Unfilled math teacher position leads discussion at Shaker school deliberative session

BELMONT — Of four amendments made on the floor at Thursday's Shaker Regional School District Deliberative Session, two were approved, moving the needle on the budget from $30.4 million to $30.5 million. 

The meeting space at Belmont High School was full, with folks standing in the back and leaning against walls. Shaker schools serve residents of Belmont and Canterbury.

The most contested item was the salary for a math teacher at Belmont High. The position was left unfilled due to retirement, leaving the district with only six math teachers, one an instructor who teaches electives, like astronomy and STEM.

The amendment was first brought forward by Dave McDonald, STEM and math teacher at Belmont High, an out-of-district resident. McDonald was given a special exception to pitch his amendment.

“My concern is, if we eliminate a position, it’s going to dilute things,” he said. “I would hate to see the quality of math instruction decrease” because of class size.

“We should not eliminate a position at Belmont High School.”

That amendment failed by a floor vote, but another amendment was quickly brought forward by Dana Tucker of Belmont. Tucker requested $85,000 for salary and benefits be added back into the budget for the math teacher position.

A few audience members cautioned: if teachers are making a request, it must be because it’s needed. 

“Teachers are saying there’s going to be a strain, and we need to consider that very strongly,” said Jared Tucker of Belmont, who originally moved to the area 10 years ago, because of the school system rating. “When you asked for more, was it because you are lazy, or because you needed help?”

Others disagreed, saying cuts were necessary with a proposed operating budget of $30 million.

“You can’t always have what you want,” said Belmont resident Woody Fogg. “Sometimes, you can’t have what you need. Sometimes, you have to cut.”

Math proficiency for the district is 42%, and residents questioned whether adding back an educator would even help improve that figure.

“These numbers are shocking,” said Canterbury resident Jim Miller. Adding a teacher back into the budget is “not going to make an iota of a difference in our proficiency. Is this not seen as a crisis by the board?”

The amendment passed after much discussion, and $85,000 was added to the 2026-27 operating budget for the math teacher at Belmont High.

A line item for the salary of the district’s athletic trainer was also added back into the operating budget, after a proposed amendment by William Clary of Belmont, also the varsity softball coach and former Laconia police officer.

“I missed that the athletic trainer was taken out” of the budget, said Clary, who's been coaching upward of 20 years for the district. “I’ve been a coach in this district for a long time. As a coach, I’d like to see it back in the budget.”

The current athletic trainer is Carmen Belyea. The amendment passed on a floor vote, and $30,000 was added into the operating budget. 

The final operating budget voters will see during at Town Meeting is $30.5 million. If the voters do not pass the budget, the district will operate on the default budget. For Shaker schools, this means a higher budget than what is proposed. 

The default budget currently sits at $31.5 million, around $1 million more than the proposed figure. 

Amendments that failed include the addition of building improvements at $113,600. 

One resident was concerned about cutting funds for maintenance. They thought attractive buildings would attract students to the district.

Others in the room disagreed, arguing the proposed budget had more than enough funds to cover maintenance. 

“The $30 million [operating budget] is a lot of money,” said Ron Mitchell, Belmont resident. “I’d think you’d find enough money in that budget to fix maintenance problems.”

Jennifer Taylor of Canterbury said the district needed to pivot seamlessly, especially as school enrollment declines. 

“We need to adapt and flex gracefully, as our student body grows, and as our student body shrinks,” she said. 

The last amendment to fail by a floor vote was to add $84,400 for salary and benefits to reinstate the staff development teacher position.

The amendment was brought forward by Emily Perlet, a Canterbury Elementary School teacher. 

“Having someone well-informed and trained for teachers” is important, she said, and the supporting role makes a difference, including “preventing burnout.” Shaker will now be the first district she’s worked where the position didn’t exist. 

The school board budget advisory committee and school leadership felt their proposed operating budget was thoroughly reviewed, included a thoughtful reduction-in-force, and eliminated capital expenditures that could wait, like certain infrastructure repairs. 

“This is a great turnout,” said Sean Embree, school board chair. “Our proposed budget is a little less than $1 million of the default budget. There were two major issues: the health care increase, and the loss of $1.4 million in state adequacy aid.”

Several other warrant articles passed with no amendments and little discussion, including Article 3 for $250,000 to the School Facilities & Grounds Expendable Trust Fund for projects outlined in the Capital Improvement Plan including the heating system; Article 4 for $50,000 to the Special Education Expendable Trust Fund in case of an unexpected special education placement; Article 5 for $20,000 to the School Technology Expendable Trust Fund for capital projects; and Article 6 for $10,000 for the Food Service Equipment Expendable Trust Fund in the event food service equipment needs replacing. 

Two candidates for school board vacancies were also discussed at the meeting. 

Alice Todd, of Canterbury, current vice chair of the school board, will seek reelection alongside Belmont representative Mark Ekberg. 

The moderator clarified the number of candidates was less than available seats on the board, and the procedure was “either be a write-in if someone wants to run. Otherwise, it’ll be board appointed.”

Following the meeting, Anne Cheshire announced a write-in campaign on Facebook. 

“My name is Anne Cheshire, and I’m writing to introduce myself as a write-in candidate for the Shaker Regional School Board, representing Belmont,” she wrote. “If you were at the meeting tonight, you saw how challenging it is to do what is best for the students, yet remember the challenges that the taxpayer faces."

Town Meeting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, at Belmont High School and Canterbury Old Town Hall. 

For more information, visit sau80.org/school_board/fy_2026_2027_budget.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.