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On December 6, 2010, the City Council adopted FY 2012 Budget Guidelines, most no-

tably, the requirement to submit a ―zero budget increase for FY 12 operating budgets.‖ On

December 13th , city departments met with the City Council and were instructed on the FY

12 budget schedule, revenue and expenditure outlook and guidelines.

Since July 2010, the School Board has held budget workshops fully cognizant of the

economic climate and preparing for another challenging budget cycle. Salary and benefits

account for 85% of the budget. With fixed costs rising well above inflation, a ―status quo‖

FY 12 budget would mean an increase of some $1,955,800. In January, the School Board

held workshops, public hearings and ultimately adopted a budget that met the council’s

guideline. The proposed budget, first and foremost, sustains all programs and continues to

support strong student-teacher ratios permitting a personalized classroom for every learner.

We achieved the zero-based budget by streamlining central office administration, realizing

some savings through attrition, adjusting student support levels, utilizing the 2010 Federal

Education Jobs Fund, appreciating the adjustment from the city’s health insurance stabiliza-

tion fund, as well as a contribution from the Association of Portsmouth Teachers to reduce

course reimbursement funds.

This brochure is intended to serve two aims. The first is to share with you the details on

the budget. The second aim is to share with you key data about the district. This booklet

has been expanded to include school information pages, as well as data collected by the

School Board in establishing a peer cohort group. To be sure, there are a number of key in-

puts such as maintaining strong student-teacher ratios, attracting and supporting a highly

qualified teaching staff, providing appropriate student support services, as well as sustaining

opportunities for students in the arts and athletics that are critical to our success. These in-

puts lead to graduating engaged, well-rounded young adults ready for career or college. You

will also view some key output measures such as our performance on the New England

Common Assessment (NECAP), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), as well as graduation,

drop-out and post-secondary attendance rates, all key data that illustrates our progress along

the way. We hope you will find these materials helpful in understanding the Board’s pro-

posed budget and enjoy reading about the good news taking place in the Portsmouth

Schools. We thank you for your continued support of our children.

FY 2012 BUDGET CONTEXT

What’s inside:

Points of Pride 3

Enrollments 4

Monitoring Progress 7

Cohort Metrics 10

Budget Details 13

School Updates 18

P O R T S M O U T H S C H O O L D I S T R I C T P O R T S M O U T H , N E W H A M P S H I R E

1 7 9 0

District Mission Statement

Educating all students by

challenging them to become

thinking, responsible,

contributing citizens who

continue to learn

throughout their lives.

Proposed FY 2012

Budget and

District Performance

Measures

Friends of Rachel collected

210 boxes of nonperishable

food items for Seacoast

Family Food Pantry and

raised over $3,000 for fami-

lies in need over the holiday

season!

As a community service

project, the students in the

KIDS program created

over one hundred Valen-

tines for the Wentworth

Connection Program. Went-

worth Connection is a

neighbor of Portsmouth

Middle School whose pro-

grams provide many ser-

vices for the elderly popula-

tion of Portsmouth.

Little Harbour students

continue to develop a vege-

table garden to provide

fresh vegetables to the cafe-

teria and students. Parents

and teachers have worked

with students to partner up

and sell these vegetables

and herbs to the Little Har-

bour community.

New Franklin students

partnered with the Seacoast

Martin Luther King Jr. Coa-

lition to create the Beloved

Community Project; a

month long initiative honor-

ing positive student contri-

butions to our community.

Eighth graders sponsored

a food drive resulting in

over 2,000 items being col-

lected and donated to the

Salvation Army during the

holidays.

Robert J. Lister Academy

students provided and

served a full traditional tur-

key meal at Thanksgiving

time to over 150 guests .

Dondero’s Brownie Troop

collected winter wear for

families in need of warm

outerwear through a

―Giving Tree‖.

The Young Historians

Club is a group of students

who have been charged

with documenting the histo-

ries of both the Wentworth

School and the Portsmouth

Middle School as part of the

new Middle School Build-

ing Project.

PORT SM OUT H IS PROU D O F . . .

OUR S TU DE N TS GI V E BACK….

state average of 1%.

50 students had artwork en-

tered into the Regional Affili-

ate of the Alliance for Young

Artists & Writers, Inc.

Cassidy Hosse-McKenna

took 1st place in the 25 meter

freestyle swimming competi-

tion during the Special Olym-

pics Meet held in February.

Portsmouth Middle School is

the proud recipient of three

Excellence in Education

grants. The three programs:

Worlds of Work, Ending the

Cycle of Bullying, and Project

Safety will be presented to

PMS students during the

spring of 2011.

The Portsmouth High School

Percussion Ensemble wins

6th New England Champion-

ship and finishes with a Silver

Medal at the World Champi-

onships in Dayton, Ohio!

The Environmental Protec-

tion Agency (EPA) has rec-

ognized Portsmouth High

School as an Energy Star

Building. PHS scored an

88 out of a possible 100

points based on an Energy

Performance rating system.

Our reduction is energy also

means a reduction in

greenhouse gas emissions

of 1469 metric ton of CO2

per year.

The Clipper Marching Band

had it’s most successful sea-

son in nearly 20 years. The

group received gold-medal

ratings in all captions; music,

visual, drum major, color

guard, percussion and effect.

PMS Band & Choir received

Gold and Platinum Medals at

the Great East Music Festival

in Agawam, Massachusetts.

20 PHS students traveled to

Nichinan Japan to perform in

a national musical event. Later

in the school year, 20 Japa-

nese students traveled to

Portsmouth and attended clas-

ses at PHS. It is our hope to

continue this important and

historic exchange with our

Japanese sister city in the fu-

ture.

Portsmouth’s drop out rate

is at 0.3%, well below the

POINTS

OF

PRIDE

2011

The Portsmouth

Middle School build-

ing project continues

to move along.

Phase I was complet-

ed last August, a new

all-purpose athletic

field enjoyed by both

middle school and

high school students.

Congratulations to Mr. Gag-

non, who was elected to be

the guest conductor for the

Boston Pops performance at

the Verizon Center in Man-

chester, New Hampshire

on December 18, 2010.

Mr. Gagnon directed the

Pop’s performance of “Slay

Ride” to a packed house.

Eric has been with the

Portsmouth School District

since 1994, he holds his

masters degree in music

education and is one of

the many fine examples of

educators here in Ports-

mouth.

grant to build a rain gar-

den with the help of Ports-

mouth City Public Works.

This rain garden will be

built just east of our new

turf field in an effort to

filter the runoff from the

parking lot and building

before it enters Sagamore

Creek. Rain gardens have

been found to decrease

the amount of nitrogen

and pollutants found in

water. ECO students will

help with sampling the

water for documentation

purposes.

Melissa Provost, a Grade

7 English teacher at Ports-

mouth Middle School, has

been invited to speak at a

National Symposium on

Visual Literacy using Web

2.0 tools. Her presentation

will show how teachers

and university faculty meld

collaborative tools, images

and works of traditional

literature for professional

development.

Portsmouth High School

teachers Dierdre Barrett

and Kimberly McGlinchey

wrote and were awarded a

Kindergarten teacher Ja-

nine Beck partnered with

UNH and the Nature Con-

servatory in a program to

repopulate Great Bay oys-

ters. Little Harbour Stu-

dents cared for baby oys-

ters and engaged in differ-

ent activities around the

oysters.

Tess Hall , Little Harbour Read-

ing Specialist, is teaching a

course at UNH on “Diagnosis

and Remediation of Reading

Difficulties.”

C A R E E R T E C H N O L O G Y—G R E A T T H I N G S A R E H A P P E N I N G

B A N D D I R E C T O R E R I C G A G N O N I N V I T E D T O B E A G U E S T C O N D U C T O R A T T H E B O S T O N P O P S

S TA F F M E M B E R S G O I N G B E Y O N D C L A S S R O O M S

review.

The 2nd Annual Career

Fair will be held this April

with expanded repre-

sentatives from industry

and post-secondary

colleges attending.

An application to the

Department of Educa-

tion for two-year program

status is being complet-

ed for the Welding Pro-

gram.

Culinary Arts students

participated in the 2nd

Annual Fish Festival at

Prescott Park. They also

prepared 12 Turkish

dishes for the Turkish

Nights Bazaar at the

high school.

Accounting is being of-

fered for the first time

this semester and is a

Project Running Start

class.

The Architecture and

Construction Trades Pro-

grams collaborated on

the design and construc-

tion of a colonial style

tool shed for the Gun-

dalow Company at the

Strawbery Banke Muse-

um.

The Automotive Technol-

ogy Program was re-

certified as a NATEF ap-

proved program after a

mid-point compliance

Eric Gagnon

Band Director, PHS

PHS ATHLETICS

(2007-2011)

27 CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

11 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

14 TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP

AWARDS

3 GATORADE PLAYERS OF

THE YEAR

1 HIGH SCHOOL

ALL AMERICAN

IT’S A GREAT TIME

TO BE A CLIPPER!

POINTS

OF

PRIDE

2011

The elementary schools expect to see 1,044 students in September 2011, five more than the

1,039 students enrolled during the

2010-11 school year. Next fall, the

projection is to see a dramatic decline

in the number of kindergarten stu-

dents. In recent years, Portsmouth has

registered about 70 Kindergartners

for every 100 births.

In NH, there has been a 4.4% de-

crease from 14,397 births in 2007 to

13,764 in 2009. Portsmouth projec-

tions are to see a decline in enroll-

ment over the next four years and

results in a projection of some 100

fewer students in our elementary

schools. Nonetheless, the second

largest factor at work is the steady

in-migration Portsmouth has experi-

enced in grades 1-12 that has result-

ed in a stable K - 12 enrollment.

E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L S

A N T I C I P A T E D E N R O L L M E N T S A N D C L A S S S I Z E S

The table to the right

illustrates the impact of

sustaining the same

level of staffing in FY

’12 as we enjoy today.

We expect 1,044 students

in grades K-5 and with

58 classroom teachers

will have an average class

size of 18:1.

880

900

920

940

960

980

1000

1020

1040

1060

'05-

'06

'07-

'08

'09-

'10

'11-

'12

'13-

'14

'15-

'16

NESDEC’s projec-tions were within 0.1%

of the actual

K-12 enrollment

(2,647 projected and 2,644 actual).

“K-12 enrollments are forecast to decline a bit over the next four years,

then remain fairly steady “

- New England School Development Council

K-5 Historical / Projected Trend

Grade Pupils Classes

Avg.

Pupils Classes

Avg.

Pupils Classes

Avg.

Total

Pupils

K 50 (?) 3 17 65 (?) 4 16 35 (?) 2 18 150 (?)

1 52 3 17 71 4 18 47 3 16 170

2 54 3 18 82 4 21 52 3 17 188

3 41 3 14 84 4 21 35 2 18 160

4 68 3 23 73 4 18 49 3 16 190

5 49 3 16 85 4 21 52 3 17 186

Dondero Little Harbour New Franklin

S C H O O L E N R O L L M E N T D A T A K - 5

H I S T O R I C E N R O L L M E N T D A T A

485

410398

431

462

447

383

389392

363

380

366

394394

417409

363

375

369339

62 51 50 44 4547

61 57 57 59 54 54 46 40 19 18 16 136 4

63 7559 62

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Special Education Student Enrollment and Statistics

Tuition In Pupils

Portsmouth Resident Pupils

SAU 50 Pupils

School Year Number of

Special Ed Pupils

% of Total

Enrollment

2005-2006 427 16.57%

2006-2007 451 17.12%

2007-2008 463 17.59%

2008-2009 434 16.52%

2009-2010 405 15.30%

2010-2011 409 15.43%

Special Needs Pupils

By School

Out of District 14

High School 157

Lister Academy 12

Middle School 90

New Franklin 40

Little Harbour 35

Dondero 39

PEEP 31

AUT DD ED HI MD MR OHI ORT SLD SP TBI VI

Totals 14 36 18 7 3 4 100 1 165 57 2 2

Pre-K 1 16 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 0

K 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0

1 3 7 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 1

2 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0

3 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 10 6 0 0

4 1 3 1 0 0 0 4 1 11 7 1 0

5 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 6 2 0 0

6 1 0 1 0 0 1 5 0 9 7 1 0

7 1 0 0 1 0 1 12 0 23 3 0 0

8 1 0 2 0 0 0 10 0 14 3 0 0

9 2 0 4 1 0 0 9 0 28 1 0 0

10 0 0 4 1 1 0 12 0 24 4 0 0

11 1 0 2 0 1 0 14 0 23 5 0 0

12 2 0 2 1 1 2 15 0 15 0 0 1

Primary Disability by Grade (includes 60 SAU # 50 students and 4 Tuition-in Students

SPECIAL EDUCATION CODES

AUT—Autism

DD—Developmental Delay

ED—Emotional Disturbance

HI—Hearing Impaired

MD—Multiple Disabilities

MR—Mental Retardation

OHI—Other Health Impaired

ORTH—Orthopedic Impairment

SLD—Specific Learning Disability

SP - Speech Language Impairment

TBI -Traumatic Brain Injury

VI—Visual Impairment

Educators in Portsmouth have continued to keep a focus on finding better and better ways to meet the educational needs

of all students and on results. This broad effort is reflected in the ways schools develop schedules to provide time for

student learning and in the ways teachers work collaboratively together to set goals for student learning and monitor pro-

gress.

INVESTMENT IN EARLY EDUCATION

As an example of allocating resources to best address the needs of students, the district has invested greatly in early edu-

cation. One of the clearest examples of this investment is the development of a full day kindergarten program. This pro-

gram has been established for four years with attention to the developmental academic and social needs of kindergarten-

ers. The chart of Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) scores shows the growth of students who have been read-

ing at the grade level benchmark by the spring of their kindergarten year.

The DRA is an assessment given district-wide to K-5 twice a year. As the chart shows, the program has been paying

off greatly in regards to the critical development of literacy skills. This past spring that percentage of students

at benchmark grew to 96%. This year we have begun to also see those scores translate into NECAP performance, as

this was the first year students who were in the full day K program took the NECAP as 3rd graders. What we found was

that these students scored the highest of any 3rd grade class before them, with 90% proficient or greater in Reading and

86% percent proficient or greater in Math.

M O N I T O R I N G P R O G R E S S

TEACHER COLLABORATION FOCUSED ON RESULTS

Throughout the district, teachers have been engaged in collaborative work to achieve results. Whereas once upon a

time student learning was the sole responsibility of the individual teacher, now it is the collective responsibility of the

school.

To make this operational, teachers are organized in Professional Learning Community (PLC) teams. These teams col-

laboratively establish student learning goals, share strategies to best teach students in their classroom, and develop addi-

tional ways to support student learning outside of the classroom.

The second grade team at Dondero Elementary School can be seen as an example in the work they did last year. The

team set a goal of 80% of the students reaching benchmark by the spring Developmental Reading Assessment. These

students ended first grade scoring 46% at benchmark. The second grade team instituted an intervention block to help

with additional time and strategies beyond regular classroom instruction.

In the spring, the team had not reached their goal but those same students scored 70% at benchmark on the spring DRA.

The evidence of student growth is furthered by the NECAP results that show the same cohort of students scored 90%

proficient at the beginning of 3rd grade this year. This is just one of many stories to tell of the work PLC teams are do-

ing.

STRENGTHENING MATH ACHIEVEMENT

At the middle and high school level, this year’s NECAP data shows positive results in math at both levels. The district

put a focus on learning from interventions for students in math by investing federal ARRA funds into math intervention-

ist positions at both levels. Math proficiency rose significantly at both levels, especially when compared to state and

cohort averages. While reading did not see the same rate of increase, performance in reading remains high at both lev-

els. As students graduate from Portsmouth, many indicators suggest they are doing so better equipped for post second-

ary plans. SAT scores in all areas have been above state and national averages for the last two years and growing at a

faster rate than both (see tables on page 9). The dropout rate at PHS has declined to 0.3% and is a leading example in

the state of a deliberate and steady decline (see table below). Collectively, the work in the district at all levels is fo-

cused on student learning and results.

NECAP COHORT COMPARISON

For comparison purposes, aggregate NECAP scores for grades 3-8 and 11 are shown as a district percent proficient or

better and compared to the New Hampshire average as well as the average of the other four schools identified as our NH

cohort group (see page 10). The graphs below show a comparison of last year’s scores with the scores from the most

recent NECAP assessment. While Portsmouth scored above the state average last year in reading and about the same as

the state in math, the district was significantly lower than the cohort average. In 2010 however, Portsmouth outscored

the state average as well as the cohort average in both math and reading. This is but one indicator that the collective

work of the school community is headed in the right direction.

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

2009 2010

District NECAP Math

Portsmouth

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

Annual Dropout Rate

PHS State

M O N I T O R I N G P R O G R E S S

470

480

490

500

510

520

530

540

550

560

Class of 2007 Class of 2008 Class of 2009 Class of 2010

SAT Verbal

Portsmouth National New Hampshire

470

480

490

500

510

520

530

540


SAT Writing


490

500

510

520

530

540

550

560

570


SAT Math


0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Post Secondary Plans

4 yr colleges 2 yr colleges

Other Educational Programs Military

Employment

PORTSMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST (SAT)

PHS SAT scores are consistently above the national average. The two most recent

classes have scored statistically higher than the NH state average which includes

private and public high schools. Approximately 80% of students continue their edu-

cation after high school.

YEAR # of AP courses offered # of pupils

enrolled

# of pupils taking AP

exams

% scoring “3” or

higher

2004-05 10 62 60 50%

2005-06 9 66 58 75%

2006-07 9 89 77 59%

2007-08 9 109 101 55%

2008-09 9 126 122 60%

2009-10 9 126 122 67%

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES

Socio-Economic Status of Students

District Enrollments 2008-2009

District Enrollment Pre Kind Elem Middle High Total

Portsmouth 2,600 15 154 838 541 1,052 2,600

Gov. Wentworth 2,605 34 173 1,110 407 881 2,605

Merrimack Val. 2,737 53 184 984 626 890 2,737

Contoocook 2,859 38 148 758 832 1,083 2,859

Oyster River 2,004 0 124 604 624 692 2,044

2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0

District Enrollment Pre Kind Elem Middle High Total

Portsmouth 2,637 19 180 826 540 1,072 2,637

Gov. Wentworth 2,505 25 133 1,065 414 868 2,505

Merrimack Val. 2,740 46 193 972 622 907 2,740

Contoocook 2,747 39 166 693 846 1,003 2,747

Oyster River 2,029 0 115 591 628 695 2,029

Benchmarking

Against Peer Cohort

One of the Portsmouth

School Board’s goals for the

year is to “develop, track

and report the district’s per-

formance against a peer

cohort group.”

At its October workshop

meeting, the board looked at

a range of schools and deter-

mined three schools were

most similar based on stu-

dent enrollment, grade con-

figurations, poverty level,

per pupil spending, teacher

degree attainment, teacher

salary, student-teacher ratio

and local tax data. Those

schools are Governor Went-

worth Regional, Merrimack

Valley and Contoocook.

The Board also wanted to

measure per formance

against a “top performer”

and selected area district

Oyster River as an addition-

al comparison point.

Free & Reduced School Lunch Eligibility, 2008-2009 2009-2010

Portsmouth 20.73% 22.35%

Governor. Wentworth Regional 29.07% 33.18%

Merrimack Valley 20.80% 26.07%

Contoocook Valley 21.10% 25.33%

Oyster River 6.30% 5.59%

Outcomes and

Graduates

Ideally, the metrics will help

us look beyond our district

to ensure we are performing

at a level commensurate with

our resources. The school

board is committed to meas-

uring our success in realizing

our mission: educating all to

high levels and ensuring life

long learners and contribu-

tors.

Per Pupil Costs 2008-2009 Cost Per Pupil

School District Elementary Middle High Total

State Average (1) $12,095.86 $11,160.93 $11,573.01 $11,745.55

Portsmouth 14,204.18 13,492.55 14,553.39 14.104.09

Gov Wentworth 13,059.47 14,216.09 12,048.48 12,886.26

Merrimack Valley 11,428.91 10,774.20 10,545.51 10,978.57

Contoocook 13,962.04 13,196.27 11,895.43 12,925.97

Oyster River 15,652.17 15,651.84 15,425.02 15,573.93

2009-2010 Cost Per Pupil

School District Elementary Middle High Total

State Average (1) $12,599.53 $11,594.54 $12,036.99 $12,213.99

Portsmouth 15,005.89 13,715.55 14,710.43 14,621.20

Gov. Wentworth 14,888.05 14,367.17 13,895.96 13,889.79

Merrimack Valley 11,821.83 11,047.96 10,749.68 11,280.99

Contoocook 15,231.47 13,257.89 12,755.81 13,669.17

Oyster River 15,566.14 15,748.26 15,217.37 15,503.27

B E N C H M A R K I N G A G A I N S T A P E E R C O H O R T

Over the next few pages you will be able to compare our district against four other school units in NH. You will see that

overall our student performance is very good, improving, but we are striving for a higher standard and continue to use our pro-

fessional learning communities model as the means to continuously improve. As a community we offer strong programs and

are committed to providing our students a high quality education while managing the taxpayers’ dollars as effectively as possi-

ble.

Average Teacher Salary & Entry Level Salary 2009-10

AVG Starting w/ BA

Portsmouth $56,737 $35,474

Governor Wentworth $53,253 $35,000

Merrimack Valley $49,604 $32,900

Contoocook $44,460 $31,821

Oyster River $62,199 $36,155

Teacher Degree Attainment 2009-10

% BA %MA % Beyond

Portsmouth 26.6% 67.8% 5.2%

Gov. Wentworth 46.6% 50.6% 1.5%

Merrimack Valley 60.2% 39.8% 0.0%

Contoocook 42.4% 57.6% 0.0%

Oyster River 32.9% 66.5% 0.6%

Seacoast Area Teacher Salaries 2009-10

Community Average Salary % MA Beyond

Stratham $70,920 81%

Seabrook $65,347 80%

New Castle $64,167 71%

Exeter Cooperative (SAU 16) $63,440 76%

Newington $63,271 65%

Exeter $62,800 74%

North Hampton $61,722 90%

Hampton (SAU 21) $60,540 66%

Hampton Falls $59,976 83%

Greenland $57,433 51%

Newfields $57,284 83%

York, ME $57,197 N/A

Portsmouth $56,737 73%

Marshwood (SAD # 35) $51,462 N/A

Newmarket $49,693 53%

Dover $48,844 54%

Kittery ME $47,054 N/A

Pupil -Teacher Ratios as of October 1, 2009

Pupils Total Teachers Ratio

Portsmouth 2,438 236.0 10.3

Governor Wentworth 2,347 226.8 10.3

Merrimack Valley 2,501 182.1 13.7

Contoocook 2,542 227.4 11.2

Oyster River 1,914 166.2 11.5

Degree Attainment and Average Salary

In 2009-10, the Portsmouth School Department had 73% of

its professional teaching staff with a Masters degree or beyond.

Rankings of Teachers with Masters Degree and Beyond

1. Portsmouth 73%

2. Oyster River 67%

3. Contoocook 58%

4. Governor Wentworth 52%

5. Merrimack Valley 40%

Typically, teacher contracts recognize additional degrees in the

collective bargaining agreement’s salary schedule. Of the co-

hort group, Oyster River has the highest average teacher salary

and Portsmouth ranks 2nd.

The school board asked that we extend the cohort group to the

larger seacoast area as a way to look at regional considerations

in terms of average teacher salaries. Portsmouth ranks 13th out

of the 16 seacoast units.

Two key factors will drive the average teacher salary. One, the

degree attainment of the teaching staff as well as years of expe-

rience. If a large percentage of teachers are at the maximum step

on the teacher contract, the average salary will be higher.

Pupil - Teacher Ratios Versus Class Size

The NH Department of Education reports all professional staff

as a total teacher count and divides this total into a district’s

average daily attendance to report out Pupil-Teacher ratios.

Please note that Pre-school and kindergarten teachers and

students are excluded from this data snapshot. Total teachers

include not only classroom and special education teachers but

all student support services staff listed as teachers. This is not a

measure of class size. In 2009, Portsmouth was tied with Gov-

ernor Wentworth in having the lowest pupil – teacher ratio at

10.3 students per professional staff member. Contoocook was

2nd, Oyster River 3rd and Merrimack Valley had the highest

ratio of the cohort group at 13.7 students per professional staff

member.

The NH Department of Education collects data on the average

class size of our public elementary schools. The table (below)

shows the average class size for the cohort group. The lowest

class size in grades 1 and 2 is Governor Wentworth at 14.5

students and the highest is in grades 5 through 8, Merrimack

Valley with an average of 21.8.

Average Class Size in Public Schools

District Grades 1&2 Grades 3&4 Grades 5 to 8

Governor Wentworth 14.5 15.8 16.7

Merrimack Valley 17.9 19.4 21.8

PORTSMOUTH 15.7 17.4 18.6

Contoocook 16.6 16.8 21.6

Oyster River 18.6 19.6 20.3

T E A C H E R A N D P U P I L D A T A

Central Office Configurations, 2010-2011

Portsmouth Governor W. Merrimack Contoocook Oyster River

Superintendent 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE

Assistant Superintendent 1 FTE 1 FTE 1FTE 1 FTE

Curr/ Instruction Director 1 FTE 1 FTE 2 FTE

Special Service Director 1 FTE 1 FTE 2 FTE *4 FTE Coordinator

Pupil Services / Title I 1 FTE 1 FTE

Business Administrator 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE

Human Resources Manager 1 FTE 1 FTE

Facilities Manager 1 FTE 2 FTE

Technology Director 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE** (Network)

Transportation Director 1 FTE

Bookkeeping 1 FTE 2 FTE 3 FTE 1 FTE 3 FTE

Payroll 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE

Account Payable 1 FTE 1 FTE 1 FTE

Clerical 5.5 FTE 3.5 FTE 3.0FTE 6.0 FTE 3 FTE

TOTAL 15.5 FTE 14.5 FTE 10 FTE 18.0 FTE 12 FTE (*4)

The School Board has closely managed system administration costs

and will continue to do so going forward.

Education Research Service (ERS) in a publication entitled 2010

Updated National Survey of Staffing Patterns for Public School Sys-

tems provides national snapshot data that central office is usually 4.3

% of a district’s budget. In FY 2012, 3% of the total general fund

budget will be dedicated to system administration in Portsmouth (See

table to the right). Below the pie chart you will find the FY 2010-11

superintendent salaries for the cohort.

The table below identifies how the cohort group is configured with

central office personnel. As a result of this study, Portsmouth has

proposed a reconfiguration of central office where we will adopt a

building-based coordinator model for special services currently uti-

lized in Oyster River and Merrimack Valley. Like these cohort

schools, we will combine the Special Education Director and Title I

Director into a more coordinated position of Director of Pupil In-

struction and Support.

Additionally, we will assign the instructional leadership duties for

technology to the assistant superintendent. The total staff in central

office in FY 12 will be 12.5 full time equivalent positions (FTE) and

we will rank 3rd in the cohort group.

FY 2010-11 Superintendent Salaries

1. Contoocook $153,066

2. Governor Wentworth $134,955

3. Portsmouth $133,645

4. Oyster River $131,435

5. Merrimack Valley $ 70.35 / hr

S Y S T E M - W I D E A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Secondary School Administrative Configurations, 2010-11

Portsmouth High: 1 Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 1 CTE Director, an Athletic Director, 5 Guidance Counselors

Kingswood Regional: 1 Principal, 1 Assistant Principal, 1 CTE Director, 4 Guidance Counselors

Merrimack Valley: 1 Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 1 Activities Director, 1 Administrator for Special Education, 4 Guidance

Conval Regional: 1 Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 1 Athletic Director, 1 CTE Director, 6 Guidance Counselors

Oyster River: 1 Principal, 2 Assistant Principals, 3 Guidance Counselors and 1 Outreach Counselor

Debt Service Not Included in Budget Totals

Portsmouth $4,325,835

Governor Wentworth $3,146,286

Merrimack Valley $3,292,531

Contoocook $2,658,708

Oyster River $2,056,194

As the pie charts below illustrate, Portsmouth’s ratio of education tax to total

tax is less that of the cohort.

The total budget dollars appropriated, with the exception of Merrimack Val-

ley, are relatively similar . Contoocook ranks # 1 at 38.5 million and Gover-

nor Wentworth ranks # 2 at just over $38 million. Portsmouth is ranked # 3

at $36.9 million and Oyster River is # 4 appropriating $36.7 million. Merri-

mack Valley spends some $5.3 million less than Portsmouth and ranks # 5 at

$31,588,344..

Debt Service is a part of the cohort districts’ budgets and has been subtracted

out from the total appropriation in order to compare apples to apples. In

Portsmouth, debt service on New Franklin, the high school and new middle

school project totals $4.3 million and is not part of the school’s general fund.

When the state calculates cost per pupil it includes expenditures from local,

state and federal sources. Most noticeable is Portsmouth does not receive an

adequacy grant contribution from the state. (See table below).

PER PUPIL COST EXPLAINED

The State’s Per pupil formula includes all expenditures from local,

state and federal sources (less tuition and transportation costs and

deducts food service revenues) and divides this sum by the average

daily attendance. This calculation is used to determine an allowable

tuition rate. However, in order to calculate per pupil cost to the

local taxpayer you simply divide enrollment into the general fund

budget.

State Grants/ Federal Aid

2009-2010

Allocation for Special Catastrophic Aid Building Adequacy Ed Jobs Added

Education ADM-R for FY 2010 @ Aid Grant Aid @ 2.1767 of

FY 10 & FY 11 85.1186% FY 10 FY 11 FY 11 Total Adequacy

Portsmouth $604,889 $179,593 $969,585 $0 $196,734

Governor Wentworth $658,027 $354,480 $244,726 $4,019,799 $312,129

Merrimack Valley $716,582 $170,461 $1,794,024 $9,723,643 $285,304

Contoocook $977,722 $728,792 $1,163,597 $8,859,888 $305,083

Oyster River $673,729 $247,274 $727,720 $4,914,022 182,261

DOE Per Pupil Gen’l Budget / Pupil

FY 2010 FY 2011

Portsmouth $14,621.30 $13,994.69

Governor Wentworth $13,889.79 $14,838.10

Merrimack Valley $11,280.99 $11,517.64

Contoocook $13,699.37 $14,014.2

Oyster River $15,503.27 $18,093.06

B U D G E T A N D F I N A N C E C O M PA R I S O N S

FY 2011 School Budgets

Portsmouth $36,904,000*

Governor Wentworth $38,059,723*

Merrimack Valley $31,558,344*

Contoocook $38,497,064*

Oyster River $36,710,825*

*Excludes Debt Service

Other Local State Education Local Education

2009 - 2010 Property Tax Rates

The FY 12 Budget adopted by the School Board first and fore-

most sustains all programs and continues to support a student

teacher ratio that provides for a personalized classroom for our

learners. We have taken steps in this budget to support teacher

professional development, albeit it differently, through the use of

expert mentoring support. While you will read about our build-

ing programs separately, we will expand learning opportunities

for students through intervention blocks and study skills centers.

On Thursday, February 10, 2011, the Portsmouth School Board

voted 8-1 to send an FY 2012 budget request of $36,904,000 to

the City Manager for his consideration. The budget meets the

mandate established by the City Council to submit a budget with

a zero percent increase. We reduced 11.93 FTE positions from

the general fund.

In order to meet the mandate, a number of adjustments were

made. First, we looked at system-wide and central office posi-

tions. We have adopted a model that combines the Special Ser-

vices Director and Title I Coordinator into a new position enti-

tled Director of Pupil Instruction and Support. We believe the

shift in this model will help us build a coordinated system of

support rather than parallel system.. Our intention is to build

clear systems of support for both identified and non-identified

students. In FY 12 we will continue with our network coordina-

tor, tech integrators and adjust one computer support person. As

we work to more fully integrate technology in the classroom,

Assistant Superintendent Zadravec will facilitate instructional

leadership. The following adjustments were made to central of-

fice:

Director of Technology 1 FTE

Special Services Director 1 FTE

Administrative Assistant 1 FTE

Computer Technician 1 FTE

Maintenance Technician 1 FTE

District-wide Psychologist .5 FTE

Portsmouth Teachers PD Contribution

Total 5 .5 FTE from General Fund

Attrition adjustments were examined. Four teachers, one

PE, one music, and two English teachers, all from PHS, have

declared retirement in June 2011. As a result of the schedule

changes at Portsmouth Middle, we are able to transfer two Eng-

lish positions to the high school. We will fill the PE and music

positions. We also have a resignation in science from the high

school. In CTE, the welding program will become a two-year

program and will be covered by Perkins federal grant monies

and based on enrollment we will adjust the Automotive position

to a .5 FTE. Additional adjustments include .33FTE Art and . 5

FTE Nurse at PHS and a .6 FTE reduction of Speech services and

an unfilled .5 FTE elementary school position from the current

year.

English Language Arts 2 FTE

Speech .6 FTE

Automotive .5 FTE

Nurse .5 FTE

Elementary (unfilled in FY’11) .5 FTE

Art .33 FTE

Adjusted Music, PE, Science

Total 4.43 FTE from General Fund

Examination of minimum standards lead to adjustments in staff-

ing levels of guidance / outreach support, K-12. Minimum ratios

call for 1:300 at the high school and 1:500 at the elementary

school level. Support levels were adjusted from 10 FTE at the

high school to 8 FTE for FY 2012 and from 6 FTE to 4 at the

elementary schools.

Counselors 4 FTE

Total 2 FTE from General Fund

The remainder of the budget was adjusted through the use of Fed-

eral Education Jobs Fund of $195,000 in addition to the health

insurance adjustments of those 11.93 positions adjusted. In light

of the current economic climate, we believe we have continued to

provide our students with a high quality education while manag-

ing the taxpayers’ dollars as effectively as possible.

F Y 2 0 1 2 S C H O O L B U D G E T

Portsmouth School Department General Fund Budget and Key Drivers - Five Year View

FISCAL YEAR BUDGET TOTAL PERCENT INCREASE COLA INCREASE HEALTH INCREASE RETIREMENT INCREASE

FY 2007 32,472,916 5.6% 3.27% 9.2% 3.70%

FY 2008 34,326,773 5.7% 2.06% 0.70% 5.80%

FY 2009 35,505,754 3.4% 3.14% 2.4% 5.80%

FY 2010 36,244,503 2.0% 2.98% 11.5% 7.49%

FY 2011 36,904,000 1.8% 2.82% 11.7% 8.02%

FY 2012 36,904,000 0.0% 2.43% 5% 9.07%

FY 10 BUDGET FY 10 ACTUAL FY 11 BUDGET FY 12 BUDGET

100 SALARIES 20,562,480 20,571,244 20,795,278 20,798,623

200 BENEFITS 9,972,475 9,900,258 10,535,980 10,524,151

300 PURCHASED SERVICES 612,540 619,568 441,882 454,402

310 RUBBISH-RECYCLE-PLOWING 71,152 31,756 71,200 58,140

320 GENERAL FUND SPED SUPPORT 400,000 400,000 400,000 400,000

410 WATER & SEWER 51,230 41,678 52,581 55,544

420 UNIFORMS-CLOTHING ALLOWANCE 12,380 9,549 10,380 10,380

430 REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE 345,080 459,157 373,678 357,271

440 RENTALS 74,141 79,682 82,831 70,860

519 TRANSPORTATION 896,733 836,246 865,992 857,286

520 INSURANCE 110,222 107,226 94,916 102,068

531 TELEPHONE 34,975 36,734 34,975 36,553

532 DATA 27,621 44,683 45,290 45,440

534 POSTAGE 22,298 19,723 21,282 19,544

540 ADVERTISING 8,065 1,712 6,050 5,748

550 PRINTING 30,934 20,181 28,864 27,408

560 TUITION 921,655 1,030,874 876,927 982,792

580 TRAVEL-CONFERENCE 36,980 27,500 36,615 34,602

610 GENERAL SUPPLIES 469,318 442,897 503,583 472,167

621 NATURAL GAS 436,847 311,205 430,263 408,750

622 ELECTRICITY 514,354 458,103 529,784 537,288

623 FUEL OIL 827 0 850 852

626 GASOLINE 11,200 12,566 11,200 16,200

641 BOOKS 220,073 183,819 216,753 201,554

642 SOFTWARE 39,510 31,795 47,735 41,403

644 PERIODICALS 16,473 9,151 21,668 20,920

720 CIP 78,000 116,673 77,750 58,000

730 EQUIPMENT 213,191 373,402 227,869 243,990

810 DUES & FEES 25,818 28,947 35,869 34,915

840 CONTINGENCY 16,076 18,555 15,100 15,725

890 OTHER 11,855 16,423 11,855 11,424

36,244,503 36,241,305 36,904,000 36,904,000

F Y 1 2 S C H O O L B U D G E T B Y O B J E C T C O D E

ACTUAL

2007-08

ACTUAL

2008-09

BUDGET

2009-10

ACTUAL

2009-10

BUDGET

2010-2011

BUDGET

2011-2012

TEACHERS 14,499,309.00 15,386,030 16,063,274.00 15,982,099 16,235,902 16,234,150

SALARIES 3,541,830.00 3,795,695 3,732,047 3,678,163 3,758,139 3,763,236

PART-TIME SALARIES 871,540.00 774,697 730,381 837,776 731,459 724,459

OVERTIME 117,054.00 88,121 69,778 76,369 69,778 69,778

RETIREMENT 1,154,255.00 1,211,302 1,487,281 1,508,901 1,672,175 1,899,898

HEALTH INSURANCE 5,327,573.00 4,973,000 5,502,811 5,509,771 5,781,395 5,648,665

DENTAL INSURANCE 314,324.00 329,232 335,236 357,838 360,936 397,619

LEAVE AT TERMINATION 604,999.00 912,634 500,000 500,000 500,000 400,000

WORKERS COMPENSATION 103,571.00 115,792 90,000 89,647 94,000 108,344

OTHER FRINGE BENEFITS 1,846,661.00 1,983,421 2,057,147 1,940,982 2,127,474 2,069,624

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS 28,381,116.00 29,569,924 30534955 30,481,545 31,331,258 31,322,733

TUITION 1,342,736.00 1,453,057 921655 1,030,874 876,927 982,792

TRANSPORTATION 802,277.00 861,264 898233 836,246 865,992 857,286

UTILITIES 855,096.00 929,485 963228 781,874 972,097 963,090

REPAIR/MAINTENANCE 415,530.00 400,011 344947 459,157 377,114 357,271

OTHER OPERATING COSTS 2,148,762.00 2,289,692 2581485 2,651,608 2,480,612 2,420,788

OPERATING SUB TOTAL 5,564,401.00 5,933,510 5709584 5,759,760 5,572,742 5,581,227

TOTALS 33,945,517.00 35,503,433 36,244,503 36,241,305 36,904,000 36,904,000

Historical Summary of School Department Expenditures

PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

2011-2012 FTE PROPOSED

GENERAL FUND

Teachers ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Classroom Teachers 15.00 3.23 23.00 15.27 26.00 55.00 137.50

Art,Music,PE, Computer 1.60 3.00 4.00 2.07 7.95 9.60 28.22

Tech Careers 4.00 5.76 9.76

Health Instruction 1.24 1.24

Regular Ed Subtotal 1.60 18.00 3.23 27.00 17.34 37.95 71.60 0.00 0.00 176.72

Special Education 2.50 2.50 2.00 4.50 7.30 18.80

ESL 2.00 2.00

Sped Subtotal 0.00 2.50 0.00 2.50 2.00 4.50 7.30 0.00 2.00 20.80

Total Classroom Teachers 1.60 20.50 3.23 29.50 19.34 42.45 78.90 0.00 2.00 197.52

Other Professionals ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Guidance Counselors 1.33 1.34 1.33 2.00 5.00 11.00

Nurses 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.50 5.50

School Librarians 2.25 1.00 0.93 1.00 1.00 6.18

Athletic Trainer 0.00

Psychologist 0.50 0.50

Speech 1.00 0.80 1.80 1.00 1.00 5.60

Physical & Occ Therapists 1.50 0.40 1.90

Reading & Math Specialists 1.60 2.40 1.50 1.00 6.50

Behavioral Specialist 0.00

Total Other Professionals 3.75 5.93 1.20 6.54 5.76 6.00 7.50 0.00 0.50 37.18

Teacher's Contract Total 5.35 26.43 4.43 36.04 25.10 48.45 86.40 0.00 2.50 234.70

Administrators ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Superintendent 1.00 1.00

Asst. Superintendent 1.00 1.00

Business Administrator 1.00 1.00

Principals 1.00 1.00 0.96 2.00 2.84 7.80

Directors 2.00 1.36 3.36

Total Admin 0.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 0.96 2.00 2.84 0.00 4.36 14.16

Paraprofessionals ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Regular Ed Classroom Paras 5.64 1.72 5.36 3.37 1.00 17.09

Sped Paras 4.72 3.93 2.86 6.72 1.86 20.09

Library Paras 0.86 0.86

Support Paras 0.00

Total Para 0.00 10.36 1.72 9.29 6.23 8.58 0.00 0.00 1.86 38.04

Clerical ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Admin Clerical 0.89 0.88 0.89 2.00 5.39 6.82 16.87

Sped Clerical 0.82 0.82

Support Clerical 0.78 3.00 3.78

Total Clerical 0.00 0.89 0.00 0.88 0.89 2.78 9.21 6.82 0.00 21.47

OTHER ELEM DO Peep LH NF PMS PHS C/O SYS TOTAL

Security 1.00 1.00

Tech Support 7.00 7.00

Custodians 3.00 3.00 2.50 4.00 11.00 0.40 23.90

Maintenance 4.00 4.00

Total Other 0.00 3.00 0.00 3.00 2.50 4.00 12.00 0.40 11.00 35.90

General Fund TOTAL 344.27

Regular Ed Classroom

Special Education - All

Educational Support

Administration

Other

PORTSMOUTH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

GENERAL FUND DETAIL COMPARISON AND INDEX

2010/11 2011/12 Cost Center - Budget DRAFT Total Budget Salaries Benefits Operating

Positions

FTE

Total Proposed

Budget Salaries Benefits Operating

Positions

FTE

Benefits Budgets 7,309,131 7,309,131 0 0.00 7,069,930 7,069,930 0 0.00

School Instruction & Operations

102 DONDERO 1,652,347 1,393,987 209,141 49,219 27.53 1,714,418 1,440,053 231,350 43,015 26.86

104 LITTLE HARBOUR 2,309,443 1,962,575 287,491 59,377 35.25 2,385,992 2,005,980 323,979 56,033 34.58

105 NEW FRANKLIN 1,595,675 1,352,721 204,839 38,115 24.97 1,645,266 1,384,829 224,153 36,284 24.32

108 MIDDLE SCHOOL 2,824,806 2,368,663 368,205 87,938 40.64 2,908,385 2,422,297 401,603 84,485 38.64

109 SENIOR HIGH 5,940,403 4,984,792 780,251 175,360 81.37 6,286,345 5,244,009 875,022 167,314 82.37

Total Schools 14,322,674 12,062,738 1,849,927 410,009 209.76 14,940,406 12,497,168 2,056,107 387,131 206.77

Other Instruction Budgets

110 ART 635,071 502,680 78,770 53,621 8.13 644,681 508,687 85,052 50,942 7.80

111 MUSIC 514,598 427,082 66,924 20,592 6.40 510,124 420,114 70,243 19,767 6.40

112 PHYSICAL EDUCATION 752,962 642,471 98,901 11,590 10.42 779,952 660,636 108,304 11,012 10.42

113 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC 169,051 113,853 17,841 37,357 1.60 169,146 114,215 19,097 35,834 1.60

114 TECHNICAL CAREERS 1,042,234 848,233 133,326 60,675 12.75 952,219 765,731 128,770 57,718 11.50

115 ATHLETICS 613,514 269,421 42,648 301,445 1.00 598,637 270,516 46,013 282,108 1.00

116 DRAMA 27,846 10,068 1,578 16,200 0.00 27,036 10,068 1,578 15,390 0.00

117 K-12 COMPUTER 400,713 274,947 43,355 82,411 5.00 319,209 204,337 34,661 80,211 4.00

119 HEALTH INSTRUCTION 93,938 77,524 12,148 4,266 1.24 98,712 81,100 13,560 4,052 1.24

Total Other Instruction 4,249,926 3,166,279 495,490 588,157 46.54 4,099,716 3,035,404 507,278 557,034 43.96

Instruction Support Budgets

130 ENRICHMENT 11,928 3,890 610 7,428 0.00 11,698 3,890 650 7,158 0.00

131 DISTRICT-WIDE ASSESSMENT 8,100 0 0 8,100 0.00 7,695 0 0 7,695 0.00

132 MATHMATICS ELEMENTARY 41,626 0 0 41,626 0.00 39,545 0 0 39,545 0.00

134 HEALTH 467,094 401,187 58,613 7,294 6.00 467,175 394,316 65,930 6,929 5.50

135 LIBRARY ELEMENTARY 215,745 156,184 24,943 34,618 3.93 245,411 181,142 31,165 33,104 4.18

136 MEDIA SERVICES 78,354 52,974 8,905 16,475 1.00 80,276 54,426 10,199 15,651 1.00

137 SYSTEM - WIDE PSYCHOLOGIST 93,023 71,162 11,151 10,710 1.00 52,879 36,587 6,117 10,175 0.50

138 INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM 24,405 0 0 24,405 0.00 26,185 0 0 26,185 0.00

139 READING 665,320 554,279 86,856 24,185 8.54 601,710 496,479 83,011 22,220 6.98

140 STAFF DEVELOPMENT 0 0 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 0.00

145 PUPIL ENTITLEMENT 3,255 0 0 3,255 0.00 3,255 0 0

3,255 0.00

Total Instructional Support 1,608,850 1,239,676 191,078 178,096 20.47 1,535,830 1,166,840 197,073 171,917 18.16

Special Education Budgets

150 PEEP 296,561 249,084 39,494 7,983 4.95 306,526 259,058 39,874 7,594 4.95

151 SPED/ ELEMENTARY 1,178,615 1,009,678 155,555 13,382 24.37 905,118 771,564 120,799 12,755 19.51

152 SPED/ MIDDLE SCHOOL 519,316 447,390 67,461 4,465 10.29 576,117 493,811 78,049 4,257 11.22

153 SPED/HIGH SCHOOL 639,797 541,932 85,319 12,546 8.12 671,899 564,807 95,158 11,934 8.12

156 SPEECH 477,046 404,635 63,406 9,005 6.20 472,863 398,335 65,973 8,555 5.60

157 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 167,290 138,657 21,728 6,905 1.90 168,260 138,537 23,163 6,560 1.90

159 ESL 172,147 146,917 23,251 1,979 2.86 179,025 153,387 23,758 1,880 2.86

160 ADAPTIVE SERVICES 80,431 53,797 9,043 17,591 1.00 82,364 54,550 10,223 17,591 1.00

165 OUT OF DISTRICT TUITION 1,370,676 0 0 1,370,676 0.00 1,468,466 0 0 1,468,466 0.00

Total Special Instruction 4,901,880 2,992,090 465,258 1,444,532 59.69 4,830,639 2,834,049 456,998 1,539,592 55.16

System Support Budgets

170 CENTRAL OFFICE 1,005,662 730,254 120,207 155,201 10.75 984,756 702,957 128,399 153,400 10.22

171 SCHOOL BOARD 25,575 17,000 1,575 7,000 0.00 25,633 17,000 1,633 7,000 0.00

173 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 4,024 0 0 4,024 0.00 3,823 0 0 3,823 0.00

174 ADULT EDUCATION 3,200 0 0 3,200 0.00 3,041 0 0 3,041 0.00

177 TECHNOLOGY PLAN 547,496 299,434 50,335 197,727 5.80 524,667 283,667 53,159 187,841 5.00

178 DATA PROCESSING 103,483 52,948 8,901 41,634 1.00 103,932 54,219 10,161 39,552 1.00

179 LARGE EQUIPMENT 34,704 0 0 34,704 0.00 36,860 0 0 36,860 0.00

180 TRAVEL IN DISTRICT 31,535 0 4,598 26,937 0.00 31,159 0 4,562 26,597 0.00

182 WELLNESS 2,258 0 0 2,258 0.00 2,146 0 0 2,146 0.00

183 INSURANCE 94,916 0 0 94,916 0.00 102,068 0 0 102,068 0.00

184 TELEPHONE 42,475 0 0 42,475 0.00 44,478 0 0 44,478 0.00

187 ATHLETIC FIELDS 57,202 0 0 57,202 0.00 52,758 0 0 52,758 0.00

188 MAINTENANCE 707,652 234,859 39,480 433,313 5.00 660,288 207,319 38,852 414,118 4.00

189 ENERGY 1,007,222 0 0 1,007,222 0.00 996,176 0 0 996,176 0.00

190 CIP 58,000 0 0 58,000 0.00 58,000 0 0 58,000 0.00

195 PUPIL TRANSPORTATION 722,872 0 0 722,872 0.00 745,309 0 0 745,309 0.00

197 SPACE RENTAL 63,260 0 0 63,260 0.00 52,384 0 0 52,384 0.00

Total System Support 4,511,535 1,334,495 225,095 2,951,945 22.55 4,427,478 1,265,162 236,765 2,925,551 20.22

36,904,000 20,795,283 10,535,978 5,572,739 359.00 36,904,000 20,798,628 10,524,151 5,581,225 344.27

New Franklin School is a K-5

Elementary School with an en-

rollment of approximately 270

students. New Franklin has a

rich and proud history of

providing an elementary educa-

tion for several generations of

local families. New Franklin is

a School-wide Title 1 school

and is fortunate to receive some

federal funds to provide addi-

tional supports to help all of our

students reach their potential.

New Franklin offers a balanced-

literacy approach to reading

instruction and a workshop

model for writing. We employ

Everyday Mathematics (EDM)

as our core mathematics pro-

gram, but supplement with nu-

merous enrichment, remediation

and numeracy-building experi-

ences. Science and Social Stud-

ies are instructed through an

inq ui ry -b ased ap proach .

New Franklin has made signifi-

cant academic growth according

to all assessment indicators. At

the end of the 2009-2010 aca-

demic year, 84% of our students

were reading at grade level ac-

cording to the Developmental

Reading Assessment (DRA).

Our goal for this year is to in-

crease that figure to 88%.

According to New England

Common Assessment Program

(NECAP) data, the percentage

of students in Grades 3-6

demonstrating proficiency in

Reading, Mathematics and

Writing has increased in each of

the last four years. The most

recent NECAP data describes

our students as 86% proficient

in Reading and 80% proficient

in Mathematics.

Additionally, Fifty-one percent

of our 3rd and 4th graders were

designated Proficient with Dis-

tinction in Mathematics. New

Franklin has a thriving academ-

ic and social culture and we’re

proud of our students’ commit-

ment to excellence and their

growth as learners and citizens.

While next year’s budget calls for reductions in human and material resources, we are committed

to challenging our students to excel in all facets of their lives. We plan to expand our efforts to

build robust literacy curriculum maps that embed essential skills into daily Reading and Writing

instruction.

In Mathematics, we will maintain our emphasis on developing strong mathematical reasoning

skills and promoting fact fluency in all students. Through the work of our Learning Teams, we

will continue to use assessments to inform the delivery of a highly-personalized and responsive

educational experience for all New Franklin students.

The Outlook

The Current Picture

0102030405060708090

100

2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

NFS NECAP Proficiency 2006-2010

Reading

Math

Writing

* No writingdata in 2008-2009

*

NEW FRANKLIN SCHOOL

Dondero School

strives towards

providing all of

our students with

the skills and

attitudes neces-

sary to achieve

their potential .

As future citizens, they must learn to

think critically and creatively to solve

problems, make decisions, communi-

cate clearly, respect individual rights,

assume responsibilities and appreciate

the learning process.

Over the past six months, staff has

been working collaboratively to ana-

lyze student data and monitor student

progress in Professional Learning

Communities and/or professional de-

velopment workshops to close the

achievement gap. Looking at individ-

ual student needs, both strengths and

areas in need of growth, in comparison

to the whole class, has assisted teach-

ing teams in thinking creatively to sup-

port all learners; those needing to be

challenged, as well as those needing

additional support and/or more direct

instruction.

The implementation of the Japanese

Lesson Study, a cycle of collaborative

planning, instruction and refining, has

afforded teachers multiple pathways

for advancing their current teaching

practice and improving student think-

ing.

The recent release of NECAP scores

result in a notable increase in the num-

bers of students scoring ―Proficient‖

or ―Proficient with Distinction‖.

Commitment to Student Success

MARY C. DONDERO SCHOOL

We will continue to use the NECAP data, along with other data points, to review, evaluate and analyze our instruction-

al methods and expectations to increase student performance. Intervention blocks will become a consistent practice at

grade levels. Class schedules and staffing will continue to be examined, as we would like to provide extended learning

opportunities for Dondero students. Professional development will be provided to teachers to aid them in moving to-

wards implementing small group instruction and monitoring student progress.

Additionally, creating classroom environments that foster collaboration and strong relationships among students will

continue to be a focus at Dondero. In partnership with the PTA, Dondero will provide learning opportunities for chil-

dren beyond the classroom instruction by aligning curriculum with community-based resources.

“Positive relation-ships are the foun-dation for the social and academic suc-cess of children..”

-Pamela Seigle

Open Circle Founder

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

DES NECAP Proficiency 2006-2010

Reading

Math

Writing


*

Looking Ahead…

L ittle Harbour School started the 2010-2011 school year with 465 students, the largest en-

rollment in its history.

Based on analysis of NECAP and Developmental Reading Assessment data, Little Harbour

staff developed three clear instructional areas of focus for the 2010-2011 school year.

Reading specialists, Literacy Lab teachers and classroom teachers have been collaborat-

ing to provide effective reading instruction by utilizing small strategy groups within classrooms.

In the area of literacy, the overall focus of our Professional Learning Communities has

been on developing students’ abilities to respond to reading through writing.

In the area of mathematics, teachers have focused on developing students’ ability to ex-

press their mathematical thinking. Some of this work has been done in conjunction with district

work in Japanese lesson study.

A hallmark of Little Harbour School continues to be remarkable parent involvement. Last

year parent volunteer hours added up to the equivalent of three full-time positions. Our PTA holds

many wonderful community events and raises considerable money for student enrichment activi-

ties. Finally, Teaching and Learning team, parents and staff have been working on issues around

school climate.

This type of reflective, collabo-

rative practice has resulted in

consistent growth in student

achievement.

As demonstrated on the above

graph, Little Harbour’s scores

on the state’s NECAP test have

improved for six straight years

in Mathematics and for five of

the past six years in Reading.

We continue to substantially

outperform the state. Some

highlights of our performance

on the NECAPs:

89% of our students achieved

proficiency in reading while

87% achieved proficiency in

math.

We achieved over 90% profi-

ciency in three separate grade-

level assessments. (Grade 3

Math– 97%, Grade 5 Reading–

93%, Grade 6 Reading 92%)

On the fifth grade writing as-

sessment, 82% of Little Har-

bour students demonstrated

proficiency in contrast to 56%

of students statewide.

As we look toward next year,

we will continue to reflect and

collaborate around data in order

to drive student performance.

Building on Success

L ITTLE HARBOUR SCHOOL

Grade 4 Science Inquiry

Fifth Graders Getting Organized For The Day

Working on Historical Journals

Learning with Technology

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010

LHS NECAP Proficiency 2006-2010

Reading

Math

Writing


*

The current budget challenges have provid-

ed new opportunities for Portsmouth Mid-

dle School!

While we understand the economic climate

requiring the reduction of two English Lan-

guage Arts teachers, PMS is using this as

an opportunity to reconfigure our master

schedule.

There will be many new changes here at

PMS for the 2011-2012 school year!

First and foremost, is the lengthening of the

school day. We are reformatting our master

schedule to accommodate this change.

By shortening our current homeroom time,

along with the additional time that we are

adding to our school day, we will be able to

provide increased instructional time for our

students.

This will allow our students to have longer

instructional blocks for all academic clas-

ses, to have access to an intervention/

enrichment block, provide more opportuni-

ties for unified arts classes, and create

stronger foreign language component.

These changes are exciting as we believe

that they will provide a stronger academic

curriculum for our students.

EXTENDED LEARNING

During the summer of 2011 we will be of-

fering our students additional learning time.

PMS will be running several two week

classes, as well as four week classes, at the

Community Campus. The classes will focus

on core reading and math competencies and

will be taught by Portsmouth Middle

School faculty. We will be collaborating

with the New Heights Program so that our

students who want to stay for an extended

day and participate in the New Heights ac-

tivities will be able to do so.

5-2-1-0 Healthy NH

PMS is very excited about the 5-2-1-0 ac-

tivities that we have offered this year and

will expand on during the 2011-2012

school year. 5-2-1-0 is a statewide initiative

to bring awareness to the daily guidelines

for nutrition and physical activity.

5- fruits and vegetables a day

2 -cut screen time to 2 hours or less a day

1 -hour of moderate to vigorous exercise

per day

0 -restrict soda and sugar sweetened sports

and fruit drinks

Examples of activities:

Mount Major Hike

PMS Sugar Challenge

Kiwi Tasting

All School Wellness Walk

Healthy Snacks

5-2-1-0 Literacy Corner

Expanded Initiatives for 2011-2012

Budget Challenges Bring New

Opportunities for PMS

PORTSMOUTH M IDDLE SCHOOL

February, 2011

Graphs or pictures low

As has been stated numerous times, Portsmouth

High School is and will remain committed to

the three A’s: Academics, Athletics and the

Arts. It is by virtue of this commitment that our

students and graduates alike have built a solid

foundation for life after PHS. The class of 2010

is a shining example of this commitment. Their

success can be measured and quantified in many

different ways: high SAT scores, state champi-

onships in athletics, world percussion finals and

gold medals in band, high NECAP scores and

community service. Perhaps most impressive

was their work to reach out to alumni and rekin-

dle their inner ―Clipper Pride.‖ This project cul-

minated in our beautiful memory walk outside

the main entrance. Their scholarship and com-

mitment to further their education led to a rec-

ord high number of students moving on to two

and four year colleges, more than Portsmouth

High School has seen in ten years. They have

set a high standard for excellence and our cur-

rent students are working diligently to surpass

that bar.

The current senior class is fully engaged in the

search to continue their educational journey.

College acceptances are arriving daily and the

list is certainly impressive. Our most recent NE-

CAP data, assessing the current junior class,

indicates overall and sub group improvements

in reading, math and writing. We have countless

reasons for ―Clipper Pride.‖

Throughout the 2011 – 2012 school year

Portsmouth High School will be engaging

in a comprehensive self-study that will

last a year, for our decennial evaluation

by the New England Association of

Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

This study will consist of analyzing and

comparing our current practice with na-

tionally recognized best practices and will

involve all members of our faculty and

staff. As a school, we are looking for-

ward to taking the opportunity to closely

examine our current practice in relation to

the Seven Standards Of Accreditation:

Core Values, Beliefs and Learning Ex-

pectations

Curriculum,

Instruction

Assessment of and For Student Learning

School Culture and Leadership

School Resources for Learning

Community Resources for Learning.

The end result of this process will be a

blueprint of ways to improve and

strengthen teaching and learning at Ports-

mouth High School.

In addition to the NEASC self-study,

Portsmouth High School remains commit-

ted to helping our students achieve

through the principles contained in Pro-

fessional Learning Communities. Data on

standardized tests, as well as authentic

common formative assessments, point to

successes across the board and we contin-

ue to be committed to this important

work.

To become more prescriptive in our re-

sponse to our student’s needs, we have

looked to our current interventions blocks

and restructured them in such a way as to

provide students who are struggling with

targeted instruction in Literacy and Nu-

meracy.

With a new school year approaching, we

will look to improve upon the gains our

students have made as measured by stand-

ardized tests such as the New England

Common Assessment Program and

SAT’s. We will continue to look for new

and innovative ways to engage our stu-

dents in the learning process and create a

more prescriptive system of interventions

for our student.

Finally, we will continue our efforts to

reduce even further our 0.3% dropout

rate.

Charting a Course to 2011-2012 and Beyond

―Clipper Pride‖

PORTSMOUTH H IGH SCHOOL

JANUARY, 2011

Graphs or pictures low

The Robert J. Lister Academy (RJLA) is an innovative public high school program de-

signed for students who have been unable to succeed in more traditional settings.

RJLA strives to provide each student with a child specific education tailored to their in-

dividual academic, social, behavioral, and therapeutic needs, while preparing students for

their vocational and post-secondary school aspirations.

The program is funded through out-of-district tuition with minimal cost to the Portsmouth

School District. This funding structure allows 14 Portsmouth students to attend our spe-

cialized program. The savings to the Portsmouth School Department by educating these

students within our own district and avoiding out-of-district special education placements

is $553,000.

Great Bay Community College:

Six junior and senior students are taking

a class on-campus at Great Bay Commu-

nity College as part of their regular high

school day.

This program was developed six years

ago, as a transition pathway to post-

secondary education for our students.

Students receive 3 college credits and

the opportunity to take an additional

class at Great Bay Community College.

Thirty students have participated in this

program to date.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services:

Vocational Rehabilitation has supported

our efforts of career and work-based

education through a two year grant.

Presently, students participate in a two

tier career education curriculum culmi-

nating in community based internships.

Eligible students also meet with a voca-

tional rehabilitation counselor on a

monthly basis at our school.

Partnerships

ROBERT J . L ISTER ACADEMY Begin with the end in mind

Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of com-

munity

2010-2011

Costa Rica Class of 2011

Fundraising Goal

Innovative Project-Based Curriculum

Seven students are participating in an integrated ecology and business class. Students

have studied Monte Verde Costa Rica and have designed individual research projects

that they will travel to Costa Rica to gather data to complete.

The business class was used as a means for students to study and practice entrepreneuri-

al and fundraising principals with the task of raising $15,000 dollars to fund their re-

search by the deadline of March 1, 2011.

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

Important Budget Meeting Dates

April 11 Public Hearing at PHS - Pro-

posed FY12 Budget by City

Council

April 20 City Council Work Session with

School Department

May 9 City Council Re-open Public

Hearing at PHS

May 18 City Council Work Session and

final budget review

June 6 City Council—Final Budget

Adoption

Back Row: Tom Martin, Ed McDonough, Steve

Zadravec, Kent LaPage, Steve Bartlett, Leslie Ste-

vens.

Front Row: Linda Briolat, Ann Walker, Mitch

Shuldman, Carol Chellman and Rebecca Emerson

Not Pictured: Dexter Legg and Clay Hayward

P O R T S M O U T H S C H O O L B O A R D

The Portsmouth School Board is commit-

ted to establishing a shared

community vision for the education of all

children. It pledges open and honest com-

munication with its educators, parents,

students and the public at large.

Mitchell Shuldman, Chair

Ann Walker, Vice Chair

Carol Chellman

Rebecca Emerson

Clay Hayward

Kent LaPage

Dexter Legg

Tom Martin

Leslie Stevens

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