Anti-East Concord Middle School Petitioners Secure Ballot Access For 2 Charter Amendments

CONCORD, NH — Members of Concord’s board of education will host a special meeting on Thursday to discuss goals and whether to discuss two ballot questions that aim to change the district’s charter in the controlled setting of a public hearing — amendments that will be on the ballot in November.

The meeting is booked for 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 in the central office boardroom on Liberty Street.

Limited information about the meeting, which appears to have been added recently to the district calendar, was available at post time. The meeting was not listed in the proposed calendar of meetings, Agenda Item No. 13, in the SAU 8 Aug. 5 board packet posted online and sent to the media. The item was approved on July 1.

The board meets annually at a retreat and has goal meetings, sometimes at the beginning of the school year (classes start on Wednesday).

Also Read

• Opponents Of East Concord Middle School Location File 1,500 Initiative Petition Signatures
• Mayor: No-Go To City Council Middle School Project Public Hearing
• Washburn: Council Ducks Critical Local Issue
• Concord School Board Member Seeks Input On New Middle School Gym Space, Other Features
• Washburn: Is There A New Performing Arts Center In Your Future?
• New Concord Middle School Design ‘Community Q&A’ Meetings Booked
• Anti-East Concord Middle School Group Seeks To Add Voter Provisions To SAU 8 Charter
• Activists Call For Rescinding 2023 New Concord Middle School Vote
• Concord Resident: Price Tag Of New Middle School Is ‘Appalling’; Makes Me ‘Physically Sick’
• Walsh Elected New Concord School District Board Of Education President
• Concord School District Hosts Middle School Siting Hearing Wednesday
• Concord School District Hosts 2 Meetings Concerning New Middle School
• Concord Residents, Others Eye Design, Equity Of A New Middle School
• Concord's Rundlett Middle School 4th On NH School Building Aid List
• New Concord Middle School Costs? Around $176 Million, SAU 8 Docs Say
• CenterPoint Church Says No To Concord School District Land Sale
• Land Sale Negotiations For New Concord Middle School Reach An Impasse
• A Lot Of Unknowns With New Concord Middle School Project
• Concord's Middle School Could Be Sold After New Facility Built
• Concord School District To Buy Land For New Middle School
• Navigating The Sordid Past Of Concord's School District Charter

The second item involves two proposed changes to the SAU 8 charter.

Opponents of a plan to build a new middle school in East Concord near the Broken Ground Elementary School and Mill Brook Primary School gathered more than 1,500 signatures toward ballot access. The first ballot question would add a “mandatory voter approval for school relocation” provision to the charter. The second proposal would require “voter oversight on property transactions” of more than an acre.

Patrick Taylor, the district clerk, said last week only 965 confirmed signatures from registered voters were needed to gain ballot access. The number was based on 15 percent of the ballots cast during the previous district election, in November 2023, when 6,435 voters cast ballots. On Wednesday, Taylor told the organization it had secured ballot access.

According to Terry Wolf, the district’s public information officer, SAU 8 spent $11,833 in legal fees on right-to-know requests and petitions through June 30. She said billings for July and August have yet to be processed.

Organizers are also collecting signatures for an “appeal petition,” requesting a revote of the location of the new middle school, which was approved by a 6-3 vote in December 2023.

For that effort, about 2,500 valid signatures are needed later this year.

Concord Concerned Citizens is requesting that opponents of the middle school and supporters of the petition attend the meeting.

The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “State of the City’s Schools 2024” forum from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Holiday Inn at 172 N. Main St. in Concord.

School Superintendent Kathleen Murphy, Jack Dunn, the district’s business manager, and Pamela Walsh, the school board’s president, will attend. In addition to the middle school project, other topics will include enhanced mathematics, budget, and other information, and Rising Tide Pathways, a Concord High School career sector program.

Tickets for the breakfast event are $25 for members and $35 for the general public and can be purchased here.

Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.