MANCHESTER — Mayor Ted Gatsas says it's time to “blow up the box” and rethink the way education is delivered to students in light of classroom overcrowding that has parents in an uproar and towns threatening to bail out of city high schools.

“If you could make a list on a whiteboard of the things that could fix the problem, I think people would be amazed,” Gatsas said. “But everyone has to participate in those solutions.”

The mayor said he wants to convene a committee to look for answers.

“I'm trying to get a group of people who are educators, some who could be past mayors, superintendents or principals, and get them in a room,” Gatsas said. “Everything needs to be on the table from all stakeholders.”

School Superintendent Thomas Brennan has been trying to balance course offerings, student demand and available teachers to eliminate overcrowding.

Brennan said Sunday night he needs to spend more time with enrollment statistics before imposing changes.

School boards in Candia and Hooksett have taken stands that overcrowded high school classrooms violate the agreement to send high school students to Manchester.

“I take it very seriously,” Brennan said of the threats to terminate the contract. “You're talking significant dollars in revenue.”

Charles Littlefield, superintendent of SAU 15, which includes Auburn, Candia and Hooksett, said he has had “conversations” with other school districts about replacing Manchester. He won't name the districts, but said the two town boards have authorized him to step up the talks.

“There are varying degrees of interest and varying abilities to accommodate students,” Littlefield said. “When school opened and (overcrowding) was far worse than we had anticipated, they said 'You can do that in a more formal way'”

Both Gatsas and Ben Dick, president of the Manchester Education Association, said they are willing to talk again about changes to the teachers union contract. No talks are scheduled Most city unions made concessions in health insurance coverage. Teachers and principals rejected making similar changes.

“We negotiated in good faith and are willing to have a conversation,” Dick said. “But we should be able to adhere to an agreement we made if that's the will of the membership.”

Parents have complained of classes so crowded that students don't have a place to sit. Both Gatsas and Brennan said that there are enough desks for every student.

Gatsas said he'll have some suggestions to make to his special committee — some of them from a similar group formed after he was elected mayor three years ago.

Ticking off a list of possibilities, Gatsas mentioned changing the school calendar to provide longer days and more time for summer enrichment courses.

He also suggested getting serious about redistricting city schools and turning Manchester West into a magnet school.

“Those are all things that need to be on the table for discussion,” Gatsas said.

Brennan said he is now spending virtually all of his time on issues related to balancing the school district's needs with available funding.

“I've never had anything like this before, anywhere I've been,” Brennan said. “Never to the extent where I am concerned about the educational future, both in terms of our student and our school district, and I don't say that lightly.”

wsmith@unionleader.com