PORTSMOUTH — New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan is expected to attend the Monday, March 16 City Council meeting in the wake of a controversy about SchoolCare’s demand for a $1.57 million payment from the city, according to Mayor Deaglan McEachern.
SchoolCare, a nonprofit risk pool that works to provide health insurance to all the city’s school employees and 90 school districts statewide, stated “if any” town or city “failed to pay the assessment, then SchoolCare may stop paying claims on insured members,” Deputy City Attorney Trevor McCourt previously told the council.
SchoolCare is overseen by the secretary of state’s office.
McEachern stressed during a March 13 interview “we need to be able to provide health care for our teachers, that’s the highest priority we have in these discussions.”
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McEachern, in his letter, thanked Scanlan for his “willingness, expressed through our conversation … to come to Portsmouth to discuss these issues at the City Council meeting on March 16. The city’s concerns arise from the extraordinary assessment SchoolCare recently imposed on its members.”
More: Fight with insurer jeopardizes Dover, Portsmouth educators’ healthcare
The mayor went on to write, “SchoolCare reported approximately $29.5 million in reserves as of June 30, 2023; those reserves were depleted quickly, and SchoolCare now reports an operational deficit. … The size and timing of the assessment have had immediate and serious impacts on taxpayers.”
Portsmouth counteroffer rejected by SchoolCare
Stating “Portsmouth seeks to approach this situation constructively,” McEachern’s letter describes a counteroffer.
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“While the city does not agree that risk pools have statutory or contractual authority to levy assessments of this nature, we want to remain part of a stable, effective pool and contribute to a reasonable solution,” McEachern said.
He wrote Portsmouth is proposing to pay $247,660.71 and the remaining $1,322,945.07 over a two-year period to avoid the “disruption” paying the full amount.
The mayor confirmed that when McCourt recently appeared before SchoolCare’s Board of Directors, Portsmouth’s counteroffer was rejected. But he stated Portsmouth remains “willing to work with SchoolCare to make sure our teachers get the health care they deserve.”
What mayor is expecting from secretary of state
McEachern said based on his conversation with Scanlan, he expects the secretary of state to “come tell us why this is legal, and answer any questions we have. I look forward to that.”
McEachern stressed Portsmouth would not be “bullied” by SchoolCare into paying an assessment it believes is not legal under state law. He added if SchoolCare were to stop paying claims filed by Portsmouth’s school employees “that would be a breach of the contract.”
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“We’re looking at all available options,” McEachern said. “We believe we have made fair and legal offers to SchoolCare, and want to be able to have our teachers have no interruption in their health coverage. Unfortunately they’ve taken the tack that they have. It’s not a just or fair thing to do.”
He expects that after city councilors hears from Scanlan, they could have a discussion about next steps.
“ We may have to talk to our legal counsel first,” McEachern said.
McEachern says solution should be rate-setting, not billing taxpayers
McEachern maintained in his letter to Scanlan “this assessment raises broader policy concerns warranting your direct attention given your statutory responsibilities.
“It was levied contrary to state law, the membership agreements and SchoolCare Board policies, without a meaningful public process,” McEachern wrote. “By shifting costs retroactively and disproportionately onto taxpayers rather than sharing them prospectively and transparently through rate-setting, this approach undermines confidence in the public risk pool model.”
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He told Scanlan the implications “extend well beyond Portsmouth.”
“Municipalities and school districts across New Hampshire depend on the stability and predictability of public risk pools in order to responsibly plan their budgets and manage taxpayer dollars,” he said. “When large retroactive assessments are imposed without clear authority or process, it creates uncertainty not only for local governments but for taxpayers across the state who ultimately bear the cost.”
McCourt sent out a statement from the city’s Legal Department on March 13.
It stated city officials on March 13 “affirmed that health insurance coverage for Portsmouth School Department staff remains in place and uninterrupted, while the city continues to seek a reasonable and lawful resolution of an unprecedented and disputed, mid-year assessment imposed by” SchoolCare.
In the release McCourt reported the “city has proposed multiple paths toward resolution, each of which SchoolCare has declined.”
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McCourt added the city “will provide a public update to the City Council and School Board at the March 16, 2026 City Council meeting, following an anticipated public presentation” by the Secretary of State.
The city’s “school side employees,” have been members of SchoolCare, a risk pool that administers health insurance, “since about 2012,” he said previously.
The city has agreed to pay for SchoolCare coverage next fiscal year, even though rates are projected to increase by 26%, McCourt told the City Council previously.
“I’ve also found as of June 30 of 2023, SchoolCare had a reserve in the amount of $29.5 million, which was then paid down and extinguished and exhausted over a period of three years,” McCourt said. “This assessment again is designed to refill a portion of that reserve, with the remainder apparently to be recovered through rate setting, through the ordinary course.”
SchoolCare leader seeks agreement
Lisa Duquette, the executive director at SchoolCare, previously said she’s “absolutely” hopeful the city and SchoolCare can reach an agreement.
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“We have 98% of our membership who either paid in full, or have entered into agreements to pay in full by July 15,” she said.
Commentary: Setting record straight on Portsmouth healthcare coverage: SchoolCare
Monday’s council meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be held in City Council chambers.
The New Hampshire Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, June 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 7 drawing
Day: 5-0-8
Evening: 9-7-7
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Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 7 drawing
Day: 6-9-8-0
Evening: 6-8-8-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 7 drawing
02-18-29-32-51, Bonus: 02
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Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the New Hampshire Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Pick 3, 4: 1:10 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. daily.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Megabucks Plus: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a New Hampshire managing editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NASHUA, N.H (WHDH) – A person was rushed to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a multi-vehicle crash in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Sunday.
Crews responding to a reported crash at the intersection of Amherst Street and Airport Road around 10:45 a.m. found a two-vehicle crash with one vehicle rolled over and an injured occupant inside, according to the Nashua Fire Department.
The injured person was taken to the hospital.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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“This process takes our product to a whole different level,” said Zydenbos. And, she said, it tastes delicious.
Vermont has the highest percentage of local food sales in the region (10.7 percent), followed by Maine (4.9 percent), with New Hampshire coming in third (4.6 percent), according to 2024 data from New England Feeding New England, a partnership of New England organizations advocating that the region produce 30 percent of the food it consumes by 2030. Massachusetts comes in fourth, with 3.6 percent of food spending on local items.
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Stephanie Zydenbos, founder and CEO of Micro Mama’s, right, and her sister, COO Samantha Cleveland, chat in their Weare, N.H. workshop.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
New Hampshire is second to last in New England when it comes to the value of vegetable sales ($23 million) and the value of agriculture ($209 million). Many farmers in the state struggle to turn a profit.
“Generally speaking, New Hampshire is a little bit behind,” said Shawn Menard, executive director of Seacoast Eat Local, a local food nonprofit, and board president at the Concord Food Co-op. Menard said other New England states have more robust infrastructure for food processing, purchasing, and distribution that supports local food production.
Since 2012, Zydenbos has operated Micro Mama’s, one of New Hampshire’s first fermented vegetable companies, sourcing local produce and transforming it into fermented vegetables sold at more than 50 locations around New England, including about 30 Whole Foods stores.
The Silly Dilly Carrot Prebiotic & Probiotic Fermented Vegetables, left, will become Micro Mama’s first fermented freeze-dried blend, according to Stephanie Zydenbos.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
Now, Zydenbos wants to try something new, by making more processing equipment available for farmers and producers in New Hampshire and using it to introduce novel local food products. Among them: freeze-dried kimchi, a new take on a traditional Korean dish made with spicy fermented vegetables like napa cabbage and radishes.
With a $96,000 federal grant from the US Department of Agriculture in hand, she purchased new equipment, including an individual quick freezer and a freeze dryer. Food experts said the cost of the equipment is one barrier that’s prevented other small local businesses from offering similar products.
Jennifer Chadbourne, a clinical associate professor in agriculture, nutrition, and food systems at the University of New Hampshire, said freeze-dried kimchi is not widely available.
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“It could be a really novel idea for the manufacturer,” she said.
Traditional kimchi and other fermented vegetables offer certain health benefits, like probiotics that can aid gut health, according to Chadbourne. She said freeze-drying can preserve the nutritional value of food since it doesn’t rely on a high heat during processing, but there’s not yet robust evidence on the nutritional profile of a new food like freeze-dried kimchi. She said flash freezing is another effective way to preserve the peak nutrients of a freshly harvested food.
For the consumer, these products are a convenient way to buy nutritious local produce outside the limited months of New England’s growing season.
“Especially here in New England, where we have such drastic seasons that impact how long we can grow food, any type of novel preservation technique is going to help us maximize our crops during the seasons where we can grow,” said Chadbourne.
The individual quick freezer Zydenbos acquired is different from a typical household freezer. It freezes produce in about 20 minutes as opposed to 48 hours, Zydenbos said. And rather than locking produce into one solid chunk, it freezes berries or broccoli as individual pieces, which makes it easier to use at home.
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If freeze-dried kimchi seems a little out there, that’s a challenge Zydenbos has faced before. When she started her fermented food business in 2012, kimchi was still on the fringes of food culture in New England. Zydenbos said she had to work with state agencies as they learned how to regulate the food. Then she toured the state’s farmers markets educating consumers and evangelizing the benefits of fermented foods.
Even before that, there were her own doubts to overcome.
“When you first do it, you’re like, Oh, my god, this goes against everything that you’ve been taught,” she said. “You’re basically leaving vegetables out on the warm shelf to transform.”
“I’m going to kill somebody,” she remembers thinking while fermenting a batch for her own consumption after attending a kimchi-making workshop.
Micro Mama’s refrigerator trailer outside the processing facility in Weare, N.H.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
Micro Mama’s fermenting tanks inside the temperature-controlled fermenting room in Weare, N.H.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
Zydenbos came to fermenting in search of healing. For years, she relied on copious quantities of probiotic supplements to ease digestive issues. When she started making kimchi, that became her new cure.
From there, a kimchi empire was born.
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“In terms of somebody who really put it on the map in this region, I think Micro Mama’s is a huge player in that,” said Menard. He was the produce manager at the Concord Co-op when Zydenbos landed her account there. Menard said he hadn’t had kimchi before, but he was blown away by the flavor of her product, which was well received among the co-op’s customers.
By 2017, Zydenbos had built a facility in Weare on a property that had been in her family since the 1970s. The fermenting dens now contain 40,000 pounds of vegetables in production, all subject to strict federal and state safety regulations. She sourced stainless steel fermenting tanks from Italy and Germany to avoid using plastic containers.
When Whole Foods first came to New Hampshire, Zydenbos put her line of products forward – including kimchi, sauerkraut, and fermented carrots and beets, sourced from New Hampshire farms. The food safety work she had done with state agencies paid off, Zydenbos said, when she was able to show Whole Foods her quality control measures.
Now, with her new equipment, Zydenbos is planning to add freeze-dried kimchi to her lineup, as well as launch a spice line and food that will appeal to hikers, campers, and preppers.
“The possibilities are endless,” she said.
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With the individual quick freezer, she can produce frozen carrots, beets, potatoes, and French-fry cut potatoes, which could be sold at local grocery stores or to New Hampshire restaurants.
Zydenbos views these efforts as a way to help farms access markets they haven’t been able to reach given a lack of processing equipment, licensing, or capital. She said the demand already exists.
Bruce Wooster of Picadilly Farm in Winchester, N.H., has been selling produce to Zydenbos for about five years. He said her new endeavor with flash frozen and freeze-dried produce could help growers extend their selling season.
“All the local farms have their crop coming all at once,” he said. “It can be tough to spread out those sales, but by freezing you can spread things out and not be like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to sell it this week before it spoils.’”
The Concord Food Co-op is one local grocery store that’s eager to include local frozen produce on its shelves.
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“We have frozen vegetables that fly off the shelf,” said Josh Belanger, the store’s former general manager. “I think if we had them locally they’d do even better.”
Josh Marshall, assistant commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, said the new equipment will help make more local food available.
“For a small producer to be able to buy directly from small, New Hampshire farmers, and do this, this seems relatively cutting edge,” Marshall said.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
