DRESDEN SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2007
6:00 P.M., HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Bruce, Callaghan, Carpenter, Carter, Chamberlin, Fleischer, Gray, Rose, Sachsse, Vitt, Williams; Council rep Jovine; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Nourse; Gillespie; and 16 members of the public. Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to order
Chair Bruce called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
2. 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 6:31 PM the roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic session.
The Board returned and reopened the public session of the regular meeting at 7:02 PM.
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 October 23, and the nonpublic sessions of October 3 and October 9, as submitted. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Business Requiring Action
Nancy Carter outlined the motions within the consent agenda. The Board added the acceptance of an additional amount to the Chaltain Fund. Chip Fleischer invited Susan Finer to attend a future board meeting to discuss the intentions of the new fund in her name.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept with great appreciation the restricted gift of $4,400 from the Byrne Foundation for the music department. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept with great appreciation the Friends Grant 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 accept the resignation/early retirement of Joseph Bonfiglio effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept the resignation/early retirement of Ermelina Hernandez effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept the resignation/early retirement of Joy Hutchins effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept the resignation/early retirement of David Plaut effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept the resignation/early retirement of Barbara Hirai effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to accept the resignation/early retirement of June Travis effective June 30, 2008, with regret. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to approve a leave of absence for Erin Madory through the end of 2007-8 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by John Chamberlin to approve the head indoor track coaching position 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 accept funds and to authorize the expenditure of the Victor Chaltain funds 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 create the Middle School Teacher Innovation Fund as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
5. Communications and Reports
a. Council Representative Report
Olivia Jovine reported that the Council is continuing work on an academic integrity policy and it hopes to have a final version of the policy for the planned meeting of the Study Circles and the next Board meeting. The drafted version of the policy was distributed to the Board members.
b. Chair Report
Chair Bruce announced that the next regular Board meeting will be Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00 PM in the Hanover High School Library.
c. Superintendent Report
Superintendent Gersen reported about the November 6 Hanover Planning Board meeting, which involved a review of the guidelines for use of the high school athletic fields. The Board recognized that in addition to the abutters, who sought more restrictions on the use of the fields, there was a vocal representation of residents at the meeting who spoke in favor of softening the restrictions on use of the fields. Town zoning administrator Jonathan Edwards will arrange to have meetings with the representatives of the nearby neighborhood prior to the springtime. Jonathan Brush, Dresden Director of Facilities will offer some ways to mitigate sound and light at the field.
The superintendent also cited his emailed response to the Dresden Finance Committee regarding the administration commitment to accountability measures, staffing, and school budget realities.
d. Hanover High School Principal Report
Principal Gillespie announced that the Hemberger Memorial Theatre had a successful grand opening and theatrical production earlier this month. A Gap Fair for senior students that are considering waiting a year to enter college was well attended by students and parents. The principal displayed the senior class newsletter and announced that the senior class has decided to hold graduation ceremonies on the high school turf field. Finally, the principal announced that the Hanover Girls Cross Country Team, which has won many regional races, will travel to Oregon to compete in the Nike Team Nationals, as one of 22 invited schools in the nation.
e. Richmond Principal Report
Principal Nourse reported on a recent performance by the Trumbell Hall Troupe, class field trips, and student council activities. He announced that the Robotics Team has been active under Adina Desaulniers and competed in playoffs on its way to the state tournament on December 8. Principal Nourse invited the Board and the community to a reception and opening of the Hemberger White Exhibit Hall Show of Multigenerational Photographers at 5:30 PM on November 29. There will be a chorus performance in the Susan B. Finer Auditorium following the opening.
f. Committee Reports
John Chamberlin of the Negotiations Committee reported that the negotiations with the teachers and support staff are ongoing.
Kari Asmus reported that the Budget Committee met with administrators for preliminary budget discussions and the budget work is ongoing. A member of the Dresden Finance Committee will join in these meetings.
6. Business Requiring Discussion
School District Lawsuit
A presentation was given by attorney Dave Bradley to the Board regarding the lawsuit brought against the Hanover, Dresden, and SAU school districts by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The districts have until December 28 to respond to the lawsuit. The principals of the high school and middle school reviewed present practices in the schools with the pledge of allegiance. Mr. Bradley explained that the New Hampshire law requires schools to offer a daily recitation of the pledge. The Board discussed whether it should engage or disengage the district from the issue or piggyback with other named entities in the lawsuit. It also discussed the creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to review this issue and whether such a committee should hold its deliberations in public or nonpublic meetings. At the end of the discussion, Chair Bruce asked Board members to volunteer to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee and report recommendations to the Board at the December meeting.
Hanover High School Annual Report
Principal Gillespie reviewed the Futuristics Report that was based on surveys taken by senior students in 2007 and alumni from the class of 2005. The survey findings showed strong correlations between the students and the alumni and indicated that students’ perspectives about the school and the teachers were very positive. One of the findings that caused concern was that despite a decline in student alcohol use, there was a increase in drug use among students. The Board discussed the benefits of the survey and its cost. Mrs. Gillespie and the Board discussed activities that are planned as a result of the survey findings. The Futuristics Survey will be posted on the SAU Web site.
John McCracking, Director of Guidance, reviewed the SAT and ACT test results at Hanover High School. The students tested very well compared to the state and national averages. He noted an increase in the number of students choosing to take the ACT tests in recent years and analyzed these results. Mr. McCracking also reviewed the colleges that 2006-07 Hanover students are attending, noting that 81 percent of the students were accepted at top rated colleges and 11 percent of the group attending Ivy League schools. The Board requested to see the SAT II subject area test results.
Study Circles
Principal Gillespie reported that 75 people participated in the Study Circles which include students, parents, teachers, and community members. Each of the circles developed recommendations and an action plan. A steering committee will summarize the Study Circle recommendation themes and categories. There will be a forum held on December 11 for both the Study Circle participants and the community. At the conclusion of the Forum, the Study Circle participants will vote to identify short and long term projects drawn from the recommendations. The final action plan will have proposed projects for the Council, COI, and/or parent groups. In May, another forum will be held to report on accomplishments that resulted from the Study Circles. A summary of the Study Circle recommendations will be shared with the school board at the December meeting.
Steve Woods, a member of the public, voiced his concern about recent Board member letters to the editor in the Valley News which revealed substantive differences of opinion among the Board on the issues of June 2007. Mr. Woods felt that these issues should have been aired at a public meeting instead f on the pages of the newspaper.
Impact of Budget Guidelines
John Aubin, Assistant Superintendent of Business reported on the budget process and decision to consider the ramifications of meeting the guideline to limit the budget increase to 2.75%. The intra-school district transfer payments such as the sixth grade tuition paid by the Hanover School District to the Dresden School District creates a “double counting” of expenses. The Budget Committee is considering various ways to deal with this double counting. The full implementation of the guideline would necessitate a drop in non-personnel expenses because of the need to offset the projected increases in uncontrollable expenses such as special education, fuel, salaries, benefits, etc.
The school principals reported on the impact of the budget guidelines. For the high school, among the effects of the guideline were a reduction in the number of computers that would be replaced and the number of textbooks acquired, both of which would require a bigger investment in the future.
Jim Nourse of Richmond Middle School provided a historical context comparing seven years ago when the Richmond School had 454 students with a class average at 20.6, and this year when there are 400 students with a class size at 19.6. He noted that the school has added requirements for English, a foreign language option, technology instruction, a guidance counselor, and a school nurse. While the number of electives declined along with the enrollment, he noted that many of the electives also support academic subjects and offer opportunities for community service. The most significant increase at the Richmond School next year is related to the Upper Valley Business and Education Partnership, hiring a full time educational assistant to avoid adding a teacher FTE to address enrollment increases at the 6th grade (from 88 students to 113 students); using special education assistants in the classrooms rather than one-to-one with special education students; reorganizing the administration to hire a assistant principal to replace some multiple positions; and removing .2 FTE from the elective programs.
A representative of the Dresden Finance Committee concurred that the school district should not double count the internal transfer payments in the budget. It was also suggested that something be incorporated in the budget to account for the salary or benefit increases associated with the teacher contract.
Chairman Bruce announced that the agenda items for discussion that were not covered at the meeting (Policy JRC and an Ad Hoc Building Committee) would be handled at the December Board meeting.
7. Business Requiring Action
A motion was made by John Chamberlin and seconded by Nancy Carter to approve the Middle School Search Committee as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes, and establish a salary range of $85,000 to $95,000. The motion passed unanimously. Geoffrey Vitt and Nancy Carter volunteered to serve the Middle School Search Committee and a meeting was scheduled for December 5.
8. Non Public Session
A motion was made by Nancy Carter and seconded by Chip Fleischer to enter nonpublic session in accordance with RSA 91-A:3 for discussion of personnel matters. The motion passed unanimously. At 10:55 PM the roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic
session.
9. Adjournment
A motion was made by Mary Sachsse and seconded by John Chamberlin to adjourn the meeting at 11:25 PM. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 PM.
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