The Concord School Board still appears to be pushing headstrong toward building a controversial new middle school, whose cost has varied dramatically, but more recently in the range of $150 million to $165 million. With no new building aid in the current state biennial budget, the Board’s hopes and dreams of getting any state aid, let alone 40%, are zero. With no chance of state building aid over the next several years, this harsh reality should give the Board strong reason to pause and temporarily suspend rebuilding efforts for a new school.
Inadequate state funding for local schools (of any kind) has been evident since the Claremont Court decision nearly 35 years ago. More recently, multiple court decisions — like Rand v. State of New Hampshire and Contoocook Valley School District v. State of New Hampshire — continues to confirm state adequacy funding remains woefully underfunded.
Rather than kicking the can down the road again, the New Hampshire Legislature has several new initiatives that could provide some monetary relief for local schools. The first one would increase basic adequacy payments. Another would significantly increase special education aid, long a black hole in school budgets. However, the dilemma continues on how will the Legislature fund any new local school aid. So what do we do with the Rundlett project until more state building aid and/or other funding arrives?
The challenge is to resolve the school’s current significant problems on a temporary basis, consisting of leaky roof sections, inadequate temperature controls and outdated electrical service. Right now, the Concord School Board has nearly $25 million in unused reserve funds that can be spent to pay for such work with limited impact on raising taxes, if any.
Additionally, continued pressure from parents, local taxpayers and the courts, taken collectively, should ultimately result in increased state aid to school districts over the next five to 10 years. However, until then, any expectation that Concord taxpayers will absorb the entire cost for a new $150 million school is irresponsible and foolhardy, not to mention the sentiments of the taxpayers.
It’s time to pause and suspend the on-going progress toward finalizing design and the building of a new middle school, but rather, to immediately focus on fixing Rundlett’s major problems first.
This pause would also benefit Concord, as it would allow the Legislature to finally resolve the State’s dire education funding status, allow Concord to further evaluate student enrollment in light of declining populations and Education Freedom Accounts and allow the hiring of an independent third party to review the design and estimated cost for Rundlett versus the comparable Woodbury Middle School in Salem, which was extensively remodeled and completed in 2024 for $49 million.
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Ron Rayner, a professional engineer, retired in 2017 after running his business Environmental & Industrial Waste Management Inc. for 21 years. He lives in Concord.