SAU #70 - Norwich School Board

Linda Gray moved and Stan Williams seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 5, and the executive session of September 5, as submitted. The motion passed unanimously.

3. Communications and Reports

a) Report of Chair
Chair Sachsse announced that the next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, 7:00 PM at the Marion Cross School Library. The Historical Society has requested a letter of support from the Norwich School Board for grant applications, which Mary provided. Chair Sachsse also welcomed freshmen students on assignment for their Civitas class.

c) Reports of Administrators

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Gersen updated the Board about the Faculty Survey due in late October. The teachers identified areas of concern that the consultant will use to design the survey. Core questions will be shared throughout the school district and there will be unique questions pertaining to each school. The faculty has expressed appreciation for the district undertaking the survey project. The Parent Survey scheduled for February will be conducted using a process similar to the Faculty Survey.

Assistant Superintendent’s Report
Assistant Superintendent for Business John Aubin distributed the quarterly financial report noting that the first quarter report seldom provides much budget analysis information. Mr. Aubin reported that the Norwich tax rate was reported as 2.5 cents lower than expected. He also announced that auditors will be visiting the school district.

Principal’s Report

Principal Edson announced that enrollment is unchanged since the opening of school. He also reported that a K-12 faculty in-service was held to work on Common District Assessments with this month’s focus on math. He indicated that the Safe Routes to School effort has tallied a total of 760 miles to date and announced that open houses are set for October 23 and 25. There is a need for a volunteer to replace the Norwich parent representative on the Quality of Education Committee and anyone interested can get more information from the principal or superintendent.

d) School District Treasurer Report

The Board acknowledged the Quarterly Investment Report document. The Finance Committee has discussed transferring town funds that are intended for the school district to the school so that the interest earned can be applied to the school budget and per pupil costs, which would be favorable to town residents.

e) PTO Report

The PTO announced that it is accepting gift request proposals for books, materials, equipment, etc. and the deadline for submittal is November 1. The Inspiring Kids Initiative was described as a pilot program that is supportive of school, intra-student relations, and the environment. Halloween candy is now being collected for in town distribution. The Gift Making Festival is set for November 17. The School Directory is in the final review phase. The next PTO meeting is scheduled for November 5 at 8:30 AM in the Marion Cross School Art Room.

4. Public Input

Potential Vermont legislation regarding income sensitivity was mentioned by Irv Thomae.

5. Business Requiring Discussion

Carbon Footprint
The Board reviewed a document distributed by Ames Byrd and the Norwich Energy Committee that outlined the ways the District could reduce the size of the school’s carbon footprint. Some of the actions suggested included the use of solar heated water, biodiesel heating fuel, the use of higher grades of biodiesel in the busses, and purchasing green tags to offset carbon emissions. The Board felt its focus should be only on saving money and energy for the school and taxpayers by taking steps to upgrade the building’s efficiency as opposed to green tag purchases. Mr. Byrd suggested that Director of Facilities, Jonathan Brush and the Energy Committee could investigate other conservation and efficiency measures at the school such as weatherization projects.

Mr. Byrd announced that the First Student bus company’s new busses have a warranty that does not cover these busses if they use any biodiesel grade above B10 which will help reduce the footprint. Finally, he noted that the solar panel installed at the school to provide electricity cost $28,000 and the district expects a 90 percent reimbursement and other grants to cover that cost. To date there have been small savings reported as a result of the solar panel installation.

Safety Forum
Mr. Edson announced that the PTO Safety Forum was scheduled for November 1. The PTO is coordinating the forum and Board members were requested to attend. As a result of the forum, a document will be created for safety planning. Other issues raised at the Forum will be forwarded to the LAP Committee for inclusion in the Parent Survey so that there can be broader feedback by the community.

Enrollment Projections

Superintendent Gersen distributed charts of enrollment projections at Marion Cross School and Norwich’s portion of the Dresden schools’ population. A large influx of at least nine students is expected from Willow School in 2008.

Stan Williams requested a spread sheet of the chart so he may consider the projections more closely. Irv Thomae also requested the statistics for the Finance Committee analysis on future town taxes.

6. Business Requiring Action

Stan Williams moved and Linda Gray seconded a motion to appoint Norwich Police Chief, Doug Robinson, as Truant Officer for the Norwich School District for the 2007-08 school year. The motion passed unanimously.

7. Future Agenda Items

It was announced that future meetings will feature short presentations to spotlight school wide programs and that writing will be covered in November.

8. Adjournment

Linda Gray moved and Stan Williams seconded a motion to adjourn at 9:15 PM. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM.