Gilmanton school superintendent will get $34k raise, but no benefits, by spliting 4-day work week with Barnstead

GILMANTON — Two of the smaller school districts in the Lakes Region believe that having their own superintendent has improved the quality of the education they offer and provides better oversight of the operation of their school systems.

Both the Gilmanton and Barnstead school districts used to be part of multi-district school administrative units – or SAUs — Gilmanton in SAU 30 with Laconia, and Barnstead in SAU 51 with Alton and Pittsfield. But Gilmanton withdrew from SAU 30 nine years ago, and Barnstead left SAU 51 four years ago.

The heads of School Boards in both communities say the change has been for the better.

"We get more local control and we get more dedication" from the superintendent, said Gilmanton School Board Chairman Renee Kordas.

When SAU 79 was established in Gilmanton in 2003 John Fauci, who had been the principal at Gilmanton School, became superintendent. After working full-time (four days a week) as the SAU 79 superintendent, Fauci is scheduled to drop back to working on a part-time basis starting in July. At the same time he is due to become the interim part-time superintendent for SAU 86 in Barnstead.

Plans call for Fauci to work two days a week for each SAU.

Kordas expressed confidence that there will be no negative impact as a result of Fauci's time in Gilmanton being cut in half. "With our present administration team we are in a strong position for this change," she said.

Fauci's full-time salary of $86,000 will be reduced to $60,000 with no benefits, Kordas said.

Barnstead School Board Chairman Diane Beijer said Fauci will replace Dr. William Compton, SAU 86's part-time superintendent, who is retiring. Fauci has signed a one-year contract with SAU 86 effective July 1. He will be paid another $60,000 for his services to Barnstead, according to Beijer.

She said that even though SAU 86's superintendent serves part-time, she feels there has been better oversight of the Barnstead Elementary School then when Barnstead shared a superintendent with other towns. She said the superintendent is now better connected with other school administrators in Belknap County, and as well as being more visible in the town. "The superintendent was not part of the community before. It's important for people to know who the superintendent is," she said.

While costs to Gilmanton and Barnstead of having a separate SAU are greater, both school board chairmen say the additional expense is worth it in terms of better operational control and attentiveness to the educational programs.

Kordas is convinced that the level of academic performance by 414 students at Gilmanton School as measured by tests administered under No Child Left Behind has improved since the school district got its own superintendent. "People are coming into the district because of the (standardized test) scores," she said.

In Barnstead, Beijer believes that in addition to the desire for better local control, voters supported having their own SAU because of the old cost sharing formula when Barnstead was in SAU 51. Under that formula Barnstead was paying 53-percent of the SAU 51 operating costs even though Pittsfield had the larger school system. The last year that Barnstead was in SAU 51 the town paid $219,593 toward superintendent services. Beijer said it now costs Barnstead between $247,000 and $250,000 for those services.

"We could do better," she said regarding keeping costs as low as possible. She noted that Barnstead has indicated it is interested in sitting down with school officials in Alton to explore possible ways the two districts, along with the Prospect Mountain High School which serves both towns, might share services as a way of controlling costs.

Both towns currently pay for the part-time services of Superintendent Paul Bartolomucci, whose only responsibility is the high school. He is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Gilmanton pays $161,494 to operate SAU 79. By comparison it paid $98,108 for services during the 1999-2000 school year, the last year it was part of Laconia-based SAU 30.

But Kordas says the value the district has received in terms of local control and academic performance outweighs the additional cost.