[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6148696,"mediaKeyId","5513868-dce1b1950cf3164b046f65dcb548c6f5","parentId",5513868,"title","Summersworth board approves up to $115,000 in year-end capital expenditures, splits funds for website and student equipment","audioSeconds",1849,"startMs",87000,"endMs",1936000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5513868-dce1b1950cf3164b046f65dcb548c6f5&start=87&end=1936","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5513868-dce1b1950cf3164b046f65dcb548c6f5/thumbnail_87000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6148696/New-Hampshire/Summersworth-board-approves-up-to-115000-in-year-end-capital-expenditures-splits-funds-for-website-and-student-equipment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148696-5ccf68e46439b69922be9f0de8ce832d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770794179&Signature=IfuFPxmw4Ba6hSqllVHxwQUYDh26VJQEuHBFs9E9zlKMlJXozoqbtvweemTRPIu34hZb~B2Q7RTQuduwrNHljdWqqhG9sYqQtMkEy7iZ2HiGZbDs9MbRy-djku3qxpq8Yxgq0ZqJBtdmiRAIbzii0VNZrT8Tgdm3qQQiugBG60J~L00wNpj2kTIQSEZEECLGWL2WCo-2z8S3Fnm7ka5drrkAaS6wu-r64j1SzLYOZFYfS7sM1vGFR1sPdOmvxRLn1wLqGuz7w0MmFmTvFs40eN53tNRf76M1jUM-2XXY0Rr7sP-e6dJ5pKaFJNtU~JZ~wtfAIGiy10Apa4Z0Vo3lrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Somersworth NH","date","2025-07-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Summersworth School Board on July 30 approved up to $115,000 in end-of-year capital expenditures to cover technology, safety and communications projects and set aside a separate allocation for athletics and arts equipment.
The vote amended an initial memo of proposed items and added two board-directed allocations: a not-to-exceed $20,000 “district website revamp and strategic communications materials” line and a not-to-exceed $15,000 allocation for multi-year athletic and arts equipment to be purchased by Sept. 1. The full package of end-of-year expenditures was approved in a single motion, with board members saying remaining unspent funds would be returned to the city audit fund.
Board members and district staff said the purchases must meet the audit rule that unanticipated revenue be spent on capital, multi-year items and not on next year’s recurring salaries or annual operating expenses. “Unanticipated revenue must be returned to the city,” the superintendent said, adding the district sought city permission to include $200,000 of unanticipated revenue in next year’s budget and expected about $120,000 more to be returned to the city once books are closed.
Most of the specific items were drawn from a business administrator memo and discussed in public. Business Administrator Katie described technology and safety items recommended from the current year balance: $20,000 to upgrade malfunctioning security-camera servers to stop recording glitches; two fire-panel upgrades (Idlehurst and the high school) whose components are near end-of-life after roughly 15 years; a district website overhaul estimated at $20,000 in the amended motion; neoprene protective Chromebook sleeves (about $3,500) for high‑school devices that will travel home with students; and two additional Clear Touch interactive displays already used in classrooms.
Board members discussed priorities for student-facing spending versus communications. Several members urged the board to direct part of the unanticipated funds toward extracurricular support—equipment for athletics, music and the arts—that would be capital purchases and usable for multiple years rather than fees or next-year operating costs. One board member moved to split the discretionary money, proposing the website/communications work and a separate up-to-$15,000 pool for multi-year athletics and arts equipment; the board approved both the amendment and the allocation.
The motions included reporting requirements: staff will return to the board with a clear accounting of purchases and an update at the August meeting. The board agreed that if concrete purchase plans are not presented within the agreed window, the funds will revert to the city audit process.
The board did not approve year-over-year operating changes or fund new staff positions with these dollars; members emphasized that audit rules prohibit using this year’s balance for next year’s salaries. Business Administrator Katie told the board proposed purchases must be specified and capped (“not to exceed” amounts) for audit approval; she said equipment purchases would need to be concrete (for example, an instrument or piece of athletic gear) rather than a general reimbursement category.
The board passed the amended website revamp language and the athletics/arts allocation before approving the total end-of-year package “not to exceed $115,000.” The board chair said the district would publish a detailed accounting of each purchase once procurement is completed.
The approvals followed discussion of vendor options and prior website work: board members noted a 2021 site update that cost about $16,000 and the district’s existing contract with Intrado for the current site; technology vendors including Nuvia and a Nuvia leader, Tim Martin, were mentioned during discussion of costs. Superintendent John framed the communications work as part of a strategic effort to present Summersworth to prospective families and to respond to enrollment and funding pressures from state and federal policy changes.
The board asked staff to bring contracts, vendor scopes and spending plans back to the board for review and to ensure purchases meet audit rules and capital‑asset standards. Ending
The expenditures approved are intended as one-time, capital or multi‑year purchases; the district will report back to the public and city auditors with line-item detail at upcoming meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Somersworth NH, School Board Meeting - 07/30/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Summersworth School Board on July 30 approved up to $115,000 in end-of-year capital expenditures to cover technology, safety and communications projects and set aside a separate allocation for athletics and arts equipment.","taxTitle","Somersworth City Council, Somersworth City , Strafford County, New Hampshire","taxId",76002,"location","New Hampshire","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6148693,"Summersworth School Board votes to join prospective ACLU-led challenge to New Hampshire’s House Bill 2",893,1941000,2834000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5513868-dce1b1950cf3164b046f65dcb548c6f5&start=1941&end=2834","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5513868-dce1b1950cf3164b046f65dcb548c6f5/thumbnail_1941000.jpg","/articles/6148693/New-Hampshire/Summersworth-School-Board-votes-to-join-prospective-ACLU-led-challenge-to-New-Hampshires-House-Bill-2","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6148693-fc9b19b41f9770dd740405f8fe2487c4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770794179&Signature=L7rk5GsMcgBYfbE6QDJDQaY20zYoMjqOmkwm8VaM2sGrdyCWKsQoyfhc8~3rCmMVexd3-mTRRj3C7uroR0V1rZ41kkbYy0pcWMazX6ms2Lj7lCVBh8e8dPsMj9y31geattTW5dLZ6Lu6nXE58IS4rJyVX0VQggtvWK7FC1JnsHg0Rx0gI75B2nwt63otUePErwZmJTXvtGCv2UvEvMlwjKINbL3yw6lwRQ9e4GS25UGi3C13GuGuq8AMsstVZ4cIVWTW4SeGGj2-eR15CdBme~Kje8rcVQU-PrpI3twJla49UDsWVBPDB8Ts8nVM7rI2SGJ5j-oXXC9vaY9~UKpF1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Summersworth School Board voted on July 30 to join a prospective, ACLU-organized lawsuit challenging parts of New Hampshire’s House Bill 2 that board members said threaten programs aimed at improving outcomes for protected groups, including students with disabilities.
Board members said legal counsel coordinated by the American Civil Liberties Union is organizing the prospective suit and offered to represent participating districts at no cost. The board approved joining the prospective lawsuit by voice vote; members said the decision does not obligate the district to an immediate suit but signals participation in planning and coordination if the lawsuit is filed.
Superintendent John summarized the legal and fiscal concerns laid out in board materials: packet materials included the seven most pertinent pages from a longer bill file, and board members received an ACLU brief that the superintendent described as confidential. He said the prospective litigation is distinct from a separate federal lawsuit the district previously considered and that this New Hampshire challenge is ‘‘not filed yet’’ but is being organized now.
Board members raised the potential fiscal consequences should the state withhold funding. The superintendent told the board that the prospective state-level challenge places approximately $11 million at stake — roughly 30 percent of the district’s budget — and that a previously discussed federal lawsuit could jeopardize another $1 million to $2 million in federal funds. Board members described the combination as a potentially existential threat to district operations if funding were withheld.
The board’s concerns focused on language in HB 2 that board members and staff described as vague and potentially broad enough to classify special education or programs aimed at improving outcomes for identifiable groups as prohibited “DEI” activities. Board members asked whether the statute’s language would affect protections under federal civil-rights laws; the discussion referenced the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 and IDEA as statutes with potential relevance.
One board member moved that the Summersworth School Board “stand with the lawsuit and that we join the prospective lawsuit that the ACLU is proposing,” and another board member seconded. Several board members spoke in support, noting Summersworth’s diverse student population and the district’s reliance on programs that seek equitable outcomes. One board member described the ACLU representation as providing “the best legal assistance arguably around, at no cost.”
District leaders said participation would require some superintendent time but would not demand significant staff resources, according to the summary provided by counsel in the board packet. The superintendent said next steps would be driven by the lawyers organizing the suit and that an announcement about participating districts could come within days if the suit is filed. The board chair said the district would not make an immediate public announcement beyond the public meeting but expected coordinated public communications alongside other districts if and when suit filings occur.
The motion to join the prospective lawsuit carried by voice vote. The board scheduled reporting and follow-up at the next regular school board meeting in late August and said more information would be shared through the district’s communications channels when available. Ending
Board members emphasized that the vote approves joining the organized, prospective legal effort and does not itself file suit. They also directed staff to cooperate with counsel and to report any developments to the board.","The Summersworth School Board voted July 30 to join a prospective, ACLU-organized lawsuit challenging sections of New Hampshire’s House Bill 2 that board members said could curtail programs serving protected student groups, including services for students with disabilities.","actionData","errors"]

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Summersworth board approves up to $115,000 in year-end capital expenditures, splits funds for website and student equipment

Summersworth School Board votes to join prospective ACLU-led challenge to New Hampshire’s House Bill 2