NORWICH BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY APRIL 5, 2006
7:00 P.M., MARION CROSS SCHOOL LIBRARY
Minutes
Present: Board members Cheney, Gray, Sachsse, Vitt, Williams; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Edson; and 5 members of the public. Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to order – Superintendent Wayne Gersen called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. He opened the floor for Norwich School Board chair nominations. Geoffrey Vitt nominated Mary Sachsse for chair and Linda Gray seconded the nomination. Mary Sachsse was unanimously voted as chair of the Norwich School Board for 2006-07.
Mary Sachsse then opened the floor for vice chair nominations and Linda Gray nominated Stan Williams for vice chair. The nomination was seconded by Geoffrey Vitt and Stan Williams was unanimously voted as Norwich School Board Vice Chair.
Mary Sachsse then opened the floor for secretary nominations and Linda Gray nominated Geoffrey Vitt as secretary. The nomination was seconded by Stan Williams and Geoffrey Vitt was unanimously voted as Norwich School Board Secretary.
2. Reordered Agenda – Discussion of Safe Routes to School Grant Application
Chair Sachsse reordered the agenda so that Jamie Hess could discuss the Safe Routes to School grant application with the School Board early at the meeting. Mr. Hess briefed the Board on this Federal program intended to encourage walking and bike riding to school. He noted that 30 Vermont schools will be selected to receive $1,500 each to be used in a first year grant for program materials or project study. The schools that are selected would then be eligible for larger construction grants in the second and later years. The program will have one million dollars to fulfill grants annually. Mr. Hess’ intention is to develop multi-use paths and/or a sidewalk in the Norwich downtown area. He also would like to acquire bike racks for the school and to seek technical assistance from Vermont Transportation. Superintendent Gersen volunteered to work on the application and Mr. Hess offered to seek the Norwich Select Board’s letter of support.
3. Approval of minutes
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 1, and the executive session of March 1, as submitted. The motion was approved with 3 abstentions (Sachsse, Vitt, Williams).
4. Communications and Reports
a) Report of Chair
Mary Sachsse announced that the next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 3, 7:00 p.m., at the Marion Cross School Library.
b) Reports of Administrators
Assistant Superintendent’s Report
Assistant Superintendent Aubin distributed and referenced a budget document and he commented that the district is presently in good shape with regard to the budget. Current estimates of the fund balance are about $314,000, compared to the $275,000 fund balance in the budget, which was approved in March.
Principal’s Report
Principal Edson reviewed his written report, highlighting the expected staff changes and the workshops he attended at the National Association Elementary School Principals’ convention.
5. PTO Report
PTO Chair, Cinny Bensen welcomed Stan Williams as the newest Norwich School Board member. The Board also welcomed Mr. Williams and thanked him for his service to the community and the school board. Ms. Bensen reported that the planned spelling bee was expected to be a successful fund raiser and community event with 32 teams registered to compete. The PTO’s Spring bulb sale raised $3,000 for community garden projects. The next PTO meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m. in the Art Room.
6. Business Requiring Discussion
a) Board Committees
The Board decided to use email to determine Board committee assignments.
b)Principal Edson reviewed the NECAP test results emphasizing to everyone that this was the first year of the tests. He focused on school-wide results and he reported that only two schools in Vermont scored higher than Marion Cross School among 247 schools. Both of the schools that scored higher were smaller schools. The Board discussed the value of the NECAP versus other tests and the time challenges associated with the testing.
c) John Aubin reported that the transportation contract expires this year and that he has solicited bids for the service. He wanted to get the Board’s reaction to a proposal that incorporates financial incentives in the final contract for the bus service company if the company increased ridership. He also wanted the Board’s feedback on his idea of using some of the unspent transportation budget from this year to conduct a study that would analyze the resident locations and determine the most cost effective routes. The $15,000 study would be underwritten with costs split based on one-third to Norwich and two-thirds to Hanover. The PTO will publicize the need for parents to volunteer to participate in the study for a limited time to provide input and review.
7. Business Requiring Action
The Board noted that JGDB Policy and Procedure about Harassment and Bullying included in the packet did not reflect changes made at the last meeting and decided to defer approval until the next Board meeting.
Margaret Cheney moved and Stan Williams seconded a motion to approve the 2006-07 school calendar as presented and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
The Superintendent placed in nomination for the 2006-07 school year staff members listed and attached to the original meeting minutes.
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to elect staff members for the 2005-06 school year as listed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed with four in favor and one abstention (Williams).
Margaret Cheney moved and Linda Gray seconded a motion to approve Norwich non-union salaries as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
8. Future Agenda Items
It was suggested that future agenda items would include JGDB Policy and the Safe Routes to School deliberations.
9. Executive Session
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to go into Executive Session in accordance with Title 1, Section 313 for discussion of a personnel matter. The motion passed unanimously. The Board went into Executive Session at 8:50 PM. The Board closed Executive Session at 10:00 PM. and re-entered public session at 10:01 PM.
10. Adjournment
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to adjourn at ? PM. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 10:02 PM. |
