Thursday, February 7, 2008 – 6:30 PM
SAU Conference Room – Tuck Learning Campus – Room 110
Present: Sally Oxnard, Kris Magnusson, Ray
Trueman, Kim Casey, Patty
Lovejoy, Townley Chisholm, Tomasen Carey and Barbara
RigordaEva
Administration: Arthur Hanson, Walter
Pierce, Nathan Lunney, Victor Sokul
and ERCSD Attorney Barbara Loughman
1. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Chair Oxnard called the meeting to order at 6:34 PM.
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS/PUBLIC INPUT: None at this time.
3. REVIEW OF WARRANT ARTICLES:
1. Shall the District raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set forth on the budget posted with the warrant, or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $48,150,360? Should this article be defeated, the operating budget shall be $47,817,297, which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the District or by law; or the governing body may hold one special meeting, in accordance with RSA 40:13, X and XVI, to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only. (The School Board and Budget Advisory Committee both recommend $48,150,360 as set forth on said budget.)
Chair Oxnard assigned Mr. Lunney to speak to this article.
2. Shall the District raise and appropriate to the expendable trust fund known as the “Maintenance Fund” (established by the 2001 District meeting under RSA 198:20-c for the purpose of funding long term and/or unexpected maintenance/repair projects of school buildings and grounds) the sum of the amount of the June 30, 2008 undesignated fund balance (surplus) up to $40,000? (The School Board recommends this appropriation.)
(The source of funding for this $40,000 will be the State Building Aid payment received as a result of the cost of renovations to a portion of the Tuck Learning Campus, formerly Exeter High School, for the relocation of the SAU 16 offices. This will be the second of five years of State Building Aid payments to replenish monies of the Maintenance Trust Fund used for the renovation.)
Chair Oxnard assigned Mr. Trueman to speak to this article. Mr. Aldridge noted that he will make the motion on behalf of the Budget Advisory Committee to add to this article, “and the Budget Advisory Committee recommends this article.”
3. Shall the District raise and appropriate to the expendable trust fund known as the “Special Education Trust Fund” (established by the 2002 District meeting under RSA 198:20-c for the purpose of funding unanticipated special education expenses) the sum of the amount of the June 30, 2008 undesignated fund balance (surplus), after giving effect to any appropriation under Article 2, above, up to $100,000? (The School Board recommends this appropriation.)
Chair Oxnard assigned Ms. Lovejoy to speak to this article. Mr. Aldridge noted that he will make a motion to indicate “and the Budget Advisory Committee recommends.”
Chair Oxnard assigned Ms. Lovejoy to speak to this article. Mr. Aldridge noted that the BAC would remain silent on the recommendation. It was also noted that at the Deliberative Session a request will be made to switch the order of Article 3 and Article 4. Article 4 will become Article 3 and Article 3 will become Article 4.
5. On the petition of David Pendell and others: Shall the District vote in favor of a non-binding resolution to encourage the Exeter Region Cooperative School Board to NOT expend $75,000 out of any budget surplus or trust fund for the purpose of renovating special education or darkroom areas of the new Exeter High School for use as Family and Consumer Science space?
(Currently the Family and Consumer Science classes are conducted at the Seacoast School of Technology on Linden Street and students are bussed to the site with other students taking classes on that campus. The building plan for the new Exeter High School took into account that the classes would be at SST, and the successful $8.5 million renovations allow for upgrades to the facility for these classes. If the school board does expend these monies, then the program will be double covered, instead of returning this money to the taxpayers with other surpluses.)
Chair Oxnard said that she would speak to the first citizen’s petition regarding the renovations to Exeter High School. It was also noted that the board had taken a previous vote on this issue and it had passed. Ms. Cushman noted that she was against the initial vote, but would certainly support the majority.
6. On petition of Jane Byrne and others: Shall the Exeter Regional Cooperative School District vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $100,000 in order to retain a recognized reputable Forensic Auditing firm, to without delay, commence a District wide Forensic Audit, for the years 2004 thru 2007 inclusive?
Conversation ensued regarding whether we are in compliance, according to our auditors, with our annual audit and Mr. Lunney responded we had been cited for GASB. Ms. Lovejoy read a potential amendment to the citizen’s petition article and Ms. Magnusson felt the board should not take any position on citizen’s petitions. Mr. Aldridge mentioned that the BAC does not recommend this article and Ms. Cushman noted that the board had previously voted not to recommend this article. Mr. Trueman questioned Attorney Loughman as to whether this article needed a 60% vote and the in the attorney’s opinion, her response was no.
4. NON-PUBLIC SESSION: Not called at this time.
5. RECESS BOARD MEETING FOR DELIBERATIVE SESSION – TALBOT GYM – 7:00 PM: The board recessed at 7:04 PM for the Deliberative Session.
6. RECONVENE AFTER COOPERATIVE DELIBERATE SESSION (Talbot Gym): The board reconvened at 9:39 PM.
7. APPROVAL OF WARRANT ARTICLES
Warrant Articles 1, 2, 3 and 4, the
board did not change their recommendation.
After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Lovejoy, seconded by Ms. Casey and voted 6-2 (RigordaEva, Chisholm), with 1 abstain (Chair Oxnard), not to place any recommendations on the amended citizen’s petition articles 5 and 6.
Other Items of Business: A long discussion took place regarding changes made by the EHS administration to the EHS Course Guide. Mr. Sokul gave background information on the thought process for the changes that prompted questions and concerns. Several board members expressed their displeasure with the administration not going to the Curriculum Committee for discussion before these changes were made. A couple of board members felt it was the prerogative of the principal to make such changes without approval from the board. Suggested revisions to the changes were issued to each board member and this topic will be discussed further at the February 12, 2008 board meeting.
8. NON-PUBLIC SESSION: Not called at this time.
9. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Tomasen Carey, seconded by Chair Oxnard and unanimously board voted to adjourn at 10:26 PM.
Minutes taken by,
Arthur L. Hanson
Superintendent of Schools