State releases priority list for school building aid

17 projects are ranked; only three likely to get funds

December 1, 2022

NH Business Review Staff,

The Rochester School District’s plan to close two older elementary schools — the Nancy Loud School (left) and the School Street School — and build a single new elementary school was ranked atop the state Department of Education’s rankings for school building aid.

School construction projects planned by the Rochester, Colebrook and Monadnock Regional school districts top the list of 17 proposals seeking funding from the state’s building aid program.

On Nov. 10, the NH Department of Education released the rankings of projects eligible for funding. A total of about $49 million is expected to be available next biennium if the building aid program is fully funded. The awards will be made based on the rankings.

Gregory Hill, chair of the Department’s School Building Authority, has told members of the state Board of Education that only three projects will likely receive aid due to the limited funding available.

The rankings were made based on numerical scores in multiple categories, including unsafe conditions for fire safety or structure, ADA accessibility, overcrowding and operational efficiency.

The Education Department said the 17 projects is the largest number of applications received for the school building aid program since a moratorium on aid was lifted in 2020.

Total estimated aid being sought for all 17 projects is about $227.7 million.

Topping the list for funding is the Rochester School District’s planned elementary school consolidation project, followed at No. 2 by a consolidation and addition to the Colebrook Academy & Elementary School; and No. 3. the Monadnock Regional School District’s renovation projects at the Gilsum STEAM Academy and the Mt. Caesar Elementary and Cutler Elementary consolidation in Troy.

Also on the list, in ranked order, are: