NSD eNews
Volume XVIII Issue 17
Mario Andrade, Superintendent of Schools
June 28, 2023
Dear NSD Families and Staff,
On Monday, the Nashua Board of Education voted to adopt a middle school redistricting plan that will take effect August 2024 with the closing of Elm Street Middle School and the opening of McCarthy Middle School.
The plan is based on a scenario approved by the redistricting committee but includes moving a portion of the attendance boundary between McCarthy Middle and Fairgrounds Middle in south Nashua from East Dunstable Road to New Searles Road. We are working now on a revised and more detailed map, which we will be sure to share with you as soon as it is available.
Meanwhile, more work lies ahead for the Board when considering elementary school boundary lines. The Board is planning on addressing the need to redistrict elementary schools at its upcoming meeting on July 24.
As you can see the business of the school district continues in the summer; nevertheless, summer is here, and I want to be sure you take advantage of school vacation and spend time with family and friends by first enjoying the holiday this weekend. Best wishes for a happy Fourth of July!
Sincerely,
Mario Andrade, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Nashua School District
Nashua Board of Education
Dr. Andrade opened the meeting by recognizing Sharon Coffey, Principal at Fairgrounds Middle School, for her 45 years of service to the Nashua School District. Ms. Coffey served first as a mathematics teacher before moving to administration at the secondary level, with the last nine years as principal at Fairgrounds Middle. Congratulations!
Committee on Finance and Operations: Six separate motions were approved to:
- create a JROTC Obstacle Course at North
- purchase conventional and pizza ovens for North and South to replace and upgrade existing kitchen equipment for $80,648.30
- purchase CTE equipment for $5,500 for the culinary arts, marketing, and electrical programs
- refurbish cooling tower at North, which is key to the 20-year HVAC system, for $168,525
- contract for occupational and physical therapy services at $864,692.50 and $237,000, respectively, for students in need
- approve April and May Transfer Reports
Committee on Policy: Three policies were approved:
A. Foundations and Commitments
- ACE-Procedural Safeguard: Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Handicap/Disability
- ACE-R: Procedural Safeguards Appendix was rescinded
D. Fiscal Management
J. Students
Committee on Curriculum and Instruction: The Board approved the $300,000 purchase of Science of Reading CKLA (Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts) materials under the NHED Lean into Literacy grant.
Human Resources: Among the 19 personnel recommendations approved, 12 were teacher nominations.
Unfinished Business: Much of the discussion at the meeting was devoted to proposed middle school redistricting plans. The Nashua Board of Education voted to adopt a middle school redistricting plan that will take effect August 2024 with the opening of McCarthy Middle School. The plan is based on a scenario approved by the redistricting committee but includes moving a portion of the attendance boundary between McCarthy Middle and Fairgrounds Middle in south Nashua from East Dunstable Road to New Searles Road.
The next Nashua Board of Education meeting will be held Monday, July 24, 2023 at Nashua High School North.
Superintendent's Comments
June 26, 2023
Nashua Board of Education Meeting
Graduation Exercises: We dodged the rain, and the graduation exercises for the Class of 2023 went off without a hitch. Congratulations to all who graduated…nearly 800 graduates in total.
We continue to be impressed with the post-secondary choices of our graduates. No doubt you remember the student representatives to the Board from last year. Both are members of the Class of 2023. Armani Rogers of Nashua High North will be attending Boston College and will study biology, and Samay Sahu of Nashua High South plans on attending Dartmouth College and will study economics.
Congratulations to each member of the Class of 2023!
Gatorade 2023 NH Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Congratulations to Santiago Somorrostro, South Class of 2024, who was recently named the 2023 Gatorade NH Boys Soccer Player of the Year!
The Nashua HS South Boys Soccer Team won the 2022 NHIAA Division I championship last fall. Santiago, a midfielder, led the Panthers to a 17-3 season, scoring 16 goals and 18 assists.
2023 Heptathlon Champion: Congratulations to Isabella DiVernieri, North Class of 2023, for winning the NH Heptathlon last weekend. Last year Isabella finished third in the competition, but she won this year in fine form to claim the championship, competing in the 800 meter and 5K races, 100 and 300 hurdles, shot put, high jump, and javelin throw. Again, congratulations, Isabella!
Kindergarten Registration: To date, families have registered about 500 kindergartners. We urge all Nashua families to register their five-year-old child online by logging into the school district website and clicking the registration link on the home page. We look forward to welcoming our kindergartners in the fall.
Mount Pleasant Elementary School: I want to address some of the comments during public comment. I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting with the Mount Pleasant staff about a week or so ago and I think we had a really great conversation. And I said at that time, and I will say publicly that I agree with the comments said by those standing at the podium about the educational services they are delivering to our students there; it is truly a wonderful place with dedicated professionals, paraeducators, and kitchen staff who are involved with Mount Pleasant and are top notch. And I have to say that publicly. I can't argue. Educationally they are doing a wonderful job. Small classes are a blessing and we're very fortunate to have that not only at Mount Pleasant but across the district. The professional development that was going on in that building, especially around trauma-informed decision-making, is top notch. So again, I think the staff there and the quality of education the students are receiving is remarkable, and so I think I need to say that publicly. I also said at the meeting with the faculty is that there is the other side of the coin we have to consider and the future financial investment, and that is a larger part of the conversation and that's what we've been kind of debating. So I want the public to know, especially from the superintendent's point of view, where I should be the top educational leader, the work that you (referring to the Mount Pleasant staff) are doing on a day-in and day-out basis for our students is recognized. It is appreciated so thank you so much. Really, I know this is stressful for all of us and, as I said at the faculty meeting, as we move forward, I am committed to meeting with you before board meetings and over the course of the next year on a monthly basis so that we have open communications so that we can problem solve no matter what happens. So I think it's really important for me to address you and build back some of the trust, so thank you for holding me accountable. And then really I think we have the same interest at the center: what's best for our students. So I am recommitting to making sure we engage in the conversation and know that not only myself but the district recognizes all the work that you do but this is a hard kind of conversation so I wanted to say that publicly as part of my comments.
Then lastly, I want to thank the Nashua community. I can't believe it's been one school year already and I wrote in my memo to you (Board) while we've had some ups and downs that happened that were not on my bingo card a year ago, I can't think of a better place to be and that is truly a testament to the strength of this community with our outside community partners and the adults working with our students on a daily basis. We've been hit with a few punches over the last 10 months, but our team is strong. There is a lot of really committed adults who always have the best interests of the kids in mind to make those decisions, so I just want to thank everybody for making this year truly remarkable and by seeing the students' progress on a daily basis and see that growth. So thank you to the Nashua community for making it another successful year for our students. That's it. Thank you.
NSD Breakfast and Lunch Schedule during July and August
July 5-August 5, 2023, weekdays at no charge to students
8:30-9:30 am = Breakfast; 11:30 am-12:30 pm = Lunch
- Amherst Street Elementary, 71 Amherst Street
- Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary, 50 Arlington Street
- Fairgrounds Elementary, 37 Blanchard Street
- Ledge Street Elementary, 139 Ledge Street
- Mount Pleasant Elementary, 10 Manchester Street
July 5-August 10, 2023, weekdays at no charge to students
8:30-9:30 am = Breakfast; 11:30 am-12:30 pm = Lunch
- Nashua HS North, 8 Titan Way