MONADNOCK REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Board Meeting Minutes

December 6, 2005

Emerson Elementary School, Fitzwilliam, NH

Present: Richard Thackston, Colline Dreyfuss, Jonathan Kenyon, Gene White, Bruce Tatro, Charles Johnson, Jeff Friedman, Jason Hill, Karen Cota, Bruce McCulley, Tim Aho and James Carnie. Absent: John Morin, Robin Marra and Alan Gross.

Also present: K. Dassau, Superintendent, D. Hodgdon, Dir. of Curriculum, T. Warner, Dir. of Technology and L. Biron, Business Manager. Principals: B. Tatro, S. Rashid, J. Smith, D. Dahl and K. Craig.

J. Carnie called the meeting to order at 7:13 PM.

MOTION: C. Johnson MOVED to change the agenda and to hear the Steel Drum Presentation first. SECOND: J. Kenyon. VOTE: 10.507/0/0/4.493.

The Steel Drum Musical Presentation conducted by Ms. Merrifield consisted of the following groups: The 5th and 6^th grade students from Emerson and Troy, a community group called the Steel Magnolias, and another community group called the Summer Breeze Group. Each group performed three pieces for the Board.

R. Thackston arrived at 7:25 PM.

Ms. Merrifield explained that tonight’s performance was the group’s 50^th presentation. She explained that she would like to continue with the groups after her retirement and would like to receive a stipend for the work she would be doing. She has a total of 85 members and 40 of them are students. K. Craig thanked Ms. Merrifield for her 40 years of service to the district. She received a standing ovation.

1 CONSENT AGENDA:

Minutes of November 15, 2005 Board Meeting. MOTION: C. Dreyfuss MOVED to approve the November 15, 2005 minutes. SECOND: J. Kenyon. DISCUSSION: R. Thackston asked for a 5 minutes recess. VOTE: 9.731/0/1.797/3.472. Motion passes.

2. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: MOTION: B. McCulley MOVED to grant Ms. Merrifield a $3,000.00 for the work with the steel drum groups she will continue to do after her retirement. SECOND: G. White. DISCUSSION: K. Craig explained that it is a school sponsored event. The children take the class during the day. R. Thackston explained that the District has supported Ms. Merrifield’s efforts from day one. He said that because of her 40 years of experience the District would probably be saving money with hiring a teacher with less experience. K. Cota felt that the $3,000.00 seemed high. K. Craig explained that the football coach receives $3500.00 for his season and this program runs through the summer and all year long. R. Thackston explained that she will continue to improve the program and bring the community into it. K. Cota said that the program is good and suggested that the adults could raise the money for her stipend. B. McCulley commented that he does not feel that another music teacher would have the skills to continue this program. J. Carnie commented that it is a great program, but there is also a tight budget. VOTE: 3.221/9.328/0/3.472. Motion fails.

R. Thackston read a letter from K. Cota regarding the morning assembly of the students before school begins. She stated that the situation has not changed and she had requested that it be looked at. J. Smith explained that the charge was given to the Student Government and was on the Student Government agenda. The resolution would come back to the Board in December.

K. Cota also emailed R. Thackston asking the Board for permission to be on the Nutritional Wellness Committee. R. Thackston appointed K. Cota to the Nutritional Wellness Committee.

3. STUDENT GOVERNMENT REPORT: There was no representative present but J. Smith informed the Board about a semi-formal in which 30% of the high school students attended; a coat drive; and the collection of food for 25 food baskets for needy families at Thanksgiving.

C. Dreyfuss said that she was happy to see the National Junior Honor Society helping at the Community Kitchen on Thanksgiving. She mentioned that they would be doing the same on Christmas. K. Cota asked J. Smith why the Student Government meetings were during academic time. J. Smith said that the meetings are two times a month one after school and the other time is rotated among the classes to underscore the importance of Student Government.

4. Public Comments: D. Connell commented on a student that had been attending a school in the MRSD for the past 4 years, tuition free. He said that only the School Board could authorize a waiver and the past Board minutes do not indicate that a waiver was granted or a vote taken. He commented that the funds need to be collected for out-of-district tuition.

R. Bauries stated that the issue he was presenting tonight was shared by members on the Board and the Budget Committee. He said that it is a very serious issue that an out-of-district student is not paying tuition. In response to R. Bauries reading a document, K. Dassau pointed out that further comments could violate the right-to-know law and jeopardize a student’s confidentiality. R. Bauries said that the Board needs to examine this issue. K. Dassau explained that he has met with R. Thackston and would not like to engage in public discussion on this issue. He said that the Board could discuss this under non-public later this evening, if they chose. J. Carnie commented that there are some serious questions. MOTION: J. Carnie. MOVED to go into non-public session to discuss this issue only under RSA 91 3:2©. SECOND: J. Hill. DISCUSSION: C. Johnson commented that it would be unfair to the people sitting in the audience to enter a non-public session at that time. J. Carnie said that he was satisfied to do it later, but also felt that the Board needs to have a public discussion on this issue. He said that free tuition should be discussed openly with the Board. J. Carnie and J. Hill agreed to discuss this issue later.

5. Old Business:

a. Tabled Article: C. Dreyfuss explained that the Facilities Committee had met twice since the last Board Meeting and would be meeting on January 11, 2006. She said that the committee discussed Warrant Article Seven and Warrant Article Four. The committee prioritized the health and safety issues for Warrant Article Four. The committee came to the Board with the following motions: MOTION: C. Dreyfuss MOVED to see if the Monadnock Regional School District will vote to create an expendable trust fund under the provisions of RSA 198:20-c to be known as the School Expendable Trust Fund for the purpose of funding an overall Master Plan of Development for future projects within the District (including, but not limited to, Architectural Development, Facilities Analysis, and Conceptual Drawings) and to appoint the School Board as agents to expend from this trust. Furthermore, to see if the District will vote to raise and appropriate $75,000.00 to be placed in this fund. SECOND: J. Kenyon. DISCUSSION: J. Carnie asked about the approximate amounts. C. Dreyfuss explained that the figure was taken from H.L. Turner’s the “must” list generated in the building use analysis. The representative also drafted a “should” and “could” column, which were not included in identifying the required amount for this warrant article VOTE: 10.349/1.179/0/3.472. Motion passes. MOTION: C. Dreyfuss MOVED Article Four: To see if the Monadnock Regional School District will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $251,465 dollars for the repair of health-and-safety-related maintenance items throughout the district’s school buildings. SECOND: J. Kenyon. DISCUSSION: B. Tatro asked if there was a published list. C. Dreyfuss explained that the list was given to the committee last night and they chose the most important items. K. Cota read the list to the Board. B. Tatro stated that he does not necessarily agree with the list of recommendations. It was stated that if the entire list was completed it would amount to $1.2 million dollars. B. Tatro asked if the people that live in the buildings were asked to take part in this list. K. Dassau explained that M. Pratt took a look at every health-and-safety issue and went through past reports to come up with this list. He said that the principals have not seen this list because of a time issue. In response to B. Tatro, C. Dreyfuss explained that she was told that the ducts have never been cleaned to improve air quality and, according to C. Johnson, energy efficiency. VOTE: 9.170/0/2.358/3.472. Motion passes.

b. Warrants: C. Dreyfuss explained that the Facilities Committee would not be recommending a building project article to the Board at this time. MOTION: C. Dreyfuss MOVED to amend the Warrant Article Draft and eliminate Article One and rename and renumber all the articles. SECOND: T. Aho. DISCUSSION: K. Dassau explained that the RSA to notify the public about the deficit would replace Article One. K. Dassau explained that the deficit information has to be first. R Bauries commented that it is not informational, but financial, and it is politically correct to put it first. VOTE: 10.349/1.179/0/3.472. Motion passes.

Article Two is the Budget Committee’s decision.

Article Three is the SAU Budget, which will be discussed tomorrow night.

Article Four was completed earlier in the meeting.

Article 5 was completed.

Article 6 was not complete because the figure was not known.

Article 7 has been amended.

Article 8 has been moved to Article 1. R. Thackston asked about a new list of the drafted articles. L. Biron said that he would have them for the next Board packets.

MOTION: K. Cota. MOVED to establish an Emergency Maintenance Expendable Trust Fund in the amount of $60,000.00. SECOND: C. Johnson. DISCUSSION: There was confusion on the $60,000.00. J. Carnie asked how much is in the existing Emergency Maintenance Expendable Trust Fund. L. Biron said that there is $60,000.00 plus interest VOTE: 11.528/0/0/3.472. Motion passes. The funds that are now in the Emergency Maintenance Expendable Trust Fund are designated for partial payment for the new septic system at Monadnock Middle / High School.

MOTION: B. McCulley MOVED to establish a Revolving Fund for Athletic participation fees and charges. SECOND: B. Tatro. DISCUSSION: B. McCulley explained that, if it is necessary to charge for athletics, the fees would be kept in a separate account and not be supported by revenues. C. Dreyfuss asked if it included stipends. K. Dassau explained that it was part of a large package requested at the last Budget Committee Meeting. They asked the administration to develop a list of reductions from the proposed budget to move the budget to 6.6%, 5.4% and 4.2% figures (all three percentages below the proposed budget). This proposal would reduce the athletic account by $50,000.00. The Department of Revenue said that a revolving account, when game gate funds are collected, would be okay. G. White said that he does not feel that the cuts at this time are appropriate. L. Biron explained that this would allow for better use of the athletic money at the high school and middle school. The principals from the elementary schools explained that the parents do not pay to attend athletic events. K. Dassau explained that the middle school and high school budgets would be reduced by $50,000.00. K. Dassau explained that they discussed scholarships, which would come out of the budget. VOTE: .247/5.122/6.159/3.472. Motion fails. There was further discussion about the benefits and problems with the revolving account.

6. SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Board Committee Reports:

1. Community Relations Committee: The committee did not have a quorum at the last meeting.

2. Facilities Committee: C. Dreyfuss reported to the Board earlier in the meeting.

3. Finance Committee: B. McCulley explained that the committee met before the board meeting and reviewed the MRPSOC expenditures. He said that there was no information on the balance sheet. They discussed the target budget figures and the breakouts of the expected increases. The committee discussed the salaries, the Facilities Director and the health and dental benefits. He explained that the budget is up 5.4779% as long as nothing changes.

4. Policy Committee Report: G. White reported that the committee met and they should be bringing something back to the Board at the next meeting.

5. Budget Committee: K. Cota reported that the committee instructed the administration to come back with cuts at 6.6%, 5.4% and 4.2%. The Budget Committee has decided to meet on Dec. 13, 2005 by themselves. The Board is welcome to attend. L. Biron explained the time line for the final budget.

5. The Cheshire Career Center: No report.

6. Steering Committee from MRPSOC Grant-R. Marra: No report.

7. MC2 Advisory Committee-John Morin: No report.

7. New Business:

a. City Watch: K. Dassau explained that he is not as versed in the packet proposal as N. Moriarty. He said that N. Moriarty is requesting that the School Board support a warrant article for an expendable fund in the amount of $12,000.00. The proposal is called Reverse 911. This system could make one single call to all the residents of all the 8 towns. R. Thackston asked why the School District and not town. N. Moriarty thought that the towns are individual and the School District would cover all 8 towns. R. Thackston said that it sounds appropriate for Southwest Mutual Aid. B. Tatro asked how the system knows if they have reached a person. B. McCulley commented that this may be made available statewide. T. Warner commented that it would be a parent notification system. T. Warner said that this does not assure everything. He said that Mt. Caesar may be worsened by the system.

8. Curriculum Report: Proposed program of studies: J. Smith handed out a booklet with the course offerings and their descriptions. He informed the Board about the following classes: It’s Your Life, Contemporary World Thought, Creative Impulse and SAT Prep Course. He explained the additional health requirement and other program offerings. MOTION: B. McCulley MOVED to approve the Program of Studies for 2006-2007. SECOND: G. White. DISCUSSION: K. Cota asked about the AP Classes. She said that teachers find it difficult to get through the course in the length of time provided. J. Smith said that the teachers have a prescribed curriculum, which must be completed before the test in May. B. Tatro commented that he is thrilled to see an expanded curriculum and the same faculty. J. Carnie asked about the Holocaust Studies. J. Smith said that 18 students have signed up and it is starting in January. VOTE: 11.528/0/0/3.472.Motion passes.

9. Action on the Manifest: MOTION: T. Aho MOVED the manifest in the amount of $1,738,849.36. SECOND: C. Johnson. DISCUSSION: T. Aho asked about Mt. Prospect Academy and the Odyssey House. K. Dassau explained the Odyssey House and would research Mt. Prospect Academy. Tucker Transportation had a void check. That was a processing error. K. Dassau explained that Monadnock contracts with 3 or 4 transportation companies were for the runs for Special Education. T. Aho requested an explanation on each attorney charge. C. Dreyfuss commented on a check to SVE – work by Rob Hitchcock for engineering. L. Biron would look into the amount. VOTE: 9.238 Yes /1.179 abstain /4.493 absent. Motion passes.

10. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: K. Dassau explained that there would be three non-public sessions tonight.

K. Dassau explained the charge of the administration from the Budget Committee.

He explained that there would be an SAU Board Meeting in Hinsdale tomorrow night. Because the SAU Board directed the administration to reduce the budget, the SAU did not include raises in the 2006-2007 budget for the SAU staff.

11. BOARD CHAIR REPORT: No report.

12. SETTING NEXT MEETINGS AGENDA:

1. Minutes

2. Warrant Articles

3. 2006-2007 Budget

4. Out of District tuition and School Board Issue

5. Allocation of District Funds in the Budget

A significant part of the next meeting should be for the discussion on the budget. B. Tatro asked to see the budget a few days in advance. L. Biron passed out the MS27 to the Board.

13. SECOND PUBLIC COMMENTS: None.

14. 10:34 PM Non Public Session. MOTION: T. Aho MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of discussing a parent request for a student under RSA 91 A: 3©. SECOND: J. Kenyon. Roll call: T. Aho, C. Johnson, J. Kenyon, C. Dreyfuss, J. Carnie, B. McCulley, G. White, K. Cota, J. Friedman, B. Tatro, J. Hill and R. Thackston. VOTE: 11.528/0/0/4.493. Motion passes.

15. 10:41 PM Non Public Session. MOTION: J. Kenyon MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of hiring personnel under RSA 91 A: 3 11(b). SECOND: T. Aho. Roll call: T. Aho, C. Johnson, J. Kenyon, C. Dreyfuss, J. Carnie, B. McCulley, G. White, K. Cota, J. Friedman, B. Tatro, J. Hill and R. Thackston. VOTE: 11.528/0/0/4.493. Motion passes.

16. 10:45 PM Non Public Session. MOTION: J. Kenyon MOVED to enter into non-public session for the purpose of a student matter under RSA 91 A 11 ©. SECOND: C. Dreyfuss. Roll call: T. Aho, C. Johnson, J. Kenyon, C. Dreyfuss, J. Carnie, B. McCulley, G. White, K. Cota, J. Friedman, B. Tatro, J. Hill and R. Thackston. VOTE: 11.528/0/0/4.493. Motion passes.

17. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: No vote was taken the Board lost its quorum11:58 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura L. Aivaliotis

MRSD Secretary