NORWICH BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
BUDGET DELIBERATIONS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2006
7:06 P.M., MARION CROSS SCHOOL LIBRARY
Minutes
Present: Board members Cheney, Gray, Kaplan, Sachsse, Vitt; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Edson; and seven members of the public.
1. Call to order
Chair Sachsse called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m.
2. Report of Chair:
(1) Calendar - The Chair announced that the next Board meeting will be Thursday, January 19, 7:00 p.m., in the Marion Cross School Library. She said that this will be the Public Hearing and Budget Adoption. The next regular Board meeting will be Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 p.m., in the Marion Cross School Library.
(2) Board filings - Ms. Sachsse announced that two (2) Board seats are up for reelection in March (Deb Kaplan’s and hers). Mary Sachsse’s is a three year term while Deb Kaplan’s is a two year term. Filings take place any time from now until January 23, 2006. Candidates must present a petition with 35 signatures to the Norwich Town Clerk.
The Chair also announce that the Dresden School District has filing dates from Tuesday, January 17 through 5:00 p.m., Monday, February 6. Filing for School District Officers can be done with either the School District Clerk, Deborah Carter, or at the SAU Office, 45 Lyme Road, Room 207, Hanover. Position open are Moderator, Clerk, and Treasurer, all one year positions; and Auditor for three years.
3. Public input
Irv Thomae said that he was grateful to the Norwich Listers for their hard work that has resulted in the Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) going up, which translates into taxes going down.
4. Business requiring discussion
a.2006-07 budget presentation - Assistant Superintendent for Business, John Aubin, reviewed changes to the budget sheets since the last meeting. Among the changes, he said that an error in calculating the Hanover sixth grade tuition revenue to the Dresden School District has resulted in a drop of $70,000 in Norwich’s portion of the Dresden assessment, and there is an additional $18,700 in revenue for facilities rental from the town recreation program, as discussed at the last Board meeting and with the Selectboard. Additionally, it was announced that the Norwich School spending is now just $12,183 above the tax penalty threshold. Also the medical insurance premium for Norwich teachers will be 8% instead of the projected 9% for a savings of approximately $4,000. Mr. Aubin said that the combined impact of all the changes is positive and results in a reduced tax rate.
With regard to negotiations, Mr. Aubin reported that the Dresden and Hanover teachers’ contract was still pending as the HEA reviewed alternative health care plans. The Norwich Teachers’ Association has not yet reached an agreement.
Chair Sachsse reported that she, Principal Edson, Irv Thomae, and Henry Scheier met with the Norwich Selectboard on January 11 to discuss the impact of the District’s revised Facility’s Use Policy on the Town’s recreation program. Mr. Edson detailed his discussions with the Town Manager and Selectboard saying that he recalculated the number of hours that the Town uses the school for the recreation program and submitted the total cost of $18,930 to the Town Manager. Mr. Edson said that he has every reason to believe that the Selectboard will approve the proposed charge, which will bring revenue to the District.
Class configuration - Principal Edson distributed a breakdown of the current and projected class configurations for the Board’s information and review.
b. School District Warning - The Board reviewed the Warning.
c. Updates on Energy Project and Wood Chip boiler
Solar Panels - Principal Edson reviewed a 2004 letter from Biomass Energy Resource Center regarding the combined lighting and renewable energy project that has already received Board approval. Mr. Edson explained that the estimated cost of the project is $73,350, but the District’s expense after State Aid for Construction would be approximately $28,695. The annual electric bill savings is estimated to be approximately $5,000 after the first year. After discussion, the Board asked Mr. Edson to verify that the amount of State Aid will be as anticipated, and asked Superintendent Gersen and Assistant Superintendent Aubin to prepare an article to be added to the Warning for voter approval of this project.
Wood Chip boiler - Mr. Edson reported that Bio Resource Center is recalculating the project to see if the project can meet the requirements for 90% State reimbursement. He said that this project will not happen in this budget cycle.
5. Executive Session in accordance with Title 1, Section 313 for discussion of negotiations and personnel matter.
Linda Gray moved and Deb Kaplan seconded a motion to enter executive session in accordance with Title 1, Section 313 for discussion of negotiations and personnel matters (7:53 p.m.). The motion passed unanimously.
6. Return to public session
The Board returned to public session at 8:20 p.m.
7. Adjournment
Deb Kaplan moved and Geoffrey Vitt seconded a motion to adjourn at 8:21 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 8:21 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary B. Davis
Recording Secretary |
