December 13, 2024
Dear SAU 90 Staff and Families,
I am pleased to let you know that our schools have been recognized by US News and World Report for their rankings statewide. These ratings are based on scores on standardized tests and how well we prepare our students for high school. Centre School does not participate in standardized tests and is not included in the rankings. However, we know the solid foundation that they provide our PreK-grade 2 students helps to prepare them for future success. Marston was recognized as the 24th best elementary school in the state of New Hampshire out of 442 schools, placing this school in top 5%. Hampton Academy has been ranked as the 15th best middle school in the state of New Hampshire out of 268 middle schools, placing this school in the top 6% in the state. We recognize that this is just one indicator of student success. We wish to congratulate everyone on a job well done!
After four sessions and many hours, our school board finished their review of the 2025-2026 budget. Prior to the board’s extensive review, our leadership team works to review 175-line items in our budget. Knowing the economic times and challenges with staffing, we focused on holding down costs while maintaining current systems. The proposed budget has increased by 1.4%, over the 2024-2025 default budget. This is which is 1.69% decrease from last year. This 1.4 % increase is due to rising costs of special education, transportation, and health care coverage. On Tuesday, December 10, the budget committee unanimously supported our budget and warrant articles. Included in the warrant articles is the professional and support staff’s contract. These warrant articles were the results of hours of negotiations. In the end, we reached a fair compromise that will help us to attract and retain quality staff. The biggest factor in the success of our students lies in the staff who teach them. For your planning purposes, elections will be held on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.
Thankfully,
Dr. Lois B. Costa
Superintendent of SAU 90
Attachments:
Shark News: Shark News 11.17.23
US News and World Report: Marston School
US News and World Report: Hampton Academy
Cook Center for Human Connection Links: