Nashua sports teams threatened in latest talk of budget cuts

Three winter sports programs, plus two girls basketball teams, are potentially on the chopping block as the Nashua Board of Education and Superintendent Mark Conrad try to hammer out a budget for the upcoming school year.

According to reports, hockey, gymnastics and skiing, plus girls freshmen basketball, are the proposed programs to cut in a budget that would also include layoffs of about a dozen school staff members.

From the Union Leader:

With a 14-percent drop in the student population, Conrad has proposed cutting two elementary school teachers, six teachers at the middle schools and four teachers at the two high schools. Although there is no way to know what enrollment will be next September, administrators believe the cuts can be made without significantly increasing class sizes. ...

The proposed reduction that has triggered the most opposition is a proposal to cut the hockey, skiing, gymnastics and girls freshmen basketball programs.

The Union Leader also states that hockey players and coaches were the Board of Education meeting last week to ask it to consider an increase in athletic fees and to allow them time to do their own fundraising.

The board's budget committee will meet again Wednesday and Thursday at Nashua North at 6:30 p.m., and there will be a public budget hearing on March 18.

• Nashua schools face slate of possible program cuts - Union Leader
• Nashua schools to consider teacher, sports cuts - Nashua Telegraph