The ConVal School District invites all residents to a Community Forum discussing the budget, collective bargaining agreement, property tax bills, the proposed withdrawal of Dublin and Francestown from the ConVal School District, and a budget cap petition warrant article. 

The event will be held on February 12, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School. A snow date has been scheduled for February 19, 2025, at 7:00 PM. 

We encourage all residents to attend, hear from key speakers, and participate in the discussion on these important topics affecting our community. This event will be live-streamed on the ConVal Events YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@ConValEvents), and it will be available for viewing anytime after the event.

AgendaModerator: Tom Burgess

• Budget / Trust Fund Warrants - Speakers: Ann Forrest & Jim Fredrickson

• Collective Bargaining Agreement - Speaker: Tom Burgess

• Property Tax Bills - Speaker: Jim Fredrickson

• Withdrawal - Speakers: Mike Hoyt & Curtis Hamilton

• Budget Cap Petition Warrant - Speaker: Jim Fredrickson

Q & A - Please keep your questions/comments to two minutes.

If you would like to ask a question in advance, please send it to forum@conval.edu.

We look forward to an engaging and informative evening as we work together to address the priorities and future of our ConVal School District. Your participation is vital!

The ConVal School District is pleased to announce that the ConVal School Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, January 21, voted to confirm Dr. Ann Forrest as the new Superintendent of the ConVal schools. She has served as the District’s interim Superintendent since August 2024.

Dr. Forrest began working in the District in 2008 as a literacy coach. She was named principal of Antrim Elementary School and Pierce School in Bennington in 2013, and later advanced to the position of Assistant Superintendent in 2016. In 2021, she became the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award by the New Hampshire School Administrators Association (NHSAA). The Outstanding Service Award recognizes educational leaders who are not superintendents. Candidates are judged for initiative, growth, service to public education, and contributions to the educational achievements of their District.

After the vote on Tuesday confirming Dr. Forrest in her new position, School Board Chairman Dick Dunning noted: “Ann brings a positive outlook and great leadership skills to the position. The Board has had time to observe these qualities since August of last year. Our unanimous Board vote shows the confidence we have in her leadership."

”I am incredibly grateful and honored to be given the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of the ConVal School District,” Dr. Forrest said. “I care deeply about this district, and I’m committed to investing carefully in its future. We have to remain cost-conscious and fiscally responsible while pursuing a wide range of learning opportunities for our students. The District will continue to be successful and serve the ConVal community best when both of these goals are met.”

Are you passionate about the future of our schools? Do you want to help shape the educational experience for our students? The ConVal School Board is seeking dedicated residents to join and make a difference.

Interested individuals are invited to file their declaration of candidacy with Brenda Marschok in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools not earlier than 8:00 a.m., on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 and no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025.

The open School Board positions, by town of residence, are as follows: Antrim (1 position, 3-year term); Dublin (1 position, 3-year term); Greenfield (1 position, 2-year term); Hancock (1 position, 3-year term); and Peterborough (2 positions, 3-year term each).

For further information, please contact Brenda Marschok at (603) 924-3336 or bmarschok@conval.edu.

During the January 7th School Board meeting, the Board voted 9-1 against recommending a warrant article to pursue renovations of the Career and Technical Education centers (CTE) and the high school. After detailed analysis, robust community feedback, and thoughtful conversations with select board representatives from across our district, we arrived at the decision that this was neither the right time nor the appropriate cost for this project.

Though this project is not advancing in its current form, a considerable amount of new information has been gained during this process. Over the past two years, the building committee has studied CTE facilities and programming across our state. We now have an accurate assessment of the current and future needs of our students and our community. We have also arrived at a much better understanding of the state of our aging buildings. Comprehensive structural and systems reviews, including electrical, plumbing, and HVAC, were completed for ConVal High School as well as for Great Brook School and South Meadow School. These will be highly relevant as we assess the needs of our district going forward.

Teachers do not teach in the same ways they did when our facilities were built more than two decades ago. Students learn differently as well. The need to modernize is real, and it will persist. Within the high school, there are security, regulatory, and compliance issues that command our attention. Moving forward, the school board and the building committee will take the good work that has been accomplished to date, along with our community’s input, back to the drawing board and set out to reach these goals in a fiscally sustainable way.

We would like to acknowledge and extend our gratitude to all of those who worked to bring us to this point. The dedication to our students, district, and community exhibited by members of our building committee and specifically Heather McKillop, our high school principal, and Jen Kiley, our CTE director, has been exemplary. We would also like to thank every member of our community who participated in this process.

Sincerely, The ConVal School Board

This is the second in our annual series of articles regarding the financial aspects of running the ConVal School District.

This article covers the topics of:

• Property Tax Bills
• Property Valuation
• Property Value Equalization
• Tax Commitments
• Property Tax Rates
• Revaluation Impact
• Preliminary vs. Final Tax Bills
• ConVal Operating Costs
• School Budget Basics
• District Assessment (FY24-25)
• Operational Budget
• Revenues
• Fund Balance to Reduce Taxes
• District Tax Assessment/Apportionment

For the full-length article (17 pages), please click here.

Jim Fredrickson Chairman, Budget & Property Committee ConVal School Board

As a wrap-up to December 4th’s community forum for the Career Technology Education and ConVal High renovation, and the Lucy Hurlin Theater, we feel all the presenters provided great insight into this initiative.

A special thank you to our moderator, Tom Burgess, Peterborough School Board member for guiding the discussion with such clarity and focus.

Jen Kiley, CTE Director and Heather McKillop, ConVal HS Principal provided valuable perspectives on the transformative potential of career and technical education (CTE) and its critical role in preparing students for success in the workforce.

Our Facility Director, Tim Grossi's emphasis on building safety ensures that these upgrades will not only enhance learning but also maintain the security and well-being of our students and staff. Also provided was the importance of the Lucy Hurlin Theater renovations, highlighting the importance of fostering creativity and expression in a new and improved theater a space that was originally designed as a space for lectures and presentations.

We also appreciate the architectural team at LaVallee | Brensinger for their vision in shaping the physical spaces to align with the needs of today’s students.

We want to thank Alan Edelkind, Dublin School Board member and committee chair for providing the leadership, organization and direction in making this forum the success it was.

A big thank you to Dan Harper, Hancock School Board member who determined he was most needed to take care of many of the off-stage requirements to ensure the forum’s success.

Finally, Curtis Hamilton, Greenfield School Board member and his comprehensive overview of the funding process gave us confidence that these renovations are not only possible but sustainable. He and Jen Kiley answered many questions on the topic of funding. If nothing else, we learned how important this piece is to this project.

Together, this collaboration demonstrates how thoughtful planning and innovation can lead to a stronger, more dynamic educational experience for our students. This community forum and the dedication of our staff will lead to building a brighter future for our students.

This is the first in our annual series of “Financial Articles” regarding the financial aspects of running the ConVal School District. Here’s a brief preview of some of the articles we’ll be publishing between now and the vote in March:

• Overview of Budget Schedule (included in this article)

• 2024 Property Tax Bills and Funds “retained” and “returned” to towns in the School District

• Details of proposed FY26 School Budget and other Warrant Articles on the March ’25 ballots

• Proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement with CVEA

• Estimated impact on ConVal’s finances/budgets/property taxes if the withdrawal of Dublin and/or Francestown is approved by voters

• CTE/HS Renovation project

• Summary of various District Trust Funds (and associated Warrant Articles).

For the full-length article (3 pages), please click here.

Jim Fredrickson Chairman, Budget & Property Committee ConVal School Board

Your Region 14 Applied Technology Center at ConVal High School is currently being presented with an opportunity worthy of our full consideration. We are in our final year of eligibility for the renovation as part of the State’s capital budget, which covers 75% of eligible renovation costs to our Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers. The State of NH has long recognized the importance of CTE, and this bipartisan support is a clear recognition of the vital role CTE education plays in enabling students to explore career pathways, bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary education, and align student’s skills and interests with the needs of our local and statewide economies.

In anticipation of our eligibility for these funds, the ConVal building committee has spent the last two years assessing the present functionality of our CTE center and planning for the needs of our future students. They have studied CTE programs and high schools statewide, selected a leading architectural firm, and ultimately drafted plans that define a vision for the CTE center’s future. In addition to the CTE renovations, the building committee addressed other areas of need. They drafted plans for a secure entrance to the high school with a single point of well monitored access. The committee has also proposed a renovation of the Lucy Hurlin Theatre that would transform the space into a two-story, 350 seat modern auditorium. 

The project has two components. The first is the CTE renovations, equipment upgrades, a realignment of interior spaces to maximize efficiency and the addition of the secure main entryway. While the project will have a total estimated cost of $33,479,125, we have the possibility of receiving state capital budget funds funding in the amount of $14,732,773 thus leaving the total amount needed to bond at $18,746,352. Some of the work involved in this renovation, such as the secure entrance, demolition, and grounds work aren’t eligible for renovation funding, but are ultimately tied to the redesign of the space. This is common among districts who’ve preceded us in this process. In the end, we would receive a 44% discount on this project. The second component of the project would cover the renovations to the Lucy Hurlin Theatre. The cost will amount to an estimated $10,657,002, all of which would be subject to local bond.

Your school board has developed three options regarding how to move forward for consideration. 

Option one would seek voter approval for the renovation of the CTE centers, the creation of a secure high school entrance, and the redesign of the Lucy Hurlin Theatre.

Option two would see us breaking up the project into two phases. Phase one would be seeking voter approval for the renovation of the CTE and the creation of a secure high school entrance in March 2025. Phase two would seek voter approval for the renovation of the Lucy Hurlin Theatre in the following year, March, 2026.

Option three would seek voter approval for only the CTE and secure entrance portion of the project thus eliminating the Lucy Hurlin Theatre renovation from consideration.

Community feedback is, as always, essential to how we move forward. We are planning a community forum event on Dec 4, 2024 at 7pm in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre. By that date, we will have received the 2024 tax rates and will be able to present the tax impacts of this project. The forum will be livestreamed on the ConVal Events YouTube channel, and the recording will remain there for future viewing.  The architects and our CTE director, Jen Kiley, will be the main presenters at the forum. There will be time for extensive Q&A. Questions from the community can be submitted in advance to forum@conval.edu.

This communication is also available in .pdf format here.