MANCHESTER, NH – As the budget season for Fiscal Year 2026 begins to come into focus, a memorandum of understanding between the Manchester School District and the City of Manchester for an independent efficiency audit was recommended by the Manchester Board of School Committee’s Finance Committee on Wednesday night. The move is part of a larger initiative by Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais to proactively find budgetary efficiencies in local government budgets.
Ruais noted the push for efficiency audits within his inaugural address earlier this month in addition to annually required budget audits. He said that the audits are not due to any allegations of wrongdoing, but instead to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used as effectively as possible.
“This is not because I believe there is inherent fault,” Ruais said during the meeting. “When we’re in times like this, we have to ensure that we’re leaving no stone unturned when it comes to our finances.”
Ruais described this audit as a collaborative effort between the city and school district, a point echoed by Manchester School District Executive Director of Legal Policy Matt Upton.
Members of the committee expressed concern that the initiative could put stress on limited district resources, but otherwise were supportive of finding savings that could be put to better use helping students.
Manchester Board of School Committee Vice Chair Jim O’Connell hoped that the initiative could prove to critics at the state level that the Manchester School District is run efficiently.
“I know that we are a lean, mean machine, so I expect that you’d tell us that is true,” said O’Connell to Manchester’s Independent City Auditor, Juli Pelletier. “I hope this would become a tool that would demonstrate that the Manchester School District is operating in a lean way.”
Pelletier told the committee that the process would take approximately 90 days to complete. Wednesday’s recommendation will go before the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen later this month for approval. Likewise, the memorandum will come before the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Committee on Accounts and Enrollment for review next week before heading to the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen for a final decision on the city side later this month.