MRSD school board minutes

MONADNOCK REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

Board Meeting Minutes

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Monadnock Regional Middle/High School, Swanzey NH

Present: Richard Thackston, Colline Dreyfuss, Jonathan Kenyon, Gene White, Bruce Tatro, Charles Johnson, Jeff Friedman, Karen Cota, Robin Marra, Alan Gross, Bruce McCulley, Tim Aho and James Carnie. Absent: John Morin and Jason Hill.ï¿½ï¿½

Also present: K. Dassau, Superintendent, D. Hodgdon, Asst. Superintendent of Curriculum, T. Warner, Dir. of Technology and L. Biron, Business Manager.ï¿½ Principals: B. Tatro, K. Carter and D. Mousette.

R. Thackston called the meeting to order at 7:10 PM.

1ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ CONSENT AGENDA:

Minutes of December 20, 2005 Board Meeting Minutes and Non-Public Minutes. MOTION: A. Gross MOVED to approve the December 20, 2005 Board Meeting Minutes and Non-public Minutes. SECOND: K. Cota. DISCUSSION: It was stated that on page 7 K. Cota and C. Dreyfuss entered into the third non-public session. They were not present. G. White corrected the minutes to say that Ms. Bressett would be working at Sea World after graduation and her employer would be paying for her college education. K. Cota asked to have the minutes reflect the correction of her comment as follows: that the administration is paid to do this work on the student cost and she feels that they should come back with a number for the Budget Committee and the School Board.ï¿½ VOTE on amended motion: 11.528/0/0/3.472. Motion passes.

2. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: R. Thackston informed the Board that he had received J. Morinï¿½s resignation. MOTION: T. Aho MOVED to write a note to the selectmen of Swanzey and ask them to fill the vacancy for the next two meetings. SECOND: K. Cota. DISCUSSION: R. Marra asked why they were not following the Board policy. R. Marra explained that the selectmen nominate and the Board would approve. R. Thackston asked for a motion to accept J. Morinï¿½s resignation. He suggested that the Board contact the Swanzey Selectmen of the vacancy and see what avenue they would like to take. B. Tatro would like to keep it in compliance with the School Board policy. T. Aho and K. Cota withdrew their motion. MOTION: C. Johnson MOVED to accept John Morinï¿½s resignation from the School Board. SECOND: J. Kenyon. VOTE: 12.707/0/0/2.293. Motion passes. MOTION: T. Aho MOVED to notify the Swanzey Selectmen of the vacancy and ask them to nominate someone for the Board to look at. SECOND: K. Cota. VOTE: 11.586/0/1.121/2.293. Motion passes.

R. Thackston had received an email from P. Majoy concerning the wording of the warrant article. K. Dassau sent him a copy of the warrant.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT REPORT: No report.

Public Comments: D. Connell commented that the nomination by the selectmen for a vacancy was the will of the people. He also commented that the budget is too high and he would like the Board to cut it.

N. Moriarty asked the Board to consider L. Aivaliotis’ minutes as provided. He said that the process delays the issuing of the minutes because of the double- checking. This would eliminate all the confusion.

N. Moriarty asked if the welding dept. at Monadnock helps the students at the CCC or not.

3. Old Business:

a. Cheshire Career Center-Wayne Cotton: MOTION: A. Gross MOVED to allow W. Cotton to give his presentation at the beginning of this section. SECOND: C. Dreyfuss. VOTE: 12.707/0/0/2.293. Motion passes.

W. Cotton explained that he was asked by A. Gross to explain the CCC and the agreement. W. Cotton passed out a sheet on the Courses of Study at the CCC. He explained that 45%-50% of the students that attend the CCC go on to further education in that field. He said that he is concerned with the number of students, but more importantly with the fit and the match. He said that the CCC has been there for 29 years and he has been there for 16. This would be his last year. He attends Monadnock in the spring and speaks to the sophomores about attending the CCC. There are 820 students and 35 are from Monadnock. The number of participants from Monadnock is low, but not the lowest. He said that K. Dassau had received a copy of the Regional Agreement - the same document for 29 years, but in a new format. This is a 20 year agreement reviewed every three years. The state will pay the sending school 75% of the tuition for each student. K. Cota asked how many students could attend from Monadnock. W. Cotton explained the formula and said that Monadnock could send 4 students for each offering. K. Cota asked if W. Cotton knew why the numbers were down. W. Cotton explained that the students are able to have more opportunities within and out of the school.

K. Carter arrives.

K. Cota asked if scheduling was a problem. W. Cotton explained that it is, but the CCC has become more flexible. He also explained that the CCC dropped welding a few years ago, although there is a small bit of welding in the automotive section. A. Gross suggested that the rest of the Board visit the CCC. W. Cotton explained that it is an open invitation. He said that he appreciates the move on the agenda. R. Thackston explained that there is a 3-year contract and would like to have the approval of the Board to sign it. MOTION: C. Dreyfuss MOVED to have R. Thackston sign the CCC 3-year contract on behalf of the Board. SECOND: K. Cota. DISCUSSION: K. Cota asked what it would take to get more slots for the Monadnock students. W. Cotton explained that it would take more teaching time. He did say that at this point Monadnock students have 7 slots in Auto Mechanics. P. Bauries asked the tuition for each CCC student and if it was for only juniors and seniors. W. Cotton explained that the tuition is based on per class, one year at a time. The state will reimburse 75% to the district. The second year students have priority for class slots. The tuition is about 1/3 of what KHS charges for tuition. It is about $2,500.00. The state pays $2,000.00 and Monadnock pays $500.00. VOTE: 12.707/0/0/2.293. Motion passes.

b. Warrant Articles Draft: L. Biron explained that Article One was loaded with the budget number and the default budget, which came from the Budget Committee. The numbers have arrived for Article Four, but are being reviewed by the attorney and the union. Article Six also contains the numbers, which again are being reviewed by the attorney and the union. Article Fifteen is Mr. Majoy’s petitioned article and Article Thirteen was added. J. Carnie explained that during the Finance meeting tonight there was a lengthy discussion on Article Ten. B. Tatro explained that it is his best recollection that the School Board voted to put the figure of $70,000.00, which included the benefits. L. Biron reported that he thought it was the $70,000.00 plus the benefits. R. Thackston asked the Board if they agreed that this was the intent. R. Thackston said that the Board discussed it as a package. B. McCulley asked about Article Fifteen - why it was written at 0%. L. Biron said that it is driven by the RSA. R. Thackston said that they would table any discussion on the warrants. C. Johnson found the November 15, 2005 minutes and read the motion pertaining to the Director of Facilities. It was stated that R. Thackston commented on the motion, but never amended it. J. Carnie commented that the motion was for $70,000.00 for salary only. That is what was voted on. L. Biron asked who was going to fund the benefits. L. Biron explained what the benefits would be. R. Thackston said that we are not saying that we would hire someone for $70,000.00. The motion should say up to $70,000.00 for the salary of a Facilities Director. L. Biron explained that DRA would not like the wording of “up to” in the article. C. Dreyfuss asked how the Board is going to solve the facilities problem, if we are capping the salary at $70,000.00. T. Aho commented that the Facilities Director might not take the 40 hours a week. R. Thackston said that this would ask the District to appropriate the $70,000.00. This does not make it harder, since t is more than what you have now. T. Aho suggested a probationary period, which might hold back the benefits at first. J. Carnie stated that the motion was to have the $70,000.00 for the salary, so the article should reflect the motion. G. White commented that some of the Board Members voted on the motion because of R. Thackston’s comment. C. Johnson commented that this is only good for a year. R. Thackston said that in his opinion the number needs to be replaced with the $70,000.00 for the salary for a Facilities Director position. B. McCulley was concerned that the $70,000 would mean that we could not spend any money on benefits. R. Thackston said that in his opinion it would mean that we have $70,000.00 to work with. B. Tatro called for a point of order and said that there is a motion on the floor. He said to change the number to $70,000.00 for salary and move on. If there are no objections the correction would be made to Article Ten and move Article Nine forward as corrected. J. Carnie said that there might be numbers that need to be changed in Article Four and Article Six. T. Aho asked if the numbers were a secret. L. Biron said that they are already there, but are being reviewed by the attorney and the union. B. Tatro commented that the Board has not approved or commented on Article Six. K. Dassau explained that there would be one more draft and the Board can take action at the January 12, 2006 meeting. K. Dassau explained that that meeting was the Budget Committee’s meeting and if the Board wanted to meet it would need to be posted. L. Biron explained that the public hearing seals off the warrant, so that the school board could not make adjustments after that meeting. R. Thackston said that the Board could approve what is here. C. Dreyfuss asked when they would know the numbers. L. Biron said that he is waiting for M. Gaul. C. Dreyfuss asked if L. Biron could press her. K. Dassau explained that they would have the number. R. Thackston said that the warrants are the Budget Committee’s warrants. L. Biron said that they are joint warrants with the Board. R. Bauries commented that the Budget Committee does not have to vote that night by law. Legally we do not have to take a vote. R. Thackston asked about the pleasure of the Board on whether or not to hold a special meeting before the January 12, 2006 meeting. N. Moriarty asked if the Board was going to vote on the two union contracts before they approved the warrants. L. Biron said that the warrants had to be posted no later than the 4^th Monday of January, 2006. R. Thackston said that the Board could vote on January 17, 2006. L. Biron said that the Board could not change anything from the Public Hearing. L. Biron said that if the Budget Committee decides not to vote, they would need to extend the meeting, not adjourn. 8:15 PM: MOTION: J. Kenyon MOVED to enter into non-public session under RSA 91 A:3 11(a). SECOND: B. McCulley. VOTE: 11.593/0/1.114/2.293. Motion passes.

The Board takes a 5 minute recess.

MOTION: A. Gross MOVED to accept the warrants with exception of Article Four and Article Six with the numbers that will be coming as corrected, which includes Article Ten and the Febuary 2005 date. SECOND: C. Johnson. DISCUSSION: J. Fortson commented on Article Fourteen. She said that she does not feel that the wording is accurate. K. Dassau suggested eliminating the words “as costs are being cut from the 2005-2006 budget to reduce the deficit.” B. McCulley said that he is not happy removing the wording. MOTION: K. Cota MOVED to amend Article Fourteen as recommended by K. Dassau. SECOND: J. Kenyon. VOTE on amendment: 8.365/3.221/1.121/2.293. Motion passes. VOTE on amended motion: 12.707/0/0/2.293. Motion passes. R. Thackston suggested under “Old Business” of the January17, 2005 meeting the Board review the action of the Budget Committee from January 12, 2006.

c. 2006/2007 Budget: L. Biron passed out the updated version of the 2006-2007 budget. He reported that, based on the numbers now, the amount to be raised by taxes is $17,503,675.00.

d. 2006/2007 School Calendar Draft: K. Dassau reported that the calendar is in the earliest stages. He said that he would be meeting with M. Munson to discuss the KHS dates. K. Cota asked about the early release days. D. Hodgdon explained to the Board that the early release is for additional professional development. R. Thackston explained that there are no snow days built into the calendar. K. Cota suggested giving up vacation time not to have to go to school in July. K. Dassau explained that the students could not make up days in July. He explained that this is the first draft.

e. NH State Standards: D. Hodgdon passed out information, including the latest edition of Curriculum Notes, to the Board. He said that quite a bit of information is included and there is a great deal of detail in the new state standards, so he would not try to review all of it. The State Board has tried to make it flexible for the districts to meet the standards. For example, in setting a calendar for the school year, the state offers two options – 1) the traditional 180 days with certain requirements and with 10 additional days for emergencies built in and 2) meetinga certain number of hours during the year. The day could not surpass a total of 8 hours, but the district had the flexibility to figure the time in different ways. D. Hodgdon acknowledged that the new standards would require much work by the Policy Committee, since approximately 57 policies would need to be created or revised. Many of the changes in the graduation requirements and various options at the high school level would affect the current year’s freshmen class. The graduating credits have changed and the subject credits as well. There may be a possibility to test out of a class, if students meet the class’s competencies, or, in the case of the information and computer technology requirement, the development of a digital portfolio. K. Dassau passed out copies of the NHSBA policy update to inform the policy committee about the work of this organization in assisting school districts with policy development. C. Dreyfuss asked when the new standards would go into effect. D. Hodgdon said that technically they are in effect now, but the policies need to be developed to guide the process of planning and implementing them. The current freshmen need to be given the options. K. Cota was concerned about the older high school students not being able to get a certain credit. D. Hodgdon explained that the state standards can be used by the high school for students other than the graduating class of 2008-09, but the state is giving school districts the time to plan and implement the standards, which may be a significant departure from current practice.

T. Aho leaves.

J. Kenyon stated that, since we have standards, we need to become familiar with them. R. Thackston explained that the Board is sending them to the Policy Committee. D. Hodgdon said that there is also a section on school facility with more detail than the previous standards. This section is intended to underscore the importance of the facilities to the meeting of the standards. The flexibility for meeting the standards extend to the programs offered off campus, but the school board will need policies for such options as well as a policy for student safety on and off campus. D. Hodgdon also pointed out that the Monadnock Community Connections School (MC2) serves as an excellent model for competency-based instruction and assessment as well as the offering of extended learning opportunities for students. We should take advantage of the school and the procedures the staff have established to make these approaches work.

f. Budget talk with the Budget Committee: Public Hearing on January 12, 2006.

6. SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Board Committee Reports:

1. Community Relations Committee-Mr. Gross: The committee has not met since last meeting. The next meeting will be held on January 5, 2006.

2. Facilities Committee: Mrs. Dreyfuss: The next meeting will be held on January 11, 2006. C. Dreyfuss handed out to the Board the answers to the questions about the last meeting’s manifest. B. Tatro asked about the septic. C. Dreyfuss said that she believes it is up and running. L. Biron stated that the septic is running. R. Marra asked if there was a list to support the figure in Article Eight. C. Dreyfuss said that she does have a list, but would give one to R. Marra.

3. Finance Committee-Mr. Carnie: J. Carnie reported that the committee met and discussed three issues. L. Biron gave the update on the status of the assets and the revenues. He said there was discussion about a problem with one town. The committee mostly discussed Article Ten.

4. Policy Committee- Mr. White: G. White reported that the committee would be meeting on January 10, 2006 for about 30 minutes to prepare the final draft on a policy.

5. Budget Committee- Ms. Cota: K. Cota reported that the Budget Committee would be meeting on January 12, 2006 for their Public Hearing.

6. The Cheshire Career Center-Mr. Gross: No report.

7. New Business:

a. Request from Town of Surry: The Board received a detailed letter in their packets from R. Todd, attorney for the Town of Surry.

G. White leaves.

R. Thackston reported that he had a conversation with R. Todd for about 45 minutes. The bottom line is that the Town of Surry would like a committee created in order that they may begin the process to withdraw from the district. R. Thackston said that the conversation was more than pleasant and they covered a lot of aspects. R. Thackston said that the Board is required to form a committee. The RSA does not require a time frame. R. Thackston’s recommendation is that at this time he does not believe that this request requires immediate action. The elections are in March and the new Board should act on this issue. MOTION: B. McCulley MOVED to put Attorney R. Todd’s letter on the agenda for the first meeting in April. SECOND: J. Kenyon. DISCUSSION: A. Gross asked J. Friedman what he thought. J. Friedman said that he would like to start as soon as they are ready to go. He said that the elections do not need to be a part of this. VOTE: 9.638/1.114/0/4.248. Motion passes.

8. Curriculum Report: Done at an earlier time under “NH State Standards”.

9. Action on the Manifest: MOTION: R. Marra MOVED the manifest in the amount of $1,234,486.83. SECOND: A. Gross. DISCUSSION: L. Biron explained that the amount of $53,000.00 plus was for the Local Government Workers Compensation. L. Biron explained that he sent a letter to reconsider to F. Marinace. VOTE: 7.431/1.121/2.2/4.248. Motion passes.

10. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: K. Dassau reminded the Board of the Grievance Hearing on January 10, 2006 at 6:00 PM and the Budget Committee’s Public Hearing on January 12, 2006.

11. BOARD CHAIR REPORT: R. Thackston commented on his discussion with R. Todd and said that they discussed a number of options and that any dialogue would be welcome. They felt that the long run is in the best interest of all the participants.

12. SETTING NEXT MEETINGS AGENDA:

1. Final version warrant

2. Report from January 12, 2006 meeting

3. Development of Board Minutes

4. Discussion on canceling vote for major snowstorm

5. Treasurer’s report

SECOND PUBLIC COMMENTS: No comments.

17. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION: B. McCulley MOVED to adjourn at 10:35 PM. SECOND: J. Carnie. VOTE: Unanimous for those present. Motion passes.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura L. Aivaliotis

MRSD Secretary

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