Participants
Everyone heard or named as present on the recording. Names follow the chair's introductions, the project's 2015 to 2023 roster and the speaker attribution report; there are no minutes to check spellings against. Students who presented, other than the board's student representative, are described by role and not named.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Unidentified | Moderator of the special district meeting | Reads the rules of procedure (0:00:53), states the purpose “to discuss and take action on a procedural defect” (0:01:42), recognizes the motion and calls the voice vote (0:03:52). Addressed as “Madam moderator”; not named on the recording. |
| Frank Sprague | Chair, Claremont School Board | Seconds the ratification motion and explains the DRA notice (0:02:45); chairs the board meeting; reports on a senior luncheon (0:09:27) and his Senate Finance testimony (0:18:49); suggests the board could let the superintendent hire over the summer (1:09:36). |
| Carolyn Towle | School Board member | Moves the ratification of the March 12 results (0:02:02); seconds the agenda and the Primex motion (0:06:19, 0:55:38); asks about liability for outdoor programs (0:45:22). |
| Michael Petrin | School Board member; Chair, SAU 6 Board | Reports on the superintendent contract and takes “some of that blame as the chair” for the delay (0:24:03); moves the Primex contribution assurance program (0:55:27); seconds adjournment (1:13:53). |
| Rob Lovett Jr. | School Board member | Answers the roll (0:05:31; labeled for Sprague in the dialogue file, see the method note); moves the amended agenda, the May 1 minutes, the winter program, the two nominations and adjournment (0:06:16, 0:06:38, 0:47:15, 1:07:07, 1:13:36); reports on the capital improvement subcommittee (0:57:55). Attribution rated medium to high. |
| Heather Whitney | School Board member | Seconds the winter program and the nominations (0:47:24, 1:07:16); asks how many districts join the Primex program (0:55:41); reports on a New Hampshire School Boards Association orientation (1:02:58). |
| Jason Benware | School Board member | Absent (0:06:34) |
| Rebecca Zullo | Vice Chair, School Board | Absent on the record: not introduced (0:00:11), not called in the roll and not heard |
| Prescott Herzog | Student representative to the board | Gives the schools report (0:07:02) and speaks about youth in government (0:16:29) and driver education funding (0:21:42). |
| Cory LeClair | Acting Superintendent, SAU 6 | Superintendent's report and farewell: “this is my last Claremont School board meeting.” (0:11:42); explains the Primex program (0:50:50); presents two nominations (1:06:12) and the infrastructure-fund affidavits (1:12:45). |
| Mary Woodman | School district clerk | Introduced as the clerk for the district meeting (0:00:11); calls the board roll (0:05:27). |
| Ms. Chastain (spelling uncertain; also Chesney in the transcript) | Youth-in-government advisor, Stevens High School | Reports 26 bills written by students this year (0:14:31) and the difficulty students have getting driver education (0:22:21). |
| Two students | Youth-in-government and student council participants | Describe their bills, the caucus, and a leadership conference trip (0:15:23, 0:15:56, 0:19:39). |
| Melissa Lewis | Principal, Disnard Elementary School (attribution rated medium) | Introduces the outdoor education initiative and announces training for all K to 5 classroom teachers (0:26:06, 0:26:28). |
| Lisa Holtz | Third grade teacher, Maple Avenue Elementary School | Self-identified (0:28:23); presents her outdoor learning program at Moody Park since 2014 (0:28:32). |
| Michelle Bian (spelling uncertain) | Parent, Ward 2 | Self-identified (0:37:35); proposes a five-to-six-week winter program for grades K to 5. |
| Unidentified | Third grade teacher at Maple Avenue and parent | Supports the winter program from a teacher's view (0:40:24). |
| Unidentified | Two elementary educators | Speak in support of outdoor education (0:27:10, 0:27:35); one is addressed as Lisa and may be Lisa Holtz. |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda or warrant survives. The chair says “We have an agenda in front of us tonight.” (0:05:41); the order below is reconstructed from the moderator's and the chair's transitions.
Items in the order taken up, with motions and votes from the recording.
| Taken up | Item | Disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:53 | Special district meeting: ratify the results of the March 12, 2019 annual meeting | Towle: “I make a motion that the district ratify the results of the March 12th Annual Meeting. Even though the posting requirements were not met.” Sprague seconds (0:02:11). No speakers against or for. Voice vote: “Those in favor signify by saying I. I oppose. Nay, the ayes have it.” (0:03:52). Carried. See flag 1 and flag 3. |
| 0:05:00 | Board meeting: call to order, roll call | Pledge omitted as already said; the clerk calls the roll (0:05:27). |
| 0:05:41 | Agenda amendments | The summer program overview is removed and the infrastructure-fund affidavits added under other business (0:05:51). Lovett moves the agenda as amended, Towle seconds; carried (0:06:16 to 0:06:20). |
| 0:06:20 | Minutes of May 1, 2019 | Lovett: “Make a motion that we accept the minutes of May 1st, 2019.” Seconded by an unidentified member (0:06:41); approved with no discussion (0:06:46). |
| 0:07:02 | Student representative's report | Report; no action. |
| 0:10:45 | Superintendent's report | Report; the acting superintendent announces her departure (0:11:42). |
| 0:12:47 | Citizens' comments | “Seeing none, I will close citizens comments” (0:12:53). |
| 0:12:53 | Report: student council and youth in government | Report; no action. |
| 0:23:23 | Superintendent search update | Report by the SAU 6 chair; no action. |
| 0:25:37 | Outdoor education and winter program presentation | Lovett: “I make a motion that the school board not only accepts, but gives our full backing to winter programing.” Whitney seconds (0:47:24). Carried, no opposition heard (0:47:26 to 0:47:32). |
| 0:48:09 | School funding update | Report; no action. |
| 0:50:38 | Primex contribution assurance program | Petrin: “I'll make a motion to enter into this cap agreement.” Towle seconds (0:55:38). Carried (0:56:59 to 0:57:03); the chair is to sign. |
| 0:57:47 | Board subcommittee updates | Capital improvement subcommittee, SAU policy committee, NHSBA orientation; letters from bargaining units noted (1:05:18). |
| 1:05:48 | Nominations and resignations | Nominations of Lara Bailey (mathematics) and Laura Grano (social studies), Stevens High School, on the acting superintendent's recommendation (spellings from the transcript, unverified). Lovett moves, Whitney seconds; carried (1:07:27). Resignations not read aloud and not voted on (“Do we need to accept them?” Nope., 1:07:50). |
| 1:08:35 | Future agenda items; summer meetings | No June 5 meeting (1:08:47); summer meeting dates left for the new superintendent; no vote. See flag 4. |
| 1:12:27 | Other business: Public School Infrastructure Fund affidavits | Members to sign affidavits for completed security projects before leaving (1:12:52); no motion. See flag 5. |
| 1:13:36 | Adjournment | Lovett moves, Petrin seconds (“That Mike. Seconds.”); carried (1:13:54). |
Discussion timeline
Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording. Quotations are as transcribed; bracketed words are corrections, with the transcript's wording kept where the correction changes sense.
Chronological topics with the most concrete material first.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:00:53 | Rules for the district meeting | The moderator: the mover has five minutes, “First debate will then be limited to two minutes per speaker.”, speakers give “their name and ward of residents”. Purpose: “to discuss and take action on a procedural defect regarding the results of the match. 12th Annual Meeting.” [March 12th] (0:01:42). | |
| 0:02:45 | Why the meeting was called | Sprague: “On April 9th, 2019, the Claremont School District received a notice from the the State of New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration informing us that the default budget form miss 26 [MS-26], budget, form and warrant were not posted in accordance with the with RSA 32 colon five. Therefore, the February 6th, 2019 and the March 12th, 2019 meetings were procedurally defective and invalid.” “This was brought to the attention of the Secretary's office by a concerned citizen.” (0:03:16). | HIGH |
| 0:03:36 | Debate and vote | No one speaks against or in favor. “Seeing none, we will have a voice vote.” The moderator closes the district meeting and announces that the board meeting follows (0:03:52). | OBS |
| 0:05:27 | Board roll call | Clerk: “Rob Lovett, junior.” then Here. (0:05:31), “Heather Whitney here. Carolyn tall [Towle] here. And Frank Sprague here.” and “And Prescott Herzog here.” (0:05:38). Petrin is not heard in the roll but speaks later. | |
| 0:07:02 | Student representative | Fox News will broadcast from Stevens and host a May 19 town hall with presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg; “Senator Gene” [probably Senator Jeanne Shaheen] visits Friday for a roundtable on the GEAR UP grant (0:07:02); state assessments at Disnard; a robotics team won the state competition and goes to nationals June 1 (0:08:48). | |
| 0:09:27 | Senior luncheon | Sprague, Towle and Benware met seniors about what has gone well and what could be improved; LeClair: the notes “will be shared with the school board for the school board to use in their decision making” (0:10:18). | |
| 0:10:45 | Superintendent's report and farewell | 21 school days left; last student day June 14 (0:10:45). LeClair: “this is my last Claremont School board meeting.” and she will resign “to, move on to the role of superintendent and Cornish and Plainfield.” (0:11:42). | |
| 0:13:07 | Youth in government | The advisor: “we had 26 bills written and submitted to youth in government.” (0:14:31); a student had two bills read on the floor (0:15:00). Sprague urges students to testify on school funding as Berlin's did (0:21:01). The student representative mentions work with Senator Hennessey on funding driver education through schools (0:21:42). | |
| 0:23:36 | Superintendent contract | Petrin: Tempesta will attend the SAU 6 meeting the next night. On the time taken to sign the contract: “maybe I can take some of that blame as the chair.” (0:24:03); changes in language had to go “back to the full board in order to get approval” (0:24:32). Sprague: language on benefits differed across contracts (0:25:15). | |
| 0:25:58 | Outdoor education | All three elementary schools are pursuing outdoor education; “tomorrow and Friday, all k five classroom teachers will receive specific training and outdoor education in preparation for the fall.” (0:26:28). Holtz shows her class's work at Moody Park and Blow-Me-Down Brook since 2014 (0:28:32). Loaning the conservation district's stream table costs $50 for transport (0:36:06). | |
| 0:37:35 | Winter program proposal | Bian: parents propose “a five to 5 to 6 week winter program for elementary school children in Claremont” with snowshoeing, skiing, skating and swimming; all three elementary principals support it (0:38:42); the Maple Avenue PTO offered support and grants were identified (0:39:33). LeClair: “Outdoor education in general does not require your approval in any way.” but the winter program “is a change in what our current practice is” (0:44:11); she expects “the cost of this would be nil for the district at least the first year or so” (0:44:35). Towle asks about liability off school grounds; LeClair: Primex will inspect a proposed path between Maple Avenue School and Moody Park (0:45:49). | |
| 0:47:15 | Winter program vote | Lovett moves full backing; Whitney seconds; carried with no opposition heard. | |
| 0:48:09 | School funding | Sprague was quoted saying schools are “a canary in the coal mine for the community” (0:48:29); Berlin “must have had 200 kids there.” at the Senate hearing (0:48:51). Towle: students need to be connected to the funding issue (0:49:43). | |
| 0:50:50 | Primex contribution assurance program | LeClair: Primex provides property and liability, workers' compensation and unemployment coverage. Property and liability rates rose 20% from FY16 to FY17, 8% the next year, then fell 16% and 13% (0:51:20). The cap is “No more than seven.” percent a year (0:51:35) for a three-year commitment, and Primex told her “there are no fees associated with cap.” (0:51:35); leaving early means paying the difference (0:52:05). The agreement covers 2020 to 2021 onward; the current cap ends after 2019 to 2020 (0:54:43). Whitney asks how many districts participate: “I did not ask that question.” (0:55:50). Lovett: “I fail to see a downside.” (0:56:57). | POS |
| 0:57:55 | Capital improvement subcommittee | Lovett: first meeting held; the aim is to set aside money each year for known replacements “rather than every 20 years smacking the taxpayers with a large warrant.” (0:58:28); building walk-throughs with urgency levels one to four (0:59:18). Members: “Carolyn Tol, myself, Rob Lovett, Heather, Heather Whitney, Josh Malloy, and then the director of maintenance, Steve.” (0:59:49). Sprague suggests earmarking part of “fairly substantial fund balances” some years (1:00:03). | |
| 1:01:45 | SAU policy committee; NHSBA | Sprague: he and Whitney are on the SAU policy committee and will review which policies apply to an SAU (1:01:45). Whitney: the School Boards Association “provide legal counsel.” and will attend board meetings at no cost (1:02:58). LeClair: the district uses its policy portal (1:03:46). | |
| 1:05:18 | Bargaining units | Sprague has a letter from one bargaining unit and wants to set ground rules before year end; LeClair has been contacted by another (1:05:39). | |
| 1:06:12 | Nominations; resignations | Two Stevens teachers nominated from the alternative program, replacing departing teachers whom LeClair names (1:06:12). She does not read the resignation list so staff can tell their own students and colleagues first (1:08:18). | OBS |
| 1:09:01 | Summer meetings | The SAU 6 board meets the next night “here at 630.” Sprague: summer meetings are mainly needed to accept new hires, and “We can actually, give the superintendent the right to hire without without our approval.” (1:09:36); he recommends waiting for Tempesta's view (1:10:04). Whitney asks when the board will tell the new superintendent its goals (1:10:38). LeClair recommends the second Wednesday in August (1:11:05). | OBS |
| 1:12:45 | Public School Infrastructure Fund affidavits | LeClair: the board held a public hearing “to accept this as unanticipated revenue.” (1:12:52); the projects are complete and members must sign; “I think the total is north of $400,000.” (1:13:17). | OBS POS |
| 1:13:36 | Adjournment; signing | Lovett: “It is with great sadness and great appreciation that we make a motion to adjourn”; Petrin seconds; carried (1:13:54). The documents are then passed around: “So these have got to stay in order.” (1:14:40). | |
Items flagged for review
These flags are a reviewer's aid, not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each one names the rule it rests on, as that rule read on May 15, 2019 (or, for the annual-meeting defect, in February and March 2019), or is labeled an observation where no verified rule applies.
HIGH The 2019 budget, default budget form and warrant were not posted as RSA 32:5 required, and the State found the annual meeting procedurally defective
The board chair told the district meeting that on April 9, 2019 the Department of Revenue Administration notified the district that “the default budget form miss 26 [MS-26], budget, form and warrant were not posted in accordance with the with RSA 32 colon five”, so that the February 6 deliberative session and the March 12 vote “were procedurally defective and invalid.” (0:02:45). The defect was raised with the State “by a concerned citizen.” (0:03:16), not found by the district. RSA 32:5, VII, in the text in force for the 2019 annual meeting, required the governing body to “post certified copies of the budget with the warrant for the meeting”, and an official-ballot district to post certified copies of the default budget form with the proposed operating budget and the warrant. The DRA notice itself is not in the record; this page relies on the chair's reading of it.
This is graded HIGH because the district's own account is that a binding posting requirement for its annual meeting was missed. The mitigation is real and is recorded here: the law provides a cure for this kind of irregularity, and the district used it at this meeting (see flag 3 for what the record does and does not show about that cure).
Sources: RSA 32:5, VII(a)-(b) (2018 codification; source note ends 2018, 246:1, eff. Aug. 11, 2018)
MEDIUM No warrant, agenda or minutes for either meeting survive in the district's shares
MAP.md records no Drive material for this date: the district's shares hold no year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023. The recording is the only public account of a special district meeting that ratified a year's annual-meeting results and of a board meeting with five votes. RSA 91-A:2, II, as amended effective January 1, 2019, required minutes with the names of members, persons appearing, a brief description of the subject matter, final decisions, and the names of members who moved and seconded each motion, open to inspection within five business days. This page applies the MEDIUM limb of the project's severity rule because the record mitigates the gap: the board approved the May 1 minutes on tape (0:06:38), which shows minutes were being kept. The minutes of the special district meeting would be the district clerk's record of the ratification vote, and they are the document that would settle what flag 3 leaves open.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2019 codification; source note ends 2018, 244:1)
OBSERVATION The recording does not show the public hearing or the vote count that the curing statute requires
An official-ballot district that discovers a procedural defect may call a special meeting “for the exclusive purpose of curing such defect according to RSA 31:5-b with a single session for deliberating and voting to cure such defect.” (RSA 40:16). RSA 31:5-b, II sets the conditions: the meeting may not be held less than 21 days after the original vote (May 15 is 64 days after March 12, so that is met); “Not less than 7 calendar days prior” the governing body must hold a public hearing explaining the reasons; statutory notice requirements for special meetings apply; and the majority needed to cure is “the same as the majority as required for passage of the original article.”
The recording covers only the meeting itself. No one mentions a prior hearing or the warrant for this meeting. The cure was a single motion ratifying all “the results of the March 12th Annual Meeting” (0:02:02), decided by voice vote with no count, and the transcript renders the call for opposition as “I oppose. Nay,” (0:03:52), so it cannot be told whether anyone voted no. If any March 12 article needed more than a simple majority, a voice vote does not show that the same majority was reached. The hearing notice, the warrant for this meeting and the clerk's minutes would settle all three points.
Sources: RSA 40:16 (2019 codification; source 1999, 86:4); RSA 31:5-b, II(a)-(e) (2019 codification; source ends 1989, 287:1)
OBSERVATION The chair suggested the board could let the superintendent hire over the summer without board approval
Discussing whether to meet in July, Sprague said summer meetings are mainly for accepting nominations of new hires and that “We can actually, give the superintendent the right to hire without without our approval.” (1:09:36). RSA 189:39 provides that “Superintendents shall nominate and school boards elect all teachers employed in the schools in their school administrative unit”. A standing delegation of teacher hiring to the superintendent would sit uneasily with that division of roles. No action was taken; the chair proposed waiting for the new superintendent's view (1:10:04). Earlier the same evening the board followed the statute's sequence, with the acting superintendent bringing two names forward and the board voting on them (1:06:12 to 1:07:27). The question returned at the SAU 6 board on June 4, 2019 (Dialogue/10407 SAU6060419.mp4.CSV).
Sources: RSA 189:39 (superintendents nominate, school boards elect teachers; source note ends 1971, 371:2)
OBSERVATION Affidavits for more than $400,000 in state infrastructure reimbursement were signed after adjournment with no list or vote on the record
The acting superintendent asked members to sign, before leaving, affidavits for completed security projects so the district could claim matching money from the Public School Infrastructure Fund: “I think the total is north of $400,000.” (1:13:17). The item was added to the agenda that night (0:05:51); no project list or amounts were read, no motion was made, and the signing happened after the adjournment vote (1:14:02). No rule requiring a vote is cited here. The point for review is that the public record of what the board attested to is the affidavits themselves, which are not in the district's shares for this period.
Sources: Dialogue/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4.CSV (rows 29 and 389 to 413)
POSITIVE The administration came back with answers before the board committed to a three-year insurance agreement, and the infrastructure money went through a public hearing
At its previous meeting the board had asked what the hidden cost of the Primex contribution assurance program was (0:51:35). The acting superintendent returned with Primex's answer that “there are no fees associated with cap.”, the early-termination terms, and four years of rate changes (0:51:20, 0:52:05), and acknowledged the one question she could not yet answer (0:53:19). Members tested the arithmetic before voting (0:55:54, 0:56:19). Separately, the acting superintendent reports that the infrastructure-fund money was accepted after a public hearing as unanticipated revenue (1:12:52); RSA 198:20-b, III required a public hearing before a board accepted unanticipated money of $5,000 or more. That hearing is outside this recording and is reported here as she described it.
Sources: RSA 198:20-b, III (2019 codification; source note ends 2005, 188:1)
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast: SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 5-15-19 (proceeded by "Special Precedural Defect" meeting) (show 10374; the Cablecast API refused requests from this environment, so the run time is taken from the last transcript row)
- Google Drive: no packet folder, warrant, agenda or minutes. MAP.md: “neither share holds a year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023 (checked 9/26/26).” Not searched again for this page, per the run instructions for meetings with no Drive material.
- Department of Revenue Administration notice of April 9, 2019: described by the chair on the recording; not inspected.
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4.CSV (414 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Dialogue/10407 SAU6060419.mp4.CSV (June 4, 2019; cited for the later summer-hiring vote)Input/Videos/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4Input/Transcripts/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4.jsonInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 102Scripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/10374 SchoolBoardSpecial051519.mp4.md (speaker attribution report)
Laws and rules cited on this page
- RSA 32:5, VII(a)-(b), 2018 codification (source note ends 2018, 246:1, eff. Aug. 11, 2018; the text in force for the February and March 2019 annual meeting): posting of certified copies of the budget, and of the default budget form in official-ballot districts, with the warrant
- RSA 40:16, 2019 codification (1999, 86:4): legalization of meetings in official-ballot subdivisions, single session
- RSA 31:5-b, II, 2019 codification (1988, 284:1; 1989, 287:1): 21-day interval, 7-day prior hearing, notice, same majority
- RSA 91-A:2, II, 2019 codification (source note ends 2018, 244:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019): minutes content, movers and seconders, five-business-day inspection
- RSA 189:39 (current text; source note ends 1971, 371:2, so in force on this date): superintendents nominate, school boards elect teachers
- RSA 198:20-b, III, 2019 codification (source note ends 2005, 188:1): public hearing before accepting unanticipated money of $5,000 or more