes (minutes).
John McCoy	Citizens’ comments	Self-identified at 1:04:44; asked what the cuts mean for his daughter and for underrepresented students. Not separately named in the minutes.
HaileeMae Denneen	Citizens’ comments — Stevens High School student	Spoke against shutting athletics down (minutes).
John Eaton	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	The Maple Avenue building purchase; textbooks.
Joey Ruffin; Jaxon Churchill	Citizens’ comments — Stevens High School students	Asked what the plan is for next year. Labeled “Joey Robin” and “Jackson Churchill”.
Byron DeCamp; Kasey Morin	Citizens’ comments — Stevens High School students	Asked where the money went; spoke against cuts that fall on students (minutes). Rendered “Barbara Camp” and “Casey Moore” in the transcript.
Mr. Raymond	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Consolidating three elementary schools into two (minutes).
Justin Garrow	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Support for the tech center (minutes).
Ella Williams	Citizens’ comments — Stevens High School student	Athletics and student impact (minutes).
Noel Beauchaine	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3; Stevens High School student	Budget management and state underfunding; whether students would be told in advance of a loss of accreditation (minutes).
Kelly Gaydos	Citizens’ comments — Ward 1; educator	Class sizes; the spending freeze and classroom budgets; wish lists. Labeled “Kelly”.
Leslie Peabody	Citizens’ comments — Ward 1; educator	The Medicaid clerk position and the revenue it brings in, at 1:28:57; hiring and severance practices.
Kelcie M.	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2	Support for teachers; against the athletic cuts and RIFs, and how affected staff were learning of them (minutes).
Cash Caswell	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3; school employee	Custodial cuts, cleaning and building security; payouts to former administrators.
Anna O’Hara	Citizens’ comments — Stevens alumna	Asked why the state has not done more (minutes).
Cameron Lownie	Citizens’ comments — Ward 2; educator	Proficiency and graduation statistics; who is in charge of Claremont schools. Labeled “Cameron”.
Andre LaFreniere	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Against the state’s response that Claremont is on its own (minutes).
Christina Bernard	Citizens’ comments — Ward 1; special educator	Staffing-agency contracts; “How much more do we need?” at 1:49:05.
John Harford	Citizens’ comments — Ward 3	Asked for a straight answer on the fall season; his question drew Beaupre’s cost figures (minutes).

The minutes also record one unnamed citizen (special-education underfunding and sports fundraising). About 145 rows of the dialogue file are labeled Unidentified, most of them in the comment period; this page names a speaker only where the transcript or the minutes do.

Agenda

Items as posted in “Amended CSB Agenda 8.25.25” and as amended at the table, with the time each was taken up and its disposition from the approved minutes. The board moved citizens’ comments from item 3 to item 6 and added a RIF update as item 3.
Taken up	Item	Agenda text / disposition
0:00:00	I. Call to order and Pledge	Scheduled 6:30 p.m. The recording opens mid-sentence: “As probably Claremont school board meeting.”
0:00:41	II. Roll call	Minutes: “Present: Arlene Hawkins, Loren Howard, William Madden, Michael Petrin, Frank Sprague, Heather Whitney”; “Absent: Candace Crawford”. The transcript’s roll is garbled (“Robert Harley Tompkins, Lauren Howard, William Madden, Greg. Sprague”).
0:00:58	II.a Consent agenda: amendments and final approval	Minutes: “Heather Whitney requested to add an item as #3 of a RIF update and to move citizens’ comments to the end of agenda items (item #6) with a Board vote to follow after all discussion items.” On the recording: “There are multiple agenda changes this evening due to the ever evolving story that our district is facing.” No objection recorded.
0:03:01	III.1 Finance update, immediate recovery plan options	Angell and O’Shaughnessy. Discussion; no action.
0:08:27	III.2 The Alternative Program (Fly Academy) at Maple Ave	McCosker. Minutes: savings of $1.2 million; staffing about $200,000; “that building cost $250,000”. Discussion; no action.
0:10:49	III.3 RIF update (added at the table)	O’Hearn. Position list and savings schedule read aloud; no written schedule was posted. See flag 2.
0:14:41	III.4 Concerns related to student life	Koski. Discussion; no action.
0:17:51	III.5 Update on community fundraising	Petrin. Discussion; no action.
0:23:12	III.6 Citizens’ comments (“1 hour” on the agenda)	Moderated by Derek Ferland: “There’s going to be a three minute limit per speaker.” Ran to 2:00:50, about 1 hour 38 minutes. The minutes name 33 speakers and one unnamed citizen.
2:01:29	Motion 1: eliminate 20 positions	Minutes: “Arlene Hawkins made a motion to authorize interim BA, Mr. Angell, to eliminate the 20 positions consistent with what was presented tonight, Heather Whitney seconded the motion”. Voice vote at 2:12:56: Howard opposed, Sprague abstained, all others present in favor. Passed.
2:13:25	Motion 2: non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs	Minutes: Madden moved “to direct the Business Administrator to immediately begin pursuing all steps permitted under the law to reduce the 2025-2026 District operating costs by eliminating or reducing all non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs for the 2025-2026 school year”; Petrin seconded. Voice vote at 2:14:01: Sprague and Howard opposed, all others present in favor. Passed.
8:20 p.m. (scheduled)	IV. Other business	None recorded in the minutes or heard on the recording.
2:14:23	V. Future dates	First day of school 8/28/25; board meeting and public hearing 9/3/25; 9/17/25; 10/1/25.
2:15:04	VI. Adjournment	“Meeting is adjourned.” Declared by the chair; no motion. The minutes record no time.

Discussion timeline

Chronological topics. Quotations are from the dialogue transcript as transcribed; bracketed text is an insertion or correction. Several board-deliberation rows carry labels the minutes contradict; these are noted where they matter.
Time	Topic	What was said	Flags
0:03:01	Borrowing: the bank meeting	Angell: “I’m Matt Angel[l], I’m the senior controller, and I talk about the finances of the school district. But today I had a really good conversation with the with Claremont Savings Bank.” If the bank lends, “I feel pretty confident that we did it to the district to, march when we can talk about, maybe converting that into a longer term debt.” At 0:03:50 he said he had “asked a, the school board to cut” sports and extracurricular activities.
0:05:05	Notice of the September 3 borrowing hearing	O’Shaughnessy: “The next thing that you will see is a notice for a public hearing, which will take place next Wednesday. Notice for the public hearing will be issued tomorrow.” A second hearing, on accepting fundraising revenue, was also expected that evening.	POSITIVE
0:06:24	Bankruptcy ruled out; a taxpayer deficit	“We now know that bankruptcy is not an option for the school district or really any school district or municipality in the state.” At 0:07:32: “no one’s coming to save you from this problem. This is a deficit that that is a taxpayer responsibility for the taxpayers of Claremont.” At 0:07:53: “There’s no real way to escape it as a matter of law.”	OBSERVATION
0:08:56	Fly Academy savings; the Maple Avenue building	McCosker: “we are looking at ten students that we have brought back or will be bringing back, and it will be a cost savings of a $1.2 million.” Staffing about $200,000, for “an overall savings of $1,029,000 total after expenses with the academy.” The building cost “265, 250,000” (0:10:25); the minutes record $250,000.
0:11:48	The 20 positions	O’Hearn’s criteria: contractual obligations, minimal impact on education and safety, “as many pathways forward as possible”. The list at 0:12:27: custodians, secretaries, a Medicaid specialist, and “art co-ordinator at the High Assistant Chef, the Tech Center Behavior Interventionist at Bluff, our Community Attendance officer, a Coda [COTA], a program assistant at Stevens High, the student discipline coordinator at Stevens High”. The minutes’ list includes a “tech teacher” that is not audible on the recording.	MEDIUM
0:13:11	The savings schedule: two totals	“Total potential savings $383,791. Secretaries $451,642. Paraprofessionals 55,322 and all other positions including the program assistants, community tenants, officers, and behavioral interventionists, totaling 463,930. All of these come to total potential savings of $1,252,646.” Those four spoken figures add to $1,354,685. The minutes print the components with cents and a total of “1,354,686.77”; their own components add to $1,354,685.90.	MEDIUM
0:14:41	What school will look like on August 28	Koski: some classes larger, some mixed-grade; curriculum, textbooks and workbooks unchanged. At 0:15:57: “Staff have been willing to work over the weekend. We’ve been changing schedules. People have been working for free, giving up their time and evenings.”
0:32:03	Where the tax money goes; $5 million of old bills	Angell: the city remits the school’s share monthly, “So it’s not $38 million in one month”; “currently the city’s only paid us three payments”. At 0:33:22: “there’s about $5 million from prior year that are unpaid, and the district doesn’t have enough funds to pay that by million dollars. So current year fund, 25, 26 year funds are being used to pay for mistakes of 22, 23, 24.”	OBSERVATION
0:38:25	“there’s no sports”	O’Shaughnessy: “If people don’t come forward with money, there are not going to be fall sports, winter sports or spring sports”. An unidentified voice at 0:39:09: “I can only give a number for the entire year. We need about a half $1 million.” (the minutes give the $500,000 answer to Angell). At 0:39:59: “As of this moment, no one has come forward with any funding, so there’s no sports.”	OBSERVATION
0:42:10	“not a single position at the Dow building”	Michelle Springer Blake: “as long as the bloated administration is comfortable, the kids apparently don’t need to be. I would bring up that not a single position at the Dow building or admin in the schools have been cut.” At 0:42:31: “We don’t need two superintendents. We don’t need three HR people and a secretary”. The most repeated theme of the comment period.
0:53:06	One-time or structural?	Chris Cogswell: “the big question still hanging out there in my opinion, is what is the nature of the budgetary shortfall”; at 0:53:31, “is this an unexpected expense that we found that we owe $5 million or so in the past that we now have to pay off now at rate, or is the amount we spend each year greater than the amount that the schools are funded with?” Not answered that night.	MEDIUM
1:28:57	The Medicaid clerk	Leslie Peabody: “if you’re going to cut the Medicaid plaque [clerk]. Okay. That position is at the essay [SAU] office.” At 1:29:20: “So if you’re planning on cutting that position, who is going to do that job?” Her question drove the only substantive board discussion before the RIF vote.	MEDIUM
1:49:19	“You can’t reconcile it to the bank statement”	Asked by Christina Bernard “Is it 5 million? Is it more than what?”, Angell: “There’s no beginning balance in there. You can’t reconcile it to the bank statement.” At 1:49:44: “I promise to the governor’s office that I was going to get that done in 30 days.”	MEDIUM
1:52:45	Athletics costs	Angell: the athletic director has records by team; “I unfortunately don’t have those records here.” Beaupre at 1:53:15: “I am confident that we will be able to start. We have money in our account for officials.” At 1:56:03: coaches’ stipends and officials’ fees for a full year about $187,000 (no travel, no equipment, not CMS); fall about $80,000. Transportation waivers would go out (1:54:11); NHIAA does not accept volunteer officials (1:57:37).	OBSERVATION
2:00:55	“a very unpopular motion”	Hawkins: “I’m about to make a very unpopular motion.” The motion at 2:01:29: “We authorize our interim business administrator, Mr. Angel[l], to eliminate the 20 positions consistent, consistent with what we were presented tonight.” From the floor: “Don’t make that motion. Come up with a different plan.” Whitney seconded (2:02:05).
2:04:01	Deliberation: the Medicaid revenue	“I’d like the administration to address Miss Peabody’s question about how the the $500,000 income from the Medicaid clerk will be made up.” (labeled Madden; the minutes give it to Sprague). O’Hearn: “we did not have sufficient confidence that that position would retain positive cash flow over the next several months.” Angell at 2:06:08: “Your question was whether we how much revenue we receive to date. And that’s a number of we don’t have money.” The board voted without the figure.	MEDIUM
2:07:54	Why teachers could not be cut	O’Hearn: around 80% of costs are salaries and benefits; “These are really the only positions that immediately we’ve identified that’s even legally feasible to entertain.” O’Shaughnessy at 2:09:43: “You can’t terminate their employment or contract after a certain date of April 15th.”
2:10:51	IEPs confirmed before the vote	“I just would like to clarify with Mr. Markowski [McCosker] that our special education students will have their eyepiece [IEPs] in place, as required by statute.” (labeled Whitney; the minutes give the question to Hawkins). McCosker: “That is correct.”	POSITIVE
2:12:34	Vote 1: 20 positions eliminated	Hawkins restates: “To eliminate 20 positions consistent with what we were presented to see.” Whitney at 2:12:56: “All in favor of the motion reserve.” then “I call opposed.” No count or names are audible. Minutes: Howard opposed, Sprague abstained, all others in favor.	OBSERVATION
2:13:25	Vote 2: extracurriculars	Madden, as transcribed: “We can pursue all steps permitted under the law. There’s only 25 2026 district operating costs by eliminating or reducing or non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs.” Whitney at 2:14:01: “Seeing no discussion on paper. Raise your hand to a.” Petrin: “I think there’s a chance to fundraise for.” Minutes: Sprague and Howard opposed; passed.	OBSERVATION OBSERVATION
2:14:23	What comes next	Whitney: “School board meeting dates will be on 9325 [9/3/25]. There’ll be a public hearing at that time.” She hoped Angell would provide “a little bit more forward thinking or for vision and guidance as far as our financial situation.”

Items flagged for review

These flags are a reviewer’s aid, comparing the meeting with state and federal law in force in August 2025. They are not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each flag cites the rule it rests on; an Observation rests on no confirmed rule.

MEDIUM Twenty positions and the extracurricular cut were decided on records the finance officer said could not be reconciled, a week before the district’s annual financial report was due

Angell told the room at 1:49:19 that the district’s records had “no beginning balance in there. You can’t reconcile it to the bank statement,” and that he had promised the governor’s office to finish the reconciliation in 30 days. He could not state the size of the deficit, and he could not say what the Medicaid position had earned to date (2:06:08). Chris Cogswell’s question at 0:53:06, whether the shortfall is one-time or structural, went unanswered. On those records the board eliminated 20 positions and directed the elimination or reduction of all non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs. School districts must submit their annual financial reports to the Department of Revenue Administration “on or before September 1 of each year”, seven days after this meeting. Mitigation on the record: administration said every position had been checked against contracts and mandates, counsel said the April 15 non-renewal date ruled out teacher cuts, and school opened as planned on August 28.

Sources: RSA 21-J:34, V (school districts’ financial reports due on or before September 1; 2007, 182:2; text read 2026-09-25); approved minutes, 8/25/25.

MEDIUM The schedule the board voted on was never published, and the two records of its total disagree

The packet for this meeting holds one document, the amended agenda. The reduction-in-force schedule that the motion adopted by reference (“consistent with what we were presented tonight”) existed only as O’Hearn’s spoken presentation at 0:13:11. On the recording the total is “$1,252,646”, although the four spoken components add to $1,354,685. The approved minutes print “Total 1,354,686.77”, and their own components add to $1,354,685.90. The position lists also differ: the minutes include a “tech teacher” that is not audible on the recording. Minutes must give “a brief description of the subject matter discussed and final decisions”; here the final decision is defined by a list and a dollar figure that the public record does not fix. A schedule prepared for and relied on by the board is a governmental record open to inspection on request.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (contents of minutes); RSA 91-A:4, I (governmental records open to inspection); Drive folder “4. CSB 8.25.25” (1 document).

MEDIUM The approved minutes record no actual start or end time

Since August 22, 2025, RSA 91-A:2, II has required minutes to include “the start time and end time of the meeting, and name of the person who produced the minutes.” This meeting came three days after that amendment took effect. The approved minutes carry only the agenda’s printed times (“I. 6:30 PM Call to Order”, “VI. 8:30 PM Adjournment”); the chair adjourned the meeting at 2:15:04 on the recording, well after 8:30 p.m. on the agenda’s own clock. The minutes do name their author (“Respectfully submitted by Noelle Kronberg, School Board Clerk”) and record each mover and seconder, and they preserve the split votes that the recording does not (see flag 5). The board approved these minutes by consent on September 3 without adding the times.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2025, 112:1, eff. Aug. 22, 2025; text read 2026-09-25); approved minutes, 8/25/25.

OBSERVATION Current-year money is paying prior-year bills, by the finance officer’s account

At 0:33:22 Angell put roughly $5 million of unpaid prior-year obligations against a district that would run out of money by the end of September, and said “current year fund, 25, 26 year funds are being used to pay for mistakes of 22, 23, 24.” Counsel described the residue as a taxpayer obligation with no outside rescue (0:07:32). Nothing in this meeting’s record identifies an unlawful payment, and this page cites no rule for one. What the record shows is that the district could not yet say which year’s money was paying which year’s bills. The September 3 presentation later itemized the unpaid vendors (health insurance, food service, New Hampshire Retirement).

Sources: the recording at the timestamps above; Claremont School Board Presentation Final 9-3-25.pdf.

OBSERVATION Both votes were taken by voice or show of hands; only the minutes record who dissented

At 2:12:56 the chair called “All in favor of the motion reserve.” and “I call opposed.”; at 2:14:01, “Seeing no discussion on paper. Raise your hand to a.” Neither result was announced with a count or names, and the recording is audio only. The splits (Howard opposed and Sprague abstaining on the first motion; Sprague and Howard opposed on the second) survive because the clerk wrote them down. The Right-to-Know Law does not require a roll call on an ordinary vote, so this is a note on verifiability. The board used a roll call for the $4,000,000 note on September 3.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II; approved minutes, 8/25/25.

OBSERVATION The athletics figures behind the second vote were given from memory and not documented

Three figures circulated: about $500,000 for a full year of extracurriculars (0:39:09; the minutes attribute it to Angell), Beaupre’s roughly $187,000 for a full year of high-school coaches’ stipends and officials’ fees, and roughly $80,000 for the fall alone (1:56:03). Angell said at 1:52:45 that the athletic director had spending records by team and “I unfortunately don’t have those records here.” The board then voted without discussion to eliminate or reduce all non-mandatory extracurricular and co-curricular programs. Beaupre said transportation waivers would go out because transportation was among the cuts, which shifts travel to parents. No verified rule on this project’s list reaches the adequacy of the figures or the waivers; they are reported as the speakers stated them.

Sources: the recording at the timestamps above; approved minutes, 8/25/25.

POSITIVE The public spoke before the board voted, and the borrowing hearing was announced on the record

The chair’s own amendment moved citizens’ comments ahead of the votes, “with a Board vote to follow after all discussion items” (minutes). The board heard about 1 hour 38 minutes of comment, from 0:23:12 to 2:00:50, well past the hour on the agenda, and administration answered questions during it. A volunteer moderator enforced a three-minute limit with the clerk timing. Counsel announced at 0:05:05 that notice of the borrowing hearing would issue the next day; the resolution adopted on September 3 recites notice published no later than August 27, 2025.

Sources: RSA 91-A:2 (open meetings); approved minutes, 8/25/25.

POSITIVE Special-education obligations were put on the record before the vote

Before the RIF vote a board member asked the Director of Student Services whether students’ IEPs would stay in place “as required by statute”, and McCosker answered “That is correct.” (2:10:51–2:11:04). The minutes record Hawkins asking whether IEPs would be honored and services delivered; the dialogue file labels the question Whitney. The cuts included a COTA, a behavior interventionist and student-support staff, the positions where special-education services are most exposed. The duty to make a free appropriate public education available does not bend to a budget shortfall, and asking before voting is the right order.

Sources: 34 CFR 300.101 (free appropriate public education available to all children residing in the State aged 3 through 21).

Appendix — source files

Official and public sources

Cablecast: School Board Meeting 8/25/25 (show 16786)
Drive folder: 4. CSB 8.25.25 — 1 document
Amended CSB Agenda 8.25.25 (the whole packet)
05. Approved CSB Meeting Minutes 8.25.25
Draft minutes, filed with the next meeting: 8.25.25 DRAFT CSB Meeting Minutes (1).pdf the “(1)” is the district’s file name
Later context: Claremont School Board Presentation Final 9-3-25.pdf (SAU leadership changes of August 22, 26 and 29)
Not located: any written RIF position list or savings schedule, Fly Academy budget, or athletics cost sheet for this meeting.
Next meeting: September 3, 2025, the $4,000,000 note hearing noticed at this meeting.

Project files

Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.

Dialogue/16786 School Board 082525.mp4.CSV (407 rows)
Input/Videos/16786 School Board 082525.mp4
Input/Transcripts/16786 School Board 082525.mp4.json
Input/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 92

Laws and rules cited on this page

Right-to-Know: RSA 91-A:2, II (2025, 112:1, eff. Aug. 22, 2025); RSA 91-A:4, I
Financial reporting: RSA 21-J:34, V (2007, 182:2)
Federal: 34 CFR 300.101