Manchester School District, New Hampshire
From Ballotpedia
| Manchester School District |
|---|
|
| Manchester, New Hampshire |
| District details |
| Superintendent: Jenn Gillis |
| # of school board members: 15 |
| Website: Link |
Manchester School District is a school district in New Hampshire.
Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...
- Superintendent
- School board
- Elections
- Budget
- Teacher salaries
- Academic performance
- Students
- Staff
- Schools
- Contact information
Superintendent
|
|
This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates. |
Jenn Gillis is the superintendent of the Manchester School District. Gillis was appointed interim superintendent in February 2022, and full superintendent in May 2022. Gillis' previous career experience includes working in the district as an assistant superintendent and principal.[1]
Past superintendents
- John Goldhardt was the superintendent of the Manchester School District from May 2019 until February 2022. Goldhardt's previous career experience includes working as the executive director for school leadership and performance of the Salt Lake City School District in Utah.[2]
- Bolgen Vargas was the superintendent of the Manchester School District from 2016 to 2019. Vargas' previous career experience included working as the superintendent of the Rochester City School District in New York.[3]
- Debra Livingston was the superintendent of the Manchester School District from 2013 to 2016.[4] Livingston's previous career experience included working as the superintendent of the Fall Mountain Regional School District and the director of secondary education of the Socorro Independent School District in Texas.[5]
School board
The Manchester School District Board of School Committee consists of 15 members elected to two-year terms. Manchester's mayor formally serves as the chairman of the board. Twelve members are elected by geographic wards in the district, while two members and the mayor are elected at large.[6]
|
|
This officeholder information was last updated on January 22, 2025. Please contact us with any updates. |
|
Elections
Members of the Manchester School District Board of School Committee are elected to two-year terms. All 14 elected seats are up for election every odd-numbered year.
Fourteen seats on the board are up for general election on November 4, 2025. A primary is scheduled for September 16, 2025. The filing deadline for the election is July 25, 2025.
Join the conversation about school board politics
Public participation in board meetings
The Manchester School District Board of School Committee maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[7]
| “ |
Public comment sessions (the “public forum”) shall be conducted at each regular meeting. This allows residents of Manchester the opportunity to address the Board on items of concern affecting the community. The public forum shall last for a minimum of thirty (30) minutes and a maximum of sixty (60) minutes. The Board Chair may extend this period if needed. Members of the public may be given a total of three minutes to speak. Speakers are requested to register their name, address and topic with the clerk prior to the session beginning but are not required to pre-register. The Clerk will recognize speakers using the pre-registered list as a starting point. A registered member of the public cannot relinquish allotted time to another speaker. The presiding officer reserves the right to select speakers of different issues to be permitted to speak, in order to provide a forum of various topics to be presented. If speakers do not fill the minimum 30 minutes allotted for public comment, the Board will keep the public comment period open for the remaining minutes but may engage in the response to public forum and address any business not requiring a vote during this time. Speakers may offer comments on school operations and programs that concern them. In public session, however, the Board shall not hear personal complaints of school personnel or complaints against any person connected with the District. Other channels are provided for Board consideration and disposition of legitimate complaints involving individuals, which should be referred to the Superintendent. Speakers are requested to refrain from providing confidential information during this comment period. These standards will be applied equally to all speakers. The Board vests in its Chair or other presiding officer authority to terminate the remarks of any individuals who do not adhere to the rules established above as to content or time limitation. Persons appearing before the Board are reminded, as a point of information, that members of the Board are without authority to act independently as individuals in official matters.[8] |
” |
District map
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[9]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $28,171,000 | $2,270 | 13% |
| Local: | $90,738,000 | $7,312 | 43% |
| State: | $92,353,000 | $7,442 | 44% |
| Total: | $211,262,000 | $17,024 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $187,833,000 | $15,135 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $182,855,000 | $14,734 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $122,726,000 | $9,889 | 65% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $17,738,000 | $1,429 | 9% |
| Administration: | $18,366,000 | $1,479 | 10% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $24,025,000 | $1,935 | 13% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $3,632,000 | $292 | |
| Construction: | $6,000 | $0 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $350,000 | $28 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $84,000 | $6 |
Teacher salaries
The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.
| Year | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-2022[10] | $39,250 | $81,426 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[11]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 14 | 25-29 | 6 | 6 | <50 | 15-19 | 19 |
| 2018-2019 | 24 | 35-39 | 12 | 13 | 21-39 | 24 | 29 |
| 2017-2018 | 24 | 38 | 12 | 13 | <50 | 30 | 28 |
| 2016-2017 | 24 | 35 | 12 | 12 | <=20 | 25-29 | 30 |
| 2015-2016 | 26 | 35 | 13 | 13 | <=20 | 29 | 31 |
| 2014-2015 | 27 | 35 | 14 | 15 | <50 | 25-29 | 32 |
| 2013-2014 | 45 | 45 | 29 | 29 | 21-39 | 40-44 | 51 |
| 2012-2013 | 49 | 51 | 30 | 34 | 40-59 | 50-54 | 55 |
| 2011-2012 | 50 | 48 | 30 | 33 | 21-39 | 55-59 | 56 |
| 2010-2011 | 48 | 57 | 28 | 33 | 55-59 | 53 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 27 | 40-44 | 17 | 14 | <50 | 25-29 | 34 |
| 2018-2019 | 33 | 45-49 | 20 | 19 | 40-59 | 38 | 40 |
| 2017-2018 | 35 | 47 | 21 | 20 | <50 | 39 | 41 |
| 2016-2017 | 33 | 43 | 18 | 19 | 21-39 | 35-39 | 40 |
| 2015-2016 | 34 | 42 | 23 | 19 | 21-39 | 32 | 40 |
| 2014-2015 | 34 | 39 | 22 | 19 | <50 | 30-34 | 39 |
| 2013-2014 | 58 | 53 | 43 | 44 | 40-59 | 55-59 | 64 |
| 2012-2013 | 60 | 55 | 47 | 44 | 60-79 | 65-69 | 66 |
| 2011-2012 | 62 | 60 | 48 | 45 | 40-59 | 65-69 | 67 |
| 2010-2011 | 60 | 62 | 42 | 43 | 55-59 | 66 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 72 | 80-89 | 70-74 | 55-59 | PS | 75-79 | 75 |
| 2018-2019 | 74 | 80-89 | 60-64 | 60-64 | PS | 70-79 | 79 |
| 2017-2018 | 78 | 80-89 | 80-84 | 65-69 | PS | >=80 | 81 |
| 2016-2017 | 77 | 90-94 | 75-79 | 60-64 | >=50 | >=80 | 78 |
| 2015-2016 | 75 | 90-94 | 65-69 | 60-64 | PS | 60-79 | 78 |
| 2014-2015 | 76 | 80-84 | 65-69 | 55-59 | PS | 60-79 | 80 |
| 2013-2014 | 77 | 75-79 | 80-84 | 60-64 | PS | 70-79 | 79 |
| 2012-2013 | 75 | 70-74 | 70-74 | 60-64 | >=50 | >=80 | 77 |
| 2011-2012 | 74 | 70-74 | 65-69 | 55-59 | >=50 | >=50 | 77 |
| 2010-2011 | 75 | 70-79 | 65-69 | 55-59 | >=50 | >=50 | 78 |
Students
Staff
As of the 2022-2023 school year, Manchester School District had 1,038.20 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 11.66.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 20.00 |
| Kindergarten: | 47.50 |
| Elementary: | 700.90 |
| Secondary: | 269.80 |
| Total: | 1,038.20 |
Manchester School District employed 45.00 district administrators and 53.00 school administrators as of the 2022-2023 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 45.00 |
| District Administrative Support: | 35.00 |
| School Administrators: | 53.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 46.00 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 198.90 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 0.00 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 53.00 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 33.00 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 20.00 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 22.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 1.00 |
| Student Support Services: | 98.95 |
| Other Support Services: | 218.00 |
Schools
The Manchester School District operates 21 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
Noteworthy events
2013: School district audit results published
On June 26, 2013, Curriculum Management Systems published its audit of the Manchester School District. The district spent $40,000 to commission the report.[12] The audit stated, "Declining student enrollment, funding reductions, board disharmony, aging school facilities, and disparities in student performance have been long-standing issues facing the district."[13] The auditors said, "the educational program a student experiences at one school may differ widely from the education a student receives at another school." The auditors recommended that the school board create documentation for district-wide consistent educational programming.[13] Board member Arthur J. Beaudry did not agree with all of the audit's findings and recommendations. Beaudry said, "The board is reluctant to pursue big changes too much because that's seen as micromanaging. So they back up, or at least some board members do."[12]
2013: School board vote to approve Common Core educational standards
On April 29, 2013, the school board voted to approve an $83,900 contract to train district elementary and middle school teachers in the Common Core standards for English and math. Board members Debra G. Langton and Arthur J. Beaudry voted against the contract.[14]
Contact information
Manchester School District
School Administrative Unit #37
20 Hecker St.
Manchester, NH 03102
Phone: 603-624-6300
Fax: 603-624-6337
About school boards
Education legislation in New Hampshire
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| New Hampshire | School Board Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Manchester School District
- New Hampshire School Boards Association
- New Hampshire Department of Education
Footnotes
- ↑ Manchester Ink Link, "Jenn Gillis named new superintendent of Manchester’s public schools," May 11, 2022
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Goldhardt appointed next superintendent of Manchester schools," May 16, 2019
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Manchester School Board offers Vargas superintendent's job," September 24, 2016
- ↑ WMUR 9 New Hampshire, "Manchester school board selects new superintendent," June 8, 2013
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Meet Manchester's 3 school superintendent finalists," June 6, 2013
- ↑ Manchester School District, "Board of School Committee," accessed May 18, 2021
- ↑ Manchester School District, "Rules of the Manchester Board of School Committee 2020-2022," accessed May 18, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Manchester School District ,"Manchester Board of School Committee and the Manchester Education Association School District: May 5, 2020 - June 30, 2022," accessed May 18, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 New Hampshire Union Leader, "School district audit report lands with a thud," June 29, 2013
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Manchester School District, "Curriculum Audit of the Manchester School District," June 27, 2013
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Common core education talk draws opponents in Manchester," April 30, 2013
