Sunapee School District launches budget hub ahead of 2026 vote
Sunapee is rolling out short budget videos and a public hub before its 2026 school vote, as residents track a $12.6 million plan, $31,464 per pupil and tax pressure.
Sunapee School District has launched a budget information hub that packages the proposed 2026-2027 spending plan with a series of short videos for residents to follow on Facebook and the district website. The district said the videos would be released over the next two weeks, giving taxpayers a clearer way to track the budget without digging through long documents.
The district’s warrant booklet set the Sunapee School District deliberative session for Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the Sunapee Middle High School Gymnasium on North Road. Town Meeting voting for the school district was set for Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the David W. Sherburne Gymnasium, while the Town of Sunapee’s first session of Town Meeting was scheduled for the night after the school session, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the same gymnasium.
The planning documents tied to that calendar also spell out what the district says it is trying to protect. In its budget hearing material, Sunapee School District said its mission is “to prepare students to be life-long learners and contributing members of society by maintaining a challenging educational program in a safe environment.” A 2026-2027 budget document listed 2025 proficiency rates of 69% in ELA, 64% in math and 49% in science, along with an average cost per pupil of $31,464.
Another district FAQ put the current budget at $12.6 million and listed $500,000 in out-of-district tuition for grades 9 through 12. Those are the numbers residents will likely watch most closely as the district explains whether the next budget keeps pace with enrollment, program needs and outside tuition costs that can add pressure to the local tax base.
The tax history already shows how sensitive that pressure can be. Sunapee’s 2025 tax-rate record listed an overall rate of $10.55, with $4.31 from the local school portion and $2.36 from the county portion, down from an overall $13.72 in 2024. The district’s capital-improvement FAQ said a 15-year bond at 2.0% interest would add $0.18 per $1,000 in the first year, a reminder that even small borrowing decisions can move the bill on local property owners.
Russell Holden is superintendent of schools, and the district’s central office number is 603-763-4627. Sunapee also listed new meal prices effective July 1, 2026, at $2.50 for breakfast and $4.00 for lunch, another small but visible cost now folded into the district’s broader budget conversation.
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