Board of Aldermen 06-11-2019 Page 8
So what we are voting on is the $65K to put in contingency to allow the School Department to hire what
they can in the areas of para or school psychologist. So that’s what we are voting on right now, the
amendment.
Alderman Lopez
So Southern NH has, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, one of the highest suicide rates
in the country. We have all kinds of national dialogue about school shootings, about violence in schools,
about bullying. Not only does that happen in schools but every time we have it in the national media, then
kids are seeing it, they are viewing it, they are having trouble understanding what to do with it. This City is
going through an SUD crisis, many of these children have experienced friends, families, uncles, aunts,
parents, you know, suffering from Substance Use Disorders. We have recently have a pretty contentious
discussion over smoking in schools and the difficulties that entails. | Know we are not in the top 4 or 5
when it comes to college placement. These are all things that a School Counselor would be working on. |
think our school counselors, their caseloads are like 3 or 4 times what is recommended, according to the
School Counseling Association. | think they are overworked and stretched too thin. These are more than
bodies. These are people who are force multipliers when it comes to how our kids are able to navigate the
School System. Kids who have positive mental health can do better in school, they can score higher on
tests, they can interact better with their peers.
So | think the presentation and the proposal being made here is a bargain. It is not a huge surge or
increase; it is recognition that our school population needs more than it is getting right now. If that means
in future years we have to continue to revisit the issue, | think we should. | think that needs to be a major
part of the future budget’s focus areas is how are our schools meeting the expectations that they have? It
ties directly back to tax value, quality of community, every time we end up in Number 1 Best Place to Live
on whatever app of the week is doing it, it is always related back to education and school safety. So | am
in favor of that and | am also conscious of an ever expanding, diverse world. We are a welcoming City
and the need for para-professionals to help people who have cognitive or behavioral challenges or cultural
challenges, | think this is a very good reason to approve a small amount more in the budget.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
First of all | want to thank the Mayor, | think you’ve done an exceptional job with the budget and preparing
the budget for everyone. As | recall with the budget that the school came back with, they did get or they
agreed to what was presented by the Mayor is that correct?
Mayor Donchess
Yes, yes.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
So | realize that there are a lot of things happening in the School Department here. | think we are, I’m not
saying baby steps, but | do believe that it takes time to get things in order. It is not going to be done
overnight, in any situation. And | say that because | am not willing to go to 2.997% tax for the City. We
have a lot of changes going on in the City, Assessing, the whole 9 yards, the tax change. | do believe that
2.7%, | really don’t even want to be there to be honest with you, but | guess | could live with 2.7% and |
believe that my constituents could too as well. But the 2.997% or 3.0% or whatever it might be, | would
not be voting for that.
Alderman Dowd
| just want to make a correct, the Budget that was submitted by the School Department got a bottom line
cut from the Mayor for $380,000.00.
