The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District continues its journey to enhance our system so we can accomplish our mission to “Inspire, Engage, and Empower All Learners to Thrive in Their Lives and Communities.”

To this end, we continue concentrating on communication, collaboration and community We believe we will build, sustain and grow a healthy, thriving community through intentional and authentic collaboration with clear and accurate communication. 

In 2017, during the district’s collaborative strategic design process, a local pastor stated that he wanted our schools to teach children how to think, not what to think. The district incorporated this into its guiding principles for teachers and teaching, stating in part, “Teachers teach learners how to think, not what to think.” The following school district update focuses on this guiding principle.

Career and TechnicalEducation

By providing quality CTE programming, Jaffrey-Rindge and the surrounding communities teach children how to think, not what to think. However, our learners in Region 14 have fewer CTE courses available locally than most other communities in southern New Hampshire.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte proposed a budget that included CTE funding for the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District. On March 11, Rindge and Jaffrey voters will decide whether Conant Middle High School will continue to pursue the CTE building project at the Conant Way campus, a project designed to enhance the existing construction trades program and add two new programs -- culinary arts and public safety and security, including EMT.

If the article passes, the school district will seek to reduce the money needed to be raised locally, a maximum of $6,849,000, by accepting donations and in-kind contributions to offset local costs for the proposed CTE center.  The state’s financial contribution is estimated to be $16,049,000. The cost to operate this new facility and programming will likely be offset entirely by incoming tuition and other revenue sources. 

Literacy inpre-K to eighth grade

How to think, not what to think -- this was at the heart of selecting a new literacy program for the district. We not only wanted a program that would assist teachers in teaching the science of reading, but we also wanted materials and approaches that would lead our learners to be inquisitive and critical thinkers, skilled information analyzers and proficient, informative and persuasive writers.

The literacy leadership team researched and observed several programs and visited area schools to observe their literacy efforts. The team considered factors such as rigor, student engagement, embedded professional development and the effectiveness of potential instructional tools. They determined that Wit & Wisdom, accompanied by strong phonics and phonemic awareness programs, was the best choice for our schools.  

We are halfway through the first year of a three-year implementation of this literacy initiative. Throughout the process, Rindge Memorial School, Jaffrey Grade School and Conant Middle High School have worked closely together to ensure alignment.  

Below are quotes from educators implementing the new programming and from children engaging in the literacy learning process.

From teachers: “Wit & Wisdom requires extensive teacher planning time to implement the program with intentionality.”

“Wit and Wisdom is helping students develop critical thinking skills while exposing them to a range of topics that build background knowledge.”

“I appreciate that all students are able to participate in discussions and have something to add. Students who have always been on the outside, were some of my deepest thinkers. This is  clearly seen in their writing and excitement to participate and share.”

From learners:  “So far, it’s been very fun.”

“You get a lot of learning about writing.”

“I liked telling my family about what we learned about.”

“I liked challenging myself, and I liked learning about commas, FINALLY!”

“I like learning new things and it was challenging but in a good way.”

“Sometimes it was boring, but then when we talked about things more, I liked it.”

“It has helped me become a better reader because I am able to read the books slowly to understand all the parts.”

“I am learning a lot of new vocabulary. We learned about hemoglobin, arteries and valves.”

Science, technology,engineering andmathematics

Another way Jaffrey-Rindge teaches children how to think, not what to think is by engaging them in high-quality STEM education. Over the past several years, Conant Middle High School has added the following middle school STEM courses: STEM: Explorations, STEM Automation and Robotics, STEM: Design and Modeling and STEM: App Creators.

New courses set to commence next school year include Flight and Space and Medical Detectives. The high school offers STEM: Computer Science, STEM: Cybersecurity, Computer Science Essentials, Computer Science for Innovators and Makers, STEM: Fundamentals of Sustainability, STEM: Green Architecture, Engineering: Food Security, Engineering: Renewable Fuels and Engineering: Water.  

At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, veteran teacher Dorothy Meehan led the implementation of STEM education for all learners in pre-K through grade five at Jaffrey Grade School. At the deliberative session that same year, community members added funds to the proposed budget so the district could provide the same level of STEM education at Rindge Memorial School.

As a result, starting the 2024-2025 school year, all learners in pre-K through grade five at Rindge Memorial School receive instruction in STEM once every six days as part of its unified arts rotation of classes.

In addition to engaging students in critical thinking, collaborative assignments, and inquiry, STEM teacher Angela Tuero has partnered with local and regional organizations to further enhance and expand our learners’ STEM experiences. Partnerships include working with with MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Cube and Curiosity Labs and UNH’s StemMobile.

School district budget

On Feb. 5, the Jaffrey-Rindge school board presented the proposed budget. This budget, recommended by the School Board, was nearly $100,000 below the default budget.

That night, at the school district’s deliberative session, by a vote of 185-134, the voters present at the meeting decreased the 2025-2026 proposed budget by $3 million. This reduces the original proposed budget of $33.76 million to $30.76 million. Five School Board members voted not to recommend this revised budget. One member voted to recommend it.

Charlie Eicher, the one school board member who voted to recommend the revised budget, is also the Finance Committee chair. At the Feb. 20 Finance Committee meeting, he indicated that he did not support the original proposed budget and felt it should be reduced by about $600,000, far from a $3 million reduction.

To put a $3 million reduction into perspective, the 2024-2025 budget for all regular education staff and teachers at the Jaffrey Grade School is $3,066,165. Needless to say, to achieve a budget reduction of $3 million, the School Board must consider making deep cuts to staffing and programs.

Areas that could be considered for significant reduction or elimination include but are not limited to the following: district-wide athletics and co-curricular activities, universal 4-year-old pre-K, classroom teachers, school administrators, unified arts teachers, field trips and summer programming. The district may also consider moving from full-day to state-required half-day kindergarten.

Regardless of the areas chosen to cut, a $3 million reduction would impact resources available to the communities’ children.

On March 11, Jaffrey and Rindge residents will vote on the revised budget and choose between the default budget, approximately $33.86 million, and the amended proposed budget. A yes vote means the district would need to cut $3 million from its original proposed budget. A no vote means the district will operate under the default budget.

Reuben Duncan is superintendent of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District.