DRESDEN SCHOOL BOARD
PUBLIC HEARING (RSA 198:20-b) AND REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2007
6:00 P.M., HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Bruce, Callaghan, Carpenter, Carter, Chamberlin, Fleischer, Gray, Rose, Sachsse, Williams; Council rep Jovine; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Nourse; Gillespie; and 14 members of the public. Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to order
Chair Bruce called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.
2. Agenda Reorder
Mr. Bruce recommended a change to the order of the meeting agenda for the Board to enable the Board to deal with specific issues up front before its planned recess to attend the Study Circle orientations.
3. Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by John Chamberlin and seconded by Linda Gray to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of September 25, and the nonpublic sessions of October 3 and October 9, as submitted. The motion passed with abstentions on September 25 (Callaghan), October 3 (Callaghan, Sachsse), and October 9 (Bruce).
4. Public Comment
Bill Mlacek distributed The League of Women Voters of the Upper Valley’s pamphlet for the New Hampshire Right to Know Law and made recommendations that the school boards go beyond the law to increase the meeting transparency with regard to posting meeting agendas, support materials, and minutes. It was also suggested that this openness should include all of the public committee meetings that are associated with the school boards. Use of Web site and public emails were suggested.
5. Communications and Reports
a. Chair Report
Chair Bruce announced that the next regular Board meeting will be Tuesday, November 27 at 7:00 PM in the Hanover High School Library.
b. Superintendent Report
Superintendent Gersen announced that the Hemberger Memorial Theatre will have a grand opening and a theatrical production on Friday, November 2 at 6:45 PM. All were encouraged to attend the event in Richmond Middle School in honor of Greg Hemberger, the architect who designed the school and recently died.
The Blue Ribbon Volunteer Awards for Richmond Middle School and Hanover High School were cited and the school volunteers were recognized for the impressive consecutive number of years that the awards have been received. SAU 70 received a plaque recognizing that all of the district schools within SAU 70 have been awarded the Blue Ribbon. The Board expressed appreciation to all of the volunteers and to Deb Cromwell, who coordinates the volunteer program at the schools.
Dr. Gersen announced that the Hanover Planning Board has scheduled a meeting on November 6 at 7:30 PM to address the guidelines for use of the high school athletic fields. The issues to be discussed are associated with the evening events that involve lighting, PA system, and crowd noise. Additionally, a proposal to expand access on Hovey Lane will be proposed to provide the lawn care contractor access to an equipment shed on school property and to afford safer egress and access to the back parking lots.
c. Richmond Principal Report
Principal Nourse reported that a presentation was given at Kendal Community to encourage the residents to volunteer at the school. Terry Thompson was inducted in the Delta Kappa Gamma Women Educators. The eighth grade class trip will be an all day long activity at one location rather than at overnight trips to a number of different locations. There were 75 parent responses to this announcement that were overwhelmingly supportive of the decision. The NECAP tests have been completed. Principal Nourse noted that one family refused to take the test in political protest (two other families refused at the high school). Presently, the faculty and administrators are working on the school budget.
d. Assistant Superintendent for Business Report
Assistant Superintendent John Aubin reviewed the Dresden Financial Reports for the period ending September 30. While he cautioned that it is premature to rely on the financial forecasts, some aspects of the report were highlighted. On the revenue side, he noted the increased number of tuition students and higher than expected interest income. He also indicated that the food service is now run by an outsourced company in a one year trial and presently shows a deficit due to start up expenses. He expected the program to operate within a $15,000 deficit for the year. A competitive bid process will be undertaken for the food service in the spring.
The school construction projects are concluding. Mr. Aubin is forecasting a potential balance of $1.1 million. He reported that the punch list at the high school might include soundproofing the band room and the removal of lead paint on the exterior of the 1934 building near the roof. Jonathan Brush is seeking cost estimates for these projects. The athletic fields project is roughly $250,000 above projected expenses. Mr. Aubin reminded the Board that the bond refinancing will save more than $300,000 and suggested that as a potential source to cover these expenses. Mr. Aubin reported that the new press box building at the Merriam Branch Turf Field is under construction and it was funded by the Chaltain Fund. The Board asked about whether it was necessary for it to vote on the use of those funds and Dr. Gersen indicated he would include that as an action item on the next agenda.
The Board recessed from the meeting at 6:58 PM to attend the Study Circles.
The Board reconvened at 8:06 PM. Mr. Aubin noted a new aspect of the financial report: accounts for the athletic user fees and the special athletic teams. With regard to the food service, Mr. Aubin reported he was seeking an alternative to the $40-60,000 food service deficits that the District experienced at the high school and the new contract service, which operates in about 100 other school districts, guaranteed better budget balances. Dresden administrators decided to retain some of the previous food service staff as part of the cross over.
The Dresden Finance Committee stated that it is awaiting the Assistant Superintendent’s review of a report that it completed on the multi-year analysis of budgetary big ticket accounts such as special education. It also announced that the committee’s meeting minutes and schedule of meetings will be posted on the SAU 70 Web site.
e. Committee Reports
Negotiations Committee
John Chamberlin reported that opening sessions began with the teachers and support staff and initial proposals have been exchanged.
Marjorie Rose reported that the Quality of Education Committee met on September 26 and reviewed a plan to keep the subcommittees on track to meet the November deadline for a final report.
Kari Asmus reported that the Budget Committee recently met and discussed the CPI and nonunion salaries.
6. Reports to the Board
Bill Hammond reported on his sabbatical providing an overview of his trips abroad and across the country to learn from extraordinary math teachers in the US, India, Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea. He told the Board that the production of the sabbatical video presentation is requiring hundreds of hours to develop but he believes that the sharing of effective learning for teachers will be invaluable. Mr. Hammond, who offered his presentation to the SAU 70 faculty during a staff development workshop, expressed his appreciation for the Board support. The Board suggested that he find additional outlets for his presentation.
7. Communications and Reports
a. Council Representative Report
Olivia Jovine reported on the Council’s recommendation regarding the vending machine food, which stated that the students should have the right to make their own food selection decisions. The Council suggested that additional healthy options such as juice and milk be included in the machines and that nutritional information sheets about the vending selections be posted near the vending machines. The Board suggested that the Council send the Wellness Committee a formal statement outlining its recommendations. Administrators were asked to request that the food service staff enact the recommendations.
The Council also submitted a comprehensive draft document on an academic integrity policy and honor code. The code would be applied to students that participate in all extracurricular activities and would incorporate alternatives for students who are caught in cheating incidents. These recommendations will be reviewed by the faculty and the Study Circles. The Board expressed its appreciation to the Council for the work is accomplished on this issue.
b. Hanover High School Principal Report
Principal Gillespie reported that high school is focused on moving forward beyond the cheating incident as it finishes the process of dealing with the students involved. The Principal also reported that the NECAP tests and PSAT which resulted in substantial disruption to the student schedule. Even more problematic was the need for students who were absent on the NECAP test days to take make-up tests, a necessity if the school wants to avoid meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress, which is based on attendance.
Ms. Gillespie reviewed the March Intensive course list and recognized that many Board members who were offering courses in the program. She also announced that the Center for Secondary School ReDesign has invited Hanover High School teachers Margaret Caldwell and Joe Bonfiglio to the National Association of Secondary School Showcase in February to present on Hanover’s commitment to student success and the Council program.
The Board decided to defer the discussion of the Futuristics Survey and testing programs to the next Board meeting.
8. Business Requiring Discussion
Status of Cheating Investigation
Dr. Gersen distributed a timeline of the cheating incident investigation that was discussed. The FAQ section on the SAU Web site will be updated with information from this new document. A report about the status of the investigation and the Study Circles is expected at the November Board meeting. Ms. Gillespie emphasized that an important step in this process was that the Council has tackled the issue. The timeline targeted the December meeting for recommendations related to the incident. There will be revisions to the Handbook related to the incident and it was suggested that the deliberations be extended to k-12 and integrate all of the district schools.
John Chamberlin volunteered to delve into the issue of the athletic honor code as the representative on the Dresden Athletic Advisory Committee. One Board member suggested the code explicitly address athletic use of performance enhancement drugs.
A member of the public raised a question regarding the severity of the penalties applied to individuals involved in the cheating incident. Dr. Gersen reported that the Student Handbook includes conflicting regulations with regard to the incident and after conferring with legal counsel, the administrators decided to apply penalties that were typically applied to theft. Their intention is to impose prudent, productive, and fair penalties. The Board is most interested in moving forward review practices associated with academic and personal integrity in the school district and making changes where necessary as soon as possible.
Enrollment Projections
The Board discussed the enrollment forecasts prepared by Dr. Gersen for both the Hanover High School and the Richmond Middle School. Dr. Gersen felt that the high school will need to have roughly two fewer teachers while the middle school will remain the same.
9. Public Hearing in accordance with RSA 198:20-b, for the purpose of accepting a gift.
Chair Bruce opened the public hearing at 10:50 PM. The Board reviewed the particulars associated with the $18,700 gift from Peter McLaughlin and Jane Kitchel-McLaughlin to Hanover High School for the purpose of purchasing a rowing shell for Friends of Hanover Crew. The Board expressed its appreciation of the gift. A shell was estimated to cost about $21,000.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept with gratitude an $18,700 restricted donation from Peter McLaughlin and Jane Kitchel-McLaughlin for the purpose of purchasing a rowing shell for Friends of Hanover Crew. The motion passed unanimously.
The public hearing closed at 10:54 PM.
10. Business Requiring Action
A motion was made by John Chamberlin and seconded by Kari Asmus to accept a $1,000 gift for the Hanover High School Math Team as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to appoint
NESDEC to conduct the search for the Richmond School Principal. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Mary Sachsse and seconded by Cary Callaghan to accept the resignation of Terry Thompson effective June 30, 2008 with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
11. Business Requiring Discussion
Faculty Survey
The Board reviewed a draft of the Faculty Survey that was developed by the project consultant. Among the suggestions was that mention of compensation and contracts be removed from the instrument. The project team wanted to make it clear to teachers taking the survey that the consultant would be the only one to view the submitted surveys and she would provide a synopsis of comments on the open-ended questions. The Board discussed offering the faculty the opportunity to provide survey responses to the Board, but the majority felt the project should be completed in conformance with the Committee’s guidelines. The Board encouraged all teachers to complete the Faculty Survey.
12. Non Public Session
A motion was made by John Chamberlin and seconded by Kari Asmus to enter nonpublic session in accordance with RSA 91-A:3 for discussion of personnel matters. The motion passed unanimously. At 11:16 PM the roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic session.
13. Adjournment
A motion was made by Mary Sachsse and seconded by John Chamberlin to adjourn the meeting at 11:30 PM. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 PM.
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