HANOVER SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2006
7:00 PM, RAY SCHOOL MULTI-ROOM
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Carter, Carpenter, Chamberlin, Fleischer, Pilchman; Superintendent Gersen; one member of the public; Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to Order – Chair Fleischer called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes
Larry Pilchman moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of June 21, as submitted. The motion passed unanimously.
3. Agenda Review
Bob Ballou, a member of the public, who lives near the Ray School spoke of a safety concern at the school parking lot crosswalk where visibility is blocked by parked cars near the gymnasium. He had seen some close calls and wanted to bring attention to this hazard. Superintendent Gersen said he would look into the matter and either he or the Principal, Bruce Williams, would get back to Mr. Ballou.
4. Communications and Reports
a) Report of Chair
Chair Chip Fleischer announced that the next Board meeting was scheduled for September 20, 7:00 p.m. in the Ray School Multi-room. The Board discussed the idea of holding a retreat and decided to hold one at the High School on October 11 at 3:30 p.m. if the location is available. Some of the retreat topics would include special education and results of the round tables and parent survey.
Chair Fleischer also raised the issue of the lengthy Board meetings. He requested that Board members self regulate for brevity in their discussion. It was also suggested that committees should use their work to cut down on the amount of time spent at the Board meetings.
b) Committee & Liaison Reports
Robin Carpenter reported that the Communication Committee met and the meeting minutes, which were submitted in the Board packet, reflected the discussion at the meeting. He indicated that the issues of media guidelines and email protocols would be discussed later in the meeting.
Kari Asmus reported that the Budget Committee met on August 7 and the meeting minutes, which were submitted in the Board packet, indicated the topics. The Hanover Finance Committee has not met but the Dresden Finance Committee met and submitted its suggested guidelines, which would be discussed later in the meeting.
c) Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Gersen discussed his synopsis of the Parent Survey and said that a one page summary will be distributed to the faculty. There were 324 surveys completed, which he believed to be a very good response. The staff is tracking Web site visitation on the pages associated with the Parent Survey to gauge community interest. In response to one area of concern highlighted on the survey, Principal Williams will update/revise and emphasize issues related to the curriculum and academic standards. Additionally, teachers will consider ways to make more information about academic subjects accessible to parents. The Board suggested that it would be useful to know the number of respondents, as well as the percentages of respondents in survey responses.
A SAU newsletter was developed by the Superintendent and it is intended to be produced quarterly (generally August, November, February, May). It was reviewed by all of the Board chairpersons. In response to a request by Robin Carpenter, the newsletter will be discussed at the September meeting.
d) Principal’s Report – Principal Williams was not in attendance but his written report was included in the Board’s packet. The report referenced the school-wide Open House scheduled for August 28, the school bus introduction program, and acknowledgement of the custodial staff summer work and participation in the development of State PE standards by physical education teachers Deb Franzoni and Janice O’Donnell. Ray School enrollment was cited as 480 students, which was seen as “very workable.” Bus schedules have been sent to parents and should be received in the next few days.
5. Business Requiring Discussion
Budget Guidelines
The Board discussed the Dresden Finance Committee FY 2008 Recommended Budget Guidelines and the drafted Hanover School Board Budget Guidelines. It was suggested that a cap on the total budget was difficult for the Principal to achieve because of the limited number of expenses he could control. The Board also noted that caps might be overall budget limits or per pupil costs. Caps might also be limited to discretionary expenses, with the understanding that many budget items are contractually or legally mandated. The Board did want teachers to identify programs that would be necessary to attain excellence in the school and create a list of those items that were considered but were not included in the budget due to cost constraints. In this way, the Board would be aware of what teachers feel is needed to improve the school so that public perspective of the school rises from “very good” to “excellent.”
The Board ultimately felt the budget guidelines should be split into two sets: one addressing the accounts that the Principal would administer and one addressing the overall responsibilities of the Board.
Additionally, the Board wanted its guidelines to incorporate a cash flow analysis and recommendations for using reserve funds for facilities and special education.
Board Educational Goals
Superintendent Gersen reviewed the proposed 2006/07 Educational Goals document and reminded the Board that the goals are used by teachers to set their professional development and personal goals for the coming year. It was suggested that the document should include student assessment as a separate guideline and that communication to parents should be added.
Email Protocols
A draft of email protocols was reviewed and discussed. Board members occasionally communicate with email exchanges and the advantages and disadvantages of using email were considered. Robin Carpenter suggested that instead of imposing limits on email communication, the Board should consider that email communication could be open and available to the public via a blog type system. Some Board members expressed concerns about this concept, including the fact that the public might be able to see the exchanges but would not be able to participate in the dialogue with Board members. Effective legislation regarding the email issue was not expected any time soon.
Media Contact Guidelines
The Communications Committee drafted media contact guidelines for Board members. The desire is to avoid surprises or embarrassment. Members should be able to speak independently but such communication with the press should be made known explicitly to other Board members. Board members also have a legal obligation to keep discussion of topics covered at executive sessions confidential. The Superintendent indicated he would re-draft the guidelines to differentiate between executive session topics and those topics reviewed in open session.
6. Business Requiring Action
The Superintendent nominated Tara Dean as a one year elementary teacher for the 2006-07 school year. Nancy Carter moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to elect Tara Dean as a one (1) year elementary teacher at track 1, step 1, salary $35,895, for the 2006-07 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
The Superintendent nominated Leslie Johnston as an elementary teacher for the 2006-07 school year. Nancy Carter moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to elect Leslie Johnston as an elementary teacher at track 2, step 11, salary $55,309, for the 2006-07 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
John Chamberlin moved and Nancy Carter seconded a motion to accept the resignation of Mandy Fraser as Guidance Counselor, effective immediately. The motion passed unanimously.
7. Nonpublic Session
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion to enter nonpublic session in accordance with RSA 91-A:3(l.) for discussion of a personnel matter. The motion passed unanimously. Following the motion, the roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic session at 9:47 p.m.
8. Adjournment
John Chamberlinmoved and Kari Asmus seconded a motion to adjourn at 9:56 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 9:56 p.m.
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