ed104 a high school for hooksett

A High School for HooksettWHERE WILL HOOKSETT STUDENTS GO?

BY TORI BERUBE

Beginning in May 2012 the discussion of sending Hooksett students to a different High School began

…though they still had a

contract with Manchester

The Contract with Manchester

Was still in effect, it started July 1st 2003 and would end on June 30th 2023

Under the Contracts terms, the Manchester School District must provide necessary facilities, equipment, supplies, textbooks, teachers and administrators

The contract also stated that the schools must provide a safe environment for learning, maintain clean and sanitary conditions within facilities and enforce reasonable policies

In July 2012 Hooksett became aware that Manchester may be in Breach of Contract

In August and September of 2012 a Breach of Contract

becomes more apparent with a focus

on Manchester’s large class sizes

This leads to more talk of Hooksett seeking out different High School options

Was Overcrowding the only Problem?

In August 2012 Manchester’s Assistant Superintendent Michael J. Tursi sent Hooksett’s Superintendent Dr. Charles Littlefield a list of courses no longer available at each Manchester School as of the 2012-2013 School Year

With the overcrowding in classrooms and lack of courses Parents began to get frustrated

So What Do We Do?

In October 2012 the Hooksett School District had some ideas

1. Continuing at Manchester 2. Breach of Contract leaving Manchester 3. No Breach of Contract leaving Manchester 4. Leaving Manchester at the next five year window 5. Transferring all Hooksett Students to West High School 6. Leasing West High School and operating it as a Hooksett High School

7. Building a Hooksett High School

If Hooksett Continues at Manchester…

Conditions: Nothing would need to happen, as this is the current situation.

Timing: Hooksett has a contract with Manchester until 2023.

Financial: Hooksett currently pays $8300 per student per year. Hooksett approximately pays an additional $2033 per student per year in capital cost. (This is determined by the proportion of the total capital cost)

Requirements: After 2023 if no notice has been given, the agreement shall then continue for additional one year terms. The Board would also have the option of negotiating a contract with somebody else or negotiating a new contract with Manchester

If Hooksett files a Breach of Contract and leaves Manchester…

Conditions: If issues regarding class size, course offerings, etc. are not remedied within 180 days the Department of Education may determine that the contract has been breached.

Timing: If a breach is determined there will be no change for the rest of the school year. Any students currently enrolled at the Manchester School would be allowed to complete high school at that School. It would be expected that Hooksett would find a school for it's students for the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

Financial: If a breach is determined, Hooksett would not be responsible for the remainder of the capital costs owed to Manchester. The most recent capital cost paid was $846,975. It is computed yearly. With ten years left after this year the amount is an estimated $8,469,750. (Actual amount calculated by a number of factors)

Requirements: This would require the Department of Education to declare a breach of contract. Hooksett can not enter into a contract with another School District until no longer obligated to the Manchester contract. The citizens would have to vote to approve a contract with any another school district or operate without a contract.

If Hooksett does not file a Breach of Contract, but leaves Manchester…

Conditions: Hooksett would notify Manchester that it wishes to end it's high school contract.

Timing: No change would take place for the rest of the school year. Any students currently enrolled at the Manchester School would be allowed to complete high school at that school if accepted by the Manchester School System. It would be expected the Hooksett would find a school for it's student for the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year.

Financial: If Hooksett ended the contract, Hooksett would be responsible for capital costs through 2018 and other contract damages as a result of withdrawing its students early. Hooksett would pay tuition to Manchester for those students who remain at Manchester.

Requirements: This would require Hooksett to vote to break the contract with Manchester. The citizens would have to vote to approve a contract with another school district or operate without a contract.

If Hooksett leaves Manchester at the next five year window…

Conditions: Hooksett would notify Manchester that it wishes to end it's high school contract two years before the next 5 year mark.

Timing: The next five year mark in the contract is 2018. Hooksett would need to give it's notification before June 30th, 2016.

Financial: If Hooksett ended the contract in 2018 with proper notice, Hooksett would be responsible for total yearly capital costs owed Manchester until the last student finished in Manchester. Hooksett would pay tuition to Manchester until the last Hooksett students finished at Manchester.

Requirements: Hooksett would have to give proper notice on or before June 30, 2016. The School Board would seek voter approval to end the contract with Manchester. The citizens would have to vote to approve a contract with any another school district or operate without a contract.

If Hooksett transfers all Hooksett Students to West High School…

Conditions: The contract would need to be renegotiated as the current contract gives Hooksett access to Central and West.

Timing: If the contract was renegotiated and approved this year , all Hooksett students would go to West beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.

Financial: If contract was renegotiated the amounts of Capital cost, tuition, length of the contract, and other terms could change. Final figure cannot be determined.

Requirements: Hooksett would have to agree to an amended contract.

If Hooksett leased West High School and operated it as a Hooksett High School…

Conditions: A contract would need to be negotiated between Hooksett and Manchester.

Timing: Unsure how quickly a lease contract could be approved and the school be operating.

Financial: Hooksett would need to make the lease payment as well as hire staff and pay all operating costs. The total can not be easily determined.

Requirements: The Hooksett citizens would have to vote to approve the lease contract with Manchester. The Hooksett citizens would also have to vote to approve a budget to hire and operate the High School.

If Hooksett builds a High School…

Conditions: A site would be needed. Engineering and Architectural plans would be needed to determine cost.

Timing: If the process was used that was in place for Cawley Middle School. Voters would approve money to create engineering plans. This would set an approximate cost to put on the ballot. Quickest time for students to attend a Hooksett High School would be 2015 or 2016.

Financial: According to the Hooksett High School Study Committee the building and site would cost around 50 million dollars.

Requirements: The Hooksett citizens would have to vote to approve the money for the plans. The Hooksett citizens would also have to vote to approve money to build the high school. The Hooksett citizens would also have to vote to approve a budget to operate the high school.

Which Idea Do We Pursue? It is apparent that purchasing or renting West High School would not be favored

The most favorable ideas appeared to be building a co-op high school

Or continuing to send students to Manchester High Schools

IN A HOOKSETT SCHOOL BOARD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SURVEY CENTER…

Unlike the direction of the survey, Hooksett continued to look into other High Schools, in October 2012 Pinkerton Academy was their main focus

As Hooksett hears from Manchester

on overcrowding…Candia gives

Manchester ultimatum in November 2012; Keep classes sizes to 30 or End the Contract

Breach of ContractOn December 4th, 2012 the Hooksett School Board voted unanimously, under Article 4C of the Maintenance Agreement, to terminate the Agreement with ManchesterThis would become effective on June 30th 2014

Breach of ContractThe letter declaring Breach of Contract was sent on December 14th, 2012It highlighted specific obligations Manchester failed to meet such as:Adequate staffing, to provide necessary classesMaintaining class sizes within MaximumAdequate supply of textbooks, supplies and equipment

InjunctionIt was not until May 2013 that Manchester filed a 2 part court case against HooksettSeeking an injunction and seeking damages for students who had been approved to attend schools elsewhere

Settlement AgreementIn July 2013 Manchester and Hooksett are court ordered to mediateAfter doing so, a settlement is agreed uponThe key points of the settlement were:Hooksett would not longer be obligated to send any students to Manchester, however, they can send up to all of our students to Manchester through 2018 The agreement required Hooksett to pay $200,000, half must be paid in the 2013-2014 budget year and the other half must be paid in the 2014-2015 budget year

As part of the settlement, in years 2014-2018, Hooksett is obligated to pay capital costs each year of $791,798This obligation will end in 2018 Under the terminated tuition agreement, the Hooksett School District would have paid the capital cost through 2023 at a similar annual amountThe settlement agreement allows Hooksett to negotiate a successor agreement for students who will remain in the Manchester School District after 2018

After the settlement, in September 2013 the Hooksett School Board began discussing possibly sending students to other districtsOriginally this included

a vote to maintain a single district contract

But in an effort to provide flexibility to parents, the school board created a hybrid model with Pinkerton Academy as the anchor school and limited choice of area high schools including: Bow, Londonderry, Manchester, and Pembroke

Pinkerton Tuition Agreement In February 2014 the Hooksett School Board had created a Tuition Agreement with Pinkerton Academy

The agreement would last 10 years, from 2014 to 2024

From the 2014-2015 school year to the 2018-2019 school year, a minimum of 75 incoming Freshman students would be required

From the 2019-2020 school year and on, Pinkerton would receive all incoming Freshman and allow 10% to opt out

Transportation would be provided

A vote would take on March 11th, 2014 for an

Enrollment Agreement with Pinkerton Academy

Also known as Warrant Article 3

OutcomesIF HOOKSETT VOTES YES TO THE ENROLLMENT AGREEMENT…

The previously stated terms would apply, a 10 year contract with Pinkerton Academy would take place beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. From the 2014-2015 school year to the 2018-2019 school year, a minimum of 75 incoming Freshman students would be required, “Transition Period”From the 2019-2020 school year and on, Pinkerton would receive all incoming Freshman and allow 10% to opt outStudents currently attending other high schools will have the option to transfer to Pinkerton Academy or complete their high school years at their current schoolTransportation would be provided

IF HOOKSETT VOTES NO TO ENROLLMENT AGREEMENT…

The current 8th grade class, 2014-2015, would have a one year enrollment that allow students to remain at Pinkerton through graduationThe settlement agreement with Manchester would continue until 2018 Hooksett has MOU agreements with the following area High Schools, available seats determined for 2014-2015 Bow High School – maximum of 8 available positions Londonderry High School – maximum of 40 available positions Pembroke Academy – maximum of 20 available positions Pinkerton Academy has tuition agreements with four school districts and does provide limited seats for non-sending districts available through an application and acceptance process

March 11th, 2014With a vote of 1026 to 792, Hooksett rejects Enrollment Agreement with Pinkerton Academy

Do you think Hooksett did the right thing, trying to separate from Manchester?

Do you think they should have done

anything differently?

What do you think the final outcome will be for Hooksett?

ReferencesImages:(May 31, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 51 No. 31. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(August 30, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 51 No. 44. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(September 6, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 51 No. 45. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511



(October 4, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 51 No. 49. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(November 29, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 52 No. 4. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(December 6, 2012). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 52 No. 5. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(May 16, 2013). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 52 No. 28. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511


(March 13, 2014). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 53 No. 19. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

(March 20, 2014). The Hooksett Banner, Vol. 53 No. 20. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hooksett-Banner/66271769511

References:(April 28, 2003). highschoolagreement.pdf. Index of /docs. Retrieved from http://hooksett.k12.nh.us/docs/

(December 2010). ReportHSSurveyFINAL.pdf. Index of /docs. Retrieved from http://hooksett.k12.nh.us/docs/

(August 8, 2012). manchdroppedcourses.pdf. Index of /docs. Retrieved from http://hooksett.k12.nh.us/docs/

(October 16, 2012). 1016presenation.pdf. Index of /docs. Retrieved from http://hooksett.k12.nh.us/docs/

(December 14,2012). ManchesterBreachLetter.pdf. Index of /docs. Retrieved from http://hooksett.k12.nh.us/docs/