State Board approves nonpublic school kindergarten addition and grants full approvals to educator‑prep programs

The State Board of Education approved three formal actions during the meeting: (1) acceptance of Esther Brook Christian School’s request to add kindergarten to its existing grades; (2) full approval of Southern New Hampshire University’s newly proposed principal and curriculum administrator license‑only pathways through April 30, 2029; and (3) full approval of New England College’s proposed superintendent and principal license‑only pathways for the multi‑year term noted in the transcript.

Esther Brook Christian School: Dean Szler, introduced the Esther Brook Christian School application to add kindergarten to its current first‑through‑eighth grade authorization. A board member moved to approve the request and another member seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote. The transcript does not specify who made or seconded the motion by name, nor does it record a numeric roll‑call tally; the outcome is recorded in the meeting record as approved.

Southern New Hampshire University: Laura Sting, an administrator in the Department’s Bureau of Educator Preparation and Higher Education, introduced a review team from Southern New Hampshire University including Shauna Deore, Dr. Ben Cole and Chris Schmidt. Reviewers described the candidate assessment system, clinical practice and program coherence; a motion to grant full approval for the proposed MED/license‑only pathways passed. The approval language in the transcript granted full approval through April 30, 2029; specific vote counts were not included in the transcript.

New England College: Representatives introduced proposed license‑only pathways for superintendent and principal preparation. Reviewers recommended three‑year full approval with no unmet standards; the board moved to grant full approval and the motion passed. The transcript records the motion and approval but does not include a roll‑call or numerical tally.

Meeting procedure notes: The board corrected and accepted meeting minutes during the session; members also discussed scheduling on‑site visits to schools and logistics for off‑site meetings. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn was seconded and approved.

Actions at a glance:
- Esther Brook Christian School — motion to approve addition of kindergarten: APPROVED (voice vote; mover/second not specified; tally not specified).
- Southern New Hampshire University — motion to grant full approval for proposed MED/license‑only principal and curriculum administrator programs through April 30, 2029: APPROVED (voice vote; mover/second not specified; tally not specified).
- New England College — motion to grant full approval for license‑only superintendent and principal programs (term recorded in transcript): APPROVED (voice vote; mover/second not specified; tally not specified).

Representative quote from the record: When introducing the Esther Brook application, a board member said, “I move that the state board accept and approve Esther Brook Christian School’s request to add kindergarten…,” followed by a recorded second and an approval by voice vote.

What remains open: The transcript records approvals and motions but does not provide roll‑call vote tallies or explicit names for movers and seconders in each case; those details may appear in the official minutes or be entered later into the administrative record.