By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

School officials from Auburn said they don’t want a new middle school partnership with Candia to hinder the recent momentum perpetuated by the purchase of 58 undeveloped acres after this year’s annual School District Meeting.

At a joint meeting between the Auburn and Candia school boards on Wednesday, Oct. 4, officials from both towns said they liked the idea of a partnership because it could add educational programming currently lacking for middle school students in each of the districts.

“The advantages for the kids makes it a no-brainer,” said Candia School Board member Bill Zarges. “Together we can give a true middle school experience to these kids.”

Auburn School Board members, however, said they plan to ask voters for planning and design money at the 2007 School District Meeting, and board members questioned whether the two sides could reach a partnership before the planning process.

“We’ve got some momentum and we really want to keep the ball rolling,” said Auburn School Board Chairman Elaine Hobbs. “We’re looking at a pretty tight timeline.”

The Auburn board members said if planning and design money were approved next year, they hope to offer a new school proposal for the site ­ near Route 101’s Exit 2 ­ at the 2008 annual School District Meeting.

With the aid of their mutual attorney, Gordon Graham, the two boards mulled over different types of joint arrangements available to New Hampshire school districts.

The four types discussed were an AREA agreement, a cooperative agreement, a tuition-based agreement and a joint maintenance agreement.

Auburn School Board members have said a cooperative agreement ­ which takes multiple years of School District Meeting approvals ­ could take too long.

Candia School Board members have said they don’t wish to enter into a tuition agreement ­ as Auburn and Candia have with Manchester for high school students ­ because they seek more autonomy in a partnership.

Graham cautioned against a joint maintenance agreement ­ which gives shared governance to participating towns ­ largely because so few New Hampshire towns have had experience with them. Alton and Barnstead have the only joint maintenance agreement in the state.

“I look at them and say to myself ‘It’s a scary process in the event things don’t go smoothly,’” Graham told the boards.

The two school boards didn’t decide on what type of agreement, if any, to shoot for, but rather urged one another to consider what they would require in a partnership.

The Candia School Board has held firm in its desire for certain conditions ­ like input into governance and a long-term agreement ­ since talks of a partnership between the two districts began months ago.

“We’ve got to say, ‘Why are we here, and what’s the best arrangement to meet that?’” said Candia School Board member Ed Caito.

With student enrollment in each of the towns anticipated to be steady, or even on a slight decline, in recent years, officials from both sides said the advantage of an educational partnership would be additional educational programming.

Caito said he sends his own children to private school, instead of Candia’s Henry Moore School, because there are more programs.

“Having a larger environment does provide those opportunities,” he said.

Candia board members now plan to get community input on the partnership subject through a series of October events.

There will be a PTO forum on Monday, Oct. 16, and a community forum specifically on the joint middle school topic on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., at Moore School.

The Candia board also plans to mail surveys to all Candia households within the next few weeks. An online survey may also be available.