New Hampshire has too many School Administrative Units with too few students

CONCORD — Rep. James Tierney believes New Hampshire has too many School Administrative Units with too few students. The Northumberland Republican has proposed legislation to encourage small SAUs to merge and, in the process, reduce their administrative costs. House Bill 1579 would pay newly merged SAUs an additional $200 per student for two years after the merger took effect. Testifying before the Senate Education Committee on April 16, Tierney said the financial incentive targeted cash-strapped rural areas like Coos County, where five SAUs oversee 3,359 students. Tierney said there was evidence that all five SAUs could merge and function properly, noting that New Hampshire has 11 SAUs with higher enrollments than all of Coos County combined.