Superintendent's Newsletter

1. Student Outcome Data Shows Lyme School "Punches Above its Weight"
2. New State Legislation will Ask Towns to Consider Their Investment in Public Education
3. 26-27 Efforts to Refine a Viable District Administrative Structure
4. Get Involved! Upcoming September Lunch & Learn, Board Meetings and Open House

According to the May 13, 2026, New York Times article, "Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a ‘Generation-Long Decline,’" a pervasive "learning recession" has impacted American schools for over a decade. Since 2015, national reading and math proficiency levels have steadily retreated, a downward trend that predates the pandemic. While many districts struggle to regain their footing, Lyme School serves as a significant outlier. In contrast to these widespread declines, our students continue to demonstrate robust academic growth in both core subjects, distinguishing Lyme as a high-performing exception within both state and national education landscapes. This is one measure of the return our community receives from its investment in the Lyme School.

Lyme's distinctive performance data, which highlights these positive outcomes, is available for review within the project's comprehensive national database. Below are some statewide comparisons in Math and Reading.

This November, voters will decide on a mandatory local tax cap question. Understanding how this impacts our community is key to making an informed choice.

• A YES vote approves a two-year cap limiting property tax growth to inflation plus new construction, while capping SAU central office spending at 6% of total school appropriations.

• A NO vote rejects these specific cap structures, maintaining our existing local budget process.

A cap could affect future budgets should district costs such as health insurance, bus contracts, and high school tuition increase faster than permitted tax and appropriations growth. Actual effect will depend on many factors, but could impact staffing, class sizes, program offerings, or other expenditures.

Passing the measure requires a 3/5 (60%) supermajority of all ballots cast. For additional election details and voting guidelines, visit the NH Secretary of State Elections Division.

This year, our focus includes building a sustainable, resilient administrative structure for the SAU office. Balancing a $10M budget responsibly requires rigorous oversight—from payroll and HR for approximately 43 employees to managing high school tuition contracts and navigating complex state legislation. Exploring administrative service models and leadership structures is also Goal 2C in the district's Strategic Plan.

To protect taxpayer dollars while ensuring high-quality support for our schools, we are proactively addressing several key operational shifts:

• Leadership Transition: Preparing for our Business Administrator's June retirement and planning for a successful transition.

• Software Implementation: Continuing implementation of our new financial software system to improve financial operations and reporting.

• Cross Training: We are learning each other's jobs to strengthen continuity and reduce reliance on any one individual. As part of this work, we have left the SAU Assistant position unfilled this year. The responsibilities of this role have temporarily been reallocated to a number of individuals while we determine the best way to structure this role.

An effective, sustainable administrative model supports classroom success and ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. We will keep the Board and community updated as we evaluate solutions throughout the year.

Email: mbanios@lymeschool.org
Phone: 603-795-4431 x144

I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or thoughts about the district that you may have.