MONADNOCK REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                                    Board Meeting Minutes

                                                           November 5, 2002

                                                 Sullivan Elementary School

 

7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER

 

Present: Don Arguin, Winston Wright, Chairman, Dixie Gurian, Patricia Smith, Stephen Mettling, Gene White, Alan Gross, William Felton, Robin Marra, John Morin, Jonathan Kirstein, Richard Thackston, Gus Lerandeau and Larry Colby. Absent: Geordie Fifield.

Also present: C. Cardine, Supt., K. Dassau, Asst. Supt., L. Biron, Business Manager and B. Fowler Dir. of Grounds and Maintenance. Principals: D. Mousette, D. Dahl and B. Tatro. Student Council Representative B. Dahl.

 

1.         CONSENT AGENDA:

Minutes of October 15, 2002 MOTION: D. Gurian MOVED to approve the minutes.  SECOND W. Felton.  DISCUSSION: W. Felton informed the Board that he would like to bring up a topic that is in the minutes but would bring it up under Old Business.  VOTE: 9.60/0/4.25/1.15 Motion Passes.

           

2.        CITIZENS CONCERNS: Fred Brown who is the 9th grade class president

addressed the Board about his and his classmates concerns about the over crowded condition at MRHS. He explained that it is very difficult not to get stepped on when changing classes. He also expressed his concern about the classes being large and some of the students do not receive the attention that they deserve. He suggested that a new building would make things better. R. Marra asked F. Brown if he had enough time to get to each of his classes. He explained that he is usually late but the teachers are understanding. J. Morin asked F. Brown if he thought the students in his class would join together and help pass the new building proposal. F. Brown responded that some students would. W. Wright asked if the Board could put him down for the Facilities Committee so that he could give ideas to the committee. D. Mousette thanked F. Brown for attending the meeting and sharing his concerns. He told F. Brown that he did a very good job.

 

Jackie Hartwell a parent and member of the Sullivan PTC has a concern about the overcrowding at the high school. She said her son was walking down the hall and rubbing his eye when someone bumped into him and gave him a black eye.

 

Another parent asked the Board if they were talking about a new building and what will happen to the existing high school. W. Wright explained that it was a new separate building and that the existing building will be brought up to code and a middle school will be formed.

 

M.Chase from Surry suggested that the PTC help to educate the public.

 

3.               STUDENT COUNCIL CONCERNS: B. Dahl told the Board that the student council would like to be a driving force in educating parents and the community about the new building proposal. B. Dahl informed the Board on a number of fund raisers that will be held by the Student Council. Ellen’s Walk will be held Sunday, November 10, 2002. The students will hold a coat drive which will benefit the Salvation Army on Nov. 22, 2002.  The time to bring the coats will be from 6:00 AM- 9:00 AM. On Nov. 22, 2002 the Student Council will hold a dance.  Reduced admission will be given to the students that bring in a canned good for needy families. The Student Council will also be purchasing gift cards for needy families to put towards a Thanksgiving Dinner.

 

 

4.               CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: C. Cardine reported to the Board that the Emerson School had been invited to the Green Schools Symposium at Antioch NE. The school brought four projects with them. The sixth grade students in attendance worked very hard to prepare themselves with the knowledge needed to explain the projects and answer questions. It was a very successful day. The school thanked the Board for allowing them to attend the symposium that benefited the students. Gilsum had a project but was unable to attend.

 

C. Cardine informed the Board that W. Wright and he have been invited to attend a round table discussion in Oxford, England. The event will take place at Lincoln College on March 16-22. The topic of discussion will be on Charter Schools. Only 35 people have been invited. C. Cardine thinks that the information on the federal grant from Washington was conveyed to England and hence the invitation. MOTION: R. Thackston MOVED to have the District pay for the travel and the rooms for the board chairman and the superintendent for this most unusual and excellent offer. SECOND: J. Kirstein.  DISCUSSION: G. Lerandeau wanted to know if the Board would like to put a dollar amount not to exceed a certain amount. R. Thackston said he would have no idea what a ticket would cost but he would suggest an advanced ticket in coach.  VOTE: 12.70/0/1.15/1.15

 

C. Cardine passed out the Curriculum Notes from D. Hodgdon. D. Hodgdon is on vacation. Over the summer he missed his vacation because of his work on the grant.

 

C. Cardine informed the Board that he will be attending a NH Automotive Summit. C. Cardine asked that A. Gross also attend. The event will take place on Nov. 20, 2002 at the Center of NH.

 

                                                                                                                

 

5.        OTHER SCHOOL BOARD BUSINESS:

A.  Board Committee Reports:

1.      Policy Committee: D. Arguin explained to the Board that the Confined Space Policy which did not have a policy number will now be EBCF Confined Spaces Policy. MOTION: D. Arguin MOVED to approve Policy EBCF Confined Spaces as a second reading. SECOND: S. Mettling VOTE: 12.69/0/1.16/1.15. MOTION: D. Arguin MOVED: to approve Policy IJL Library Resources Selection and Adoption: Resource Selection Criteria and Procedure as a second reading. SECOND S. Mettling VOTE: 12.69/0/1.16/1.15. W. Wright asked about the MRSB POL 101502 on the agenda. D. Arguin explained that that was the identification number on the cover in which the Policy Committee will be using from now on. The Policy Committee presented this document at the last meeting. D. Arguin heard concerns at the last meeting and decided to hand out the index of the Policy book. The Policy book is very large. The index can be placed in the Board Member’s red binder and can be very helpful. In keeping with the Policy Committee the members wanted to keep the Board informed and passed out a policy as information. The Policy BBA School Board Powers and Duties were passed out to the members.

 

 

   2.    Communications Committee.  D. Gurian informed the Board that at the Oct. 22, 2002 meeting students and parents attended as well as the members. D. Gurian passed out the minutes of that meeting to the Board. D. Parker was in attendance at that meeting. D. Gurian explained to the Board the contribution D. Parker could make to inform voters on the upcoming warrant article.  He has experience in brochures, newsletters, videos, preparing town meetings, designing and running tours, and tailoring information for specific groups which would be very helpful when presenting the new school bond to the voters. D. Gurian explained D. Parker’s background.  The cost of his services would be $75.00 an hour. The committee felt that the KHS bond passed because it was done in a professional manner. W. Wright asked D. Gurian if the committee was suggesting the hiring of D. Parker.  Hiring will be placed on the next agenda. C. Cardine will see if there are any grants that might cover this expense. D. Gurian asked the parents and students to attend the next meeting which will be on Thursday at 7:00 AM.

 

          3.    Facilities Committee: R. Thackston reported to the Board that the committee met on Oct. 25, 2002 and discussed the recent vote. The outcome of that meeting was to ask for a proposal on a QBS basis because there are no funds available. B. Fowler explained that QBS stands for Quality Based Selection Service. The MRSD will submit information to 26 architects, the architects will submit their qualifications to the district and then the requests are scheduled to come back by Nov. 13, 2002. The committee will review and discuss the 12 point list that also went out to the architects. R. Thackston said that the committee will keep the Board informed as information is available. 

 

          4.   Finance Committee: W. Wright informed the Board that the committee met

and had a discussion with T. Walsh about the lunch money that is still owed by students. W. Wright informed the Board that the amount is $5,194.00 which needs to be collected.

 

C. Cardine informed the Board that the district has received a grant in the amount of $12,000.00. The grant is Kids Net Grant Service Learning Grant. MOTION: R. Marra MOVED to accept the $12,000.00 from the Kids Net Grant Service Learning Grant. SECOND: R. Thackston VOTE: Unanimous.

 

    5.   Cheshire Career Center Report: A. Gross reported to the Board that CCC

discussed the new renovations and expansions that will be done by Baybutt Construction . The project should be completed the fall of 2004. The construction will not affect the learning process or impact the attendance. He said that fewer students from MRHS are in attendance because of the block scheduling. Even with the new renovations the CCC will not hold any more students then they house now. C. Cardine reported that 26 students attend the CCC from MRHS but are left with the classes that are not full. They do not always get their first choice. C. Cardine thought that if the school had more teachers there would be more options. C. Cardine is exploring this idea and will see if the grant can be used for this. R. Thackston commented that this subject comes up every year. C. Cardine informed the Board that there are 830 students at the CCC Center over 750 students are from Keene because of block scheduling and onsite facilities. He also commented that MRHS has a much better CAD program and Business Dept.  P. Smith commented that she thought the travel would take up a lot of the students’ day. J. Morin asked what services are being offered. C. Cardine responded auto, machine shop, CAD and CAM, business, nursing, culinary, and daycare. C. Cardine suggested that the Cheshire Career Center be on the agenda every other meeting. D. Arguin suggested that the Cheshire Career Center be a permanent part of the agenda. W. Wright commented that if the Cheshire Career Center has no report the Board will move on.

B.    New Business: None.

 

C. Old Business: W. Wright asked W. Felton if he would like to make his comments on the minutes now. W. Felton commented that the Board has a policy that says if the Board took a vote the members that were not in favor of the vote would support the majority decision. W. Felton turned to other members and asked if this was a practiced policy. Previously D. Arguin passed out Policy BBA School Board Powers and Duties. W. Felton referred to the policy # 5 which reads: To accept the will of the majority vote in all cases and to give support to the resulting policy. W. Felton said that if the motion is going to pass then the Board needs to work together and support the majority. G. Lerandeau commented that there was no dissent. W. Felton responded by saying that the dissent came after the vote was taken. He feels that after a vote is taken the Board needs to act as a group. L. Colby commented that the members need to be at the meetings to be informed. G. Lerandeau responded by saying that you do not need to be at the meetings. W. Wright commented that when a vote is taken you will always have a minority vote. He said that in no way will he accept a vote that will harm Fitzwilliam and the fact that there is no gag rule. D. Gurian said that she does not agree with W. Wright but when a vote is taken the whole Board needs to support the outcome. D. Gurian commented that she could stay home if she knew that the outcome of the vote or the motion was something that she was not interested in. P. Smith agreed with D. Gurian and commented on the State Code of Ethics which states “to work along with the majority of the School Board no public dissension. R. Thackston commented that the letter to the Sentinel was a way for him to speak out. He said that this situation will not be resolved tonight. He said that he did not agree with the decision but will move the process to the next stop. R. Marra commented that this issue is an important one and suggested it be sent to the Policy Committee for a recommendation. He states that the meetings were public and minutes were taken. Dissenting views were not heard at the meeting or the retreat. He is asking if it is the will of the Board to send this policy to the Policy Committee. A. Gross commented that the Policy Committee needs to review it. He said that the members at the meetings were in agreement of the vote the others who were not in attendance were against. D. Arguin said that the committee will review the policy. S. Mettling asked the Board to suggest what the committee should look at. W. Wright responded that it would be to recommend to keep #5 as written or to rewrite. L. Colby suggested the committee look at #4, #5, and #6 of that policy. W. Wright commented that there are 15 members that represent their towns. The members will not go against the vote but need to speak for their towns. L. Colby said that this is a cooperative school district. R. Thackston commented that it wasn’t until 5 years ago that a representative from each town was had. D. Gurian responded by saying that we are still a cooperative school district, how we are elected does not change that. W. Wright said that as chair he will work with the Board and for Fitzwilliam along with its selectmen. One issue W. Wright is concerned about is the way in which funds are distributed by the state. D. Arguin commented that other issues need to be dealt with and asked for a vote. MOTION: D. Arguin MOVED to have Policy BBA School Board Powers and Duties sent to the Policy Committee for review. SECOND: W. Felton. DISCUSSION: S. Mettling asked for clarification as to what the Board would like the Policy Committee to do. R. Thackston explained that the last time this issue came up it was looked at through the NHSBA RSA. He said he did want to bias the outcome by telling the members what was found the last time. VOTE: 9.84/3.23/.78/1.15.  R. Thackston brought up concerns that were asked by people in his town concerning the building. He asked the Board about the option of a new building, the option of renovation and expansion as a motion per the 21st Century Committee and the option of the k-8 grades staying in each individual town. R. Thackston also commented that Swanzey has a problem with the space at Mt. Caesar. R. Thackston explained that the Facilities Committee looked at the existing needs for repair and those concerns have been abandon. W. Felton explained to R. Thackston that many of these issues were discussed in detail at the recent retreat and at the last board meeting. He said that after members at the retreat toured the MRHS the long-range solution was to build a new high school.  Mr. Felton questioned Mr. Thackston about his attendance at meetings discussing these questions.  R. Marra explained that the K-8 option would be the most expensive of the three options. The final outcome of the 21st Century Committee was to renovate and make additions to the high school. R. Marra commented that he was not able to attend that meeting and that he had not scheduled a vote. The members in attendance were few. The vote was taken and the outcome had a lot to do with the fact that there was a deficit.

 

D. Curriculum Report: Sullivan School tour will take place at the break.

 

E. 21st Century Report: None

 

F.   Action on the Manifest: J. Morin MOVED to approve the manifest in the amount of $1,176,871.21 SECOND: G. Lerandeau VOTE: 11.95/0/1.90/1.15

 

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: C. Cardine passed out information on the current school population as there was an error in an earlier version.  Predicted vs. Actual counts on one of the charts also changed. C. Cardine commented that it is difficult to make projections based on this information alone and that he was working on a method to project numbers for the board.

 

C. Cardine would like to have a special meeting to discuss the charge from the Board concerning the warrant article.

 

A. Gross asked that the MRHS project be put on the agenda each week to keep the Board up to date.

C. Cardine wished to thank the Sullivan School Staff for the great refreshments that were provided.

 

7.   SETTING UP THE NEXT MEETING’S AGENDA:

1.      Policy Committee

2.      Communications Committee

3.      Facilities Committee

4.      Finance Committee

5.      CCC Report

6.      MRHS New Project Report

 

8:45  PM Chair Wright declares a recess. Board tours the Sullivan Elementary School.

 

8. NON-PUBLIC SESSION

9:00 PM D. Gurian MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of student personnel. SECOND: L. Colby. VOTE: Unanimous.

9:25 PM D. Arguin MOVED to return to public session and to seal this portion of the non-public minutes indefinitely. SECOND: D. Gurian. VOTE: Unanimous.

9:25 PM D. Gurian MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of personnel. SECOND: A. Gross. VOTE: Unanimous.

9:45 PM P. Smith MOVED to return to public session and to seal this portion of the non-public minutes indefinitely. SECOND: L. Colby. VOTE: Unanimous.

 

Public Session

D. Arguin asked if the Board could receive a report on the number of detentions assigned at the junior senior high school and as well as a report from the school resource officer as have been given in the past. D. Gurian asked if the report could include the number of seniors who do not graduate. C. Cardine will gather data for the last 3 years and report to the board.

 

9:50 PM R. Marra MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of negotiations. SECOND: L. Colby. VOTE: Unanimous.

9:59 PM G. Lerandeau MOVED to return to public session and to seal this portion of the non-public minutes indefinitely. SECOND: P. Smith. VOTE: Unanimous.

 

9.  Motion to Adjourn.

9:59 PM D. Arguin MOVED to adjourn. SECOND: G. Lerandeau. VOTE: Unanimous.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Laura Aivaliotis

MRSD Board Secretary