DRESDEN SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008
7:00 PM, HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Callaghan, Carpenter, Carter (8:05 PM), Chamberlin, Fleischer (7:21 PM), Gray, Rose (7:10 PM), Sachsse (7:20 PM), and Vitt; Council Representative: Jovine; Administrators: Gersen, Aubin, Gillespie, Nourse, Eberhardt; Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to Order – Secretary Callaghan called the meeting to order at 7:07 PM.
2. Public Hearing in Accordance with RSA 198:20-b for acceptance of a large restricted gift
Secretary Callaghan opened the public hearing at 7:07 PM. Ms. Gillespie explained to the Board that the Quiz Bowl club will participate in Orlando, Florida in a national competition and the Byrne Foundation has offered a gift to cover the costs of the trip. Additionally, she reported that the foundation has offered funds toward a new crew shell.
John Chamberlin moved and Linda Gray seconded a motion to accept $5,000 for the NH Quiz Bowl League and $10,000 for the purchase of a new shell, from the Byrne Foundation as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
The public hearing was closed at 7:08 PM.
3. Minutes Approval
Linda Gray moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the
regular meeting of January 22, , and the budget meetings minutes of January 8, January 15 and the nonpublic session of January 22, as submitted with changes. The motion passed unanimously.
Changes to the minutes included Mary Sachsse’s arrival to 1/8 meeting at 8:35 PM and to 1/22 meeting at 7:45 PM. Robin Carpenter felt that on the January 8th meeting minutes, the section on the Fraser Petition and his disclosure of Board’s closed sessions emphasized his belief that the Board’s attempts to influence the criminal process were inappropriate. He requested that the minutes remove wording stating that the Board wanted to expedite the process.
4. Reports to the Board
Vermont Bill JRHO51
Vermont representative Margaret Cheney explained legislative bill JRHO51 which supported the Green Bag initiative developed by Hanover High School students who formed a group called “Kids for a Cooler Planet.” She reported that a similar legislative process was underway in New Hampshire. Ms. Cheney also spoke about proposed legislation in Vermont to repeal the two vote provision and a possible lowering of the state school district spending threshold from 125 percent to 123 percent and then 120 percent.
Faculty Survey
Consultant Kim Williams gave an overview of the Faculty Survey that was administered on November 29 in each of the district schools. She described the survey development process which she characterized as “very collaborative.” She reported that the survey findings including the executive summary will be posted on the SAU Web site once the findings are shared with the faculties. Ms. Williams reviewed the difference between the faculty responses at the different schools regarding the time the faculty spent outside the classroom each week and how the faculty related to their administrators. She noted that the individual school reports on the survey provide more detailed information. Dr. Gersen reported that the administration has already acted on some of the faculty feedback and is continuing to review the information to identify the most significant and actionable details. Dr. Gersen stated that the teachers in all schools want more time for self-reflection and more time to collaborate with their colleagues. He suggested that faculty issues revealed in the survey would be viewed and considered at the Board retreats.
5. Communications and Reports
a) Report of Chair
Secretary Callaghan announced that the next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, 7:00 PM. at the Hanover High School Library. The Board’s organizational meeting will be held on Thursday, March 6, 7:00 PM in the Hanover High School Library. He recognized prospective new board members attending the meeting.
The Annual Dresden School District Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 29, 7:00 PM at the Hanover High School Gymnasium. This will be the discussion phase of the meeting, and no voting will take place at the meeting. The voting phase of the meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 4, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM at the Hanover High School Gymnasium and Tracy Hall in Norwich. It was stated that Absentee Ballots are available at the SAU Office or with clerks in Hanover or Norwich, respectively.
Irv Thomae, a resident of Norwich and member of the Finance Committee urged Dresden to simplify the absentee ballot process.
b) Council Representative Report
Olivia Jovine reported on recent Council discussion topics including conduct at school dances. She reported that the open hours at the weight room have been extended.
She also reported that the Curriculum Committee and the Executive Committee of the Council discussed the academic integrity policy and stated a need for a clarification of the adoption process related to the policy. The Council understood that the policy was a change to the school handbook, which is normally adopted by the Board in late spring.
The Board’s Ad Hoc Honor Code Committee met twice with the Curriculum Committee, which included representatives from teachers, parents, students, Council, and the Board. Substantive revisions to the policy resulted from the meetings including one held on February 26. These revisions included consideration of a penalty for cheating that could remove students from extracurricular activities for a 20-week period. Another change involved a clarification on a teacher’s discretion to report suspicion of cheating. A meeting of the Council was scheduled on Friday, February 29, to address the specific issues associated with the Integrity Policy and the Board. She invited Ad Hoc Honor Code Committee members to participate.
The Council’s perspective on the penalty aspect of the Integrity Policy was that removal from leadership was appropriate. The Council also suggested that counseling be incorporated as one of the consequences for multiple or more serious integrity offenses. The Board expressed concern on how long a confidential file would remain intact once a student graduated.
After a discussion, the Board decided that the Ad Hoc Honor Code Committee would continue to work on the Integrity Policy and would incorporate Council input into the draft as much as possible and deliver a final proposed policy to the Board at the next Board meeting.
c) Superintendent’s Report
In response to a comment written in a Valley News letter to the editor, Superintendent Gersen demonstrated the wealth of information available on the SAU 70 website on quality measures which included surveys, data on SAT and NECAP tests, an inventory of local assessments, and the Quality of Education’s interim report.
He reported that dialogue regarding the athletic fields and neighbors is ongoing with Hanover town officials. He reported that the staff is reviewing an idea to remove the snow using snow blowers on the synthetic turf field assuming this would
be cleared with the turf manufacturer.
d) Assistant Superintendent’s Report
John Aubin, Assistant Superintendent for Business highlighted a few aspects of the Auditors Report emphasizing that the school district meets generally accepted accounting principles. The fund balance of $312,000 was a slightly lower than projected, but the food service bank deposits are higher than the income reported, probably due to incomplete entries on the computer.
e) Principals’ Reports
Principal Gillespie reviewed a report regarding the school investigation of the cheating incident. The document will be posted on the Hanover High Web site at www.hanoverhigh.us. The Board discussed the idea of making her report available at the school district meeting because it related to the respective warrant articles. It was decided to have the Superintendent decide if the report would be circulated at the meeting.
Ms. Gillespie announced that the girls’ basketball team had won the state championship. The senior graduation date has been set for June 13 at the high school athletic field.
Principal Nourse distributed a document regarding happenings at the Richmond School. He reported that the Renaissance Fair was successful and reported that a program for the transition into ninth grade was also successfully completed. He announced that the Richmond School faculty said they appreciated the time that the school board devotes to the school district.
6. Business Requiring Discussion
The Superintendent proposed modifying the calendar so that students would not be required to attend school on June 23 to compensate for the missed school days due to the excessive number of snow days. He announced his intent to hold school for students on the teacher in-service days that were scheduled for March 17 and May 2. The high school students would not be required to attend school on March 17 due to the March Intensive Week. As a result of these changes, the Marion Cross School would close for students on June 18, the Ray School and Richmond Middle School would close on June 19, and the High School would close on June 20. The faculty inservice days would be held after students leave. Board members concurred with this decision.
7. Business Requiring Action
John Chamberlin moved and Linda Gray seconded a motion to accept a grant in the amount of $1,190 from Youth Initiated Grants Management Team for Students Seeking Solutions at Hanover High School. The motion passed unanimously.
Superintendent Gersen nominated Jim Nourse as Principal of the Frances C. Richmond School for two years (2008-09 and 2009-10) at a beginning salary of $90,000..
Nancy Carter moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to elect Jim Nourse as Principal of the Frances C. Richmond School for two years (2008-09 and 2009-10) at a beginning salary of $90,000 for the 2008-09 year. The motion passed unanimously.
Linda Gray moved and Robin Carpenter seconded a motion to accept the coaches as submitted and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
The Board discussed a drafted letter to the editor that would address the school district budget and teacher contract. There were a few changes made and the Board agreed to send the letter signed by Carey Callaghan to the Valley News.
8. Board Member Statements
The outgoing board members were asked to comment about what they wished they knew when they started to serve and what unfinished business they would like the new Dresden Board to consider. These Board members included Chip Fleischer, Stan Williams, Marjorie Rose, Linda Gray, and Nancy Carter.
Outgoing members suggested that participation on the Board was very rewarding and enriching and provided an opportunity to meet people in the community. Many noted that school governance is very different from business management and suggested that Board time be used more wisely. Several commented that committee work is a substantial aspect of the Board service and learned that email communication should be done carefully. Members recognized that Dresden School Board issues were similar to issues that are faced in every other school district. New Board members were encouraged to get into the schools more often, work on committees that they like, keep a sense of humor, and pay more attention to the voters in the school district.
Some of the items that the outgoing Board members hoped that the new Board members would address in the future included developing an alternative compensation package for faculty and encouraging increased parental and community feedback. There was a suggestion to consolidate the school districts and that the Board become less involved with minutia. A couple of the Board members referenced keeping a civil tone on the Board and being supportive of the teachers.
Superintendent Gersen handed out framed resolutions for the outgoing Board members in recognition of their service. Robert Bruce, who resigned from the Board, was also recognized for his contributions to the school district.
9. Adjournment
Nancy Carter moved and Linda Grey seconded a motion to adjourn at 10:35 PM. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 10:35 PM.
|
