Exeter Region Cooperative School Board Meeting Minutes
PRESENT: Kim Casey, Patty Lovejoy, Lucy Cushman, Linda Henderson, Roy Morrisette, Greg Kann, Robin Scott, Ray Trueman, Anne Krane and John Atsalis
ABSENT: None.
ADMINISTRATION: Arthur L. Hanson, Gary Heald, Tom O’Malley, Walter Pierce, Nathan Lunney and Dick Wendell
1. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Chair Casey called the meeting to order at 8:02 PM followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Board members introduced themselves.
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC INPUT: None at this time.
3. CHAIR’S REPORT
3.1 Student Board Representatives’ Reports: Anne Krane reviewed EHS Student Senate activities.
4. SUPERINTENDENT/ADMINISTRATION REPORT
4.1
Principals’ Reports: Principal Heald reported on EHS evacuation with soft
lockdown on October 18th; Interact Club hosting students from Northern Ireland; mock election; Environmental Club; report cards; EHS Varsity Soccer and
Football; monthly math speaker; Model UN; music drama club; and Holiday Concert
on December 16th.
Mr. O’Malley reported on annual book fair and introduced teachers from 7th
grade West Side Pod. John Atsalis arrived.
4.2 Report from CMS Teachers – Celebration for Learning: Mr. O’Malley explained it was held on October 29th with nearly 50 parents attending. Introduced the teachers from the pod and they spoke on the many projects the students completed over the quarter: Karen Whitmore - English; Meredith Leavitt - Science; Clara Whitney - Social Studies; Deb Merrill - Math; Technology Education - Paul Delnero; and SPED teacher - Kim Houghtaling.
4.3 Nominations and Resignations: Superintendent would recommend that the board nominate Sonya McCafferty to teach two sections of mathematics at CMS freeing up math teach Diane Sawyer. Motion by Roy Morrisette, seconded by Ralph Adler and unanimously board voted with no further discussion to accept the Superintendent’s nomination of Sonya McCafferty to a part time math position at CMS.
4.4 Report of Legislative Candidates: Superintendent updated the board on the Legislative Breakfast with the candidates and the feedback received.
4.5 Convening of Committee on Adolescent Health Issues: On Wednesday, November 10th, Superintendent will be meeting with the physical education teachers and nurses from all the SAU schools, along with our school physician, Dr. Steve Loh, to discuss ways we can address the poor health habits and obesity in adolescents. Will keep the board posted on this meeting and any follow-up meetings and how the group is progressing.
4.6 November 12th In-Service Day: This is a day of school for 6th – 12th due to 6th and 9th grade orientation at the beginning of year. A great deal of time was spent this morning with the Principals and Directors discussing the Draft SAU 2005-06 calendar in conjunction with the SST regional calendar. We are looking at ways to address this issue since many students may not be in school on the day following Veteran’s Day. Will be taking the Draft SAU 2005-06 calendar before SAU Chairs next Wednesday then to SAU Joint Board on December 20th.
5. COMMITTEE REPORTS
5.1 Personnel, Policy and Communication: Chair Adler reported that the committee met on November 1st and highlights from the meeting were discussed (see Attachment #1): EHS Alumni Organization; Lucy noted that when new EHS opens, it will be exactly 50 years since Robinson Seminary and the all male EHS combined to become a coed school; no motion at this time since more details will be coming forward on selling the passes. 2)work credit for Alternative Ed students; no action needed as this will be going to Curriculum ad Philosophy for their review of the proposal. 3) University of Michigan survey, which committee is still reviewing. 4) Request for Chamber Choir Trip - CMS Music teacher Andy Inzenga is requesting permission for a field trip to the Chicago Children’s Choir and The Festival of Music in April for 8th graders; PP&C does recommend this field trip; Motion by Roy Morrisette and seconded by Lucy Cushman. Discussion on how the trip will be paid for and the Superintendent noted the students will do fundraising and they will have adult chaperones on the trip. The board voted unanimously in favor of the motion. 5) Communications - Update on communications and the every other week column in the Exeter News Letter as well as placing future articles in town newsletters. 6) Legislative breakfast - Superintendent updated committee on this. 7) EHS Principal search - update by Superintendent on this. 8) SAU Survey - Superintendent gave board members a copy of what was sent home to a random sample of parents from CMS and EHS. Staff and students will receive the survey in the next two weeks and three questions were added to the ERCSD survey.
5.2 Facilities: Chair Cushman reported that committee had a special meeting on October 27th to discuss the color schemes for the inside of the new high school. Committee continued that discussion this evening and she displayed and reviewed the latest conceptual drawings with the internal color schedules. Also reported that a lot of construction and paving going on at the site; already mowed grass on athletic fields; irrigation working; have done pre-purchasing of materials; working on abutter concerns with trees and berm; school will open in September 2006 as we are on budget and on schedule and no reason to believe there will be any problems; spent some time with lighting engineer to have lights on road way have one head instead of two and to point down to minimize glare to abutters and are looking to use “dark sky friendly lights” for this; meet again at 6:00 before December board meeting.
5.3 Curriculum and Philosophy: Chair Henderson reported the committee has not met since last board meeting, but scheduled to meet Thursday, November 18th at 7:00 PM in SAU Office.
5.4 Finance: Chair Lovejoy explained the committee met November 3rd and passed out the minutes (see Attachment #2). She reviewed the agenda items: October 2004 Financial Statement; NESDEC enrollment projections; 2005 Warrants/possible articles; Trust Funds - October 21, 2005 balances; and began budget development for FY 2005-06. Also passed out the schedule of upcoming budget meeting and topics to be discussed (see Attachment #3). Next meeting date is Thursday, November 18th 5:00 PM at SAU office.
5.5 Technology: Greg noted that the committee has not met since last board meeting and will meet November 19th at 7:30 AM.
5.6 Transportation: Nathan is trying to schedule the Bus Safety Subcommittee to meet November 30th at 4:30 PM at SAU office.
5.7 SAU Chairs: Chair Casey reported the next meeting will be next Wednesday at 5:00 PM.
5.8 SST: Linda explained they are meeting this Monday, November 15th at 5:00 PM.
5.9 Linden Street Reuse Committee: Full committee will meet Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 PM at SST.
5.10 NCLB Committee: No meeting to date.
5.11 Great Bay eLearning Charter School: Chair Morrisette reported the trustees met on Thursday, November 4th and the school is now accepting applications. Two more open houses scheduled for tomorrow night at 7:00 PM and Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 PM.
5.12 SAU 16 Policy Committee: Patty reviewed the work of the committee; all of the following policies will come forward along with those on the addendum for a final approval at next month’s meeting: KCB-Community Involvement in Decision Making; KEB-Public Complaints about School Personnel; KEC-Public Complaints about the Curriculum or Instructional Materials; KED-Public Complaints about Facilities or Services; KF-Use of School Facilities; KH- Solicitations in Schools; KHB-Advertising in the Schools; KI-Visitors to the Schools; LC-Educational Research; Addendum policies - BDF-Advisory Committees to the Board; EBCA-Emergency Plans; EBCA-R-Checklist for Developing a School Emergency Plan; EBCB-Fire Drills; EBCB-R-Fire Exit Drills in Education Occupancies; EBCC-Bomb Threats; EBCD-Emergency Closings; IGA-Curriculum Development; IGD-Curriculum Adoption; IHAE-Physical Education; IHBG-Home Education; IJNDB-Technology Integration; JEC-Manifest Education Hardship; and JH-Student Absences and Excuses. Any questions on these policies, please let Patty know; next meeting is Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 PM at SAU office. Discussion followed on policy BDF-Advisory Committee Board and Patty noted she would take the comments of the board to the committee meeting on this policy. Linda does not see why we need policy BDF as she feels it smacks of delegation of authority and would object to board adopting in its current form.
6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
6.1 October 12, 2004 - Board Meeting: Motion by Greg Kann, seconded by Roy Morrisette and unanimously approved with no discussion to accept the board minutes of October 12, 2004 as presented.
7. NON-PUBLIC SESSION: None at this time.
8. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Linda Henderson, seconded by Roy Morrisette and unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:03 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally S. Boyd, Secretary
Attachment #1
Policy, Personnel, Communications Committee meeting minutes / November 1, 2004
Exeter Regional Cooperative School Board
Present: Greg Kann, Ralph Adler, Robin Scott, Superintendent Arthur Hanson
Exeter High School Alumni Association. Karen Pelletier and Sandy Parks attended the meeting to discuss the possibility of forming an Exeter High School Alumni Association. They envision an organization that would serve EHS through fundraising and other activities. They proposed to sell activity cards to Exeter High alumni (for sports and other events) as a first fundraiser to get things going. Karen and Sandy plan to put together a small steering group to consider a charter and bylaws for the group. The committee discussed the possible impact on revenues for events if “season passes” were sold to alumni with proceeds going to the Alumni Association. The superintendent estimated that this impact on other organizations would be minimal, as these organizations do not rely on gate proceeds for operation. The committee brings the concept to the full board for approval to go ahead with sales of the activity card and initial organizing activities.
Alternative School credit proposal. Karen Pelletier brought a proposal from the Alternative School at the High School that would grant course credit for work experience for students enrolled in the Alternative School. The school would monitor work hours and grant up to four credits per year for work completed. The committee suggested that the Curriculum/Philosophy committee review the proposal.
University of Michigan Survey. The University of Michigan has approached Exeter High School with a request that its students participate in this year’s Monitoring the Future survey, which collects national data on high school students’ use of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other substances. The survey would be administered in the spring and would take about one class period for students to complete. The committee decided to review the program at its web site before making a recommendation to the board.
Request for Chamber Choir Trip. Andrew Inzenga at CMS submitted a proposal to Mr. O’Malley asking permission for students to take a field trip to the Chicago Children’s Choir and The Festival of Music. The committee recommends approval of this request to the board.
Communications. Dr. Hanson provided a review of articles to date in the Exeter News Letter. Topics have included high school construction, Mathscapes, the Coop budgeting process, standardized testing, AP courses at the high school, and others. Each column includes a list of upcoming Coop board and committee meetings. Mr. Adler asked that we accelerate the placing of articles in town newsletters.
Legislative breakfast. Dr. Hanson reported on the recent breakfast for area legislators sponsored by the SAU office. Nine of 27 legislators attended. Dr. Hanson said that this was a good opportunity to answer questions about topics such as charter schools and educational funding.
Principal search. A brief update on the principal search process was given. Candidate interviews were scheduled to take place on November 4, 8, and 9.
SAU survey. Dr. Hanson distributed the SAU survey that is being conducted SAU-wide, including parents, students, and teachers at the elementary schools, CMS, and EHS. The survey is one that has been implemented nationally in thousands of schools as it represents a cross-section of topics and issues relevant to school quality. Several questions tailored to local concerns have been added to the survey.
ERCSD Finance Committee Meeting Attachment #2
November 3, 2004 – 5:00 PM
SAU Office
MEMBERS PRESENT: Greg Kann, Patty Lovejoy, Roy Morrisette
ADMINISTRATION PRESENT: Arthur Hanson, Walter Pierce, Nathan Lunney
Chair opened the meeting at 5:10 PM. The following agenda items were discussed.
1. October 2004 Financial Statement: The committee was presented with the October ending financial report. Nathan reported that there have been no notable changes since last month’s meeting. The Business Office is reviewing all payroll encumbrances in the process of projecting next year budget requirements.
2. NESDEC Enrollment Projections: The annual enrollment projections have been received from NESDEC. Nathan shared a comparative analysis of last year’s projections and this year’s new projections. Current year enrollment on October 1st was 1312 at CMS and 1632 at EHS. Enrollment for next school year 2005-06 is projected to be 1320 and 1637 respectively. The committee discussed the longer-term projections and wondered whether the impact of the new high school was considered. Nathan will inquire of NESDEC if there is a way to include or measure that impact now or in the future.
3. 2005 Warrant – Possible Articles:
a. Conservation Easement: Walter reminded the committee that the Conservation Commission has requested that the so-called “Morrissette Property” (i.e. football practice field) be deeded to the Town of Exeter to satisfy the conservation easement condition of our new High School wetlands permit. This will require voter approval.
b. SST Expendable Trust: Nathan informed the committee that the SST needs to establish a trust in preparation for future renovations at the vocational school. The SST anticipates state funding in 2008 that would require matching funds from the local districts. The member districts intend to fund that capital effort beginning this year. The ERCSD would need to establish this trust, appropriate from fund balance this year, and name the Board as fiscal agents.
The Business Office will bring proposed language for these articles to the December meeting for review.
4. Trust Funds – October 31, 2004 Balances: Nathan explained that the bank statements have not yet been received from the Trustee of Trust Funds.
5. Budget Development - FY 2005-06: The timeline for budget development was updated and reviewed by the committee. All Board members are urged to attend the upcoming meetings to prepare for discussions at the January 8, 2005 budget workshop. The full Board will receive this timeline at its next meeting.
a. Budget Summary: Nathan provided a revised copy of the Budget Summary. He pointed out the “x’s” marking those budget areas that the committee has reviewed. There were corrections noted that will be made to the document.
b. Teacher Salary Analysis: Nathan led the committee through a teacher salary analysis. Current year budgeted and projected FTE’s and dollars were reviewed. Variances were noted with brief explanations. The budgeted counts and amounts for 2005-06 were provided based upon the increases in the teacher contract. Patty asked that the Business Office provide a scatter diagram illustrating the weighting of current teachers on the contract scale. The teacher salary budgets were added to the Budget Summary.
c. Benefits Profile: Nathan offered brief comments on potential budget impacts in benefits. Health insurance not-to-exceed rates should be available by November 19th. The last two years have seen increases between 18% and 19%. This could drive an increase of over $600,000. Retirement costs will also be up next year. District contributions for teachers will rise nearly 40% from 2.64% to 3.7%. Contributions for employees will rise over 15%. Initial calculations place this at an annual increase of around $250,000 next year. The benefits budget figures will be provided to the committee in December.
6. Next Meeting Date: The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 5:00pm at the SAU Office. The CMS and EHS Principals will make budget presentations that evening.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nathan Lunney
Exeter Region Cooperative School District
Development of FY 2005-06 Budget
As of Nov 4, 2004
Meeting 1 – October 6 - DONE
September Financial Statement
Annual Meeting – Budget Timeline
Enrollment – Historic & Projections (NESDEC)
Teacher Contract Salary Scale / Hourly Scale
Debt Service Schedule
Trust Accounts Summary
Other Insurance (P&L) Schedule
Transportation Contract
Gross Appropriations – Food Service, Grants
Default Budget Form
Meeting 2 – November 3 - DONE
October Financial Statement
Teacher Salary Analysis – Budgets
Meeting 3 – November 18
• Building Principals presentations (EHS & CMS)
Building Non-Salary Budgets
Support Staff Wage Analysis – Budgets
Meeting 4 – December 1
• Operations Manager presentation
Operations/Maintenance Non-Salary
• Seacoast School of Technology presentation
Benefits – Proposed
Meeting 5 – December 16
November Financial Statement
• Special Education Director presentation
Special Education Budget
Adequate Education Grant Projections
Revenue Estimates
Tax Impact Analysis – MS26 Draft
Default Budget
Meeting 6 – January 5
Final Preparation for Board Budget Session
School Board Budget Session – Saturday, January 8, 2005 at 8:00 am