| 0:00:47 | Remembering Carolyn Towle | The chair: "we, lost our dear colleague, Carolyn Toll. Since our last meeting." and, after the silence, "Carolyn was a taskmaster, and she'd say, don't spend too much time in silence for me." (0:01:23). | |
| 0:02:05 | Agenda and minutes | Whitney asks to add "a discussion about removing masks for school board meetings." (0:02:11); Lambert adds HB 544, "The one about, like, talking about systemic racism and discrimination and stuff like that." (0:02:54); an unidentified member adds the vacancy (0:03:13). Agenda and May 5 minutes approved by voice vote (0:03:28, 0:04:12). | MEDIUM |
| 0:04:18 | Bowling team recognition | The chair: the team was "really against the odds" in what the coach expected to be a rebuilding year (0:04:18). The coach describes a COVID bubble season and an upset in the playoffs (0:04:44, 0:05:10); "out of doing this for 12 years we've been third three times and first twice." (0:07:37); two former players went on to bowling scholarships (0:08:02). Student names are omitted here. | |
| 0:10:45 | Applicant for the vacancy speaks | Stone: "Hello, I'm Nicholas Stone, Ward three" ... "I graduated in 2018. Currently still at school in Plymouth." and works locally as a store general manager (0:11:19); budgeting experience from that job (0:11:44). Whitney: "even if we disagree with the will of the board, that we support the will of the board" (0:13:05). Sprague on the board's retreat and team culture, and "When I first came on the board, the police used to show up." (0:15:10). | |
| 0:15:38 | Student report and farewell | The tech center inducted "23 students into the National Technical Honor Society" (0:16:08); adult education continues through the summer "with approximately 40 adult learners enrolled" (0:16:38); graduation "this next Thursday" (0:17:00). Farewell: "it's vital that the board and the administration dedicate time and energy in order to try and retain teachers who can grow into the holes that are left." (0:21:42) and "dozens of classes that were available when I entered the building aren't offered anymore" (0:22:04). | |
| 0:24:41 | Strategic plan components | "we have six major components for the strategic plan" focused on student achievement (0:24:41): time on learning, recruiting and retaining staff, school safety and a "general return to normalcy" (0:25:50), in-district special education and a revamped governance structure with "more feedback loops with parents" (0:26:14). Possible schedule changes for secondary schools are previewed (0:28:39 onward). | |
| 0:31:20 | Federal relief funds (ESSER) | "Claremont has almost $10.6 million from the beginning of Covid to the end of about 2 to 2 and a half more years after this" (0:31:45); "this is outside of the budget. It's it's meant to close gaps in impacts from Covid" (0:32:08). Plans include outdoor classrooms and playgrounds; "the 10 million will go fast" (0:37:58), "again, not taxpayer money" (0:38:32). "Concord got 15 million and we almost got 11." (0:43:39). Seaman: the funds come by reimbursement, and questionable items go to the state's ESSER coordinator first (0:44:13, 0:44:52). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:33:04 | Special education placements and the Goshen tuition contract | Students returned to in-district programs; "very positive news from the new Goshen, contract", with students so far choosing Claremont at "about 16,000 per student" (0:33:04). "We negotiated at 153. I think our final number was just right at 159." for middle and high school (0:33:43); elementary "started at 14" and the figure given is 145 (0:33:59, 0:34:04). The transcript's figures are read most naturally as $15,300, $15,900 and $14,500 per pupil; on July 1 the superintendent gave base figures of 141 for kindergarten to grade five and 153 for grades six to twelve, raised 3% this year (see the July 1, 2021 SAU 6 page). No contract document was available to confirm either set. | |
| 0:46:18 | School funding lawsuit and the statewide property tax | "this is the carnival lawsuit" [ConVal lawsuit], with "18 or 19" districts, aimed at base adequacy "being around 4000" (0:46:18, 0:46:47). Whitney asks how the statewide education property tax creates disparity (0:47:33). Sprague: under a bill in process "The state says adequacy. There is around $19,000." but "for the purpose of paying us, it's around $4,000 a year" (0:51:10, 0:51:44). Seaman: the statewide tax "doesn't go into a pool" and stays with the town (0:52:04); Claremont's cost per student for the Goshen calculation is "in the 17,005 range" (0:53:48); "there's no way you can educate a child on $3,600." (0:54:13). | |
| 0:56:26 | Professional-development tracks and summer program | Staff choose year-long professional-development tracks aligned with the strategic plan (0:56:53, 0:57:32); "Almost every single one of our staff members responded" to the track survey (1:01:15). The summer program runs "from the 12th of, of of July. To to mid-August." with arts and remediation (1:03:30); Magoon: "We don't have any problems with with, having shortage of teachers for the summer program." (1:05:31). | |
| 1:06:35 | Filling the Towle vacancy | Sprague: "I kind of acted unilaterally when I made the decision" to have an ad placed, based on "past practice" (1:06:35); "If things have been working properly, I would have we would have had a special meeting" (1:07:06). He called Will Phillips, "an attorney at the School Board Association", and "looked up RSA 671 colon three three Roman numeral two A" (1:07:23). Horsky: a policy "going forward" (1:09:28). Petrin: "the notice was posted timely" on Facebook and in the paper (1:10:53). Sprague: an appointee serves "until the next election" (1:11:23). Lovett asks about past candidates (1:11:54). Petrin moves (1:13:17); voice vote (1:13:54); Stone sworn in (1:14:10). | POSITIVE |
| 1:16:05 | Masks at board meetings | Whitney cites changed state recommendations and her own workplace's rules (1:16:29): "I know for a fact that we have at least 70% of the folks in this room are vaccinated." (1:17:53). She reads the state public health guidance that where "70 to 80%" of a group is vaccinated "face mask use in other measures may not be necessary." (1:21:07). An unidentified speaker asks whether distancing still applies and whether the motion covers the public (1:19:18). Motion restated to cover "everybody" (1:22:08, 1:22:35); carried by voice vote (1:22:47). | |
| 1:23:09 | FY2022 federal grant assurances | Magoon: participation in federal programs requires "a brief discussion on some of the requirements that we have to do so at a board meeting" (1:23:13). Assurances read include record access for audits (1:23:41), disposal of federally funded equipment only after consulting the state (1:24:01), lead-paint, gun-free and drug-free workplace compliance, and policy DAF on purchasing (1:26:01, 1:26:40). On a past state review: "We were not doing sole source documents. We weren't reporting out anything over $10,000." and "since they came out and cited us on it, we need to make sure that we're following all those procedures." (1:27:06, 1:27:24). A grant expiring at the end of September must be spent in time (1:27:56). Asked about missed growth targets: "There's no penalties that anything for that." (1:29:07). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:29:29 | Secondary schedules and forums | Coordinating middle school, high school, tech center and Newport schedules (1:29:38); "what I'm proposing to do is, is, to have a series of forums" (1:30:34); proposals needed "going into budget season, which begins almost immediately, October, November" (1:33:29). Sprague wants evening sessions so working members can attend (1:34:22). Recommendations in the fall, scheduling from January 2022, implementation the following year (1:36:42 to 1:37:08). Horsky asks whether relief funds can pay for the change; Tempesta: yes if tied to a COVID gap, but "it has to be sustainable" (1:37:13, 1:37:45). | |
| 1:50:48 | Elementary realignment | Tempesta: "we've had lopsided sizes of school, with about 300 in maple just under that, and, and only 150. And in bluff" (1:50:53); consolidation could support literacy interventions and academies (1:51:42). Sprague favors starting a middle school model in grades four and five (1:52:56, 1:53:25). | |
| 1:54:56 | Pay to play | Sprague asks what the board means by it (1:54:56, 1:55:17). Horsky: some activities are "financed more off the taxpayers back than other things" (1:57:23) and the gap is "borderline discrimination in my eyes" (1:56:56). Sprague: "the athletic budget is is significant." (2:00:28). An unidentified member separates the out-of-district middle school players from fees for all students (2:01:25). Tempesta: this year's out-of-town players "did pay to play" (2:02:32); relief funds may buy instruments and drama items (2:04:34). Referred to the policy committee (2:06:17). | |
| 2:08:07 | Summer schedule and hiring authority | "So we don't meet in July" (2:08:07); Tempesta: "We were scheduled to meet on the 4th of August. I think that's premature. I would much rather push that out to to the 18th." (2:08:11). Sprague: normally nominations come to the board, but "we're going to allow you to defer those nominations to, to August." (2:08:41). Tempesta on relief-funded staffing: "we have about 40% more kids out on home school" (2:10:27) and one more elementary teacher, "not in the regular budget. But it's funded and cares money." (2:11:16). Motion amended to budgeted positions and carried (2:11:22, 2:11:30). (The board in fact met on July 21 and August 4; see those pages.) | OBSERVATION |
| 2:11:37 | HB 544 (divisive concepts) | Lambert relays a constituent's request, citing another district's letter that the language "promotes an unconstitutional restriction on free speech" (2:12:08). Sprague would encourage members to act "as a person, not as a board member" (2:14:21) and "would not vote in favor of this board opposing it as a, as a board" (2:14:50). Whitney thinks the bill "is a statement versus something that's going to be implemented in practice." (2:16:13). Horsky: "it's not the the board's place to determine what individuals believe." (2:17:02). No motion. | |
| 2:18:17 | School Board of the Year | The School Board Association's attorney urged the board to apply (2:18:40); Horsky: "How can you win in Vegas if you don't play the table?" (2:19:25). | |
| 2:20:19 | Back-to-school outlook and next agenda | Tempesta: attendance went "from February to March to April to now being 94% back full" (2:22:11); asked whether a return to normal means no remote option, Yes., with an outside vendor as the likely remote alternative (2:23:22). Next agenda: back-to-school plan, summer school update (summer school ends August 13, 2:24:18), committee reports (2:25:58). Graduation at "the end of Maple Avenue" with fireworks (2:27:51). | |