| 0:00:40 | Who runs the meeting | The chair: "Tracy, do you run this meeting or do I run this meeting?" The moderator: "This is your meeting". The chair: "So we have a quorum." and opens the hearing (0:01:01). | |
| 0:02:13 | Budget totals | "the grand total for the budget last year was 38,000,202 651 before warrant articles. We're recommending a budget now of 37785 400 oh 6 or 417,000 reduction." With last year's $1.13 million of warrant articles, "a reduction of 1.55 million, which was expected because of the utilization of one time money that we received from the state last year." (0:02:40) | |
| 0:03:13 | Special education programs | Elementary out-of-district costs down as "we're able to keep our kiddos in our school district" (0:03:44); Bluff up "$342,000" for two programs (0:04:12). Nester: the Brave program and the elementary autism program with the New England Center for Children; "Our intention is to end our contract with them at the end of this year and continue to operate that program in-house, at a reduced rate." (0:05:39) | |
| 0:06:50 | Placements and the Pride program | "we did have two students that moved into our district over this past summer and had to be out placed, to to specific programs, which cost the districts about $500,000 for those two students." A new autism program at Sugar River to bring back "three students that are currently out placing at about 60 to 60 to 70 to $80,000 per student" (0:07:40). | |
| 0:08:51 | One-time money and position reductions | "we had a one time, $1.5 million capital improvements in for last year." The budget committee "asked that we tried to target a increase in the in the tax rate, keep it below $1." Retirements will not be refilled (0:09:24); "We have not identified exactly how those position reductions will be allocated across the buildings, which is why it's showing here is a lump number" (0:09:49). | |
| 0:11:12 | Revenues | District assessment up "$541,000"; fund balance to reduce taxes "estimated at $400,000"; "$400,000 from the Special Ed Expendable Trust" (0:12:11); adequacy grants down "$3.3 million", of which about $2.9 million was one-time (0:12:50); catastrophic aid estimated at "600 zero" (0:14:10); Medicaid estimate back to 500,000 (0:14:35). | |
| 0:16:01 | Tax rate | "a local tax rate of $22.71", the statewide education property tax "at that $1.83" (0:16:28); "We come out with $24.53 as compared to last year's at 2393." (0:16:58) | |
| 0:17:19 | The default budget is not ready | "Now, I know we have on the agenda to also speak to the to the default budget. I haven't quite concluded the calculation of the default budget, but given that we have no real increases from last year to this year, we're not doing big investments in people or other areas. I anticipate that the default budget will be comparable to the recommended and proposed budget". "I should have that finalized over the course of tomorrow or the day after." (0:18:23) | HIGH |
| 0:18:55 | Public comment at the hearing | "we'll be taking questions from anyone in the community who has questions" with "comments would be limited to three minutes". Small: "I'm currently not seeing anything from." (0:19:37); "Anybody with the phone just star six to unmute." (0:20:27) The hearing is closed at 0:21:26. | |
| 0:24:20 | From voice vote to roll call | "All those in favor? Oh, I can't do it that way. Can you roll call, please? I can't wait till this is over." | POSITIVE |
| 0:26:41 | Budget sent to the annual meeting | Motion as above; the chair: "that number is all includes all of the revenue, not just the money to be raised by taxpayers." Seaman: "The actual general fund only number is 343 20." (0:27:28) Benware: "So that includes what we call pass through money." Roll call: seven Yes (0:28:07). | HIGH |
| 0:29:59 | How HB 1129 works | Upton: "the concept behind this is to replace the. Deliberative session with two virtual sessions conducted by the board." After the information session, the public sends "concerns, requested amendments, comments" (0:30:56); at the second virtual meeting "the board members actually act on behalf of the voters in amending the budget". "The first question that will be asked, of the voters is if they approve the process" (0:33:35). "There is a requirement that seven days prior to the informational session that you do provide, a written mailing to all registered voters." (0:35:58) "you have no ability to remove something from the warrant once it's posted." but an article can be zeroed (0:39:05, 0:39:29). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:40:16 | Who amends | The moderator: "Now, how would amendments work?" Upton: "All they can do is request an amendment." The moderator: "the school board is the governing board. So it's ultimately the school board's decision on how to act on all of the comments that they get from the public." (0:41:20) Upton: "the school board is doing is acting as agents for the voters" (0:41:52). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:43:47 | Benware objects | "I don't I don't like the idea of, of a virtual deliberative session for a couple of reasons. The first being the organic nature of a deliberative session. People show up to deliberate." "Once they these these ideas are all sent in, there is no deliberation any longer." (0:44:18) "That auditorium has plenty of room for people to distance." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:47:01 | An in-person session with overflow? | The chair proposes the gym as overflow and warns "there will be people there who, if we don't have a traditional deliberative session, are going to disapprove of the process just because of that's who they are" (0:47:51). Whitney: "I personally would prefer the in-person deliberative session" (0:48:39). | |
| 0:49:04 | The moderator's view | "in Sullivan County, in the month from November to December, our numbers rose from 95 to 240 confirmed cases." "I am in favor of doing House Bill 1129 and having the drive through and having the virtual meetings." (0:50:09) "That's just my opinion as the moderator." (0:50:54) She later says she would not attend an in-person session for health reasons (0:54:25). | |
| 0:50:57 | Voting by ward | Seaman asks whether drive-up voting could be held at the three ward locations; Upton: "I think I think you you probably could do it." (0:51:43) March 9 is a professional-development day (0:56:31). Upton: turnout in districts using the process "has been about 30% higher" (0:56:35). | |
| 0:57:52 | The board must decide | The moderator: "the governing body, which is the school board, has the vote on whether you want to do this remote following House Bill 1129 or if you want to have it as we normally have it." Upton: "We have actually no warrants on the on no articles other than the actual main budget this year" (0:59:09). On a failed process vote, a speaker labeled Upton in the dialogue file asks whether the fallback would be last year's budget, "highly bloated because of of state money" (0:59:54); the chair: "in this case, it'd be substantially more." (1:01:06) | OBSERVATION |
| 1:01:47 | HB 1129 adopted 6–1 | "I move that we, implement House Bill 1129 for our deliberative session process in the 2122 school year." Petrin (at 1:04:29): "I think that matters because we're making the decisions." Roll call: Benware No, no. (1:05:59); "That's only one against it passed." (1:06:45) Benware will move the main budget, "that's our only that's our only article" (1:07:21). | POSITIVE |
| 1:08:08 | First in-school cluster | "So we had 99 cases in Claremont" (1:08:34); "we had 22 staff who either had Covid or were quarantined" (1:10:28); "We have our first official cluster and again, that is transmission between people from inside the school." (1:10:57) "I would be asking the board to continue remote for another two weeks till we come back." (1:11:48) | OBSERVATION |
| 1:13:21 | Contact tracing | Magoon: "I have put out on quarantine or isolation, 80 people." "We're talking 27 staff members in that and that 80 people." (1:14:48) On the cluster: "we have three positive in one location." (1:15:59) Benware relays a community member's question and confirms three in-school transmissions (1:17:12). | |
| 1:18:33 | What metric brings students back? | Whitney: "I can't in good faith, you know, vote cart block on a on a February 1st hold date" (1:20:20); "what are we going to accept as a board, as the metric to return to school?" (1:22:50). The superintendent: a single number "it's capricious. So it's, it's the convergence of all those things." (1:29:16) Magoon: "according to the matrix that was approved by, that was brought to us by the school board and approved by the school board, we should be in remote" (1:31:09). Seaman: "Numbers are only as good as they are." (1:34:12) | OBSERVATION |
| 1:37:42 | Elementary schools first? | Benware: "has it been any conversation or thought as to trying to keep the elementary school in session or, instead of just all or nothing?" The superintendent: "it's a big consideration." (1:39:08) | |
| 1:42:42 | Cohort C students | Zullo: "So for me personally, I feel comfortable following the matrix." (1:44:06) "It's definitely, learning for cohort C students, I feel has definitely, not been up to par." (1:45:54) "what is happening at the elementary level is not equitable amongst all students at this point." (1:48:24) Principal Lewis: remote families at her school will get "synchronous learning in the areas of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies" (1:52:04). | |
| 1:52:53 | A student's view | Prescott Herzog: "at least at the high school, the synchronous learning has been great." "remote learning so far has been better than expected" (1:53:15). | |
| 1:55:28 | Motions: return date or re-evaluation | Petrin moves "to follow, Mr. Tempesta. Recommendations of return to school on February 1st", Zullo seconds. Whitney proposes instead to "revisit, what where we are with our Covid impact matrix on the 27th and individually evaluated individually evaluate which schools could come back February 1st" (1:55:54). Petrin withdraws (1:56:50); after debate over the 22nd or the 27th, Whitney moves "to reevaluate the Covid impact matrix, determine which schools will be safe to open in person on February 1st." (1:59:07) Roll call, all Yes (2:00:43). | OBSERVATION |
| 2:01:22 | Winter sports stay suspended | Magoon: "Sports is still a no." ... "That wasn't in the motion. I just want to make sure". Benware: "If we're not safe enough to be in school with kids, how can you possibly say we're safe enough to have them bumping into each other?" (2:01:42) | OBSERVATION |
| 2:02:08 | Citizens' comments, after the decision | The chair: "I neglected to do, citizens comments in the beginning of this meeting, and I wanted to, since we've ceased our deliberations on that." Ray: "There's only three, I think schools in the state that are not having sports in the winter completely." (2:03:02) Magoon: "I got one kid that test positive on a basketball team. The whole team is done." (2:03:58) Lisa, a third-grade teacher: "They need to know how to read and and write and do their math." (2:05:30) | OBSERVATION |
| 2:08:04 | Expiring terms | The clerk: the terms of "Rebecca, Jason and Heather" expire, with filing "anytime between January 20th to the 28th". On a newspaper notice listing two seats: "Heather was was appointed for a two year term and that one expires also this year." (2:09:23) | |