HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
School Administrative Unit #66
204 Maple Street
Contoocook, NH 03229
Hopkinton School Board
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
I.
Chair David
Luneau called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., the Pledge of Allegiance was led
by Emily Sinclair. Present: Chair
David Luneau, Vice-Chair Kim Fuller, School Board members Larry Donahue, Liz
Durant, and Peter Yunich, Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Business
Administrator Michelle Clark, Technology Director Matt Stone, Administrative
Assistant Tara Graham, Principals Steve Chamberlin, Michael Bessette, and Bill
Carozza, and Student Representatives Quinn Blue and Emily Sinclair.
II.
Additions/Deletions
to the agenda:
A.
Dr. Blake
noted that Jennifer Books will be added to the personnel action items.
B.
Dr. Blake
also added a discussion on online back-ups to the items for board discussion in
response to an e-mail he received.
III.
Correspondence
A.
MS25 and
DOE25 (provided in Board packets).
IV.
Approval of
Minutes
A.
The Board
tabled the 8/12 and 8/19 minutes until they can be revised and have any errors
corrected. Motion to approve 7/15 public hearing minutes made by Mr. Donahue,
seconded by Ms. Durant, all in favor, motion passes, 7/15 public hearing
minutes approved.
V.
Public
Comments
A.
Janet
Krzyzaniak: Suggested that the
Board set a limit on the temperature in the classrooms due to conserving
energy.
B.
Kathy
Eckelberger: Feeling there is no
resolution to lice issue and that mandatory checks are the only way.
VI.
Staff
Reports/Presentations
A.
Harold Martin
School, Mr. Carozza:
á
Wonderful
start to the year.
á
Enrollment
was 254 students, 8 withdrawals and 12 new entries - there were as many
Kindergarteners as 3rd graders this year!
á
The 50th
anniversary celebration will be on September 15th.
B.
Maple Street
School, Mr. Bessette:
á
Also a great
start.
á
A great job
by the new school nurse Jeanne Gearing who jumped right in to her first opening
day with lice checks, peanut checks, medications, etc.
á
PLC format
and writing workshops are going very well.
á
Pleased with
the new tile, no sound issues.
á
MAP
Assessments – Ms. Durant asked if there was a way of disseminating MAP
Assessment information to parents? – Mr. Bessette replied that reports
will go out in the Spring and parents can also call and set up a meeting if
they would like to come in and discuss their childÕs results and learn about
the system.
C.
Hopkinton
Middle/High School, Mr. Carozza:
á
Another great
start.
á
Trying to
inspire participation in the Contoocook Carry with the boat out front of the
Middle/High School filled with wood.
The Contoocook Carry helps elderly and in need residents with heating
oil for the winter.
á
There were
some master scheduling problems that will be fixed by the drop deadline.
– Mr. Donahue asked if this was a problem with the useability of the
interface? – Mr. Chamberlin responded that it was a combination of their
unique scheduling needs and the learning curve of X2. This will be one of the main focuses for the Tech Committee this year.
á
There are
three exchange students this year from Thailand, Italy and Morocco.
D.
SuperintendentÕs
Report:
á
Dr. Blake was
very pleased and impressed with how smoothly the opening of the school year
went.
á
There were a
few minor bus issues that were worked out quickly.
á
Staffing
– we are still in need of a Network Administrator, a part-time Tech
Integrator and a School Psychologist.
á
Follow-up on
the lice issue:
1.
A packet was
sent home with every student with information on what we are doing, what
parents can do and facts vs. myths.
The letter contained in the packet from School Nurse Sheila Connelly, RN
was a sample
letter. This was stated on the
cover page, but there was still some confusion and misinterpretation.
2.
No cases were
reported on the first day other than one we knew to check in advance and that
child was sent home.
3.
To date, 1
student at Harold Martin has been sent home with lice, 1 at Maple Street was
found with nits, none have been found at the Middle/High School. The classes of the 2 found at the other
two schools were all checked.
4.
All school
nurses have been doing random head and classroom checks. It is to be noted that checks are not a
guarantee, the lice could not be present in a check today and then show up
tomorrow. There will however,
continue to be random checks on a continuing basis.
5.
We are
following what we believe to be best practice and most ethical. The policy Committee will be reviewing
our current policy and the student handbooks to make sure everything is
accurate.
6.
There was
also a ÒParentÕs Action ListÓ in the packet sent home (also available
online). Ms. Durant noted that we
need to consistently communicate with parents on where we are with this so we
donÕt make them feel as though
weÕve forgotten about it – all agreed.
E.
Business
AdministratorÕs Report:
á
Ms. Clark
handed out a DRAFT copy the 2008 EOY Financial Report.
á
There was
$619,272 in surplus - $50,000 from the two trust funds, some from benefits,
bond refinancing and the fact that we didnÕt use the contingency we set aside.
á
The actual
audit will be during the week of September 15th and will take 2 to 4
days. The final documents will be
finalized by the October 31st deadline.
F.
Technology
DirectorÕs Report:
á
Mr. Yunich
suggested that Mr. Stone should give a technology update each month, all
agreed.
á
Mr. Stone agreed
it was a good opening, all things considered with the shortages in the
Technology Department at the moment.
Some of the projects planned for the summer had to be scaled back
because of the staffing issues.
á
There is a
new lab ready to go for Project Lead the Way.
á
We lost one
server over the summer that was unfortunetly just past itsÕ warranty.
á
X2 Aspen is
up and running. It is being used
to take attendance at all three schools now and being utilized for grading at
two.
VII.
Comments From
The Hopkinton School Board
A.
Ms. Fuller
asked about the reaction to the 4-day work week over the summer. Dr. Blake responded that it worked well
for the administrative staff and the custodians. The savings were not as much as we thought they were going
to be but there were some.
B.
Mr. Luneau
thanked everyone for a great opening day, he felt there was great energy when
he visited.
C.
Mr. Yunich
asked if Fred Fuller has topped off the oil tanks yet? Dr. Blake responded that in May we
ordered about 10,000 gallons, he has delivered more than half of that, but not
all of it. Mr. Yunich suggested
that we try to get the remaining amount at a lower rate since the rates have
dropped. Ms. Clark will look into
this.
VIII.
Items For
Board Discussion
A.
Dr. Blake
expressed the need for a time that he and all of the Board members could meet
with legal counsel to discuss roles and policy development. 7:00 a.m., September 10th
was decided upon, in the Maple Street Conference Room.
B.
Dr. Blake
received an e-mail regarding an online back-up service for school board
documents, agenda, minutes, packets, etc.
It was decided that Mr. Stone will review this information and it will
then be made an action item for future discussion at a future meeting.
IX.
Public
Comments
A.
Kathy
Eckelberger: Expressed that she
strongly hopes the Board will look closer at the list-serv idea regarding the
head lice issue so parents can be notified if it has been in their childrenÕs
class, grade, school, etc. Ms.
Eckelberger also made the suggestion that teacher professional development days
be held over the summer and not throughout the school year as this is an
inconvenience to some parents that work and do not have day care.
B.
Janet
Krzyzaniak: Suggested that each
day of the school year be lengthened for a short period of time so that the
children can get out earlier in June.
X.
Action Items
A.
Personnel
á
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the resignation of Mark
Dingman, Instructional Assistant at Hopkinton Middle/High School, effective
September 2008. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion
passes with regret.
á
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of the
Schedule B positions listed in the Board packets for Hopkinton Middle/High School
for the 08-09 school year.
Positions are in the budget. Ms. Fuller motioned, Mr. Donahue seconded,
one opposed (Mr. Yunich), motion passes 4-1.
á
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Jim
Brizard for .2 additional class for digital electronics for the 08-09 school
year. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes.
á
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of
Jennifer Books, Middle School Instructional Assistant, replacing Mark Dingman,
for the 08-09 school year. Ms. Fuller motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in
favor, motion passes. This creates
an opening for an IA at the High School.
XI.
Mr. Donahue
moved at 8:35 p.m. and Ms. Fuller seconded that the Board enter non-public
session as provided in (RSA 91-A:3, II (a)(c)) to discuss negotiations and
Superintendent goals. Motion
passed on a roll call vote- Mr.Yunich, Ms. Durant, Mr. Donahue, Mr. Luneau, and
Ms. Fuller (all) in favor.
XIII.
Following a
motion by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Fuller, roll call vote- all in favor,
the board came out of non-public session at 11:00 p.m.
XIV.
Motion to
adjourn by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant, all in favor.
Adjourned at 11:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tara D. Graham
Hopkinton School Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 2, 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 and
Superintendent goals.
Mr. Donahue motioned to come out of Non-Public Session. Second offered by Ms. Fuller. Roll call, all in favor. Board returned to Public Session at
11:00 p.m.
HOPKINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT
School Administrative Unit #66
204 Maple Street
Contoocook, NH 03229
Hopkinton School Board
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
XII.
Chair David
Luneau called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m., the Pledge of Allegiance was led
by Mr. Luneau. Present: Chair
David Luneau, School Board members Larry Donahue, Liz Durant, and Peter Yunich,
Superintendent Dr. Brian Blake, Director of Student Services Dr. Val Aubry, Business
Administrator Michelle Clark, Principals Steve Chamberlin, Michael Bessette,
and Bill Carozza, and Student Representatives Quinn Blue and Emily Sinclair.
XIII.
Additions/Deletions
to the agenda:
A.
Dr. Blake
added the 7th grade environmental camping trip to X. – Action
Items (C-2) as well as adding the topic to VIII. – Items For Board
Discussion (#3).
B.
Dr. Blake
also added to X. – Action Items, under personnel, #5: Alvin Caldwell (Psychologist) and
#6: Becky Perkins (Artist In
Residence Committee Member).
XIV.
Correspondence
A.
Dr. Blake
had no correspondence at this time.
B.
Mr. Luneau
shared a nice note from retired HMS PE Teacher, Beth Henderson who had many
fond thoughts to share from her tenure.
XV.
Approval of
Minutes
A.
Motion to
approve the 8/12, 8/19, and 9/2 minutes made by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms.
Durant, all in favor, motion passes, with one correction to be made on the 8/12
minutes (spelling on ÒFrieburgÓ), all minutes approved.
XVI.
Public
Comments
A.
None at this
time.
XVII.
Staff
Reports/Presentations
A.
Staff
Presentation – Honduras Interact Trip:
á Regarding the Honduras trip, Dr. Blake had
Mary Harb (Interact Club Advisor) and 2 students present information regarding
the trip. They presented on a
previous trip they had taken there with visuals of the work theyÕve done. The only change from previous years
will be that students will now book their own flights to save money. Ms. Harb has a current, experienced
substitute lined up. Everyone pays
their own way, so far this year there have been 25 applicants.
The Board chose to vote on this item
now instead of waiting until later during Action Items. Mr. Luneau recommended that the Board
approve the Honduras trip, as presented.
Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passed,
Honduras trip approved as presented.
B.
Business
AdministratorÕs Report:
á $250,000 is the anticipated fund balance,
which will become clearer soon as we are reaching full staff.
á Heating is still a concern, predicted to
be a cold winter.
á Ms. Clark and Mr. Yunich have been in
touch regarding contract oil pricing vs. what the current market price is, as
well as price insurance buy-backs – more information on this to come.
XVIII.
Comments
From The Hopkinton School Board
A.
Mr. Luneau
commented on the HMS 50th Anniversary event – great turnout
and very touching.
B.
Mr. Luneau
also extended thanks to Larry Kennison and Natalie Duval for being instrumental
in getting the DOT grant approved.
C.
Mr. Yunich
was pleased with the public forum turnout and participation – it was a
great dialog.
D.
Mr. Donahue
seconded Mr. LuneauÕs comments on the HMS 50th event and extended
ÒkudosÓ to Vice Chair Kim Fuller, not in attendance, as she was celebrating her
anniversary. Mr. Donahue also
extended thanks to Mr. Chamberlin for the great job he is doing spearheading
the graduation requirement and class rank policy changes, trying to find a
Òmiddle groundÓ.
XIX.
Items For
Board Discussion
A.
Graduation
Requirements and Class Rank Policies:
á Mr. Yunich was concerned about Òusing the
systemÓ vs. Òjust based on gradesÓ – are there subjective
measurements? Real curriculum that
can be assessed. Is there
sufficient lead-time to maximize other attributes to make a student more
ÒsellableÓ?
á Mr. Chamberlin responded that the process
starts in Middle School, one of the graduation requirements being the career
portfolio.
á Mr. Donahue - this discussion belongs at Board level, not sure if it
needs to be a policy. A realistic
weighted average may be worth looking at in terms of class rank.
á Dr. Blake stated that the next steps would
be to bring all of the feedback back to Mr. Chamberlin, Administration and
Guidance to make any needed changes and then to bring again before the Board
and Policy Committee.
B.
7th Grade
Environmental Camping Trip to Cardigan Mountain:
á This is a curriculum-based trip, no
student is turned down because of funding. Dr. Blake recommended that the trip be approved as
presented. Mr. Donahue motioned,
Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion carries, trip aproved as presented.
XX.
Public
Comments
A.
Janet
Krzyzaniak: Commended
Administration and the Board for how hard they are working on the class ranking
and graduation requirement policies.
Stated she was disappointed with the poor turnout in regards to parents.
B.
Jody
Russell: Thanked all involved for
letting parents have a say and be involved, also disappointed with the parent
turnout.
XXI.
Action Items
A.
Personnel
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the resignation of Sue Garlow, PM Crossing Guard
at Maple Street School, effective September 2008. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms.
Durant seconded, all in favor, motion passes. Ms. Garlow will still perform AM Crossing Guard duties.
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the early retirement of Paul Silverman, effective
June 2009. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion
passes after a brief discussion on the policy of early retirement and how long
after a sabbatical you may retire or leave (2 years).
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Bonnie Wilson, Sub Coordinator
for the 08-09 school year at $27/day.
Position is in the budget. Motioned tabled until after non-public
session. Dr. Blake asked to
examine this position for the future to be more effective, help in recruiting,
etc.
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the maternity leave request of April Lakevicius,
January 12 – April 3. Motion tabled until Dr. Blake has April revise her
notice to read Òafter giving birth, for 12 weeksÓ, instead of specific dates.
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the maternity leave request of Jaclyn King,
November 24 – February 16. Motion tabled until Dr. Blake has Jaclyn
revise her notice to read Òafter giving birth, for 12 weeksÓ, instead of
specific dates.
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Alvin Caldwell as School
Psychologist. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant seconded, all in favor, motion
passes after a brief discussion on transferable tenure – was decided that
it should be a question on the job applications.
á Dr. Blake offered a motion that the
Hopkinton School Board accept the nomination of Becky Perkins as an Artist In
Residence Committee member, a cost of $613.00. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant
seconded, all in favor, motion passes.
B.
Budget
Adjustments
á Ms. Clark presented budget adjustment
2009-01, in the amount of $45,771.36 to move non-union salary to the
appropriate budget line.
á Ms. Clark presented budget adjustment
2009-02, in the amount of $7,281.23 for the additional Kindergarten class.
á Ms. Clark presented budget adjustment
2009-03, in the amount of $29,334.47 for unexpected staff hires and transfers
(moving them to the appropriate budget lines).
á Ms. Clark presented budget adjustment
2009-04, in the amount of $915.38 for the head lice clinic – nurse time
and supplies.
á Ms. Clark presented budget adjustment
2009-05, in the amount of $110,358.79 for transferring the IA salaries where
they belong, now that they are all placed in the schools they are needed in (to
the appropriate budget line).
XXII.
Mr. Donahue
moved at 9:00 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 and
personnel issues. Motion passed on
a roll call vote- Mr. Yunich, Ms. Durant, Mr. Donahue, and Mr. Luneau, (all) in
favor.
XV.
Following a
motion by Mr. Donahue, seconded by Ms. Durant, roll call vote- all in favor,
the board came out of non-public session at 9:50 p.m.
XVI.
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board reconsider the nomination of
Bonnie Wilson, Sub Coordinator for the 2008-2009 school year. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant
seconded, all in favor, motion passes.
XVII.
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board approve the budget adjustments
as presented: 2009-01 in the
amount of $45,771.36; 2009-02, in the amount of $7,281.23; 2009-03, in the
amount of $29,334.47; 2009-04, in the amount of $915.38; and 2009-05, in the
amount of $110,358.79 – a grand total of $193,661.23. Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant
seconded, all in favor, motion passes.
XVIII.
Dr. Blake
offered a motion that the Hopkinton School Board approve an additional amount
of $465.00 to replace the air compressor at the High School. The funds will come from the Repair and
Maintenance Trust and are required because the time frame on the original quote
expired while details were being researched (size, placement, etc.). Mr. Donahue motioned, Ms. Durant
seconded, all in favor, motion passes.
XIX.
Motion to
adjourn by Mr. Yunich, seconded by Mr. Donahue, all in favor.
Adjourned at 9:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tara D. Graham
Hopkinton School Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, September 16, 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
and personnel issues.
Mr. Donahue motioned to come out of Non-Public Session. Second offered by Ms. Durant. Roll call, all in favor. Board returned to Public Session at
9:50 p.m.