NH Officers and Council Members

Chief State School Officer

Frank Edelblut, Commissioner of Education, New Hampshire Department of Education

Military Family Education Liaison

Kristen Ferullo, Military Family Education Liaison, School Liaison Officer, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, United States Navy

Military/DOD Representative

Commander Jeffrey Smith, Deputy Commander, Base Operations, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

State Council Members

  • Kathleen A. Murphy, Commissioner Primary Point of Contact kmurphy@sau8.org or 603-717-0121

  • Commander Jeffrey Smith, Deputy Commander, Base Operations, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

  • Vacant, NH House of Representative

  • Jennifer Doris, NH Department of Education

  • Amy Cook, NH Department of Health and Human Services – Administrative Division of Community Based Military Program

  • Jeffrey Collins, Executive Director, NHIAA

  • Jane Bergeron Beaulieu, Executive Director, NH Special Education Director

  • Steve Zadravec, Superintendent of Schools – Portsmouth NH Secondary Point of Contact szadravec@sau50.org or 603-422-9572

  • Kyle Repucci, Superintendent of School – Rochester NH

  • Betsy Peabody, Guidance Counselor – Concord NH

  • Rebecca Dutcher, Parent, Purple Star Coordinator – Concord NH

Students Covered Under the Compact

Children of the following:

  • Active duty members of the uniformed services,  including members of the National Guard and  Reserve on active duty orders (Title 10)
  • Members or veterans who are medically discharged or retired for one year
  • Members who die on active duty, for a period  of one year after death
  • Uniformed members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and United States Public Health Services (USPHS)
What are some of the specific educational issues that the Compact covers?

Enrollment

  • Educational Records
  • Immunizations
  • Kindergarten & First Grade Entrance Age

Placement & Attendance

  • Course & Educational Program Placement
  • Special Education Services
  • Placement Flexibility
  • Absence Related to Deployment Activities

Eligibility

  • Eligibility for Student Enrollment
  • Eligibility for Extracurricular Participation

Graduation

  • Waiving courses required for graduation if similar course work has been completed
  • Flexibility in accepting state exit or end-of- course exams, national achievement tests, or alternative testing in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in the receiving state
  • Allowing a student to receive a diploma from the sending school instead of the  receiving school
Abbot-Downing School and Concord High School are Purple Star Schools

We are happy to announce that ADS and CHS are Purple Star Schools! A Purple Star School designation lets military parents know, whether they are on active duty or in the National Guard and Reserves, that our school is dedicated to helping their child gain the educational skills necessary to be life-ready. It also signals that our school supports the social and emotional well-being of military kids adjusting to new schools and the absence of a parent during deployment.

According to the Defense Manpower Data Center, there are approximately 6,975 children that are direct dependents of those military families in New Hampshire. Frequent deployments, training exercises, and family separations, as well as reintegration issues, make life especially challenging for these children.  We at ADS and CHS are here to support our military-connected children!