Pittsfield will soon face the dual challenges of losing the school district’s entire central administrative staff and determining whether to close its high school.
Both Pittsfield’s first-year superintendent and its financial manager will depart at the end of this school year. Instead of replacing them, the board is considering paying another district to handle its administrative responsibilities going forward.
Separately, on Tuesday, 62% of voters approved a warrant article authorizing the board to initiate the process of closing the district’s high school at the end of next school year. The language of the warrant does not require the board to do so, but it provides an indication of the town’s sentiment on the issue.
For Pittsfield, one of the most low-income communities in the capital area, the double whammy of a leadership change and a mandate to reshape its school system could serve as an inflection point in a district that has long struggled with financial difficulties and poor academic performance.
Leadership transition
Superintendent Sandie MacDonald assumed leadership of the district last summer, following the discovery months earlier of a major financial deficit due to previous fiscal mismanagement. The other member of the superintendent’s office, Financial Manager Rheana Anderson, will also depart at the end of the year, according to MacDonald.
MacDonald said in a statement last week that the pair have significantly stabilized the district’s financial and administrative situation this year.
“Pittsfield is now in a much stronger position, and I believe it is the right time for a new leader to work with the community to shape the district’s next chapter,” she wrote in an email to the Monitor. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the Pittsfield community and look forward to spending more time with my family.”
School board Chair Sandra Adams expressed appreciation for the progress MacDonald has made.
“Over the past year, the district has worked to stabilize its finances, strengthen systems and address several operational issues,” she wrote in a statement. “The Board appreciates the time, effort and leadership Dr. MacDonald has provided during this transition.”
MacDonald and Adams were not available for interviews this week; both answered questions via email for this story.
District leaders are considering a range of options to fill their responsibilities. They have posted superintendent and business administrator openings, but MacDonald said it would be a challenge to fill them. Pittsfield, she said, is the eighth district in the state to announce a business administrator opening.
“Districts across the state are finding it increasingly difficult to staff central office leadership positions, especially as the responsibilities associated with those roles continue to grow,” she wrote.
One alternative under consideration would be to forego replacing MacDonald and Anderson and, instead, pay a nearby school district to handle Pittsfield’s administrative responsibilities.
With roughly 450 students, Pittsfield is among the smallest districts in the state with a dedicated superintendent of its own. Many other districts of a similar size are part of a larger school administrative unit or employ an administrator who serves as both the principal and superintendent.
The model Pittsfield is exploring is more unusual. MacDonald cited the Middleton School District, which pays the Governor Wentworth Regional School District for its administrative unit expenses, as an example.
MacDonald said she didn’t expect the district to save money from contracting out its administrative services but she believed it could allow the district to reap the benefits of a broader team with “specialized expertise”.
Pittsfield has approached Concord’s school district, as well as others, about the possibility of contracting its services. The board is set to make a decision at its April meeting about how to proceed.
Future of high school
Pittsfield has considered closing its high school before. Most recently, in 2021, it opted against doing so, in part because a study determined it would not save the town money.
Tuesday’s vote re-opened that discussion.
Many districts of Pittsfield’s size, including nearby Epsom and Chichester, pay tuition to send their students to other area high schools. One complication in that approach for Pittsfield is that its middle school students attend school in the same building, so closing the high school would require a new place for younger students, as well.
MacDonald and Adams said the decision to close the high school will be incorporated into a broader study of the district’s future. A separate warrant article authorizing the board to establish a study committee also passed on Tuesday.
The prospect of closing the high school is not purely financial for Pittsfield residents. For some, the school is a beloved community hub and point of pride. For others, a larger school would lead to broader academic opportunities for its 137 students.
Other financial implications
Voters approved Pittsfield’s operating budget on Tuesday but rejected three other warrant articles that would have required them to spend additional money.
First, they voted down a warrant to cover the district’s deficit. Though MacDonald said at the February deliberative session it appeared possible the district could absorb the $633,000 it owes, that will not become clear until the end of the fiscal year in June. If a deficit remains, MacDonald said residents will be taxed for it despite voting down the warrant.
“The financial obligation does not disappear if the warrant article fails,” she wrote. “The district must still address it through the mechanisms available under state law.”
Voters also rejected paying $248,000 to Prospect Mountain High School to cover the tuition of students who have elected to enroll at the school via open enrollment over the past three years. Like the deficit, the district will have to pay the tuition bills despite rejecting the warrant article, MacDonald said.
Lastly, the collective bargaining agreement with the educators’ union failed to pass. The school board could call a special meeting to present a new proposal.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the amount of money Pittsfield owes Prospect Mountain High School.