Budget cuts in Nashua School District place staff jobs in jeopardy

          Mayor Jim Donchess released a directive on March 17 of a 3 percent budget increase on the city of Nashua, leading to the discussion of the inverse occurring within Nashua School District.

          About 4.7 million dollars would need to be cut from schools to meet the standard of the budget increase, risking personnel job positions for up to 70 individuals.

           Teacher, at Nashua High School North, Paul Menard shares that “ My fear for these cuts is a reduction in teaching faculty. Fewer teachers means larger classes. Larger classes means less time with each student, managing more needs, and fewer opportunities to do the kinds of lessons that students can really engage with.”

         He fears that due to the budget increase, teachers’ demands will rise while the capability to plan will decrease due to fewer teachers in the district.

         Elisa Bilotta, senior at Nashua North,said, “I'm concerned that programs…such as, like, the art programs, music programs, or really specific science classes would be cut just because there are less students that actually want to do it, therefore less funding would go to them.”

        Science teacher Cynthia Dow, states,“When there are lay-offs at the workplace, people are on edge and always wondering if they will be next. Morale as a result usually goes down and people get upset and anxious.”

        Sophie Roy, a sophomore at Nashua North fears that underclassmen “we might lose out on like some classes because there isn't a teacher to teach the class…they're not gonna have as much opportunities as other classes” 

        Students, such as senior Gigi West, discussed how a student created a group chat that discussed the contents of budget cuts. And even asked students to gather together for the school board meetings.

       Students, for instance Bilotta, discussed the importance of more individuals being aware of ways to help, like the board meetings

       Menard says , “Hearing from students gives the Board of Education members a direct perspective into the impact their decisions make.”

      Senior Selena Zou, discusses how students, parents, and the whole community alike should be informed to be able to collaborate together to find a solution or even help by forming a club or fundraisers.

       Menard believes that the “...City needs to reverse its decision to limit the budget increase ...to allow the school to have the funds it needs to fully educate our students…Another thing the Superintendent and the Board of Education can do is prioritize personnel who work directly with students…cutting teachers gets you to an untenable situation much, much faster.”

       Menard concludes, “If Nashua cannot provide a quality education for its students then we risk undermining the growth potential of our future, who will be the next business leaders, innovators, scientists, educators?”