APPROVED 10-04-07

 

ERCSD Budget Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

August 15, 2007 – 6:00 PM

SAU Office

 

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:       Bobby Aldrich, Melissa Brockelbank, Simon Heslop, Mark Portu,       

Deborah Johnson, Patty Lovejoy, Roy Morrisette, David Pendell,

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:         Ed Berry, Mark Poirier

 

ADMINISTRATION PRESENT:    Nathan Lunney

 

The meeting began at 6:20 PM with five members in attendance.  Three members arrived later.

 

1.      Welcome and Introductions:  The members in attendance introduced themselves.

 

2.      Review of June 27, 2007 Meeting and Minutes:  Nathan reviewed briefly the material that was covered at the previous meeting.  He reminded the committee that their meetings are treated like a subcommittee of the school board.  As such, the meetings are public, posted, and minutes are kept and approved.  He noted the June 27th minutes were in the packet.

 

3.      Organization of Budget Advisory Committee:   

a.       Public and Non-Public Contact Lists:  Nathan asked committee members to review the draft copies of the contact lists to identify any corrections that need to be made.  The public list will be included on the committee page of the SAU 16 website and the non-public list will be shared with the members of this committee only.

b.      Election of Officers:  The committee discussed the positions that might exist for the committee and when elections should happen.  Discussion centered on a chair and possibly a vice-chair.  It was agreed that Nathan should continue to take minutes for now.  The consensus was to elect a chair tonight and postpone further elections.  On a motion by Patty Lovejoy, seconded by Roy Morrisette, the committee voted unanimously to elect Bobby Aldrich as chair.

c.       Plan for Committee Business:  The chair deferred this topic until later in the meeting.

d.      Schedule of Committee Meetings:  The committee engaged in detailed review of common schedules in drafting a schedule of meeting dates through January.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 7:00pm

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 7:00pm

Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 7:00pm

Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 7:00pm

Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 7:00pm

Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 7:00pm

Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 7:00pm

                        All of these meetings are expected to be held at the SAU offices in Exeter.

Committee members were also reminded about the subsequent annual school board retreat on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at 8:00am, the Public Hearing on the Budget on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 7:00pm, and the Deliberative Session on February 7, 2008 at 7:00pm.  These meetings will be held at the Exeter High School on Epping Road.

 

4.      Presentation by District Administrators:  Nathan reminded the committee of the plan to offer information and exposure to the programs and services provided by the school district in advance of reviewing proposed budget figures.  With a solid sense of what we do, why, and for whom, it is hoped that committee members will be better prepared to review and inquire about proposed budgets.  Three administrators presented to the committee this evening.  All three programs are examples of the alternative learning opportunities that exist here in the Exeter area and all three are noted very positively in comments statewide.  There was brief conversation about the Governor’s recent initiative to raise the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18.  The alternative learning options are an important element of that plan.

a.       Adult Education – Leslie Haslam, Director: Leslie provided an overview of the many programs and services offered by Exeter Adult Ed.  She reviewed generally that many students of Adult Ed make payment for the services they receive, a vast percentage of the programs are federally funded, and that Adult Ed is essentially a money-making rather than cost-incurring program for the school district.

b.      Alternative Education – Karen Pelletier, Director:  Karen shared information about the history, mission and model of the Alternative Ed program.  She noted that they generally serve 25-30 students per year and boast an incredible 90% graduation rate.  The program is budgeted with separate lines but as a part of the Exeter High School budget and it receives its evaluation and supervision from EHS also.  All graduates of the Alternative Ed program satisfy the requirements for and receive an EHS diploma.

c.       Great Bay eLearning Charter School – Peter Stackhouse, Co-Principal:  Peter explained the enabling legislation under which GBeCS and other state Board of Education approved charter schools came into being.  He explained the project-based, technology-rich education mission of the school and related anecdotes of student experiences and successes in the opening years of the program.  The committee posed and considered questions about the funding model of the charter school.  The ERCSD board is represented on the charter Board of Trustees and the original charter called for all students to be from this school district only until the school matured to a state that would support enrollment from outside the SAU.  Peter explained that this year GBeCS will be accepting such enrollment.  School year 2007-08 will be the first year that students will graduate from the school which opened in the winter of 2006.

 

5.      Other Business:  None.

 

6.      Next Meeting Date:  Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at 7:00pm at the SAU office.

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:30 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Nathan Lunney, CFO