By Lauren Tayler
School budget preparers have a reputation for tugging at the heartstrings of the community. Every increase in local taxes begins with the assertion that each line item is indispensable for the betterment of the students.
The Kinks, a popular 60’s band, summed it up properly: “The tax man’s taken all my dough and left me in my stately home lazing on a sunny afternoon.”
Everyone is Paying the Pied Piper
Ironically, property taxes are inextricably linked to the school budget, meaning the very institution that offers an education to students to get a good job then takes their hard-earned money. Every taxpayer in Portsmouth subsidizes a system that directly pays out money to various companies.
This leads us to question, “Which companies benefit from the school board’s budget?” An examination of the many vendor proposals for items such as new Ford 350 trucks, outdoor learning zones, a high school tennis court, and an athletic turf field reveals a substantial list.
Absence of a Strategic Plan
Even more egregious is a request for proposals for a consulting firm to develop a strategic 3–5-year plan to develop a K-12 curriculum plan and performance goals for the entire district. This raises alarming questions about the allocation of administrative staff’s time, as their primary job duties include planning curriculum and setting performance goals.
They even admit in the contract proposal, “The Portsmouth School Department (PSD) currently does not have a strategic plan or a K-12 curriculum plan. Our School Board has several long-standing goals for the district, but these have not been revisited in quite some time.”
The winner of this bid is Great Schools Partnership in Portland, Maine. Anyone on the Portsmouth School Board friends with anyone at Great Schools Partnership? Anyone? “Bueller?, Bueller?…”
The Never-ending Budget Story
It is also worthy to note that the school board has decided not to have a definitive budget for this project as stated in the addendum two questions on page one, “The Portsmouth School Board has decided not to create a specific budget for this project.” Why? This seems like a prudent decision to make.
Just the Monetary Facts Please
Presently, the Portsmouth School District has a FY24 budget of $60,869,335 (p27) up 4.5% from last year’s budget. With an approximate enrollment of 2,459 students (p2) that means the current budget will spend an average of $24,753 per student for this school year. The aggregate mean across all districts in New Hampshire was $23,042 per student.
A level of enquiry into the costs associated with education is justified. Does the current expenditure truly deliver valuable educational outcomes for the community? Is the money spent in a prudent way that honors the taxpayer’s contribution? What companies benefit the most from the budget?
And the Enrollment Facts, Please
The chart below shows the enrollment levels for Portsmouth schools from 2012 to 2023. While Portsmouth’s population has grown minimally over this period, the enrollment numbers show a high of 2681 students in the 2012-2013 school year. More recently, the pre-pandemic school year of 2018-2019 shows an enrollment of 2655. For 2022-2023, the enrollment has fallen by nearly 200 students from the pre-pandemic high. That is a drop of almost 10%.
Where did these students go? Are they now in local private schools? Home schooled? Or now enrolled in parochial schools? This is a basic analysis of competitive forces that needs to be addressed by City Councilors as the Portsmouth school system requests more money to educate fewer students.
Today, more and more parents may seek alternatives to our public schools. Candidates for City Council need to be conversant in the challenges of our public schools as well as the competitive advantages parents and students see from leaving our schools. Are there opportunities our public schools have missed? Or are our public schools not well-suited to providing the education today’s parents and students require? Do our schools merit greater support when alternative schooling may be a more “successful” solution?
Community Solutions
The questions surrounding Portsmouth’s school budget transcend mere numbers and dollars. They revolve around the core values of our education system, corporate interests and the use of taxpayers’ money. As we approach the upcoming Portsmouth Council Elections, it is vital for candidates to consider these issues and propose innovative solutions that benefit both our students and our community.
