When Merrimack Valley voters narrowly rejected the school district’s proposed budget in March, it was a faction of residents from Loudon who led the charge, delivering piercing criticism of district administrators.
As a delegation of three school board members arrived at Loudon’s Town Hall on a snowy evening a few weeks ago, it may have felt a bit like entering enemy territory.
Following a year in which the district disclosed it had overspent by $2 million, simmering distrust among some residents erupted. The visit was an attempt at reconciliation.
“When you are open and communicate and share where you are, people are more trustful of you as a public body,” said school board member Tom Laliberte, who attended the meeting. “I just think that we should be as transparent in everything we do as best we can.”
The Loudon meeting is part of an all-out communication blitz Merrimack Valley leaders have embarked upon with that goal in mind. In addition to resuming visits to district communities that ceased during the pandemic, district administrators launched a new webpage that will provide weekly snippets of information up until the annual meeting in the spring.
The appearance in Loudon was well-received by both selectmen and most members of the public.
“This is a foundation,” said Dwayne Gilman, the chairman of the board of selectmen. “We can build off this and build a better relationship.”
Merrimack Valley’s approach in the wake of a failed budget vote mirrors that of Pembroke, where residents similarly voted down the proposed budget in 2024. There, a concerted effort at communication by the school board last year led to the resounding passage of the district’s subsequent budget.
District leaders in Merrimack Valley hope an intense focus on information sharing in the coming months will lead to a similar result come March.
The district’s finance committee has proposed a $51.9 million operating budget for next year, up 3% from $50.2 million. The increase is primarily driven by the rising cost of health insurance.
The board is set to vote on the proposal at its Jan. 5 meeting. A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4, followed by the annual meeting on March 5.
In addition to the town visits, which have already occurred everywhere but Webster, the district’s newly-launched webpage will deliver new information in a range of formats every week until the vote.
Business administrator Sam York, who has led the website launch, said much of the information was available online last year, but the format may not have been conducive to everyone. Each snippet of new information will appear in a video, infographic and slide deck.
“We wanted to redesign everything in a way that was more in your face, where you don’t really have to do a whole lot of clicking to find the information,” York said.
So far, the analytics suggest the new approach has been successful.
Some of the most critical residents said they appreciated the effort.
“This is what the public has been asking for,” Loudon resident Jennifer Mercer said. “Transparency and information in advance.”