HANOVER SCHOOL BOARD
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 2006
7:00 PM, RAY SCHOOL MULTI-ROOM
Minutes
Present: Board members Asmus, Bruce, Carpenter, Chamberlin, Fleischer, Pilchman; Superintendent Gersen, Principal Williams; Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to Order – Chair Fleischer called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 12, as submitted. The motion passed unanimously.
3. Communications and Reports
a) Report of Chair
Chair Chip Fleischer announced that the next Board meeting was scheduled for June 21, 7:00 p.m. in the Ray School Multi-room. This meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. so that the Board can tour the school with Principal Williams.
b) Committee & Liaison Reports
Robin Carpenter reported that the Communication Committee met on May 1 and reviewed the brief written synopsis of the meeting along with an attendee list that was included in the Board packet. Issues discussed included enhancing the Web site, making the Annual District Report more user friendly and similar to the town report; and the drafting of media contact protocols. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 1.
Kari Asmus reported that the Budget Committee met on April 19. The committee discussed developing a twelve month budget activity calendar that would include the development of budget guidelines, quarterly reports, budget deliberation and adoption, and spring review. The Assistant Superintendent will review spending on Special Education over the past five years and create budget guidelines for applying the Special Education reserve fund. The committee may also pursue an analytical study of staff hiring and early retirement costs and savings. The meeting slated to discuss budget guidelines is set for August 7.
c) Reports of Administrators
Superintendent’s Report – Superintendent Gersen provided a memo providing background information of the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) tests for fourth graders. Ray School has been randomly selected for the assessments. The tests take 90 minutes so they are less intrusive than the NECAP tests, and they are part of the “National Report Card” to compare performance.
The Roundtables to discuss the school curricula are being held in May at multiple locations in Hanover and Norwich. It is expected that there will be good community participation at these discussions.
Dr. Gersen announced a new CATV television show about Dresden will be broadcast on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. beginning on May 29. He hopes to use the show to showcase school district activity to inform the community about the school beyond the school board meetings.
The resignation of Karen Clarkson as school treasurer was received as she is unable to fulfill the position’s obligations. Joan Collison will be able to act as treasurer for Hanover and the SAU (but not Dresden) for the rest of the year.
Principal’s Report – Principal Williams reported that the Dragons Are Singing Tonight concert will be held three times to accommodate the students’ families. There are logistical challenges for the size of the production. Because of the limited seating space for the audience, it was necessary to schedule three performances.
The COOP will conduct an analysis of the lunch menu and make suggestions for improving it. If the analysis concludes that the school should consider changing the food service at the Ray School, there will be a survey of the community including student families and non-student families next month. The Board requested to see the survey prior to it being finalized.
4. Business Requiring Discussion
a) Evaluations - First Reading
Policy GBI about the evaluation of certified staff was discussed. Principal Williams spoke about the SAU 70 Standard Best Practices, the validity of the evaluation process, and suggested that a representative of the teachers at his school speak to the Board about the existing evaluation alternatives. A document of suggested changes to the policies was distributed and the Board made additional suggestions to change some of the wording. The Board wants to be able to certify that the evaluation process is being carried out in a thorough and rigorous fashion. After extensive discussion on the policy proposals, the Superintendent indicated he would attempt a redraft that incorporated a way to address Board concerns about teacher evaluation. The policy will be discussed again in June so that it can be voted on in August.
Wellness Policy- First Reading
The Board discussed Policy EEB about wellness policy guidelines. Such a policy is required by Federal public law. The policy addresses issues such as food services and nutrition, physical education, and local wellness policy goals. The Policy EEB is proposed to replace Policy EEA about Food Services and Nutrition, which would then be rescinded.
Pupil Harassment and Bullying
The Board discussed Policy JGDB about pupil harassment and bullying. The school is to comply with RSA 193-F. Robin Carpenter expressed strong objection to the breadth of defined harassment and the highly prescribed series of administrative responses. To remedy this, he volunteered to develop a resolution on the subject that the Board could submit to the New Hampshire School Board Association recommending a change to the legislation associated with this issue, a position that was supported by the Board.
Student Handbook
Bruce Williams noted that the bullying issue (definitions, prevention, school liability, and reporting procedure) needs to be incorporated into the Student Handbook. The Board’s committee rosters and updated contact information should also be included in the handbook. Bruce’s Administrative Assistant suggested that the handbook be printed every three years and also made available electronically. This idea would not be put into effect this year because there will be many changes, but it might be considered in the near future.
5. Business Requiring Action
First Student bus expressed a willingness for the district to provide the company with an incentive if ridership increases and a penalty clause if it decreases. There was also a performance clause incorporated in the agreement.
Larry Pilchman moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to approve First Student as transportation service provider for the 2006-2007 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion to approve the Board calendar for 2006-07 as proposed, amended and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
Larry Pilchman moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to approve the Bridgman Funds for 2006-07 as proposed and attached to the original meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion to authorize the Administration to fill vacancies between May 18 and the regular meeting of September 20 by offering a one (1) week period to obtain telephone or e-mail votes from Board members and that four affirmative votes must be obtained before a contract is issued. The motion passed unanimously.
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion to accept the resignation of Karen Clarkson, District Treasurer, effective immediately. The motion passed unanimously.
John Chamberlin moved and Larry Pilchman seconded a motion appoint Joan Collison as Hanover School District Treasurer, until the March 2007 Annual School District Meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
Superintendent Gersen nominated Mandy Fraser as Ray School Guidance Counselor for the 2006-07 school year.
Kari Asmus moved and John Chamberlin seconded a motion to elect Mandy Fraser as .8 FTE Guidance Counselor at the Ray School for 2006-07 school year at Track 4, Step 6 (80%) salary of $39,714. The motion passed unanimously.
6. Adjournment
Larry Pilchman moved and John Chamberlinseconded a motion to adjourn at 10:22 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 10:22 p.m.
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