Response to Durham Resident

Below is a response to our last post regarding the statistics from a Durham resident.


I am writing to respond to three claims that Roger Speidel made in his Dec. 21 Community Commentary: that education in New Hampshire is mediocre (in fact that we rank 28th nationally); that Oyster River schools themselves are underperforming; and that for all this, taxpayers pay far more than is reasonable.

Fortunately, we have comparative data from the widely-respected National Assessment of Educational Progress to assess achievement state-by-state. New Hampshire consistently places among the top five states in the country in reading and math, sometimes as high as third. In fact, New England is hardly the "boondocks," as Speidel claims — according to this national assessment, we lead the country. 

So, how does Oyster River rank within a high performing state? Extremely well. If we look at the 2010 NECAP scores, the mandated test of state standards, we rank very near the top at the high school level.

A key measure on this test is the percentage of students scoring proficient or better. The results indicate that Hanover High School scored highest, with Oyster River only slightly behind. The rates for HHS were 82% reading, 67% writing, 66% math; for Oyster River 81% reading; 67% writing; 64% math. All other comparable high schools (including Bow, Souhegan, Portsmouth, Goffstown, Conval, Hopkinton, and Plymouth) performed less well. 

On the issue of cost, there is no question that it is high. But rather than making apples-and-oranges comparisons with Finland, it makes sense to ask how we compare with comparable districts in New Hampshire in per- pupil expenditures. Here the picture is mixed. We spend about as much as Hanover and Plymouth, less than Souhegan and North Hampton, more than Bow and Hopkinton. To make another comparison, Oyster River costs match the average for Vermont school districts. In my view, we are reasonably in line with comparable districts. 

All of this does not mean that we should be complacent or that we shouldn't look for prudent economies. But I hope we can proceed without the unfair denigration of our excellent schools. 

Thomas Newkirk
Durham