Misinformation is harmful, and difficult to undo. In a recent letter to the editor (“ConVal costs to be decided,” Feb. 25), a respected voice in our region, Jeanne Dietsch, opined on the proposed withdrawal of Francestown (and Dublin) from the ConVal School District.
Unfortunately, she repeated inaccurate information put forth by some ConVal School Board members — that if Francestown and Dublin withdraw, the SAU will have to hire “new administrative staff positions” to manage the new school districts’ business. This is just not true.
The Francestown School Committee is recommending that a new Francestown School District withdraw from the ConValSAU. Between the withdrawal vote on March 11 and July 1, 2026 (when the new school district is launched), there is an abundance of time for such a process of withdrawal to be completed.
It is ConVal’s historical pattern to assume that the best way to handle a new function would be by adding personnel, because they are only familiar with “the ConVal way.” It is hard for some School Board members to imagine a scaled-down management structure. One of the benefits of the research the Francestown School Committee has done on how various small, stand-alone school districts operate in New Hampshire is to see the varied, and often lean, administration they use.
Going forward, this could be a learning opportunity for ConVal. In the meantime, residents of the ConVal district should be healthily skeptical of the School Board’s predictions of dramatically increased costs for the remaining towns.
Kevin Pobst
Francestown School Committee