MINUTES

STRATHAM SCHOOL BOARD

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

STRATHAM MEMORIAL SCHOOL

 

 

BOARD PRESENT:  Mark Poirier, Katherine McDonnell, Bob O’Sullivan, Luke Breton

 

ADMINISTRATION PRESENT:  Tom Fosher, Mary Ellen Palmer, Nathan Lunney

 

 

1.       CALL TO ORDER – The meeting was called to order by Chair Poirier at 6:34PM.

 

2.       NON-PUBLIC SESSION – Deferred until the end of the meeting.

 

3.       APPROVAL OF MINUTES – On a motion by Luke Breton, seconded by Katherine McDonnell, the board voted unanimously with no further discussion to approve the minutes and non-public minutes of October 12, 2005.  

 

4.       VISITORS – Laura Batchelder, Physical Education Teacher at SMS, alerted the board to an upcoming program on Nickelodeon called Fight to be Fit.  The program is a product of the partnership between the network and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative to prevent childhood obesity.  The program will run at 8:30pm on November 13th.  Mr. Lunney suggested that the SAU will put the information and link on the SAU homepage.

 

5.       GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE – None

 

6.       BOARD REPORTS / POLICY

6.1      Legislative update – Principal Fosher reported on an October 18th memo from the NH Department of Education (DOE) which established that elementary teachers will need to satisfy the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) expectation created by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  He briefly reviewed teacher options for certification including the national Praxis II elementary exam and the HOUSSE system of local portfolio review and competency assessment.  This clarified mandate is effective July 1, 2006 and will be an important priority for teachers this year.  Mr. O’Sullivan reported on the NHSBA Annual Delegates Meeting on the previous Saturday which he attended as representative of the board.  In addition to regular annual business, the assembly considered and adopted two new resolutions that ask the DOE to “develop evaluation and accountability criteria for the state’s charter schools” and that “state aid entitlements…should be paid directly to the charter school.”

 

6.2      Joint Chairs meeting – Mr. Poirier reported on the Joint Chairs meeting of October 19th.  He reviewed the substance of a presentation from a local mosquito control company concerning the Triple-E issue and recommendations for future control efforts.  Dr. Kossakoski presented information on the updating of our SAU technology plan and the web presence initiative for faculty throughout SAU 16. The next meeting of the Joint Chairs is next Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at 5:00PM at the SAU Office.  Mr. Breton asked about the SAU Grade Reporting Task Force.  He commented on the survey of board members that he had received and expressed interest that the wording of the survey was such that it would probably drive most reasonable respondents to a very positive response.  He was curious about the original charge of the task force, its status, and its membership.  Mr. Poirier offered that he has been on that committee, it has met a handful of times, the conversation has included a wide range of more or less palatable suggestions, and that the stated intent was to explore what schools within the SAU were currently doing and what alternatives may exist.  There is no stated plan to propose any SAU-wide standard or mandate for grade reporting.  The task force was originally established in response to questions presented at an SAU Joint Board meeting.

 

6.3      Policy Update – Policies for Second Reading and Adoption:  The board reviewed the policies listed in the agenda including the new versions of DFF – Equipment and Supplies Sales and DJC – Petty Cash Accounts as amended at our previous meeting.  On a motion by Luke Breton, seconded by Katherine McDonnell, the board voted unanimously with no further discussion to adopt the following policies as presented and amended.

 

6.3.1.1      DFD – Gate Receipts and Admissions

6.3.1.2      DFF – Equipment and Supplies Sales

6.3.1.3      DG – Depository of Funds

6.3.1.4      DGA – Authorized Signatures

6.3.1.5      DI – Fiscal Accounting and Reporting

6.3.1.6      DJ – Purchasing

6.3.1.7      DJC – Petty Cash Accounts

6.3.1.8      DJE – Bidding Requirements

6.3.1.9      DJF – Local Purchasing

6.3.1.10  EEA – Student Transportation Services

6.3.1.11  JICE – Student Publications

6.3.1.12  JQ – Care of School Property by Students

 

 7.       CURRICULUM

7.1      Crisis Planning – Principal Fosher updated the board on crisis planning at SMS.  Timberland has offered to provide 42 emergency backpacks for this initiative.  He also mentioned that the current area of refuge for SMS is the NH Community Technical College, which the State has plans to close.  SMS will need to look for a new evacuation site should that location cease to be an option.

 

8.       SUPERINTENDENT / ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT REPORT

8.1      SAU Update – Nathan reported that the NESDEC enrollment projections have been completed for the entire SAU.  He shared a copy of the Stratham report with the board.  The SAU-wide initiative to establish a web presence for all classes is progressing well.  Steve Kossakoski has asked schools to identify by class the links to their site.  He is working to create a list of shortcuts on the web for each school so that parents can more easily find the sites for their children.

 

9.       SMS Administrative Team

9.1      School Activities – Principal Fosher updated the board on upcoming activities at SMS.  Tomorrow is an inservice day for staff.  The programming will be staff led.  The PTO will meet at 6:30pm on November 15th.  Grade 5 is headed to the Mount Washington Observatory.  The STA Book Fair will be held again this year in the library on November 28th.  There is a pancake breakfast here at SMS on December 3rd.  SMS will have a writer-in-residence from December 5th through 7th.  Snead Collard’s residence at SMS is sponsored by the STA.  The SMS Geography Bee will be held on December 15th.

9.2      Special Education – Mary Ellen Palmer reported that there were three new referrals in October.  She shared that a CPR certification course being offered has participation from 24 paraprofessionals at SMS.  She also updated the board on training some staff are receiving on visualization support in math, reading, and writing.

 

10.    EMPLOYEES – Principal Fosher mentioned that at the upcoming staff meeting there would be recognition of senior members of staff and their contributions to SMS.

 

11.    BUILDING AND GROUNDS – Principal Fosher commented that the PTO has provided great decorations for the school.  Mr. O’Sullivan asked about the possibility of obtaining a generator to allow SMS to serve as an emergency site for the community.  It was suggested that the Town currently is equipped with a generator at the Municipal Center.  Mr. Poirier will mention the topic in his next conversation with the Town.

 

12.    PUPIL RELATED MATTERS – None

 

13.    OLD BUSINESS

13.1   Sealed Minutes – The board planned to address this matter in non-public session.

 

14.    NEW BUSINESS – Mr. Breton addressed the board with interest in the topic of BMI (Body Mass Index) reporting.  From his research he shared that five states currently require that BMI data be included on report cards.  There was discussion about the nature of BMI, the usefulness of the data to the school and to parents, and how SMS parents might benefit from having this information.  Laura Batchelder, Physical Education teacher, explained that SMS does collect and maintain that data now, so the question is one of reporting not collection.  The SAU-wide Adolescent Health Committee has included the subject of BMI reporting in its recent work.  It was agreed that the board will await the results of that committee’s work to further the conversation in Stratham.

 

15.    BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL

15.1   FY 2006-07 Budget Development – Nathan briefly reviewed the expectations of budget development for the next budget workshop on November 16, 2005 at 5:00PM.  There was discussion about the Financial Advisory Committee.  Nathan will send a letter to Moderator Emanuel to seek appointments of the committee for this budget cycle.

 

16.    CLOSING STATEMENTS

On a motion by Katherine McDonnell, second by Bob O’Sullivan, the board unanimously voted through a roll call vote to enter non-public session at 7:50 PM under Chapter 91-A:3, II (c).

 

17.    NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS:     

    Wednesday, November 16, 2005 – 5:00PM Budget Workshop. 

    Wednesday, December 14, 2005 – 5:00PM Budget Workshop followed by 6:30PM Board meeting.

 

18.    ADJOURNMENT - On a motion by Bob O’Sullivan, seconded by Katherine McDonnell, the board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8: 06 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted:

 

Nathan Lunney, Assistant Business Administrator