SAU#75 Superintendent Newsletter

Dear Grantham School Community,

This is my first official newsletter as the Superintendent of SAU#75. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to serve the Grantham School District in this new role. The past two years have provided me with the opportunity to get to know school board members, administrators, educators, and paraprofessionals at Grantham Village School. I am looking forward to expanding connections to students, families, and community members across the entire district. Here are some tidbits about me:

• Starting my 32nd year in education
• Previous middle/high school mathematics & science teacher
• Served as a principal and curriculum director in various districts
• Graduated from Newport High School and completed my degree programs at Kansas State University, Rivier University, and Plymouth State University.
• Live in Goshen with my husband, David, and two terriers, Dusty and Frankie
• Enjoy traveling and finding new adventures
• Passionate about the important role of public education in our society

Communication and transparency are an important aspect of my leadership style. Please do not hesitate to reach out by calling, emailing, or stopping by the SAU offices. I look forward to getting to know the Grantham Community!

Sincerely,

Christine Downing

Background:

During state budget negotiations, which include House Bills #1 and #2, language related to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Prohibitions in public schools was included. This language was signed into law by Governor Ayotte and went into effect on July 1, 2025.

On July 11th, NH Superintendents received correspondence from the Commissioner of Education indicating we had until September 5th to submit a certified report to the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED) that indicates public schools must review all program, policy, training, or initiative to identify DEI-related provisions and ensure that:

• “No state funds shall be expended to public schools for DEI-related activities, including but not limited to implicit bias training, DEI assessments, critical race theory, or race-based hiring, promotion, or contracting preferences.”

• “No public school shall implement, promote, or otherwise engage in any DEI-related initiatives, programs, training, or policies.”

• “No public school shall enter into, renew, or amend any contract that includes DEI-related provisions, including requirements for contractors to implement DEI programs, conduct DEI training, or comply with DEI-related reporting obligations.”

In addition, the correspondence included:

• “Should a public school fail to abide by any section of the DEI provisions to HB 2, either knowingly or unknowingly, the Commissioner of the Department of Education shall immediately halt all sources of public funding to that public school, until such time as the school comes into compliance with all sections of this subdivision.”

• “The Commissioner of the Department of Education shall notify the state treasurer if a public school is not in compliance with this subdivision, at which time the treasurer shall halt all forms of public funding to the school until the Commissioner has certified the school comes into compliance with this subdivision.”

All materials contained in that message can be found using this link.

Actions by Grantham School District:

• Within hours of receiving the email correspondence from the NH Department of Education, I responded with the following questions and inquired if the Department would produce a technical advisory for NH school districts to interpret the law and what exactly needed to be reviewed and provided in the final reporting process. Here are the questions that were sent:

• What school actions meet "the purpose of achieving demographic outcomes"?

• What school actions meet "treating individuals equally under the laws"?

• What is the definition of "program" under this subdivision? Is it the same as what is defined in the 306 rules?

• What are specific DEI-related initiatives, programs, training, or policies?

• What are the specific DEI-related provisions that might be stated in contracts?

• What are the explicit criteria to determine compliance versus non-compliance? Does a school/district need to have zero DEI-related initiatives, programs, training, or policies to be in compliance?

• What steps will explicitly be taken to bring a school into compliance with all sections of this subdivision? How long will this process take? How will the school/district be notified if compliant or non-compliant?

• If there is a prohibition on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in public schools, why are we required to include a GEPA statement in our program assurances for grants, which includes responses to 4 specific questions that describe how we will ensure and remove barriers to guarantee equity (not equality) for students, educators and other beneficiaries?

• On July 15th, I received the following response from the Commissioner:

• Thank you for your questions. For clarification on the application of RSA 186:71 through 186:77, we recommend reaching out to your local district counsel. They are best positioned to interpret how this statute applies to your specific circumstances.

• Our counsel indicated challenges in providing legal guidance when there is no technical guidance and definitions from the state or federal authorities, which leaves the District in a quandary as to compliance.Through our legal counsel, we began conversations with NHACLU regarding the formation of a complaint against the state of New Hampshire.

• On July 29, 2025, at its board retreat meeting, the Grantham School Board voted unanimously on the following motion.

• To authorize the Superintendent to engage in litigation challenging the legality of DEI prohibitions contained in House Bill 2 on the District’s behalf, and to take any other necessary action to effectuate this motion.

• The Grantham School Board joined the complaint to protect the District’s, and taxpayers’, financial interests. We hope to gain injunctive relief to protect our state funding until this matter is legally clarified. The new DEI prohibition language conflicts with other existing state and federal laws and rules, which is another factor in the decision to be involved in the complaint.

• Since this time, I have been consulting with District and NHACLU legal counsel to provide a declaration that is part of the complaint. My declaration can be viewed using this link.

• On August 7, 2025, NHACLU filed a complaint. Here is a link to the filing.

• In addition, the following press release was provided to a variety of media outlets.

• Below is our official press statement:

• The Grantham School District is taking a proactive stance to protect its students and educational programs by challenging the DEI prohibition language of HB2. The District is committed to providing a high-quality education that prepares students for a diverse, global society, grounded in principles of inclusion and equity. Due to a severe lack of clarity regarding what constitutes "DEI-related programs, initiatives, policies, and training," the District believes it's essential to seek legal action. Without clear guidance from the Department of Education, the District cannot risk the possibility of arbitrary and unilateral actions by the Commissioner that could halt all sources of public funding. Joining this legal action is a necessary step to ensure the District can continue to provide the education our community expects and our students deserve.

• The Grantham School Board and District, through its mission, vision and core values, “aim to nurture each student's ability to contribute positively to society and the democratic process, preparing them to thrive in a diverse, global world.” A prohibition on DEI is in direct contradiction to our core values, which include:

• “honoring each other,

• valuing other’s uniqueness,

• treating one another with kindness, empathy, and dignity,

• and encouraging exploration and desire to understand the world.”

• Please reach out with any questions. I can be reached at cdowning@gvshawks.org. I will continue to provide updates through Superintendent newsletters.

I can not believe it is already the first week of August!
The month of July was busy in terms of getting settled, making connections, and participating in events that spotlight Grantham's dedication to education and its community.

The Grantham School District leadership team held a half-day meeting on July 9th at Forbes Tavern. This meeting focused on re-establishing how we function as an efficient and effective team. We are recalibrating our team norms, commitments to each other, and collaborating on shared learning using the Brene Brown book, "Dare to Lead."

On July 18th, I had the pleasure of attending the 1st theater production by our summer Art Go! Theater Camp. This was coordinated by our very own Kirsha Frye-Matte, GVS Art and ELL Teacher. Close to two dozen students presented, "The Dragon and the Knight," based on the children's book by Tomie dePaola. Congrats and well done GVS students, volunteers, and other assistants!

Thank you to Ben Britton for building our new equipment shed that will store playground and PE resources. Ben completed this project through his Eagle Scout program. We also want to thank Randy Britton and Rodney Page for assisting Ben! We all wish Ben the best of luck as he heads off to college in the fall!

The Grantham School Board held its annual retreat meeting on July 29th at the Eastman Conference Center. The board is continuing its work on developing a multi-year district strategic plan. Members took time to reflect on board responsibilities as part of their goal-setting process. We also discussed the Superintendent-Board relationship. These efforts will continue throughout the school year.

July ended with a joint BBQ lunch between the Grantham School District and Town of Grantham. Employees from both organizations took the opportunity to meet new members, including me and Emily Owens, our new Town Administrator. This was a great event and something we hope to continue in the upcoming months through a variety of wellness activities. Thank you Brenda Molloy, SAU Executive Assistant, and Emily Owens for this great idea!

Several GVS staff members are wrapping up OGAP Mathematics training. GVS was a host location for this training that involved a variety of schools from our region. We partnered with New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI) to make this opportunity available.

Lebanon Middle School Principal, Mr. Thomas Harkins, will be conducting a Zoom session on August 12th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm for our 7th and 8th grade students and families. This session will focus on the new schedule that is being implemented for the upcoming school year. I have included the attachment below which includes the meeting link and more information.

Grantham School Board will be meeting on August 12th at 6:30pm. Meetings are held in the GVS Music Room. You can also join remotely via Zoom. Use this link for more information about the school board.

GVS is still in need of at least two paraprofessionals. These roles are very important to our educational programming. If you are interested or know of someone who might want to join our great school community, please visit this link or reach out directly to GVS Principal, Kristen Reed, at kreed@gvshawks.org.

A group of GVS staff members will be completing Safety Care training on August 18th and 19th. This will be facilitated by our own GVS Safety Care certified trainer, Leslie Brown.

We will be welcoming all GVS staff back on August 20th. The board will be providing a breakfast on this date. The administrative team will be providing a BBQ lunch on August 21st. On August 22nd, all staff will receive Neurodiversity training by Mr. Robert Grant. It will be a busy three days!

Bus Routes are now available! This link will provide more information.

For GVS students and families, please remember to complete your Alma Registration process. This is required for both NEW and RETURNING Students.

Here is a webpage link to that information.

In addition, this link will provide step by step guidance on how to navigate Alma to complete registration.

I will be including routine law, legislation, and policy updates in future newsletters. We are going to be busy in this area as several new laws have been signed by the Governor and the New Hampshire School Board Association has been providing Superintendents regular updates on how these impact school district policies.