Exeter Region Cooperative School District

Personnel, Policy and Communications Committee

Meeting Minutes

November 16, 2005-7:30 pm

 

Meeting Location: SAU Office: 24 Front Street; Exeter

 

Committee members present: Kris Magnusson, Chair; Robin Scott, Greg Kann, Ray Trueman

 

Other Board members present:  Sally Oxnard

 

Administration present:  Dr. Skip Hanson

 

Guests:  None

 

I.  At 7:31 PM Kris Magnusson called the meeting to order followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

II. Public Input

Although no one from the public was present, Sally and Robin felt that anyone video taping and/or recording the meeting should inform the chairperson in advance that he/she would like to record the meeting.  Greg noted that it is allowable under state statutes that anyone has the right to record the meeting but can not disrupt the meeting.  Greg felt that the chairs should remind the participating public audience that by attending the meeting, they become part of the public body and understand they can be recorded.

 

III. Communication Audit Recommendation Discussion

Relative to teacher communications, Dr. Hanson stated that EHS principal Victor Sokul was holding department and faculty meetings and how important they are to the teachers.  Mr. Sokul is more visible and is talking one-on-one with teachers.  Sally felt that when the teacher survey was taken, teachers did not feel like they were being heard.  Dr. Hanson reassured the committee that many positive communication practices were being used by Mr. Sokul including centralizing the administration.  Teachers can go directly to Mr. Sokul and when he makes the decision, there is one voice. Kris asked Dr. Hanson if the committee could have regular updates from the building principals on how communications were going throughout the year.  Ray mentioned that when we redo the teacher survey in the spring of 2006, it should be an indicator of how much progress has been made.

 

Relative to recommendations from the media survey, Dr. Hanson said that we were responsive to media inquiries, and he has been talking regularly with reporter Emily Quirk of the Exeter Newsletter and building a good relationship with her.  Greg commented that we were doing a good job on crisis-type communications such as getting information out on Triple E.  Kris mentioned that Griffin Bodi Krause, Inc. had a proprietary media training that might be beneficial to our board.  Robin felt that as Board Chair, Patty Lovejoy, is the spokesperson and all communications with the media should go through her and has worked to establish a better relationship with the Exeter News Letter by meeting with them regularly.

 

Relative to web site recommendations, Dr. Hanson told the committee that he spoke with Travis York of Griffin Bodi Krause, Inc. and went over the recommendations.  Travis will prepare a proposal including web site consultation (improving navigation) and cost for web site opt-in e-mail function and web site surveys including tabulation costs.  Assistant Superintendent Steve Kossakowski and Kathy Weise would work with Travis on this effort.  Dr. Hanson said we would have the cost proposal for the next meeting and in time for budgeting process. 

 

Relative to recommendations communicating with SAU16 towns more, the opening of the new high school was already presenting some communication opportunities with community members attending the EHS Transition Committee.  Dr. Hanson mentioned using Channel 22 for PR.  Sally was interested in a timeline of community tours for the new high school.  Ray thought one of the recommendations to rotate our meetings in various towns every month could be a challenge for the public trying to find the meeting location. Greg recalled that when the Co-op was formed, board members went on speaking tours in the SAU 16 towns.  However, since the creation of the SAU 16 Joint Chairs Committee, Greg believed that information was flowing through the various town school board chairs to their respective community members. The committee came to a consensus that perhaps physically rotation meetings could be confusing and that the implementation of video-streaming of the full Board meeting would bring access to communities.  The committee would follow the success of the video-streaming (#of hits) and possibility to bring to committee meetings as well.  As a conclusion to the discussing the Communication Audit recommendations, Greg would like to revisit them in January or February 2006, Kris would like to see the proposal and budget needs from Griffin Bodi Krause before the next meeting, and Dr. Hanson wants to make sure that results of teacher survey can be sent directly to communication firm for their tabulation and web site enhancements so as not to overwhelm technology department. 

 

Kris brought up the fact that presented to her at the last full board meeting was a video tape of an Exeter High School Transition Committee Meeting as presented by John Hazekamp.  Mr. Hazekamp hired a videographer to videotape a meeting to illustrate that if the Board desired to rotate meetings, the meetings still could be videotaped with good quality. With the videotape as part of the public record, Kris wanted guidance on what to do with it.  Ray said it should be given to Dr. Hanson and kept at the SAU office with the other public records.  Dr. Hanson did not believe that the videotape was a public record.  Greg concurred. 

Motion made by Ray Trueman to give custody of the videotape to the SAU 16 office for its disposition and Dr. Hanson will ask legal advice if it constitutes a public record. Seconded by Robin Scott.  Motion carried 4-0.

Sally asked how the quality was.  Kris acknowledged that after viewing the tape that the video and audio seemed to have acceptable quality for purposes of taping off-site or committee meetings.

 

IV. 2005-6 Goals Progress: Video-streaming and E-mail List

Dr. Hanson noted that video-streaming was good to go for December full board meeting.  The process of testing the making of a duplicate videotape copy to overnight by Federal Express to Web Cast went smoothly.  Dr. Hanson said that there is now a place on our web site, www.sau16.org, for video-streaming.  Robin though Jennifer Kinsey who is leading PR at EHS could get the word out that we are offering this service now.  Patty Lovejoy will announce the service at the full Co-op Board Meeting on December 13, 2005.  Greg wanted to make sure that video-streaming get into CMS and EHS school newsletters, EHS Talon, and local papers.

 

Committee is waiting on proposal and cost of E-mail opt-in list on web site and will be reported at next PP&C meeting.

 

V. Policy Update

None 

 

VI. Personnel Update

      None

 

VII. State-wide Virtual Charter School

Dr. Hanson reported that he and Dr. Kossakowski that there were two purposes with proceeding with development of virtual school.  The first is that we could offer education any time, any place and on any path (how students learn).  The second is that the changes in NH’s minimum standards such as course time and real-world learning are not currently defined.  Virtual Charter School could provide a great opportunity for students.  Florida has the largest virtual students at over 33,000 in 2004-5.  We could support distance learning, on-line outside of school environment for example, gifted and talented students and homeschoolers.  Greg asked if an example would be a student could take a course while at home 24/7 or at a specific time.  Dr. Hanson said that parameters with state had not been set up, but NH Commissioner of Education Tracy would like to do this, but it is not currently organized.  The Commissioner thought SAU16 could be successful setting this up and Dr. Hanson would like to house in the soon-to-be “old EHS”.  Dr. Hanson would like permission from Board to pursue visioning grant funding to set up virtual charter school.  Robin wanted to know if smaller districts could participate on a cost-sharing basis (like SST) and offer, Russian, for example on-line to several students.  Dr. Hanson said, yes, there could be a subscription per student per course.  Greg asked if these on-line courses would be available to EHS students.  Dr. Hanson said that Commissioner Tracy sees this opportunity as a course catalog for whole state. Create courses, sell to other districts.  Small districts would have access to course offerings, but expense would be cheaper than hiring a teacher.  Robin feels that we need to get out of the traditional model and allow students who are different learners be invested in education.  Ray believed it should be piloted with juniors and seniors with more AP course offerings.  Robin believed all students should get post-secondary planning to prepare them for post-secondary education.  Motion made by Ray Trueman to recommend to full board that we apply for this state-wide visioning grant.  Seconded by Robin Scott. Motion carried, 4-0.

 

VIII. New/Old Business.  Kris reported to the committee that she will be attended School Board Institute seminar sponsored by NH School Board Association on NH Right to Know Law and Media Training. Kris got permission from the attorney presenting the seminar to reproduce his excellent seminar material for all Co-op Board Members and for the file.  Dr. Hanson agreed to have copies made and sent to board members. Kris will be attending the November 18^th NH School Board Association Summit.  Kris shared a copy of the Atlantic News with the members.  This free paper reports on SAU 21 (Hampton area) with a “paper within a paper” pull-out section of school news and student submissions.  Corporate sponsors underwrite cost of publishing, and Kris asked committee their thoughts on this.  Greg said to be careful with corporate sponsorships and we should bring this up for more discussions after Kris has had opportunity to get all of the details.

 

IX.. Approval of October Meeting Minutes.  Ray made motion to accept October 26, 2005 Minutes. Greg seconded.  Motion carried 4-0.

 

Motion made by Greg Kann and seconded by Ray Trueman to adjourn the meeting.  Motion carried 4-0 and meeting was adjourned at 9:06 pm.  Kris thanked the committee for a good meeting and reminded everyone about the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 21, 2005 at 7pm at the SAU offices on Front Street.

 

Respectfully submitted, Kris Magnusson