Latest news with #JayRuais
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reports say Manchester aldermen already have 'significant authority' over school budget
New reports from the Manchester city clerk and solicitor's offices suggest making the local school district a city department wouldn't give the mayor or aldermen much more power over the school budget then they already have. The reports appear as an agenda item for Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, scheduled for 7 p.m. at City Hall. An effort to ask Manchester voters if they support making the school district a department of the city, a topic debated on and off for decades, was given new life recently when Mayor Jay Ruais broke a 7-7 tie to send a request to look at either making the Manchester School District a city department or granting the mayor the power to set the district's budget to the aldermen for study, ahead of possible placement on the November election ballot. While the school district isn't a city department, aldermen must approve its budget. For the matter to appear on a municipal ballot this November, aldermen need to take a final vote on the matter by Tuesday, June 3. City Clerk Matt Normand and City Solicitor Emily Rice were asked to research the topic ahead of a vote on the matter, with the understanding that the goal was to give the mayor more say over the school budget, including line-item veto power. In her report, Rice writes that she investigated the issue through the lens of establishing authority of the aldermen over the budget of the Manchester School District. 'It is the opinion of this office that the Mayor and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) possess significant authority in this regard under both the current charter and applicable state law,' Rice writes. Rice points out the mayor has 'extensive authority over the form, procedure and adoption of the city's annual budget,' and the school district budget is subject to the approval of the BMA. 'If the BMA rejects the budget as submitted, the school committee is required to 'submit a revised budget which shall not exceed the maximum dollar amount established by the board of mayor and aldermen,'" Rice writes, quoting the city's Charter. 'The Charter contains no language which would, after rejection by the BMA, permit the submission of (a) school department budget which exceeds the maximum amount established by the BMA. 'It does not appear that seeking to amend the Charter to make the school district a department of city government would be an effective means of attempting to add to the city's significant existing authority over the school district budget.' Rice adds any such amendment would be subject to numerous controlling state statutes and administrative rules governing the authority and responsibilities of local school boards, school districts and superintendents. In a report on his on findings, Normand writes he was asked to present to the board a comparison of charter sections related to the school district within the current City Charter (known as the 1997 Charter) and the previous City Charter (known as the 1983 Charter), to the extent that the district had previously been considered a department. Normand also reviewed the 1996 Charter Commission minutes. 'It is clear that the commission was very deliberate in maintaining the same level of authority for both the district and the BMA outlined in the 1983 City Charter while making minor changes they believed would clarify responsibilities of each,' Normand writes. 'In summary, there is no appreciable difference between the two charters as it relates to the school district. There is no section of the 1983 City Charter that represents the district as a department; in fact, the 1997 City Charter expanded the seats on the Board of School Committee from twelve members to fourteen members (at-large positions), reiterated that the school district budget shall constitute a single line item, yet gave future mayors the ability to veto all acts of the aldermen including actions related to the entire budget or any line item thereof, for the first time.' Efforts to bring city schools under the umbrella of city government have fallen short over the past 20 years.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NH Job Corps to close June 30 when U.S. Labor Department pauses program
New Hampshire's Job Corps training program, serving more than 200 teenagers and young adults ages 16 to 24, will close June 30 after federal labor officials put a pause last week on the nationwide training and education program, which has come under fire for high costs, problems and poor results. More than 40 students at the state's single campus, at 984 Dunbarton Road in Manchester may be without housing as early as Friday per the phased-in closings. State and local officials are scrambling to find continued employment, education and suitable residential accommodations for the participants who live in the dorms. 'We've been communicating and planning for multiple contingencies since Friday," Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Sunday. 'I fully expect community and local partners to step up as they have in the past.' No arrangements have been finalized yet, he said, but 'the city is committed to ensuring' that those affected, including the staff of 100, have options for placement. Ruais called Job Corps 'a significant economic generator for the city and state,' providing about $20 million annually. 'There is also a lot of workforce development' which enables the students and trainees to transition to positions with New Hampshire employers. The U.S. Department of Labor's announcement came Thursday, affecting contractor-operated sites such as New Hampshire's without suspending operations at those run by the federal government. There are currently 125 centers across the U.S. Manchester Ward 7 Alderman Ross Terrio texted Sunday, 'It is happening too fast. The people affected need more time to make arrangements for finding other work and housing. If there are problems I think they should have tried to fix them before ending the program.' Opened nearly 10 years ago in October 2015, the Queen City's $35 million complex was designed to give young people a jumpstart in work. 'This program helps young people who are poor and unskilled find a trade that can make them self-sufficent,' Terrio wrote. John Stephen, District 4 executive councilor, in a letter to commissioners at the state's departments of labor, employment security and business and economic affairs, said, 'This pause risks disrupting the progress of enrolled students and undermining the progress of workforce development efforts in New Hampshire.' Stephen asked the commissioners to collaborate with U.S. labor officials to identify flexible federal funding sources that would allow the state to continue Job Corps programs that are effective. 'Comprehensive transition plans must be developed to ensure current students are seamlessly integrated into alternative training programs, educational opportunities, or employment pathways that support their long term success,' he wrote. 'I encourage you all to investigate innovative strategies to reduce costs and boost graduation rates, such as streamlining operations, enhancing mentorship programs, or partnering with local businesses to align training with workforce needs.' He said New Hampshire's cost per student 'while below the national average of $80,284.65 "remains significant." New Hampshire's graduation rate of 42.1%,' while above the national average of 38.6%, 'highlights the need for improvement.' The U.S. Labor Department's Transparency Report for Program Year 2023, released in April 2025, documented 14,913 serious incident reports at Job Corps Centers nationwide including 1,764 acts of violence, 2,702 reports of drug use, 1,808 hospital visits, 1,167 breaches of security, and 372 reports of sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behavior. It was not clear at press time how many of these may have occurred in New Hampshire. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training and community,' U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in news release May 29. 'However a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' According to the Labor Department: In 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, requiring the Biden administration to pause center operations during that year. The deficit is projected to reach $213 million in 2025. 'We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program's possibilities,' Chavez-DeRemer wrote on May 29. A staff member at Job Corps in Manchester declined to provide further information when a reporter went to the Dunbarton Road site on Sunday.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester eyes three parcels to sell to generate funds for affordable housing trust
Manchester aldermen are being asked to deem three vacant parcels of land as surplus so they can be sold to generate funds for the city's affordable housing trust. The request mirrors the process undertaken in 2024, when 15 vacant lots were sold by auction generated $1.13 million, 100% of which went to the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund. One of the parcels is located at Smyth Road, with the other two at Sheffield Road. The Smyth Road parcel is 30,451 square feet, or 0.70 acres, and has been city-owned for 70 years (since 1955). The Sheffield Road parcels are a combined 41 acres. Lot 01 has been owned by the city for 24 years (since 2001) and Lot 02 for 65 years (1960). If deemed surplus and ultimately sold off, 100% of the net proceeds would go into the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund after satisfying all outstanding balances and transferring 10% of the proceeds into the Tax Deeded Property Reserve Account (the latter process only applies to the sale of the Sheffield Road lot,. since these parcels were tax deeded. The aldermanic Committee on Lands and Buildings will take up the request Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at City Hall. Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais first mentioned the effort to identify city-owned vacant parcels that could be sold to generate housing funds when he took office in 2024. The lots identified surplus and sold in 2024 were as follows: • Wellington Hill Road, Lot 645-41. • Wellington Hill Road, Lots 645-39 and 645-40. • Erie Street, Lot 455-10, and Boynton Street, Lot 658-32A. • Calef Road and Titus Avenue, Lot 554-17C. • North Bay Street, Lot 770-23. • Boston Street, Lots 283-1, 2, 3, and 8. • Patterson Street, Lot 449-16B. • Bicentennial Drive, 560-95A. • Saint James Avenue, Lot 579-29. • Pinehurst Avenue, Lot 685-14. • Gosselin Road, Lot 750-11. • Huntress Street, Lots 753-9E and 9G. • Hackett Hill Road, 767-4B. • Leo Street, Lot 853-34. • 44 Trolly Court, Lot 897-145. Last year aldermen voted unanimously to use $200,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to create eight new units of affordable housing for homeless women, a move made possible due to the sale of the vacant city lots. The eight units were made available to homeless women at a rate of $800 a month.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Manchester to launch 'Age-Friendly City' planning initiative
Manchester officials are launching a city-wide initiative designed to build a more inclusive, accessible, and livable community for residents of all ages – with an emphasis on older adults. Led by the city's health department, the Age-Friendly City Planning Initiative is a process is based on AARP's eight Domains of Livability, a framework designed to help communities become more age-friendly. The domains include outdoor spaces and buildings; transportation; housing; social participation; respect and social inclusion; work and civic engagement; communication and information; and community and health services. 'Creating an age-friendly city means building a Manchester that works for everyone, from children and families to older adults and caregivers,' Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said. 'By aligning with AARP's comprehensive livability framework, we are committing to long-term planning that enhances quality of life, improves public health, and strengthens our community.' According to the mayor's office, Manchester has approximately 21,000 residents age 65 or older, with 60% of those individuals living in households earning less than $50,000 annually – highlighting a need for such planning in the city. The Manchester Health Department will lead the initiative in partnership with local organizations including Easterseals NH, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, Waypoint, Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County, The Mary Gale Foundation, and the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA). In the coming weeks, the city will launch a community engagement campaign, including surveys, focus groups, and public forums, to gather input from residents about the challenges and opportunities they experience across Manchester. 'An age-friendly Manchester is a healthier, more connected, and more vibrant city,' city health director Anna Thomas said. 'This initiative is an opportunity for residents to help shape the future of our neighborhoods, public spaces, and services to ensure they meet the evolving needs of our population.' Community members are encouraged to participate in the planning process and stay informed through regular updates provided by the city. To participate in the 'Age-Friendly City' resident survey, visit: or go to the Manchester Health Department website at
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Teens shine in New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition
MANCHESTER — Manchester Community College hosted a new competition for high school students with a high stakes twist. This first-of-its-kind for New Hampshire event was designed to drive more people into a specific arena of work. Demand for highly skilled workers in welding is already high, but the evolving mission of the US military means 100,000 specially trained welders has become a top priority. With welcome addresses from Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, the Project MFG Maritime Welding event brought together the local community and submarine shipbuilding suppliers. General Dynamics Electric Boat partner schools competed in a welding competition showcasing and challenging their welding skills. Students represented seven high schools across the state including: Pinkerton Academy, Seacoast School of Technology, Portsmouth High School's CTE Center, Berlin High School, Alvirne High School, Sugar River Valley High School and Spark Academy. Aidan Tanguay of Pinkerton Academy placed first in the competition. Second place went to Douglas Roy of Berlin, and the third-place finisher was Ethan Douglas of Pinkerton. Both Tanguay and Roy are eligible for an all-expenses paid trip supported by Project MFG to compete in the national finals to be held in June at Ferris State University in Michigan. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-New Hampshire, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and served 11 years in the Navy Reserves as an intelligence officer, addressed the group in the afternoon. The New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition was organized by NH Manufacturing Extension Partnership, SENEDIA: The Alliance for Defense Tech, Talent and Innovation, Project MFG, General Dynamics Electric Boat, and the Community College System of NH. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Teens shine in New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition
