GOFFSTOWN — The selection of a consultant to address issues at Mountain View Middle School has been delayed until fall.

Instead, a committee, led by school officials and made up of teachers, parents and school administrators, will spend the summer gathering data to present to a consultant that will be chosen at a later date.

At its June 4 meeting, Superintendent Stacy Buckley told the board she would make an attempt to narrow the six candidates that came forward to be considered for the study of the school, but with only two weeks left in the school year, she expected it to be difficult.

In analyzing the candidates, Buckley said officials at the SAU came to no consensus.

The SAU committee, comprised of Buckley, Assistant Superintendents Brian Balke and MaryClaire Barry and Director of Human Resources Carol Kilmister, did not interview the last three candidates who expressed an interest in the study, Buckley said.

The delay will allow the district to “really define what it is we’re looking for,” Buckley said.

In a report issued to the school board in April, Buckley said public perception of the school, attended by about 890 students from Goffstown, New Boston and Dunbarton, has run the gamut.

In that report, Buckley said MVMS was a two-time Middle School of the Year award winner and earned accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, but also has struggled with negative perceptions of rigor, climate and culture, and staff turnover.

The board approved Buckley’s recommendation to hire an outside consultant to gather data at MVMS, study it and make recommendations for change.

Six candidates are being considered, including companies and individuals from Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The school board received complaints from taxpayers when early estimates put the cost of the study between $30,000 and $60,000.

Goffstown resident Ben Hampton, an adjunct faculty member at Manchester Community College, has offered to conduct a study of the school at no charge, and Buckley said his offer will be considered along with the others.

“We’re not losing ground,” Buckley said. “We’re going to keep moving forward.”

Buckley stressed to the board that the situation at MVMS is not being ignored, and highlighted some of the changes already in place, including a positive behavior training program, additional cameras in the school, the addition of a half-time foreign language teacher and several building improvements.

Buckley said she is looking to increase parent involvement from Goffstown, New Boston and Dunbarton on the summer committee.

“The focus hasn’t changed,” Buckley said.



kremillard@newstote.com