Participants
Everyone heard or named as present. Spellings follow the agenda and minutes; where the dialogue file labels a passage differently, the note says so. 30.1% of dialogue rows are unidentified, mostly short fragments and a cluster the diarizer could not split between Heather Whitney and Bonnie Miles.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Michael Petrin | Chair | Presides; announces two agenda additions (local critical staffing shortage; a New Hampshire School Boards Association delegate) (0:03:54); says he will be absent from the August 24 special meeting (0:56:34); asks whether policy proposals should go through the policy subcommittee first (1:08:25). |
| Heather Whitney | Vice Chair | Adds committee chairs and meeting dates to the agenda (0:05:01); moves the July 20 minutes (0:06:00); answers the citizen on the audit schedule; asks the curriculum team for a curriculum approval process (0:34:02). The minutes credit her with the capital improvement report (1:19:47) and the job-posting complaint (1:36:34); the dialogue file leaves those passages unidentified. |
| Steven Horsky | Member | Adds the Claremont Savings Bank donation (0:04:39); calls a point of order during citizens' comments (0:15:28); moves the staff nominations and the amendment adding Dr. Pelkey (0:45:32, 0:46:43); moves to table the handbooks (0:55:21); moves the critical-shortage approval (1:29:34); warns about chains of communication that could form a quorum (1:21:32); moves to adjourn (1:39:13). |
| Frank Sprague | Member | Moves the amended agenda (0:05:30); questions the curriculum team (0:32:45); seconds the nominations amendment (0:46:54); notices two versions of the agenda (1:04:19); explains the NHSBA delegate role and volunteers as alternate (1:30:30, 1:32:20). |
| Joshua Lambert | Member | Seconds the agenda and the July 20 minutes (per the chair, 0:05:34, 0:06:07, and the minutes); speaks for the policy subcommittee (1:08:18); seconds adjournment (1:39:20). The dialogue file's attribution of his voice is by elimination (low to medium confidence). |
| Bonnie Miles | Member | Reports for the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center visioning committee (1:00:24). |
| Whitney Skillen | Member, Absent | Absent (minutes). Suggested in her absence as the NHSBA delegate; the decision was deferred to August 24 (1:32:08). |
| Michael Tempesta | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Superintendent's report (0:16:56); introduces Dr. Heather Pelkey (0:17:47); COVID guidance (0:38:59); staff nominations (0:43:22); reads and recommends the RSA 189:39-a critical-shortage determination (1:26:20). |
| Michael Koski | Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, Innovation and Assessment, SAU 6 (agenda) | Presents the district curriculum and assessment plan (0:25:53). Introduced as Mr. Costa in the transcript. |
| Richard Seaman | Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Operations and Human Resources, SAU 6 (agenda) | Answers on the audit schedule (0:07:51) and ESSER balances (0:11:28). |
| Dr. Heather Pelkey | K-12 Math Curriculum Specialist (minutes); new hire | Introduced; brief remarks (0:19:07). |
| Matt Upton | District counsel, Drummond Woodsum (identification medium) | Before the call to order, explains the rules for a member attending remotely (0:01:32, 0:02:00). The dialogue file's label rests on Thank you. Matt. just before the gavel (0:02:32). |
| Melissa Small | SAU 6 administrative assistant; recording secretary (submitted the minutes) | Calls the roll (0:03:38); asked by a board member to consider the clerk vacancy (1:35:30). |
| Candace (Candy) Crawford | Citizens' comments, Ward 2 | Asks about agenda posting, audits, ESSER reimbursements, a counselor position funded at deliberative session, and the Stevens High School graduation rate (0:06:54). Transcribed as “Candy Crawford, board two”. |
| Student representative | Named on the agenda | Not present; no report (0:16:37; minutes). |
Agenda
The posted agenda (Claremont School Board Agenda 8.17.22 (1).pdf) lists the items below. The board amended it at the start of the meeting to add a local critical staffing shortage (item 5), an NHSBA delegate nomination (item 6), the Claremont Savings Bank donation (item 3A), and committee chairs and meeting dates. A board member later noticed that the copy on his computer differed from the paper agenda (1:04:19).
Official agenda items with the time each was taken up and its disposition. Agenda wording is quoted from the posted agenda; dispositions from the recording and the minutes.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:02:59 | I. Call to order, Pledge | Agenda: “6:30PM Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance”. Called to order by the chair. |
| 0:03:28 | II. Roll call | Six present, Skillen absent (minutes). |
| 0:03:54 | II. Agenda amendments and approval | Items 5, 6 and 3A and committee chairs added. Motion Sprague, second Lambert; carried by voice vote (0:05:30, 0:05:34). |
| 0:05:46 | II. Minutes, July 20, 2022 | Motion Whitney, second Lambert; carried by voice vote. The minutes record Sprague and Horsky abstaining; the abstentions are not audible on the recording (0:06:21). |
| 0:06:31 | II. Citizens' comments | One speaker, Candy Crawford (Ward 2); closed at 0:16:37. |
| 0:16:37 | II. Student representative report | None; the student representative was absent. |
| 0:16:56 | III. Superintendent report | New curriculum specialist introduced; curriculum and assessment plan; committees; school safety; COVID guidance. |
| 0:43:12 | IV.1 Staff nominations | Motion Horsky to accept the list; second Sprague. Amendment (Horsky) to add Dr. Heather Pelkey, second Sprague. Amendment carried, then the motion as amended carried, both by voice vote (0:51:10). |
| 0:51:46 | IV.2 School handbook approvals | Tabled to a short special meeting the following Wednesday, with a summary of changes due Friday. Motion Horsky (0:55:58); the minutes name Heather Whitney as seconder (the recording's So second. is unlabeled); carried by voice vote (0:57:17). |
| 0:57:35 | IV.3 Crown Point Cabinetry donation, $2,500 (and added 3A, Claremont Savings Bank, $1,000) | Agenda: “Crown Point Cabinetry Donation; $ 2,500.00”. Acknowledged; no vote, the chair noting both gifts are under $5,000 (0:58:48). Claremont Savings Bank's $1,000 for the Back to School festival acknowledged (0:58:53). |
| 0:59:56 | IV.4 Report out from committees | Visioning committee (Miles, Sprague), policy, budget and capital improvement subcommittees; choosing committee chairs deferred to the next meeting (1:25:53). |
| 1:26:12 | Added item 5: local critical staffing shortage | Library media specialist position. Motion Horsky to approve the superintendent's determination under RSA 189:39-a (1:29:34); an unlabeled Second. (1:29:50); carried by voice vote (1:30:04). The minutes name no seconder. |
| 1:30:04 | Added item 6: NHSBA delegate | Horsky nominates Sprague, who volunteers as alternate; Whitney Skillen suggested as delegate; decision deferred to the next meeting (1:32:48). The minutes record only that Horsky nominated Sprague. |
| 1:33:04 | V. Other business | School board clerk vacancy (interview fell through; to be reposted); a job posting with errors. |
| 1:39:03 | VI–VII. Closing activities, adjournment | Motion Horsky, second Lambert (1:39:13, 1:39:20). The minutes record adjournment at 8:15 p.m. |
Discussion timeline
Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/13556 SchoolBoard081722.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 |
|---|
| 0:01:32 | Before the gavel: remote attendance | Counsel (labeled Matt Upton) explains what a member attending by Zoom must do: “Just see them or at least hear them. Yeah. Contemporaneously. And they have to declare that they're on vacation and that where they're at. And anybody who's in the room with them.” (0:02:00) and “you have to have a majority, a quorum. Present.” (0:02:20). No member attended remotely. | POSITIVE |
| 0:03:54 | Agenda amended | The chair adds “a local critical staffing shortage discussion” as item 5 and an NHSBA representative as item 6, a role last held by “Carolyn Toll” [Towle]. Horsky adds the Claremont Savings Bank's $1,000 as item 3A (0:04:39); Whitney adds committee chairs and dates (0:05:01). | OBS |
| 0:06:54 | Citizens' comments: agenda posting | Crawford: “I looked last night and it wasn't there last night.” A reply: “It was there on Friday.” (0:07:10). The agenda file in the district's Drive folder was created Friday, August 12. | OBS |
| 0:07:14 | Citizens' comments: audits | Asked about the audits, Whitney says 2019 is done; Seaman: “Is 2020 on each of the three entities and still on schedule for the schedule that was provided by the auditors?” [read as a statement] (0:07:51). Asked whether the board received the auditors' paper report, Whitney: “No, we just knew that we were on schedule as of last meeting.” (0:09:35). Tempesta: “they haven't had a lot to present since, since we've been here with all the cleanup.” (0:08:45). | MEDIUM |
| 0:09:51 | Citizens' comments: ESSER reimbursements | Crawford says about $1 million was still outstanding in July. Seaman distinguishes spent-and-claimed money from unspent money: “approximately $1 million on, on the s for funds that haven't been expended yet” and “we have until September of 2023 for the SR two grant, until 2024 for the SR three.” (0:11:28, 0:11:49). The chair puts a federal grants update on the next agenda (0:12:27). | |
| 0:12:35 | Citizens' comments: counselor position | Crawford asks whether the full-time counselor supported at the deliberative session for the technical center was hired. Tempesta: “Guidance position was added. It was added, and it's at the middle school.” (0:13:51). Horsky: “I'm going to call a point of order because this is becoming a discussion versus citizens comments.” and adds that counsel had not answered whether the money had to be spent by line item: “So I'm kind of shocked the positions filled at this point.” (0:15:28, 0:15:49). | OBS |
| 0:16:11 | Citizens' comments: graduation rate | Asked for the class of 2022 graduation rate, Tempesta: “We're still working on that.” | |
| 0:16:56 | Superintendent's report; new curriculum specialist | Theme of student growth and measurement for the year. Dr. Heather Pelkey introduced (0:17:47): doctorate in STEM leadership from the American College of Education, writing specialist, teaching methods classes at Keene State (0:18:20). | |
| 0:19:50 | Four focus areas; school safety | Curriculum, assessment and support; elementary restructuring; a middle school, high school and technical center scheduling committee; school safety planning, with two meetings already held with the new police chief (0:21:02). Co-chairs sought from the board (0:22:18). | |
| 0:25:53 | Curriculum and assessment plan | Koski: universal assessments for a baseline, and “what we want to see is by year end that everybody's shown improvement in the areas of math and science, math and literacy.” Common assessments K-12 in ELA and math; curricula piloted by teachers; science and social studies deferred a year (0:38:07). | |
| 0:32:11 | Board questions on the plan | Horsky: “But we've been looking for a plan. And I finally see one.” Sprague on real-estate school ratings: “I call it the Zillow effect is my name for it.” (0:32:59) and on pacing for common assessments (0:36:13). Whitney asks the administration to “help us develop a comprehensive curriculum approval process so we can create a policy around it.” (0:34:02). | |
| 0:38:59 | COVID guidance | Tempesta: “Last Thursday on the 11th, the CDC put out guidance.” He says “there is no set guidance for reopening plans.” and county case rates are low (0:40:37). | |
| 0:43:12 | Staff nominations | Tempesta: “we have approximately 5 or 6 teaching positions still open throughout the district” (0:44:02), with shortages in “our special ed science and math” (0:44:57). Horsky reads the list into a motion (0:45:32), then amends it to add Dr. Pelkey after confirming she is a Claremont, not district-wide, hire (0:46:43). A member: “Can we have a delineation of which of these nominations are funded?” (0:47:01). Tempesta: Dr. Pelkey's position and the eighth-grade dean of students are ESSER-funded; he will follow up on the rest (0:47:05, 0:47:31). “So how will that work when the Esser funding goes away?” (0:49:12). Both votes carried (0:51:10). | OBS |
| 0:51:46 | Handbooks tabled | A member: “I did not feel I had enough time to review the handbooks.” (0:52:45). Tempesta apologizes that they were not sent Friday and says counsel was reviewing them (0:53:14, 0:53:57). Horsky: “I don't feel it's right for us to issue something that we can't fully back and fully comprehend the exact dynamics of.” (0:55:21). Tabled to a short meeting the next Wednesday; the chair: “I will not be here.” (0:56:34). | |
| 0:57:35 | Donations | “We have a nice donation from Crown Point Cabinetry of $2,500” for a basketball rebounding machine; Tempesta: “It's under 5000.” (0:58:48). Claremont Savings Bank, $1,000 for the Back to School festival on Saturday the 27th (0:58:53, 0:59:50). | |
| 1:00:24 | Visioning committee (technical center) | Miles: 12 to 15 members are reviewing the 2017 strategic plan and a 2015 report, career pathways, Newport collaboration and whether the Region 10 agreement is still needed; the state's career and technical education director is to speak at the next meeting. Sprague: enrollment counts are inflated by culinary quarter electives (1:03:01). | |
| 1:04:19 | Two versions of the agenda | Sprague: “I've actually got things on my computerized agenda that aren't on the paper one” and “it's got policy discussion on this one and update on school board clerk position or on this one.” (1:04:53). A member: “Can we somehow make a commitment to have the agenda and the supporting documents out seven days before the meeting? I think that is a policy that we actually have.” (1:05:15). Chair: “So we missed the we did miss the the update on the clerk.” (1:05:58). | OBS |
| 1:06:47 | Perkins money for consultants | A member asks whether Perkins funds could pay for consultants as in the former director's plan; Sprague says only ESSER money had been discussed; Tempesta: ESSER money was set aside for the visioning committee's outreach (1:07:18). | |
| 1:08:08 | Policy subcommittee and how policies reach the board | The subcommittee has not met (1:08:16). A member reads policy BGA: “The the board may adopt, amend or repeal written policies at any meeting by a majority vote of board members and attendance” (1:08:54). Horsky: “we are severely behind on several ones that are required by statute to be reviewed and amended” (1:09:43). Sprague wants exit interviews required, not expected (1:10:46). The chair proposes that pressing changes come to the board directly and others go to the subcommittee (1:17:46). | |
| 1:18:55 | Budget and capital improvement subcommittees; negotiations | Budget subcommittee to meet early next month; the next teacher negotiation session is August 31: “31st at five.” (1:19:29). Capital improvement: “I have had a private citizen ask for, balances and, identification of what was done with money in the past in a readable format.” (1:19:47; Whitney per the minutes). | |
| 1:20:14 | Committee chairs | The chair asks whether committees should elect their own chairs. Horsky argues the full board should name them: “now we've created a chain that could show a quorum accidentally, even though there wasn't everybody talking.” (1:21:32). Deferred to the next meeting (1:25:53). | POSITIVE |
| 1:26:20 | Local critical staffing shortage (RSA 189:39-a) | Tempesta reads the statute: “the superintendent, with the approval of the school board, may determine that a critical shortage exists in one or more specific teaching areas within the school district.” The position is “a critical shortage for a library media specialist” (1:26:48), which “this one isn't at the time recognized as one from the state.” (1:27:19). He spoke that day with the Department of Education's credentialing office (1:28:24). Sprague votes yes “Based on the presumption that this person will have a statement of eligibility.” (1:29:54). Carried (1:30:04). | MEDIUM POSITIVE |
| 1:30:04 | NHSBA delegate | Sprague explains that the delegate votes as the board directs: “the rep, the delegate doesn't go and vote his or her conscience.” (1:30:59). Horsky: “I nominate Frank Sprague.” (1:31:56). Sprague: “I'll be the alternate.” (1:32:20). Whitney Skillen is suggested; chair: “so let's for now push that to the next meeting.” (1:32:48). | MEDIUM |
| 1:33:04 | School board clerk vacancy | Interviews fell through; the post will be refreshed. Sprague: “And I'm assuming we're paying Melissa for us.” (1:33:40). Horsky notes the clerk is an elected position the board fills “because it is an elected position” (1:33:46) and asks the recording secretary to consider it (1:35:10). | |
| 1:36:34 | Job posting with errors | A member (Whitney per the minutes) reports a posting “for our restorative justice position that had 22 grammar and spelling errors” (1:36:53). Tempesta: “We took it down immediately upon hearing that.” (1:37:59). | |
| 1:39:03 | Adjournment | Motion Horsky, second Lambert; the recording ends on the call for the vote. | |
Items flagged for review
These flags are a reviewer's aid, not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each names the rule it rests on, as that rule read on August 17, 2022, or is labeled an observation where no verified rule applies.
MEDIUM FY2020 audits for all three SAU entities were still in progress, and the board had not received the auditors' reports
In August 2022, more than two years after the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, the administration described the FY2020 audits of “the three entities” as on the auditors' schedule rather than complete (0:07:51), with FY2019 done. The vice chair said the board had not received the auditors' paper report: “No, we just knew that we were on schedule as of last meeting.” (0:09:35). Where an entity spends $750,000 or more in federal awards in a year, the Uniform Guidance requires the single-audit package within the earlier of 30 days after the auditor's report or nine months after the period ends (March 31, 2021 for FY2020); OMB M-21-20 allowed a further six months for fiscal years ending through June 30, 2021, which would still have fallen in September 2021. The record does not state Claremont's FY2020 federal expenditures, so whether the single-audit deadline applied is not established here, and the flag stays at MEDIUM. Mitigation on the record: the superintendent said the auditors could be asked to present and the reports provided (0:09:26), and the delay was described as cleanup of an inherited backlog (0:08:45).
Sources: 2 CFR 200.501(a), 2022 CFR edition ($750,000 single-audit threshold); 2 CFR 200.512(a)(1), 2022 CFR edition (earlier of 30 days after the auditor's report or nine months after period end); OMB M-21-20, App. 3 sec. IX (six-month delay for fiscal year-ends through June 30, 2021)
MEDIUM The minutes name no seconder for the critical-shortage approval and record an NHSBA nomination the board deferred
Since January 1, 2019, RSA 91-A:2, II has provided that “The names of the members who made or seconded each motion shall be recorded in the minutes.” The motion approving the superintendent's RSA 189:39-a determination was moved by Horsky (1:29:34) and seconded by an unlabeled voice (1:29:50); the minutes record “Steven Horsky made a motion to approve the 189:39a recommendation by Superintendent Tempesta; all in favor via voice vote” with no seconder. Separately, the minutes say “Steven Horsky has nominated Frank Sprague for the position to represent the Claremont School Board.” On the recording Sprague declined the delegate seat in favor of serving as alternate (1:32:20), Whitney Skillen was suggested, and the chair deferred the choice (1:32:48). A reader of the minutes alone would take Sprague to be the nominee. The other motions that night carry both names.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II, 2022 codification (minutes content incl. movers and seconders; source note ends 2018, 244:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2019)
OBSERVATION Two agenda versions, and an item added and acted on the same night
The agenda file in the district's packet folder was created Friday, August 12 and last modified Tuesday, August 16, more than 24 hours ahead, which fits the reply that the agenda “was there on Friday” (0:07:10). RSA 91-A:2, II requires 24 hours' notice of the meeting, not a final agenda. Still, a member found that his electronic agenda listed items (policy discussion, a clerk update) missing from the paper one (1:04:19), and the clerk update was skipped as a result (1:05:58). Item 5, the RSA 189:39-a critical-shortage determination, was added at the meeting and approved the same evening. A member said board policy calls for the agenda and supporting documents seven days ahead (1:05:15); the policy was not read for this page, so that claim is unverified.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II, 2022 codification (notice posted at least 24 hours before the meeting); Claremont School Board Agenda 8.17.22 (1).pdf (Drive metadata: created 2022-08-12, modified 2022-08-16)
OBSERVATION The minutes reached the public share on the sixth business day
RSA 91-A:2, II requires minutes to be open to public inspection not more than five business days after the meeting. The minutes file was created in the district's Drive share on Thursday, August 25, 2022, the sixth business day after Wednesday, August 17. That date measures when the file reached this share (it was filed with the August 24 meeting's packet), not when the minutes were written or first available at the office, so it does not establish a late filing. It is noted because the share is the public's route to the minutes.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II, 2022 codification (minutes open to inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting); CSB minutes 8.17.22.pdf (Drive metadata: created 2022-08-25)
OBSERVATION Positions funded with temporary ESSER money, and a deliberative-session position placed elsewhere
The nominations included ESSER-funded positions (the curriculum specialist and the eighth-grade dean of students), and the superintendent could not say on the night which other nominations were ESSER-funded or backfills (0:47:05, 0:47:31). A member asked how the positions would be carried once ESSER ends (0:49:12); the answer was that the dean position would be absorbed into the district (0:49:19), with no figure given. Separately, a counselor position a citizen understood the deliberative session to have funded for the technical center was placed at the middle school (0:12:54), and a board member said counsel had not answered whether the appropriation had to be spent by line item (0:15:28). No verified rule is applied here; the record shows a future budget obligation and an open question about the appropriation that the board itself raised.
Sources: the recording at the times cited; no statute applied.
POSITIVE Right-to-Know care on remote attendance and on communications outside meetings
Before the call to order the board took counsel's advice, on the record, on what a remotely attending member must do: be seen or heard contemporaneously, state where they are and who is with them, with a quorum physically present (0:02:00, 0:02:20). That tracks RSA 91-A:2, III as it read in 2022. Later Horsky argued for full-board appointment of committee chairs to avoid email chains that “could show a quorum accidentally” (1:21:32), the concern RSA 91-A:2-a addresses.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, III, 2022 codification (remote participation; quorum physically present; persons present identified; roll-call votes); RSA 91-A:2-a, I-II, 2022 codification (deliberate only in meetings; communications outside a meeting not to circumvent the chapter)
POSITIVE The critical-shortage determination followed the statute's steps
RSA 189:39-a lets the superintendent, with school board approval, determine a local critical staffing shortage, with notice to the Department of Education within 30 days. The superintendent read the provision aloud, said he had consulted the department's credentialing office the same day (1:28:24), and sought a board vote; a member conditioned his vote on the candidate holding a statement of eligibility (1:29:54). The minutes add that a confirmation letter signed by the superintendent and the chair is on file.
Sources: RSA 189:39-a (critical staffing shortage: superintendent with board approval; Department notified within 30 days; source 2002, 117:1, unamended)
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/13556 SchoolBoard081722.mp4.CSV (694 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/13556 SchoolBoard081722.mp4Input/Transcripts/13556 SchoolBoard081722.mp4.jsonInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 172Scripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/13556 SchoolBoard081722.mp4.md (speaker attribution report)
Laws and rules cited on this page