Happenings @ SAU 70 - February 20, 2026
Happenings @ SAU 70 - February 20, 2026
Important Dates
- Saturday, February 28 - Hanover School District Annual Meeting 11:30 AM, Hanover High School
- Saturday, February 28 - Dresden School District Annual Meeting 12:30 PM, Hanover High School
- Monday, March 2 - Morning Brew & Budget 7:30 AM - Ray School
- Monday, March 2 - Norwich School Board Deliberative Session, 7 PM - Tracy Hall
- Tuesday, March 3 - Voting Day
- Wednesday, March 4 - Special Norwich School Board Meeting, 5 PM, Marion Cross School
- Wednesday, March 4- Norwich School Board Meeting, 6:30 PM, Marion Cross School
- Tuesday, March 10 - Dresden School Board 6 PM, Hanover High School
- Tuesday, March 10 - SAU 70 School Board 7 PM, Hanover High School
- Wednesday, March 11 - Hanover School Board Meeting, 7 PM, Bernice A. Ray School
- Monday, March 16 - No School all SAU 70 Schools - Professional Development
From Our Superintendent
As we approach the final weeks of winter and school break, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for your continued partnership. Whether you are a parent, student, staff member, board member, or neighbor, your commitment to our schools is what makes this district a vibrant place to learn and grow.
We have a busy and important few weeks ahead of us, and I want to ensure you have the following updates on your calendar.
Annual District Meetings and Voting
Your voice is essential in shaping the future of our schools. Please join us for the upcoming budget discussions and voting sessions:
- Hanover and Dresden District Meetings: Saturday, February 28, 2026.
- Norwich Deliberative Session: Monday, March 2, 2026.
- Voting Day: Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
These sessions are the primary opportunity for community members to learn more about school budgets and warrant articles, and to vote on them. We encourage everyone to participate and stay informed on the fiscal and operational goals for the upcoming year. As you know, we faced a challenging budget year with the unforeseen 26% increases in health insurance costs and unbudgeted insurance assessments in New Hampshire.
Principal Search: Finalist Interviews
We are excited to announce that we are moving into the finalist round of interviews for the new principals of the Bernice A. Ray School and Frances C. Richmond Middle School.
- Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 (held concurrently).
- Participation: We value a collaborative hiring process. Parents, board members, staff, and students will all have opportunities to participate in the interview sessions.
We are currently finalizing the itinerary with our candidates. More detailed information regarding the specific schedule and how you can get involved will be shared as soon as those details are confirmed.
Legal Update: DEI Directive Nullified
I also want to share a significant legal update regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools. Following a settlement involving the ACLU, the U.S. Department of Education has conceded the end of its February 14, 2025, “Dear Colleague” directive.
The district court has issued a final ruling permanently invalidating the directive. This means the guidance, which sought to restrict DEI efforts in schools, is formally nullified and cannot be enforced or revived. As a district, we remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every student feels a sense of belonging.
Thank you again for your unwavering support of our students and educators. We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meetings.
Sincerely,
Robin Steiner
Superintendent
Calendars
The Dresden, Hanover, and Norwich School Boards have approved the school calendars for the 2026–2027 school year. The calendars are available on the SAU 70 website under the Calendar page.
Community Resources
We are grateful to the many members of our communities who share their time and expertise with our students. Your willingness to serve as classroom speakers enriches learning, brings real-world perspectives to our lessons, and helps make learning come alive. Thank you for being such valuable school resources.
Donald Perovich, Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College and Hanover resident, shares with the MCS 6th graders how close he has come to a polar bear during his Arctic Sea Ice presentation.
Stephen Gorman, Norwich resident, internationally recognized photographer and best-selling author shared with MCS 6th graders a photograph of glacial retreat on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada during his presentation.
From Our School Boards
Happy February Break to all! I know my own kids are excited about a few days off to enjoy the snow and get out on the ice. Wherever this break may take you, please know that your School Boards and Administrators will continue to be hard at work on many important matters at the local and state levels in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Budget Updates
January saw the approval and adoption of our 2026-2027 budgets at all districts. This is the culmination of months of work by building personnel, SAU administrators, and School Board members. We also thank the Hanover Finance Committee for their input and feedback throughout our budget process. You can find our Annual Report on our SAU70 Voter Page. This report contains a snapshot of our FY'26 financial picture, a summary of our FY'27 budget proposals, and letters from our Superintendent, Building Principals, School Board Chairs, and the Hanover Finance Committee. We hope you will read through this information, join us for our Annual Meetings, and show up to vote at Richmond Middle School (Hanover residents) and Tracy Hall (Norwich residents) on March 3!
ACLU Lawsuit Update
First, we have wonderful news to share about the lawsuit that we had signed onto last year! The NEA and ACLU reached an agreement with the Department of Education in their lawsuit seeking to block the DOE from enforcing mandatory signing of the "Dear Colleague" letter. After multiple injunctions, a judge has now formally dismissed the case and signing the letter will no longer be required. This letter sought the elimination of all policies and contracts relating to "diversity, equity, and inclusion," which would have created many potential conflicts with existing Federal legislation, as well as a lack of clarity around what subjects, materials, and programs were included in these definitions. Please see this NHPR article for more information about the lawsuit and the decision.
Legislative Update
We have also taken an active role in advocating for the tax payers and families we serve by responding to state legislation around open enrollment in NH and redistricting in Vermont. Deb Nelson (Hanover Board) has agreed to track and keep Board Members apprised of important actions in the NH Legislature. We also recently adopted a statement at both Hanover and Dresden School Board Meetings opposing legislation that restricts local control or imposes unfunded mandates. Ben Keeney (Dresden Chair) and Kelly McConnell (Hanover Chair) have been attending meetings of the School Board Advocacy Network, a non-partisan gathering of school board leaders across the state that recently met with Commissioner of Education Caitlin Davis. Neil Odell (Dresden Vice-Chair) continues his work with the Vermont School Boards Association to advocate for sensible, responsible funding mechanisms. Please see below for more details on Open Enrollment in NH and School District Consolidation in Vermont.
1. Open Enrollment in NH:
Several Board members and SAU 70 administrators signed an Open Letter on the Risks of Statewide Open Enrollment that was sent to Governor Ayotte and the Members of the NH Legislature. These efforts succeeded in delaying the vote on HB751, and prompting the creation of a commission to study open enrollment. For more information on Open Enrollment and other education-related bills in New Hampshire, please see the following links:
o HB751 (original Open Enrollment bill)
o HB1280 hearing (creating a commission to study open enrollment)
o NHSBA legislative tracker (320 bills)
o NH School Funding Fairness Project legislative tracker (50 bills)
· Open enrollment in the news:
o NH Journal: Open Enrollment: Good Intentions, Devastating Price Tag
o Concord Monitor: Rush to adopt universal open enrollment garners school board pushback statewide
o InDepthNH: Distant Dome: GOP Lawmakers Hell Bent on Open Enrollment
2. School District Consolidation in VT:
The Vermont Legislature continues to consider school district consolidation as a means to address the property tax burden in the state. Various proposals in both the House and the Senate contemplate different configurations.
· Heffernan Proposal (a single statewide district)
3. Funding/Education Spending in VT:
Lawmakers continue to debate funding changes associated with Act 73 while also considering short term changes to slow education spending and property tax pressures.
Healthcare continues to be a cost driver in Vermont Education and H. 842 proposes structural and procedural changes to how the state oversees health insurance and dispute resolution for public school employees.
As always, we welcome your attendance and participation at our meetings – either in person or online – and we are available via e-mail to field questions, comments, or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kelly McConnell, Hanover Board Chair
Board Meetings
We would love to have you join us at a meeting, however, we realize sometimes that’s hard to do. Below you will find the Zoom links and start times to the upcoming Board meetings.
Should you encounter issues, the necessary zoom links, including passcodes, can be found on the SAU 70 calendar on the pop up of the event. Meetings are also available on our YouTube channel, both live and on demand following the broadcast.
Annual Meetings
Hanover School District Annual Meeting - Saturday, February 28, 11:30 AM, Hanover High School
Dresden School District Annual Meeting - Saturday, February 28, 12:30 PM, Hanover High School
Norwich School District - Town Deliberative Session - Monday, March 2, 2026, Tracy Hall - Warning and Agenda
Voter Information
We encourage you to explore our voter information page, where we’ve gathered many resources - from the Annual Report to budget adoption videos - on one easy-to-find page.
Voter Information page: https://www.sau70.org/resources/voter-information
Items included on this page include:
Dresden & Hanover Annual Report
Sample Hanover Ballot
Sample Dresden Ballot
Hanover Finance Committee response to: Hanover Budget & Dresden Budget
Regularly Scheduled Board Meetings for March and associated Zoom links:
Norwich Board Meeting - March 4, 2026 - 6:30 PM Marion Cross School
Dresden Board Meeting - March 10, 2026 - 6 PM Hanover High School Library
SAU 70 Board Meeting - March 10, 2026 - 7 PM - Hanover High School Library
Hanover Board Meeting - March 11, 2026 - 7 PM Bernice A. Ray Elementary School
Contact a Board Chair
Lisa Christie - SAU 70 Board Chair
Board Point of Contact for SAU Office and Staff
lisa.christie@hnsb.org
Benjamin Keeney - Dresden Board Chair
Board Point of Contact for Hanover High School, Frances C. Richmond Middle School
benjamin.keeney@hnsb.org
Kelly McConnell - Hanover Board Chair
Board Point of Contact for Bernice A. Ray School, Hanover Transportation, Hanover Special Education
kelly.mcconnell@hnsb.org
Garrett Palm - Norwich Board Chair
Board Point of Contact for Marion Cross School, Norwich Transportation, Norwich Special Education)
garrett.palm@hnsb.org
POLICY UPDATES
The Policy Committee meets monthly at the SAU. Meeting dates and times are available on the SAU 70 Calendar. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Ryanne Schoonover.
Below you will find what was presented to the Boards this month. Staff members are encouraged to review the agenda, as some topics may be relevant to your role. You can find our documentation on our board governance solution, Simbli.
SAU 70 Updates:
No policy discussion at the February 17, 2026 meeting.
Dresden Updates:
Simbli link to February 17, 2026 meeting.
The Board will do a first reading of policy JF - Enrollment and Enrollment Capacities.
The Board will do a second reading of the following polices:
JLP - Parental Notification of and Involvement in Student Welfare
IMAH - Daily Physical Activity
Hanover Updates:
Simbli link to February 11, 2026 meeting.
The board will conduct a first reading of the following policies.
JLP - Parental Notification of and Involvement in Student Welfare
JF - Enrollment and Enrollment Capacities
IMAH - Daily Physical Activity
Norwich Updates:
Simbli link to the February 4, 2026 meeting.
The Board will do a first read of policy JICJ - Student Use of Cellphones and JICJ-F Student Use of Cellphone Contract. As well as a first read of the revisions to policy B8 — Electronic Communications Between Employees and Students.
And a second reading of policy LDA — Student Teachers and Interns.
Religious & Federal Holidays as identified by the Calendar Committee
Ramadan (Islam), February 17 - March 18
Purim (Judaism), March 2-3
Holi (Hinduism), March 4
Eid Al Fitr (Islam), sundown of Thursday, March 19th ending at sundown on Friday, March 20th.
Palm Sunday (Christian), March 29