HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

School Administrative Unit #66

204 Maple Street

Contoocook, NH 03229

Hopkinton School Board

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I. Chair David Luneau called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present: School Board Chair, David Luneau, Vice Chair Liz Durant, School Board Members Larry Donahue and Louis Josephson, Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Director of Student Services Dr. Val Aubry, Administrative Assistant Tara Graham, Principals Steve Chamberlin, Michael Bessette and Bill Carozza.

II. Additions/Deletions to the agenda:

A. Action Item, number 6: requested maternity leave of Danielle Levitz.

III. Correspondence

A. Dr. Blake noted the NHSBA items he had received that were in the Board members’ packets. Also in the Board packets were copies of the Spring sports schedules and a copy of Mr. Yunich’s resignation letter.

B. Dr. Blake read a thank you note from Ms. Fuller to the Board.

C. Dr. Blake noted that two donation checks were received, one for $500 an one for $50, in memory of Toby Wood.

D. Dr. Blake received a letter from Jim Brizard, Chair of the HEA Negotiating Committee, asking to resume negotiations.

IV. Approval of Minutes

A. Motion to approve the 3/17/09 minutes made by Ms. Durant, seconded by Mr. Donahue, motion passes, all in favor, minutes approved, as amended.

V. Public Comments

A. None.

VI. Comments From the Hopkinton School Board

A. Mr. Luneau thanked Mr. Yunich for his service to the Board and School District, noting that he knew what a hard decision resigning was for him. Mr. Luneau also commended the Celebration of the Arts. In addition, Mr. Luneau asked the Superintendent and Leadership Team to put forward a recommendation on general athletic and activity fees, due to the interest in this that has been expressed by parents and school personnel alike.

B. Mr. Donahue also thanked Mr. Yunich for his service as well as commending the Celebration of the Arts, noting the support between the students is amazing.

C. Dr. Josephson asked the team to also consider, if examining athletic fees, to examine what the goals would be – what would we get for the fees that we don’t have now?

VII. Items For Board Discussion

A. Appointment to fill the open Board seat until the next election:

· Dr. Blake noted that in the event of an unexpected Board vacancy, the Board has the option to pick someone (or not to) to fill the vacant seat until the next election.

· Mr. Donahue thought the Board should appoint someone and stated he intended to nominate Ms. Fuller to return for the seat. Mr. Donahue noted that Ms. Fuller was elected 4 times by the voters, was a member of the negotiating team and would bring experience to a relatively young Board.

· Mr. Luneau asked Ms. Fuller, who was in attendance, if she would be willing to accept if asked.

· Ms. Fuller responded, yes, for the 1 year term.

B. Committee Assignments

· Dr. Blake passed out a list of committees Board members had been involved with in the past.

· Mr. Luneau noted that the Budget Committee and Negotiating Committee were of utmost importance in these times.

· Committees were volunteered for, noted, and entered into record.

C. 2009-2010 Calendar

· Dr. Blake noted that Mr. Bessette had responded to all of the Board’s questions regarding the proposed calendar in writing – his answers entered into record.

· This calendar meets short-term needs, Mr. Bessette encouraged the Board to work with the Leadership Team in coming up with a future calendar that will best serve everyone’s needs.

· Mr. Luneau asked if anyone from the Leadership Team had any concerns with the calendar? Mr. Chamberlin responded that under the current conditions/guidelines, it is the best for the time being.

· Mr. Bessette noted that we should take a look at capitalizing on early release days for the best use of time. He also noted that he would like to see a multi-year calendar in the future.

· Ms. Durant asked if the professional development planning days were helpful? Mr. Chamberlin responded, yes, to make sure not to leave anything or anyone out.

D. Professional Staff Nominations

· Dr. Blake passed out the list of nominations for the 09-10 school year, noting each teacher was evaluated by the leadership in their building and then that review is read and discussed by the Superintendent and the leader writing the review.

· There are 2 retirements and 1 reduction in force. No staff are currently on improvement plans or have any major concerns.

E. Budget Adjustments

· Budget adjustment 2009-11 in the amount of $35,558.55 consists of moving money from the contingency fund to the heating/oil line.

· Budget adjustment 2009-13 in the amount of $7,875.00 is an increase in the non-union salary pool, covering vacation days paid out with a termination of contract.

VIII. Public Comments

A. Beth Bloomquist: Ms. Bloomquist thanked Dr. Blake for helping her find the information she was looking for and called the Superintendent’s office for.

IX. Action Items

A. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the appointment of Kim Fuller to fill the open Board seat until the next election.. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries. Dr. Josephson suggested a public notice go out regarding the reasoning for the decision, Mr. Luneau agreed and will write press releases.

B. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the 2009-2010 school calendar as presented. Ms. Durant motioned, Ms. Josephson seconded, four in favor, one opposed (Mr. Donahue), motion carries 4-1.

C. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the list of professional nominations as presented by the Superintendent. Tabled and vote taken after Non-Public Session - Mr. Donahue motioned, Dr. Josephson seconded, all in favor, motion carries.

D. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the new Superintendent’s contract as presented. Tabled and vote taken after Non-Public Session - Mr. Donahue motioned, Dr. Josephson seconded, all in favor, motion carries. Mr. Donahue noted that the Board is very excited to move forward with Mr. Chamberlin as the new Superintendent.

E. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve Budget Adjustment 2009-11 in the amount of $35,558.55, as presented. Tabled and vote taken after Non-Public Session - Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries.

F. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve Budget Adjustment 2009-12 in the amount of $7,875.00, as presented. Tabled and left tabled after Non-Public Session.

G. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the (unpaid) maternity leave of Danielle Levitz for the entire 2009-2010 school year. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries. A one year position will be hired to replace Ms. Levitz while she is away.

X. Mr. Donahue moved at 7:30 p.m. and Ms. Durant seconded that the Board enter non-public session as provided in (RSA 91-A:3, II (a)(c)) to discuss personnel. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

XI. Following a motion by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant, roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor, the board came out of non-public session at 8:40 p.m.

XII. Following a motion by Ms. Durant, seconded by Mr. Donahue, the board voted to seal the minutes of the non-public session for one year. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

XIII. Motion to adjourn by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

Adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Tara D. Graham

Hopkinton School Board Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Maple Street School, Hopkinton NH

Non-public minutes

XIX. Non-Public Session (RSA 91-A:3, II (a)(c)).

During the non-public session, the Board discussed personnel.

Mr. Donahue motioned to come out of Non-Public Session, seconded by Ms. Durant. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor, the board came out of non-public session at 8:40 p.m.

HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

School Administrative Unit #66

204 Maple Street

Contoocook, NH 03229

Hopkinton School Board

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

XIII. Chair David Luneau called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Present: School Board Chair, David Luneau, Vice Chair Liz Durant, School Board Members Larry Donahue, Kim Fuller and Louis Josephson, Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Director of Student Services Dr. Val Aubry, Technology Director Matt Stone, Principals Steve Chamberlin, Michael Bessette and Bill Carozza.

XIV. Additions/Deletions to the agenda:

A. None.

XV. Correspondence

A. Dr. Blake received handouts for the Board from NHSBA, they were not provided in the Board packets.

XVI. Approval of Minutes

A. Motion to approve the 4/7/09 minutes made by Ms. Durant, seconded by Mr. Donahue, motion passes, 4 in favor, 1 abstaining (Ms. Fuller), minutes approved, as amended.

XVII. Public Comments

A. Patti Raymond: Ms. Raymond noted that she has been with the food service program in the District for 25 years and hoped the Board would consider hearing what the food service staff have to say before they make any decision on outsourcing. Mr. Luneau noted that it was not an action item for this meeting, just a FYI to get the Board up to speed.

B. John, student: John expressed his support of the current food service staff.

C. Janet Krzyzaniak: Ms. Krzyzaniak noted that she wondered if there had ever been discussion on the idea she had raised in the past of extending school days to make up for snow days.

D. Beth Bloomquist: Ms. Bloomquist expressed her discontent that the NECAP results were not discussed in more length at the Board level. She noted that the results were lower at the higher grade levels and that the writing scores were poor. She also read the 3 times in the past year that NECAP had been mentioned at a Board meeting. Mr. Luneau asked for copies of her documents to enter into record.

E. Colleen, student: Colleen expressed her opinion that it was not the fault of High School Administration, but rather that the students didn’t understand the magnitude of the tests at the time and perhaps didn’t take them as seriously as they should have.

F. Jesse, student: Jesse expressed that it does not reflect the ability of the teachers either, it reflects the students’ choice on how hard they try.

XVIII. Comments From the Hopkinton School Board

A. Dr. Josephson clarified what he wanted from last meeting’s NECAP discussion, which was guidance in general, as a parent and as a new Board member, on how we measure student performance.

B. Mr. Donahue noted a H2O sub-committee – the Indicators Task Force – which will be examining data points, how we measure, what it tells us and how we could measure better.

C. Ms. Fuller commented that the decision was made years back to stick to the best curriculum for our kids and not to “teach to the test”.

D. Mr. Luneau welcomed Ms. Fuller back on the Board. He also noted that it is important for the Board to set policy and work collaboratively with the Leadership Team, letting our educational leaders mold the educational system of our schools.

E. Dr. Blake gave an update on Swine Flu. The District had 6 students that were in Mexico. They have now been back for over 7 day (the incubation period) and all appear healthy. The nurses and Dr. Blake are following this and information is going home to parents tomorrow (April 29^th).

XIX. Items For Board Discussion

A. Non-Union Nominations:

· Specific position questions will be left for Non-Public.

· Mr. Luneau asked if there was any change in the organizational structure? Dr. Blake replied, no.

· Ms. Fuller asked if there were any vacancies? Dr. Blake replied that yes, currently there is a vacancy in Technology and one Principal vacancy.

· All positions are one year contracts unless otherwise stated.

B. Schedule B Assistant Lacrosse Coach

· Doug Mumford has been nominated for this position, it is a budgeted position.

C. Food Service/Cafe Services Proposal

· Ms. Clark was brought in by speakerphone.

· Dr. Blake explained that he was asked by the Board to explore ways of saving money, as our current program has been running in the red for some time.

· Mr. Donahue noted that it has been running at a deficit for as long as he can remember. The District has raised prices to try to balance this, but that resulted in less students purchasing food.

· Dr. Blake noted that Ms. Clark and Tracy Barker (Food Service Director) had visited other Districts that were not running in the red and commonly this was because they had food service salaries and/or benefit costs under the regular operating budget. The proper way is for all of these costs to be under the food service budget, which is how we account for our system.

· Dr. Blake explained that there was still work to be done, but a RFP had been released and only Café Services responded. Detailed financial information was provided in the Board packet. In summary, Café Services came up with three plans:

1. A plan with our current staff and benefits (resulting in a deficit of approx. $50,000.00)

2. A plan with reduced hours (resulting in a deficit of approx. $37,000.00)

3. A plan with reduced hours and “market wages” (resulting in a deficit of approx. $6,000.00)

· Ms. Clark noted that the “money makers” are generally middle and high schools, we have two elementary schools, which is a factor in why we still will run in a deficit.

· Ms. Fuller asked if the equipment charge was the point of sale system? Ms. Clark answered, no, it is additional equipment, but the charges are spread out over five years and then we would own all of the equipment.

· Mr. Donahue commented on what he would like answered in a future discussion, including how our current wages stack up with other districts and “market wages”. Mr. Donahue also asked how much of a profit Café Services makes on this per year. Ms. Clark answered $15,000.00.

· Ms. Durant noted some additional considerations, including getting student and parent input, our current year’s numbers for their point of comparison, how their projections for meals purchased compares to our current numbers (a 9.25% increase), and what percentage of other districts contract out vs. in house services.

· Dr. Josephson asked for the Leadership Team to examine if they thought the 9.25% increase was realistic.

· Mr. Donahue noted that he would like to see more on their assumptions and rationalizations for their numbers and estimates.

XX. Public Comments

A. Emily, student: Emily asked if a la carte items would be affected by the change? Would it be meals vs. individual price?

B. Patti Raymond: Ms. Raymond thanked everyone who came out in support of the food service department.

C. John, student: John expressed his concern over losing the personal touch they currently have.

D. Preeya, student: Preeya asked if this would result in more packaged items, as the school has tried very hard to cut down on their waste.

E. Tom Manseau: Mr. Manseau asked how many companies were sent RFPs? Dr. Blake answered that he could get the actual number, but it was approximately 6 and a few list-serves. Mr. Manseau also asked if we are required by law to provide lunch and Dr. Blake confirmed that yes, it is law.

F. Danielle, student: Danielle noted that she would be disappointed if the quality of the food declined.

G. Diane Bullock: Ms. Bullock asked if Hopkinton has a wellness program and how this new service would fit in? Mr. Luneau noted that there are policies and we’ve seen the results in the vending machines. If we did outsource, the company would have to follow our policies as well as federal guidelines.

H. Ian, student: Ian asked the Board to consider how the cards would be managed, what would happen in the case of a lost card, etc.

I. Mike, student: Mike expressed that cost would drive most people to participate or not.

J. John, student: John asked if there would still be reduced lunch? Dr. Blake answered yes, it is the law to offer the reduced lunch program.

K. Janet Krzyzaniak: Ms. Krzyzaniak commented on how wonderful it was to see all of the student participation and how courteous they are to everyone, including each other.

XXI. Action Items

H. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the list of non-union nominations as presented by the Superintendent. – Tabled and vote taken after Non-Public Session - Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries.

NOTES: All budgeted

All staffed currently

All recommended by the Superintendent

I. Recommend the Hopkinton School Board approve the Schedule B Boys Assistant Lacrosse Coach nomination as presented, a budgeted and on-going program. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries.

XXII. Mr. Donahue moved at 7:42 p.m. and Ms. Durant seconded that the Board enter non-public session as provided in (RSA 91-A:3, II (a)(c)) to discuss personnel. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

XXIII. Following a motion by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant, roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor, the board came out of non-public session at 8:58 p.m.

XXIV. Following a motion by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant, the board voted to seal the minutes of the non-public session for one year. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

XIV. Motion to adjourn by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Fuller. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, Dr. Josephson, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

Adjourned at 9:00 p.m.