HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

School Administrative Unit #66

204 Maple Street

Contoocook, NH 03229

Hopkinton School Board

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I. Chair David Luneau called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Luneau. Present: Chair David Luneau, Co-Chair Kim Fuller, School Board member Liz Durant, Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Director of Student Services Dr. Val Aubry, Director of Technology Matt Stone, Administrative Assistant Tara Graham, Principals Steve Chamberlin, Michael Bessette, and Bill Carozza, and Student Representative Emily Sinclair.

II. Additions/Deletions to the agenda:

A. Dr. Blake added a schedule B position change to X. – Action Items (A-6).

B. Dr. Blake added the maternity leave of April Lakevicius to X. – Action Items (A-7).

C. Dr. Blake added the resignation of Diane Bennett to X. – Action Items (A-8).

III. Correspondence

A. Dr. Blake received notice from NH Partners in Education that all three schools have received the Blue Ribbon Award for Volunteerism.

B. Dr. Blake has also been in contact with Kevin Foley from Teamsters 633 regarding the negotiations. Mr. Foley said he anticipates completion of the process in two meetings.

IV. Approval of Minutes

A. Motion to approve the 9/16/08 minutes made by Ms. Durant, seconded by Ms. Fuller, motion passes, one abstaining (Ms. Fuller, as she was not at the previous meeting), minutes approved.

V. Public Comments

A. None at this time.

VI. Staff Reports/Presentations

A. Mr. Carozza, Harold Martin School:

· Met with Carl Olsen and Mary-Beth Gelineau to discuss the idea of a fee-based, after school, foreign language program.

· Mr. Luneau asked if Mr. Carozza has brought the idea to the Parent Advisory Council or the PTA?

· Mr. Carozza replied it was brought up in both forums and the PTA President will be attending planning meetings.

· This project will be coupled with the Maple Street School, more information to come.

B. Dr. Blake for Mr. Bessette, Maple Street School:

· Mr. Luneau asked if there were any questions.

· Ms. Durant recommended reinvigorating the Expanding Horizons program, she attended the staff meeting today at MSS and asked for Teacher volunteers – wanting Teachers to feel involved and have the program tie into what they are doing in the classrooms (an extension of the curriculum).

· Mr. Luneau thought this was a great idea as well getting the math club up and running – mathclub.com has some great ideas.

C. Mr. Chamberlin, Hopkinton Middle/High School:

· Mr. Chamberlin thanked Ms. Fuller for acting as Co-Grand Marshall for this years’ Homecoming.

· Mr. Chamberlin showed an example of what the new 3D printer can do – Mr. Renauld acquired this through a grant for the engineering classes.

· The Cardigan Mountain trip was a great success.

· Mr. Luneau stated the 18 females now involved in Project Lead the Way is a record in the engineering program and something to be proud of.

· Ms. Fuller asked if the percentage of students heading to 2 or 4 year colleges is lower than previous years? Mr. Chamberlin responded that it is a rolling average over 4 or 5 years and is about the same.

· Enrollment is up! Mr. Luneau asked if there were any proactive measures that could be taken to bring in tuition students. Mr. Chamberlin said that this was something that could be explored.

· Mr. Chamberlin expressed that he learned a lot from the 2-year report, reflective of the April 2006 interviews with staff, parents and students. We will be responding to the recommendations and forming sub-committees. The next round should foster more teacher leadership.

D. Superintendent’s Report:

· Mark Tucker from the National Center on Education and the Economy, had contacted Dr. Blake re: NH and possibly Hopkinton being part of a pilot study, we are waiting to here, but expect to hear good news soon.

· Ms. Durant asked Dr. Blake to get a status report on the lice situation.

E. Director of Technology’s Report:

· Mr. Stone reviewed that it had been a very busy summer and a very frantic first few weeks, they will now be trying to transition from tech support to integration and curriculum support.

· Ms. Durant commented on how wonderful Karen Ezen’s digital portfolio presentation was at the MSS staff meeting.

VII. Comments From The Hopkinton School Board

A. Congratulations to all three schools for their blue ribbon awards!

B. Ms. Fuller commended everyone involved for Saturday’s Homecoming activities. Ms. Durant seconded.

C. Mr. Luneau asked that the Treasurer be in attendance for the next meeting so we can understand what/if any risk exposure we have in funds. Dr. Blake will look into this and find out where we are with the Hopkinton Schools Foundation.

VIII. Items For Board Discussion

A. Graduation Requirement Policy:

· Dr. Blake noted that the response was favorable and called for any additional comments.

· One correction: The “2nd year” on the world language requirement should read “2nd level”.

· Mr. Chamberlin confirmed that at this point no one can “test out” but it may be an option in the future with competencies being developed. Also, credits are available from NEC and NHTI that apply to not only the High School credits but also college credit.

B. Facilites Usage Charges:

· In light of energy concerns this is being looked at. Currently there are no fees for non-profit groups.

· Mr. Luneau asked for a way to quantify what is being used (energy, custodial time) – a ballpark – Dr. Blake will look into this as well as what other districts are doing and how to also quantify wear and tear on the buildings (gyms in particular).

C. Unified Arts Department Chair Position:

· Dr. Blake explained that this is a budgeted position – it is actually just renaming the Computer Departmet Chair position. The stipend is $2940.00. Dr. Blake called for any questions, there were none.

IX. Public Comments

A. Merle Dustin: Expressed concern over Columbia Hall closing and where the Recreation department would now be holding their activities. Ms. Durant responded that she believes they have already found places for most, if not all of them.

X. Action Items

A. Personnel

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the maternity leave of Jaclyn King. Ms. Durant motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, all in favor, motion passes.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Philip Ainsworth as Network Administrator for the 2008-2009 school year. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes. Mr. Ainsworth starts on October 16^th.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Nini Allen for Drama, Spring Production, for the 2008-2009 school year. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes. Stipend is $1743.00.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Trish Underwood as Newspaper Advisor for the 2008-2009 school year. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes. Stipend is $1504.00.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Will Renauld as Unified Arts Department Chair for the 2008-2009 school year. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes. Stipend is $2940.00.

· Dr. Blake offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the maternity leave of April Lakevicius. Ms. Durant motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, all in favor, motion passes.

· Dr. Blake offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the resignation of Diane Bennett. Ms. Durant motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, all in favor, motion passes.

B. Graduation Requirement Policy

· Dr. Blake offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board adopt the policy as presented with one edit (2^nd level, not year – discussed earlier), Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes.

C. Budget Adjustments

· Dr. Blake presented budget adjustment 2009-06, in the amount of $8,300 to redistribute non-sufficient funds from offsite OT and speech services that were needed. As well as a laptop for the new Psychologist. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes.

XI. Ms. Fuller moved at 7:56 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 negotiations. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in favor.

XIII. Following a motion by Mr. Luneau, seconded by Ms. Durant, roll call vote- all in favor, the board came out of non-public session at 8:58 p.m.

XIV. Motion to adjourn by Ms. Fuller, seconded by Ms. Durant, all in favor.

Adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Tara D. Graham

Hopkinton School Board Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Maple Street School, Hopkinton NH

Non-public minutes

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

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

Ms. Fuller motioned to come out of Non-Public Session. Second offered by Ms. Durant. Roll call, all in favor. Board returned to Public Session at 8:58 p.m.

HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

School Administrative Unit #66

204 Maple Street

Contoocook, NH 03229

Hopkinton School Board

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

XII. Chair David Luneau called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Luneau. Present: Chair David Luneau, Co-Chair Kim Fuller, School Board members Larry Donahue, Liz Durant and Peter Yunich, Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Business Administrator Michelle Clark and Administrative Assistant Tara Graham.

XIII. Additions/Deletions to the agenda:

A. Dr. Blake added the nomination of Tommi Salsman (IA at Harold Martin School) to X. – Action Items (A-2).

B. Dr. Blake added the recommendation of paternity leave for Scott Zipke to X. – Action Items (A-3).

C. Dr. Blake deleted from VIII. – Items for Board Discussion, #4 – Treasurer’s Report, this will be occur at the next Board Meeting.

XIV. Correspondence

A. Dr. Blake received notice of the NSBA National Conference in April.

B. Dr. Blake handed out books to each Board member – “Becoming A Better Board Member”.

C. Dr. Blake received the preliminary report from the Jordan Institute, they will be conducting an additional more in-depth energy audit, which Dr. Blake will then review and bring the recommendations to the Board.

XV. Approval of Minutes

A. Motion to approve the 10/7/08 minutes made by Ms. Durant, seconded by Ms. Fuller, motion passes, 3 votes in favor, 2 abstaining (due to absences for the meeting in reference), minutes approved with minor typographical changes.

XVI. Public Comments

A. Merle Dustin: Noted to make the procedure clear that comments are just that, comments, not a Q&A session.

B. Lucy Hodder: Ms. Hodder came to the meeting along with fellow parent Dr. Ophelia Chang to talk about SEEK. As representatives of SEEK, they wanted to express the goals of SEEK, those goals being to communicate and support the School Board and the schools without tapping resources that are unavailable. They would like to improve volunteer coordination, communication, and possibly have a future part in assisting with curriculum development. Their goal is for parents to understand what their child is learning, how to better support their children’s educators and to better communicate on curriculum needs. Dr. Blake will contact be in contact with the organization, working on ways to involve and use this resource.

XVII. Staff Reports/Presentations

A. Monthly Financial Report (Michelle Clark):

· Revenue is as anticipated.

· There are no unplanned expenditures.

· There is a $47,000.00 food service deficit. Mr. Donahue asked if there was a sort of Best Practices for food service? Ms. Clark will look into this as well as visit some comparable local schools to see what they are doing, including Bow – which is comparable in size and fairing fairly well in the area for a single community school. This information will be available for this year’s budgeting.

· The general fund balance is $271,000.00.

XVIII. Comments From The Hopkinton School Board

A. Dr. Blake and Mr. Donahue met regarding H2O. There is a framework and an expectation to have a fuller picture before the next Board meeting (and after a committee meeting next week).

B. Ms. Durant commended the World Language celebration last week, commenting how wonderful it was to recognize the kids that have advanced in this area.

C. Mr. Luneau noted that Project Lead the Way had a committee meeting today which he attended, he was very impressed with the tremendous work they are doing there.

XIX. Items For Board Discussion

A. Annual Meeting Dates:

· November 18^th – initial review at the building levels.

· December 16th – approval of budget.

· January 7th – presentation of budget to the Budget Committee.

· February 5th – Budget Committee hearing on the budget.

B. Budget Process:

· Each department has to present their budget to the building administrator, who then brings the budgets to review with Dr. Blake and Ms. Clark.

· Dr. Blake will make inital cuts, meet and review with the Leadership Team and then present to the Board.

· There is a hope this year to seriously cut back on anything that is uneeded or has not been spent over the past couple of years.

· There is an anticipation of some staff reductions.

· Cuts should be generously considered before going to the School Board.

· Also needs to be kept sustainable – “best bang for our buck”.

C. Tutition Rates:

· Typically, tution rates are based upon a school’s previous year’s DOE25 – ours is based upon the approved budget. Mr. Luneau asked for some comparison numbers, which Dr. Blake had:

§ Goffstown: $9902.00

§ Concord: $9149.00

§ Merrimack Valley: $9685.00

§ John Stark: $10,770.00

These are numbers for the High School level, ours is $14,995.16.

XX. Public Comments

A. Merle Dustin: Expressed concern over writing capabilities today, wondering if TV, video games, etc. were a factor.

XXI. Action Items

A. Personnel

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Rena Connor, IA at HMHS. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, vote: all in favor, motion passes – this is a budget position with a slight increase in the rate.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Tommi Salsman, IA at HMS. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, vote: all in favor, motion passes – this is a new student specific position in the preschool program.

· Mr. Luneau offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the paternity leave of Scott Zipke, after the birth of his child. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Fuller seconded, vote: all in favor, motion passes – there will be a sub, although Mr. Zipke will still teach his AP stats classes until after the AP exams.

XXII. Ms. Fuller moved at 7:58 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 negotiations. Motion passed on a roll call vote- Mr. Donahue, Ms. Durant, Ms. Fuller, Mr. Luneau and Mr. Yunich, (all) in favor.

XV. Following a motion by Ms. Fuller, 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, Ms. Fuller, Mr. Luneau and Mr. Yunich, (all) in favor.

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

Adjourned at 8:37 p.m.