ERCSD Communications Committee Meeting

April 8, 2008 – 6:45 PM

EHS – Roy Morrisette Alumni Room

 

Present:            Ray Trueman, Patty Lovejoy, Kris Magnusson, Townley Chisholm,

                        Barbara RigordaEva, Dave Miller, Kate Segal and Jennifer Maher

 

Administration:              Arthur Hanson, Walter Pierce, Jerry Frew, Tom O’Malley, Bill Perkins, Tony Baldasaro, Melanie Faulkner, John LeSage  

                                   

Guests: CMS teachers and others

 

See Attachment - Sample UNH CMS Survey (pdf)

 

Meeting began at 7:48 PM.

 

1.   ERCSD Survey: The superintendent noted that UNH could accommodate the timeline of receiving the survey immediately after the next school board meeting, April 22^nd.  The cost to do both schools will be approximately $4000.  Other salient points are as follows:

• Should the Coop board consider adding a grouping pod
• Dr. Smith from the UNH Survey Center cautioned the board not to ask a questions unless the board is ready to move forward with that question
• Concerned about not having enough teacher input to ask this question
• Kate Segal noted she had heard great things about CMS
• Several board members felt we should place a question regarding an experimental pod on the survey
• It was noted that CMS could be a fully leveled school and the need for a new pod could still exist
• The comment was made that special needs students are not served well under the flexible grouping system
• Monica Greenleaf, SPED administrator at CMS, countered that all the SPED parents she works with are very, very happy with the current system
• Sarah Cook, English teacher at CMS, wondered why board members are trying to answer questions from parents and why don’t the parents talk with teachers about their concerns
• It was suggested that the following question be added to the survey: “I am satisfied with the current grouping practices for my child.”
• Tony Baldasaro countered that there are so many variances to the word “grouping”
• Townley Chisholm noted that there are problems at CMS
• Sarah Cook invited Townley to come in and watch her class
• A parent spoke and indicated that her daughter, who now attends the high school, was not challenged at CMS in grades 6^th and 7^th.  One of her daughter’s 7^th grade teachers queried the parent as to why the parent had never spoken to the teacher about this issue. 
• After further discussion, on a motion by Barbara RigordaEva, seconded by Jennifer Maher, and voted Yes – 3, No – 1 (Segal) to add the following question to the survey: “I am satisfied with the level of challenge for my child”.

 

2.   Enrollment Projections: Walter Pierce issued the Annual NESDEC Enrollment figures and took the board through an explanation of this report.

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM

 

Minutes submitted by,

Arthur Hanson, Superintendent