Why Seabrook wants to break up with SAU 21 over poor test scores: 'Kids deserve better'

SEABROOK — School Board members got an earful recently as residents expressed dissatisfaction with the learning levels at Seabrook Elementary School and Middle School.

“(Learning) proficiency levels at the school are a huge concern, and I don’t see anyone addressing it,” parent Kathy Rita-Aham told the board at its recent meeting.

Homeschooling her child now, Rita-Aham said her child tested below grade level, even though the child has no learning disabilities.

“She’s behind grade level because of the school, period. And she’s not the only one,” Rita-Aham said. “What are you going to do about it? The kids are failing. You guys are failing them.”

Board members said comments like that are why they are asking voters at the March 12 Town Meeting to form a committee to study withdrawing from School Administrative Unit 21. In addition to Seabrook, SAU 21 consists of Hampton Falls, North Hampton, South Hampton and the Winnacunnet Cooperative School District.

The study, if approved by voters, would consist of an “analysis of the educational and fiscal benefit and cost” of being part of SAU 21. It will also look to see if Seabrook should establish its own SAU, so it can have a full-time superintendent focusing on Seabrook’s needs rather than sharing one with four other school districts.

The immediate trigger to study withdrawal for the School Board was concerns regarding the lack of proficiency in academics at Seabrook Elementary School and Middle School, according to annual state achievement test scores.

According to the 2023 spring assessment scores for Seabrook students, scores indicate an average of 30% of students in the third and fourth grades were at or above proficiency in language arts, and 35% were at or above proficiency in math. For middle schoolers, the spring’s testing indicated an average of 34% of sixth through eighth graders were at or above proficiency in language arts and 21% at or above in math.

The low test scores, however, are not new. Seabrook students have struggled and had disappointing test scores for decades.

Rita-Aham questioned at the board’s Feb. 5 meeting why SAU 21 children in other towns are often in the top range of learning proficiency scores in the whole state, while those in Seabrook are not. She reminded school officials that student learning has nothing to do with a community’s economic level.

“Seabrook is a great community, and we have awesome kids,” Rita-Aham said. “I don’t care if we’re not Hampton Falls and we’re not all millionaires. We’re not, but we have great kids and great parents.”

Other parents brought up concerns that Seabrook's students are not prepared when they get to high school, causing them to enjoy less success in their academics and have higher dropout rates.

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‘How can we not’ leave SAU 21

Selectman Harold Eaton, who is also running for School Board, spoke in favor of the SAU 21 withdrawal effort at the school's deliberative session, which followed the Feb. 5 board meeting.

He said the question should be “how can we not” look into withdrawing from SAU 21.

Seabrook contributes $654,000 in administrative fees in support of SAU 21, he said, yet its students continue to struggle, especially when they get to Winnacunnet.

“Seabrook’s curricula isn’t the same (as other SAU 21 schools). How can we expect Seabrook students to succeed at Winnacunnet?” Eaton said. “If SAU 21 doesn’t offer our kids the same curricula as other communities, we need to do it on our own.”

SAU 21 Superintendent Meredith Nadeau clarified this week that all schools "have the same curricula K-8 across the core content areas." However, she added some districts offer Spanish in elementary school and that Seabrook does not offer Spanish until grade 8. Seabrook also offers a family consumer science course at its middle school while other districts do not.

Dave Hobbs, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment, said SAU 21 adopted identical academic competencies and performance indicators across all districts in 2020.

"Teachers from all schools view the same gradebook and report on the same standards as their counterparts in other districts," Hobbs said.

Hobbs said teachers in all schools, however, leverage teaching methods and programs that suit the needs of their individual students.

"While we all adhere to the same standards, teachers have autonomy to choose which books they might use, or even in which order they deliver their units," Hobbs said. "This is also true for purchased programs. For example, both Lincoln Akerman School and North Hampton School have adopted Bridges Math, South Hampton uses iReady Math, and Seabrook uses the Eureka2 Math. These all teach to (and we report on) the same standards, but they vary in delivery, use of consumables, manipulatives, digital access, and importantly, cost."

Other parents spoke about the behavioral atmosphere in Seabrook schools. They claimed the distraction caused by unruly students in classrooms and halls were the reason for unsatisfactory learning levels. One parent suggested enforcing stricter discipline would improve learning.

Maria Brown, who is also running for School Board, said SAU 21 "is not working for Seabrook."

"Our kids deserve better, and we are paying for it," Brown said.

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Is withdrawing from SAU 21 the answer?

Richard Knight, whose three children went or are going through the local schools, said two of his children were on the honor roll while in Seabrook. However, he said, they struggled when they got to Winnacunnet High School trying to keep up with coursework. He said students from North Hampton, Hampton and Hampton Falls seemed better prepared.

Knight suggested to board members their move to pull out of SAU 21 was premature. He said they must first pin down the reasons why local schools have not performed well for decades.

Knight suggested before withdrawing from SAU 21 a study should be done by an “independent educational consultant” to compare all the factors in the town’s schools, such as the education levels of teachers, classroom size, availability of resources and tools, and all the curricula.

Once completed, he said, a report could determine the strengths and weaknesses in the system, if any, and solutions could be formulated to correct them.

“That should be the first step to see what’s going on,” Knight said, adding the committee formed to study pulling out of the SAU 21 relates to the future costs involved, not the current educational issues and reasons for the low proficiency scores of students.

Seabrook School Board member Kelli Heuber told Knight the board’s “done everything but,” what he suggested, “but anything that costs any money has always been an issue.”

Knight said he believes parents and the community would support such costs if it meant their children would receive a better education.

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Not first time Seabrook eyed leaving SAU 21

Hueber told parents in attendance that even if the withdrawal study committee is approved, it doesn’t necessarily mean Seabrook will pull out of SAU 21. Only after the committee’s investigation and report are complete and provided to the public, will voters be faced with the choice to stay or go, she said.

This isn’t the first time a community has withdrawn from SAU 21.

Hampton voters approved withdrawing from SAU 21 and formed SAU 90 on July 1, 2011. Supporters of Hampton’s withdrawal effort argued that Hampton paid the lion's share of the SAU 21 budget but didn’t get much in return.

Like Hampton, if Seabrook does withdraw, it would continue to send students to the high school as part of the Winnacunnet Cooperative District.

Seabrook has previously investigated withdrawing from SAU 21 twice before, only to remain due to financial reasons. Both studies were done before Hampton’s withdrawal.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seabrook parents demand better education, eye leaving SAU 21