SAU #70 - Norwich School Board

Present: Board members Callaghan, Gray, Sachsse, Vitt, Williams; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Edson; and 7 members of the public. Recorded by R. Lohr

1. Call to order –Vice Chair Williams called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.

2. Approval of minutes

Linda Gray moved and Carey Callaghan seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 8, and the executive session of August 8, as submitted. The motion passed unanimously.

3. Communications and Reports

a) Report of Chair
Vice Chair Williams announced that the next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 3, 7:00 PM at the Marion Cross School Library. The Board discussed scheduling a joint meeting with the Norwich Select Board and a date will be arranged. The list of potential agenda topics was previously created. Linda Gray suggested that the Board might want to get information on the planned town Strategic Planning Committee and ask the Selectboard to include a representative from the School Board.

It was announced that there will be a ceremony for officially opening the athletic fields at the high school on Friday, September 7 at 6:30 PM.

b) Communications to the Board
Dr. Gersen distributed a letter from the State Board of Education announcing approval of funds for the school projects (lighting retro fit and solar panels) that would be paid based upon funding availability. John Aubin, Assistant Superintendent, indicated that such small projects are usually paid quickly.

Another issue communicated to the Board regarded scheduling activities on religious holidays, specifically the two days prior to Easter. Principal Edson replied that the school makes every effort to avoid scheduling major activities on all of these holidays.

c) Reports of Administrators

Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Gersen asked the Board if it desired to review the Faculty Survey prior to sending it to the teachers for their review and based on feedback, indicated he would share it with Board members before it is used.

Assistant Superintendent’s Report
Assistant Superintendent for Business John Aubin reported that the auditing firm’s alert to the school district about sending the audit report late was sent to the school district in error. Based on a phone conversation with the auditors, he was assured the report would be delivered on time.

Principal’s Report

Principal Edson reviewed the enrollment statistics and reported that the school is presently about 15 students below projections. This has resulted in a lower class sizes in K-3 grades this year. He reminded the Board that next year the third grade is expected to get 8-12 students from private school.

He reported that facility projects that were completed over the summer included the energy-efficient lighting, solar panels, and carpeting in two classrooms, the library, and in the primary wing. He also thanked the Greenwald family who renovated the baseball field so that it meets Little League regulations and the Board expressed its appreciation to them. The principal also reviewed his plans for teacher in-service days, which include an examination of school safety in October, and developing presentations for the Board in November and March.

He announced that students will keep track of their walking/biking to school in an attempt to reach the goal of attaining the mileage needed to travel to Mexico.

d) School District Treasurer Report

Assistant Superintendent for Business John Aubin commented that the investment report in the packet was for Dresden rather than Norwich. He will put the Norwich report in next meeting’s Board packet.

e) PTO Report

The PTO is slated to discuss the safety issue in a forum to be held during the fall and the details will be decided at the PTO meeting scheduled for Monday, September 10 at 8:30 AM in the Art Room. The fundraiser and other topics will also be discussed at the meeting. Classroom representatives are in place and the PTO is greatly appreciative of the parents that have volunteered for this role. The new parent night went well as did the coffee for new student parents on the first day. Mary Sachsse asked the PTO if it could display the sandwich board to announce the School Board meetings for both the Norwich and Dresden board meetings.

4. Public Input

Irv Thomae announced that the Vermont legislature is holding hearings about public privacy related to the rebate/prebate tax program next week.

5. Business Requiring Discussion

Rob Edson announced that the PTO Safety Forum is being organized for the fall.

Principal Edson reviewed school accomplishments for 2006/07 in a grade-by-grade report of qualitative programs.

Kindergarten/First grade – Implemented the Wilson Language Program.
Second grade – Letter writing in a pen-pal relationship with a school in Texas and students also sent letters to Congressman Welsh and Snowstar scientists.
Third grade – Sketches of historical homes in Norwich.
Fourth grade – Created an interdisciplinary historical musical play about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, which included writing and singing songs.
Fifth grade – Created a writing portfolio to share with parents.
Sixth grade – Orienteering program.

Over the summer, a parent reported to the Board that Norwich students are the only students in Vermont that pay for driver’s education. John Aubin indicated this is the case because the Dresden School District is governed by NH laws and regulations and in NH driver’s ed is typically a program that requires users to pay for the cost. The Assistant Superintendent clarified that the school district receives $70 per Vermont student for driver’s ed, which is applied to the cost of the service for Vermont students. While other Vermont school districts are required to cover the cost of driver’s ed, the Dresden interstate District is not bound by that rule. He noted that a Dresden scholarship fund is available for Vermont students and it presently has a $1,400 balance. Mr. Aubin estimated that the cost of covering this service would be about $26,000 annually. The Board opposed building the cost of drivers ed into the Norwich school budget, but asked Mr. Aubin to provide them with a firmer cost estimate in January. The Board also noted that residents can produce a warrant article to have the school district pay for this service and then it would need to be incorporated into the school budget.

Mary Sachsse announced that there will be three Norwich School Board seats open in 2008 and the Board invited prospective new board members to come forward. The openings will be publicized through the usual channels.

6. Business Requiring Action

The Budget Guidelines for fiscal year 2007-08 were discussed among the Board and members of the Norwich Finance Committee. The committee felt that the Board should increase communication about how the school is doing. It was stated that the SAU’s Quality of Education Committee is working on measurements but it was also understood that many of the school programs and qualities elude metrics. The Board accepted some of the suggested changes to the budget guidelines.

Linda Gray moved and Stan Williams seconded a motion to approve the 2008-09 Budget Guidelines. The motion passed unanimously.

7. Future Agenda Items

Linda Gray suggested that the Board consider taking steps to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.

8. Adjournment

Carey Callaghan moved and Geoffrey Vitt seconded a motion to adjourn at 8:52 PM. The motion passed unanimously.

The meeting adjourned at 8:52 PM.