HANOVER SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
7:00 PM, RAY SCHOOL MULTI ROOM
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Bruce, Carter, Carpenter, Chamberlin, Rose; Administrators: Gersen, Aubin, Williams, Curtis; 9 public; Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to Order – Chair Asmus called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM.
2. Minutes Approval
John Chamberlin moved and Robert Bruce seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of August 22, as submitted with changes. The motion passed unanimously. The change on the regular meeting minutes was on item 5 at the end of the first line was to replace the word “firm” with “placeholder.”
3. Communications and Reports
a) Report of Chair
Chair Kari Asmus announced that the next Board meeting was scheduled for October 17, 7:00 PM. at the Ray School Multiroom. The Board recognized correspondence from the Police Chief Nick Giaccone to Reservoir Road residents regarding speeding before and after school. Bruce Williams reported that he periodically sends reminders to staff and parents about speeding and the police occasionally patrol the area. Electronic speed signs have been used in the past, too.
b) Committee & Liaison Reports
Marjorie Rose briefed the Board about the Education Committee meeting, which focused on the Parent Survey project. The Survey is expected to be completed in February. The principal will administer the Parent Survey and release the findings to the public. The various constituencies will review the questions and a consultant will be sought to help with the instrument design and analysis.
c) Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Gersen gave an update about the Faculty Survey for Ray School, indicating that expects it to be completed by the end of October so that the survey findings can be incorporated into work on budget deliberations.
The Superintendent also mentioned that the Ray School met the State’s standard for attaining Annual Yearly Progress. Additionally, he announced that the No Child Left Behind legislation is under review and he suggested the Board might consider submitting its opinions on the mandate.
d) Assistant Superintendent’s Report
John Aubin, Assistant Superintendent for Business, announced that he would send the budget calendar to the Board.
e) Principal’s Report
Principal Williams reported about the successful annual Brie Concert held during the Labor Day weekend.
He reviewed the highlights and accomplishments at the Ray School in the 2006-07 and indicated he would get the information posted on the school Web site.
He reported the completion of the outdoor universal playground and the lift in the multiroom, which was installed to provide accessibility. He announced that the grand opening of the Universal Playspace is scheduled for September 28 at 5:30 PM.
He reported that the Ray School enrollment is at 495, which is 22 students above projections, which did not pose a problem since the new students are spread out among the grades.
Annie Mackintosh spoke about the playground project and thanked those whose donations helped it become a reality. She indicated that funds are still being received for the project. Donors were thanked via the mail and there will be an advertisement listing of the people that donated. The list of donor names will also be posted on the school Web site.
John Chamberlin moved and Robert Bruce seconded a motion to accept with gratitude $7,960 in accumulated donations for the playground project. The motion passed unanimously.
4. Public Comments
The students attending the meeting explained that they were fulfilling a Civitas class requirement to see elected representative organizations in action.
5. Business Requiring Discussion
Curriculum Summary
The curriculum summary documents for grades K-5 were reviewed and discussed. Bruce Williams noted that the curriculum guide had been reformatted based on teacher feedback providing both a vertical and horizontal perspective of the subject areas. He also noted that this summary is used to communicate with parents and is part of the open house information packet. In response to questions, Mr. Williams indicated that most of the Ray School subject areas are aligned with the state standards but in some areas such as science, which has been upgraded locally in the last few years, it may not match the state. The information is available on the school’s web site.
Budget Guidelines
The Board discussed the draft 2008-09 budget guidelines. The Board emphasized that the 2.75% limit should be seen as a placeholder so the administration can illustrate the consequences of such a budget increase on programs at the Ray School. The Board discussed the spreadsheet John Aubin prepared using parameters developed by the Budget Committee. John Aubin indicated that while this directive is a budget increase due to uncontrollable costs, it will likely necessitate cutting controllable parts of the budget to meet the overall benchmark. An overview of how the CPI might be weighted was discussed. Lowering the benchmark was suggested but, after deliberating on this issue, the Board decided would be within the 2.75% spending target.
Given the possible adverse consequences of the proposed spending target, the Board wants to begin looking at the budgetary issues in November. They acknowledged that some major factors, such as health insurance statistics and staff salaries will not be final at that time and that retirements and track advancements are not clear until after December 1, but felt that some meaningful preliminary analysis would be possible and desirable in November.
As background to these deliberations, John Aubin noted that each quarter of a percent that the Board uses as a benchmark is valued at $25,000 in the budget. Superintendent Gersen emphasized that the budget guidelines are not intended as a means of determining negotiating position nor are they intended to force a choice between a salary increase and the number of staff.
6. Business Requiring Action
John Chamberlin moved and Robert Bruce seconded a motion to approve the 2008-09 Budget Guidelines as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes and amended. The motion passed unanimously.
7. Nonpublic Session
Nancy Carter moved and Robert Bruce seconded a motion to enter nonpublic session in accordance with RSA 91-A:3 (ll.a) for discussion of a personnel matter. The motion passed unanimously by roll call vote at 9:36 PM.
8. Adjournment
John Chamberlin moved and Nancy Carter seconded a motion to adjourn at 9:49 PM. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 9:49 PM. |
