Deborah Burrell: We need fiscal accountability in New Hampshire schools

To The Daily Sun,

Mismanagement and waste threaten the trust between taxpayers and public education. As reports of budget shortfalls continue to surface across New Hampshire school districts, a long-overdue discussion about fiscal responsibility in education must begin. Taxpayers deserve assurance that every public dollar entrusted to schools is spent wisely, transparently, and in ways that directly benefit students.

Over the past two decades, working within the Plymouth and Laconia school systems, I have witnessed numerous instances of wasteful spending. While the problem is broad and complex, there are three key areas I observed at just one elementary school: curriculum purchases, testing initiatives, and consultant contracts.

Launching a new curriculum can cost districts tens of thousands of dollars. For example, implementing programs such as Fundations in just one elementary school can cost upward of $10,000. Yet, at one point, unopened boxes of Fundations and Touch Math materials — both expensive programs — were discarded (literally thrown in the garbage) without explanation. Several years later, identical materials were repurchased, despite the previous waste. Such decisions reflect a troubling lack of communication and oversight.

In another case, a high-profile consultant was hosted at district expense, only for his costly curriculum materials to later be abandoned as well. This pattern suggests not only mismanagement but a disregard for fiscal prudence.

School districts frequently adopt new student assessment systems, often at considerable taxpayer expense. These transitions are rarely accompanied by meaningful transparency or evidence that the new tests provide better outcomes than those they replace. Without clear evaluation and accountability, testing programs risk becoming costly cycles of change with little educational value.

Equally concerning is the reliance on third-party consulting agencies to address staffing needs.

Deborah Burrell

Meredith