O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

There is so much misinformation circulating in our community that is impeding the ability to secure a FY27 City budget. I do not know how the Manchester School District became the enemy in the minds of some people, but it is damaging and unfounded.

MSD’s financials are an open, verified book. A recent independent audit by Plodzik & Sanderson gave the District a clean opinion with explicit praise. Any insinuation of misrepresented financial statements is flatly false.

The District does not engage in reckless spending; we are navigating a minefield of unfunded mandates and rising costs. Since 1975, the federal government has broken its promise to fund 40% of the per-pupil cost for special education through the IDEA Act, leaving Manchester to absorb a $10 million annual shortfall. Furthermore, by State law, MSD must provide transportation for local parochial, private, and charter students —bearing 100% of that cost without reimbursement. If school transportation is cut, it will impact every family with school-aged children in Manchester, public or private.

The real culprit handicapping our public schools is the State. New Hampshire’s base adequacy funding remains embarrassingly the lowest in the Nation. And just as shameful, Manchester is the only municipality in the state that funds its public schools at less than 50% of its total city budget.

After almost three months of good-faith effort, the BMA has yet to secure the tenth vote needed to override the tax cap to give Manchester a compromise budget that doesn’t devastate our community. What is ironic in Tuesday’s 9-5 vote is that past BMAs have over-ridden the tax cap six times since it went into effect in 2011, including 2017 (a revaluation year).

The desire, maybe obsession, to cripple our public schools by some is a direct and heinous attack on our children. Ultimately, this single-focus attempt to upend the Manchester School District will also have a chilling effect on public safety and our police force, roads and sidewalks, the West Side library, the Manchester Transit Authority, and other vital City services and programs that are not funded in the Mayor’s budget, should it become the default.

The final opportunity for BMA to end the budget stalemate is Tuesday, June 9 at 7 pm. There is no public comment. To advocate for the Community-First compromise budget, please contact the five Aldermen in Wards 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12 to explain how specific cuts will negatively affect you and your family.