03/27/2026
If you don’t already follow Madeleine Mineau for Concord School Board Zone A, consider reading and following.
I wanted to respond to the public testimony and issues brought up, so I’m using this post to respond to those who testified to the School Board this past week. I’m speaking only for myself, not the Board. This is a long post, so buckle up.
First, thank you to everyone who attended the two public hearings or emailed us. Speaking up matters, and we appreciate hearing from you.
Regarding Second Start: We are not trying to close Second Start. Second Start is an independent non-profit, and the Concord School District has no control or authority over it. The district is proposing to restructure how we pay for the spots our students use and to create additional in-district options for students who need an alternative path to high school (and no, it is not in the basement). Concord students currently at Second Start who are doing well and thriving there will continue to have the opportunity to attend.
Regarding the new middle school: I understand some people are still unhappy with the Board’s decision last October to move forward with building a new middle school. That decision was made, the new school is needed, and I’m focused on executing the project as responsibly as possible. I want to address two questions/assertions:
If you weren’t building a new school you wouldn’t have to cut teaching positions: In finance capital investments and ongoing operating costs are treated very differently. We can finance (bond) large capital projects like a new school building. We cannot finance (bond) ongoing costs like teacher salaries and benefits, because those costs recur year after year and, with interest would pile up to create a downward spiral. The current annual cost of staff salaries and benefits is $85,876,895 (not including contracted staff) and increases every year just to maintain current staffing. The highest annual payment for the first middle school bond will be $6,760,781 in ‘28 and decreases every year after that. The impact of the first middle school bond payment on the ’27 budget is negligeable because it was intentionally structured that way—and it is not what is driving these difficult budget cuts.
Why was the first bond structured this way—why not a longer term? We considered 20-, 25-, and 30-year terms. The longer the term, the higher the interest rate and the more total interest you pay; controlling interest is one way to control total project cost. I believe 25 years strikes a balance: a better interest rate than 30 years, while spreading repayment over longer than 20 years. The district also has a healthy capital and building reserve fund that will be used to significantly lower the tax impact of the early years’ higher bond payments. That is what it was collected for and what it should be used for. The reserve fund also supports our credit rating, which can mean lower interest rates. I can go on about the bond, but I’ll stop here—ask follow-up questions if you want more detail.
Regarding the tax rate impact:
The tax impact of the proposed draft budget posted on 3/9 is an increase of $1.78 per thousand of assessed value in the local school tax rate (a 12% increase). I’ve received emails saying this means we don’t care about taxpayers. For context, the initial status-quo draft would have required a 25% local school tax rate increase; if I and the Board didn’t care about taxpayers, we could have rubber-stamped that. Instead, we have spent significant time and thought finding everything we can reasonably cut to get to the 3/9 draft. Since then, I have overwhelmingly heard requests to cut less (more than 90% of communication and testimony asks for fewer cuts). If we are listening to that input (testimony, emails, phone calls), we should put some of the positions proposed for cuts back into the budget. We are also continuing to find savings anywhere possible to reduce the tax-rate increase.
Additional context: after the proposed cuts, our spending budget is essentially flat despite a 10% increase in health insurance premiums and inflation driving up costs. So why would taxes go up if we aren’t increasing spending? Because we have to make up for decreased revenue from other sources we do not control.
Regarding Memorial Field:
Memorial Field is in dire need of repairs and improvements. The track is currently unusable for both the middle school and high school track teams. The bleachers are condemned and unsafe, so we cannot hold graduation at Memorial Field. I do not consider a safe track and structurally sound bleachers a luxury for the district and City. The School Board needs to work with the City to find a path forward ASAP. There is no Memorial Field construction cost impact in this budget.
The arts vs athletics and staff cuts:
Some testimony suggested cutting athletics budgets rather than art positions. First, the teaching positions considered for reductions in the draft budget represent a wide range of subjects and disciplines (see chart) and were not intentionally targeted at any one area. Personally, I support both the arts and sports—yes, both. I played multiple varsity sports in high school and varsity ice hockey in college. My degree is a biology and environmental policy double major with a studio art minor. I share that to be clear about who I am and why I believe these options all matter for a high-quality, well-rounded education. We all lose when we get divided into “us vs them.” The reality is that our enrollment has been declining and it is fiscally responsible to adjust staffing (teaching/admin/support) to reflect that.
A couple additional tidbits, because there seem to be misconceptions: Middle and high school students who participate in athletics pay a fee that helps fund the programs. Interscholastic sports at the high school can count toward meeting the PE credit requirement.
To the artists in our community: I’m impressed with your ability to organize and show up to advocate for what you care about. I’ve heard you loud and clear.
We are continuing to work on the budget Monday and will vote on a final budget Tuesday. Feel free to reach out on budget issues until then.
