Claremont March 10 School Board Vote Focused on Hiring, Spending Caps

Voters in Claremont will decide March 10, 2026 on two three-year seats on the seven-member School Board amid a financial crisis that exposed a $5 million budget shortfall last summer and left the district scrambling to hire senior administrators and cut expenses. Candidates on the ballot include incumbent Frank Sprague, former board member Brian Rapp, retired teacher Don Lavalette, and city councilor Andrew O’Hearne; incumbent Arlene Hawkins is not seeking re-election.

The district moved quickly after the shortfall surfaced. A SAU 6 press release dated Aug. 22, 2025 announced that SAU 6 Business Administrator Mary Henry was placed on paid administrative leave effective that day and that Claremont Comptroller Matthew Angell was appointed SAU 6 Interim Business Administrator effective immediately. The release describes Angell as having “many years of experience as a Business Administrator, Finance Director, and Accountant for public entities in New Hampshire and Massachusetts” and notes his experience helping public entities in financial distress.

Cost-control steps already in place include freezing purchasing and returning noncritical goods and equipment. Last month the board declined to approve the nominations of 19 new teachers — nominees who “had not yet begun working with students” — a move the district said will relieve approximately $1.8 million in expenses. One affected hire, Tawnie Pedersen, learned after a missed 7:40 a.m. call while driving to her second day of orientation at the Claremont Savings Bank conference room that she no longer had the job teaching special education at Stevens High School.

Teachers’ representatives warned of classroom consequences. Tammy Yates, president of the Sugar River Education Association, said the decision to withhold those hires “will have an adverse impact on students.” School leaders have also warned families that classes remain on schedule to open as planned but that openings could be delayed or schools could face shutdowns “if the district is unable to meet payroll and other financial obligations.”

Interim business administrator Matt (Matthew) Angell has been given a narrow timeline to restore stability. Angell was hired in late August and is working “to eliminate the deficit by the end of the fiscal year on June 30,” officials say, even as residents and educators report deep cuts that “many say have adversely affected classroom learning.”

Transparency and trust have become central campaign issues. Don Lavalette has urged the board to post “everything given to the board” immediately on the SAU website, including paid bills, because “this is not the current practice.” Lavalette added, “That would eliminate some of the noise (from the public) that is out there,” and, “Just get ahead of the FOI (Freedom of Information) requests and put it all out there.” Board leaders acknowledged the human toll of the crisis in a letter that said, “We know that this crisis has impacted many of you in deeply personal ways, creating fear and concerns for the future of the Claremont schools, our staff and our students,” and pledged that the board and SAU 6 are “working tirelessly to put us back on the right track.”

Beyond personnel choices, the March 10 winners will confront a contentious citizen petition that would cap future spending, further potential budget cuts, and the immediate task of rebuilding public confidence while Angell works toward the June 30 deficit-elimination goal. The incoming board will set hiring and spending policy that directly affects payroll, classroom staffing, and whether the district can avoid service interruptions this fiscal year.