Participants
Everyone heard on the recording or named as present or absent in the approved minutes. Spellings follow the minutes and agenda. Unidentified voices stay unidentified.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Heather Whitney | Chair | Presides. Opens: "So I would I would like to welcome everybody to the June 5th Claremont school board meeting, but apparently we do not have a quorum." (0:00:15). Moves the middle school handbook (0:17:36) and the motion to lay the Stevens handbook on the table (0:20:19). Reports on the May 11 retreat (0:22:06) and presents the by-laws (0:37:48). |
| Frank Sprague | Vice chair; Finance Subcommittee chair | Moves the elementary handbook (0:15:29); seconds the middle school and Stevens motions (0:17:51, 0:20:35). Supports the two-year chair term (0:39:47); asks for released state test items (0:35:53); explains the monthly budget statements he received as a Stevens staff member (0:42:53). Finance report (1:06:42). |
| Bonnie Miles | Member; Capital Improvement Subcommittee chair | Asks for the religious-headwear exception in every handbook (0:17:58); moves Joella Merchant's reappointment (0:21:26); seconds the by-laws (0:41:42); asks about the public-comment time limit in by-law 2.04 (0:40:25). Raises the facilities director's budget access (0:42:14) and reports on the SRVRTC visioning session (0:56:27). The minutes name her as seconder of the elementary handbook motion. |
| Michael Petrin | Member | Answers the roll as Michael Keaton in the transcript (0:01:54). Seconds the CCTV reappointment (0:21:32; the chair says "Mike. Patron. Seconds."); moves the by-laws (0:41:37). The dialogue file also gives him the recognition of Dr. Alex Herzog at 1:08:44; the approved minutes credit that recognition to Patrick O'Hearn (see flag 3). |
| Candace Crawford | Member | Absent (minutes). Named by the chair as a visioning-committee participant (0:56:24). |
| Arlene Hawkins | Member; SAU 6 board chair | Absent (minutes). The chair relays her report of the SAU 6 retreat (0:24:35). |
| Whitney Skillen | Member; Policy Subcommittee chair | Absent (minutes). Her name is called in the roll as Whitney skilling (0:02:02). |
| Noelle Kronberg | School board clerk | Calls the roll (0:01:54); the chair's request is rendered "Bromberg, would you please call attendance?" Signs the minutes. |
| Nicole Bouchard; Kylee Plummer | Student board members (agenda masthead) | Not heard on the recording and not listed among those present in the minutes. |
| Chris Pratt | Superintendent, SAU 6 | On budget access through the Infinite Visions system (0:43:23); says Mary Henry is the facilities director's direct supervisor (0:47:13) and that "you have a capital improvement plan which we don't have" (0:47:37). On the River Valley Community College partnership (1:04:40). Thanks Sprague for attending the senior breakfast (1:07:17). |
| Mike Koski | Assistant Superintendent | Explains elementary trimester grading (0:14:50); presents the Stevens handbook (0:19:00) and the 2024 state math and science results (0:26:01). Introduced by the chair as "Mr. Costa" (0:25:35). |
| Mary Henry | Business Administrator | Says the facilities director "knows his budget" (0:42:34); describes the past practice of carrying purchase orders across fiscal years (0:44:02); describes how she has built capital improvement plans elsewhere (0:49:19). |
| Tess Nicholson-Powers | Director, District Management Group | Presents the strategic-planning process (0:03:04). Spelling from the minutes. |
| Melissa Lewis | Principal, Disnard Elementary School | Presents the elementary handbook (0:13:14). |
| Frank Romeo | Principal, Claremont Middle School | Presents the middle school handbook (0:15:52); adds the Yonder phone pouches (0:18:10). The chair's introduction is transcribed "the Claremont Middle School. Campbell." (0:15:47), a garble that names no one. |
| Patrick O'Hearn | Human Resources Director | Not identified on the recording. The approved minutes record that he "recognized Dr. Herzog, his resignation, and appreciation for his work in the district"; the dialogue file labels the corresponding words Michael Petrin (1:08:44). |
| Unidentified | Board member at the table | The second to the elementary handbook motion, heard at the end of Sprague's segment (0:15:29); the minutes name Bonnie Miles. A one-word interjection at 0:53:17. |
Agenda
Items from CSB Agenda 6.5.24.docx.pdf, quoted from that document, in the order they were taken up (the DMG presentation was taken before the handbooks). Dispositions from the recording, checked against the approved minutes.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:59 | I. Call to order, pledge; roll call | Agenda: "6:30 PM Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance". The chair first says there is no quorum (0:00:15). Roll at 0:01:54: minutes record Miles, Petrin, Sprague and Whitney present; Crawford, Hawkins and Skillen absent. |
| 0:02:08 | Consent agenda | Agenda: "Consent Agenda (vote required)", covering the agenda and "Minutes Approval- May 11, 2024 Retreat, May 15, 2024, & May 22, 2024". The chair approves by consent, "seeing no objections", naming "the May 15th and 24th school board minutes"; no vote is taken. See flag 1 and flag 4. |
| 0:02:32 | Citizens' comments | No one spoke; minutes: "Citizens Comments- none". |
| 0:02:58 | III.2 DMG presentation for the Strategic Planning Process (Exhibit F) | Discussion only. Tess Nicholson-Powers presents; no questions from the board. The chair states it was "funded by Esser funds" and is "a completely budget neutral endeavor" (0:12:35). |
| 0:12:58 | III.1 Review of Handbooks for FY 24-25: elementary (Exhibit A) | Sprague moves "to accept the, applicants presented" [handbook as presented]; a second is heard but not named (0:15:29); voice vote, carried (0:15:35). Minutes: "Frank Sprague made a motion to accept the handbook as presented, Bonnie Miles seconded; voice vote taken, all present voting in favor". |
| 0:15:47 | III.1 Middle school handbook (Exhibit B) | The chair moves approval "as amended, with the new restorative justice rubric alignment" (0:17:36); Sprague seconds (0:17:51); the chair adds the Yonder pouch policy as a friendly amendment (0:18:24); voice vote, "motion passes" (0:18:35). The minutes record the motion, second and amendment but no vote or result (flag 3). |
| 0:18:54 | III.1 Stevens High School handbook (Exhibit C) | The chair relays counsel Matt Upton's advice to wait on the schedule change pending any impact bargaining (0:19:49) and moves to "lay on the table the approval of the Stephen High School Handbook until we have had legal review" (0:20:19); Sprague seconds; carried on a voice vote (0:20:35). See flag 7. |
| 0:20:35 | III.3 Announcement of CCTV Appointment Candidates (Exhibit D) | Miles moves to reinstate Joella Merchant (0:21:26); Petrin seconds (0:21:32); one-year term "effective immediately", carried on a voice vote (0:21:35). Minutes agree. |
| 0:22:06 | III.4 Claremont Board Retreat | Chair's report of the May 11 retreat and the SAU 6 retreat; discussion only. See flag 6. |
| 0:25:35 | III.5 NH SAS /SAT Scores (Exhibit G) | Koski presents math and science results; English results not yet released. Discussion only. |
| 0:37:48 | III.6 Approval of By-Laws (Exhibit E) | Petrin: "Make the motion to approve the Claremont School Board bylaws as presented." (0:41:37); Miles seconds (0:41:42); voice vote, "The bylaws pass." (0:41:52). Minutes: "voice vote taken, all present voting in favor, motion passed". See flag 2 and flag 4. |
| 0:41:59 | III.7 School Board Sub-Committees | Capital Improvement (Miles) at 0:42:14; Policy and Curriculum representatives absent (0:56:02); SRVRTC Visioning at 0:56:27; Finance (Sprague) at 1:06:42. No votes. |
| 1:07:13 | IV. Other Business | Thanks for the senior breakfast; recognition of Dr. Alex Herzog's resignation as tech center director; congratulations to graduates. |
| 1:09:43 | V. Future Dates/Future Agenda Items | Cell phone policy and Stevens schedule (June 20); a public forum on academic achievement; no board meetings in July (1:10:54). |
| 1:11:25 | VI. Adjournment | By consent; minutes: "Consent adjournment 7:42". |
Discussion timeline
Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/15786 SchoolBoard060524.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:00:06 | No quorum at the start | Whitney: "We don't have a quorum." Sprague asks whether the board can hear presentations without one; the chair: "We cannot hold a meeting without a quorum." (0:00:48). She says she will make "a couple little inquiries via text". The roll then shows four members, Petrin answering as Michael Keaton (0:01:54). | OBS |
| 0:02:08 | Consent agenda by no objection | "Unless there is an objection. I will move forward to approve the two items on the consent agenda, which are the amendments and the. Excuse me, which are the minutes from the May 11th retreat and the May 15th and 24th school board minutes, seeing no objections." The packet's minutes are dated May 22, not 24. | MEDIUM OBS |
| 0:03:25 | DMG strategic planning | Nicholson-Powers says she has "done this work in over 60 school districts", that DMG's research found "only 3% of strategic plans we studied had some type of prioritization" (0:05:10), and that the needs assessment wraps up "at the end of July" with a draft brought to the community in the fall (0:09:17). A working committee with board representation met that day (0:09:59). Chair: "this was funded by Esser funds. And this is a completely budget neutral endeavor" (0:12:35). | |
| 0:13:14 | Elementary handbook | Lewis: "we did not make any substantial changes"; dress-code clarifications (bare midriff, hoods) and the move "from quarter to trimester for elementary next year" (0:13:55). The chair asks for "an exception for religious headwear" (0:14:20). Koski on trimesters: the first quarter "makes itself for a very short grading period" (0:14:50). Approved by voice vote (0:15:35). | |
| 0:15:52 | Middle school handbook | Romeo: aligning with the high school's "Arc program and restorative practices" and tweaking the discipline rubric; a Branching Minds referral system may change the referral process (0:16:16). Yonder phone pouches added "to align with what the high school is doing" (0:18:10). Approved with the chair's friendly amendment (0:18:35). | MEDIUM |
| 0:19:00 | Stevens handbook tabled | Koski: schedules "updated to be based on periods", still in discussion "Depending upon several factors, one being the union contract"; dress code "not gender specific" (0:19:26). Chair: "I did reach out to Matt Upton, and he he wanted to hold on that until he discussed with the union any impact bargaining that may occur with change in work hours and expectations." (0:19:49). Tabled on a voice vote (0:20:35). | POSITIVE |
| 0:21:14 | CCTV director reappointed | "She has served on the board faithfully and would like to be reinstated." Term expired May 31; reappointed for one year, effective immediately (0:21:35). The packet exhibit is the city's request for appointment to Seat 5 with the CCTV board roster attached. | |
| 0:22:35 | Board retreat report | "this was a reflection on board behavior and board experience" and the initiatives were "to be a burden on board members and not to be transferred to administrative team". Goals: communication, an ad hoc communication committee to be appointed "at the last meeting of this month" (0:23:21), and committee vision statements, cadence and legacy folders, the first due at "our first meeting in August" (0:24:35). The SAU 6 retreat did a SWOT analysis passed to the consultants (0:25:06). | OBS |
| 0:26:21 | 2024 state test results | English results not released. "the state average for math was 43% and the English average was 51%" [last year's]; science 37%. "we have about half of our students for proficient than the state average does" (0:26:52). Bluff grade 3 and Disnard grade 4 are "bright spots" (0:27:21). Grades 7 and 8 had "a half a year of online math" for lack of teachers (0:29:26), and "20% of our seventh grade opted out"; "the state expects 95% participation and we only had 80%" (0:29:53). Grade 11 science is transcribed "grade 1,121% compared to the 37% state average" [grade 11, 21%] (0:31:29). All three elementary schools "achieved 100%. Growth" on benchmark tests (0:33:21). | |
| 0:34:38 | Curriculum alignment | Sprague notes earth and space science is tested in grade 11 but not taught as a discrete course. The chair: "we do not have a actual math and science updated math and science curriculum in place at this time" (0:36:09). Koski: past math programs taught topics "that weren't tested in that grade level"; the new math curriculum aligns to the standards, science "another year" away (0:37:23). | |
| 0:38:18 | By-laws presented and adopted | The chair highlighted changes by email; the cover sheet will not include the SAU or Unity (0:38:18). Main issues: a two-year chair term ended "either by an election or by removal of two thirds of the board vote" (0:38:47), and a two-thirds vote for board resolutions to the NHSBA assembly (0:39:17). Miles notes 2.04 has no time limit; the chair: "this will not change our policy" (0:40:48). The consent agenda procedure is added (0:41:13). Adopted by voice vote of the four present (0:41:52). | MEDIUM OBS |
| 0:42:14 | Facilities budget access | Miles: Mr. Holt "doesn't know what his budget is" (0:45:47). Henry: "He knows his budget." Pratt: administrators check budgets in Visions (0:43:23). Henry: purchase orders "From fiscal year 22 or 21, and you're still carrying them forward to use in 23, which you can't do." (0:44:02); she sent Holt his FY25 budget on May 9 (0:46:42). | OBS |
| 0:47:24 | No capital improvement plan | Henry is arranging a meeting with Holt on a capital improvement plan. Pratt: "Typically what happens with some of the subcommittees for this one you have a capital improvement plan which we don't have." (0:47:37). The chair says the Finance Subcommittee wants to replenish capital reserve funds (0:48:10). Henry plans to bring projects with quotes to the next meeting (0:54:31). | OBS |
| 0:56:27 | SRVRTC visioning | Miles: SREB's Mr. Winkler presented data, and it was suggested the visioning committee become permanent rather than ad hoc (0:56:53). The chair: a state CTE director, "Doctor Beard" in the transcript, attended (0:58:25); embedding math and English credits in CTE courses will carry "budgetary, attachments" (0:59:24). River Valley Community College is ready to partner (1:03:47). | |
| 1:06:42 | Finance Subcommittee | Sprague will schedule a meeting toward the end of the month to follow up on district placement questions. | |
| 1:08:44 | Herzog recognized | "I'd also like to recognize Doctor Alex Herzog's, resignation as director of the Tech center and thank him for all his hard work for the 60 years he's been the director there." Labeled Michael Petrin in the dialogue file; the minutes credit Patrick O'Hearn. The chair and Pratt echo it (1:08:57, 1:09:25). | MEDIUM |
| 1:10:54 | Summer schedule | "As it looks now July will be no meetings." Meetings resume the first or second week of August; subcommittees keep working (1:10:59). | |
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 June 5, 2024 (the 2024 codification of RSA 91-A, whose source notes end with 2023 session laws), or is labeled an observation where no verified rule applies.
MEDIUM The board approved, without a vote, minutes recording a ten-year seal with no statutory finding
The consent agenda (0:02:08) approved the May 22, 2024 minutes, which are in this meeting's packet. They record a nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3, II(c) from 6:10 to 6:45 p.m., and then: "Heather Whitney made a motion to seal the minutes for 10 years, Frank Sprague seconded the motion; Roll call vote taken; all members voting yes", followed by "Discussion regarding policy of sealing minutes". RSA 91-A:3, III allows nonpublic minutes to be withheld beyond 72 hours only "by recorded vote of 2/3 of the members present taken in public session" at which "it is determined that divulgence of the information likely would affect adversely the reputation of any person other than a member of the public body itself, or render the proposed action ineffective, or pertain to terrorism". The minutes record the vote but no determination. The by-laws the board adopted later this evening say the same thing in their own words: "The decision to seal minutes of non-public sessions must affirmatively state one of the statutory bases listed above." The May 22 meeting has no recording in the corpus, so the minutes are the only record; the finding may have been stated and not minuted. The board accepted these minutes by the chair's "seeing no objections", with no motion and no vote, and the chair referred to them as the 24th minutes.
Sources: 5.22.24 draft CSB minutes (1).pdf; RSA 91-A:3, III (2024 codification; seal requires a recorded 2/3 vote and a determination on one of three grounds); Exhibit E- Claremont School Board By-Laws .pdf, appendix on minutes of non-public sessions
MEDIUM The by-laws adopted tonight misstate the Right-to-Know Law's nonpublic grounds
Petrin moved the by-laws "as presented" (0:41:37) and they passed on a voice vote of the four members present (0:41:52). The adopted text (Exhibit E- Claremont School Board By-Laws .pdf, 22 pages) carries an appendix on nonpublic sessions that begins "RSA 91 -A:3 sets forth eight grounds upon which Board of School Committees may enter nonpublic session", then lists nine numbered grounds, then says a motion "must state one or more of the nine statutory bases cited above". "Board of School Committees" is not a New Hampshire term. RSA 91-A:3, II as in force on this date has twelve live grounds, (a) through (m) with (f) repealed; the appendix's list omits (g) security-related issues, (h) business finance authority applications and (j) confidential commercial or financial information. The by-laws tell members "It is vital that a specific reference to one of these grounds be made on the record", so an incomplete list in the board's own governing document matters in practice. The appendix's statement of the sealing rule is accurate (see flag 1). Where the two differ, the statute controls.
Sources: Exhibit E- Claremont School Board By-Laws .pdf (read with pdftotext -layout); RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and II(a)–(m) (2024 codification; source note ends 2023, 189:1)
MEDIUM The approved minutes omit the middle school handbook vote and differ from the recording in two other places
On the recording the chair moves the middle school handbook (0:17:36), Sprague seconds (0:17:51), the chair adds the Yonder pouch policy as a friendly amendment (0:18:24), and the board votes: "All in favor of approving the handbook, per the motion, say I. I motion passes." (0:18:35). The approved minutes record the motion, the second and the amendment, and then move on to the Stevens handbook without recording the vote or its result. RSA 91-A:2, II requires minutes to include "a brief description of the subject matter discussed and final decisions". Two further differences: the minutes say "Patrick O'Hearn recognized Dr. Herzog", while the dialogue file labels those words (1:08:44) Michael Petrin and no other voice on the tape is identified as O'Hearn; and the minutes label the state test results "(Exhibit E)" and the by-laws "(Exhibit F)", where the agenda and packet make them Exhibits G and E. The motion makers and seconders are recorded for every other motion, as the same paragraph requires. The draft was posted on time (flag 8); the gap is in content.
Sources: 12. approved CSB minutes 6.5.24; RSA 91-A:2, II (2024 codification; minutes contents, movers and seconders, five business days)
OBSERVATION Four members adopted the board's governing by-laws, and the consent procedure was used before it existed
The chair opened by saying "apparently we do not have a quorum" (0:00:15); four of seven members were then recorded present, which is a quorum. Those four adopted the by-laws, including a two-year chair term removable by a two-thirds vote (0:38:47), with the member who chairs Policy absent. The vote was lawful, and the item was noticed on the agenda as "Approval of By-Laws (Vote) (Exhibit E)". Earlier, the chair approved the consent agenda, which the agenda marks "(vote required)", by declaring "seeing no objections" (0:02:08). General consent is a recognized way to dispose of uncontested business, and the by-laws adopted later that evening add a consent agenda process that moves items "by consent"; at the time of the consent agenda the by-laws had not yet been adopted. No rule found makes either step unlawful.
Sources: CSB Agenda 6.5.24.docx.pdf; Exhibit E- Claremont School Board By-Laws .pdf, rule 2.10 (Consent Agenda); approved minutes (attendance)
OBSERVATION The business administrator describes purchase orders rolled across fiscal years and expensed in the earlier year
Henry described a past practice of carrying purchase orders "From fiscal year 22 or 21" forward "to use in 23, which you can't do" (0:44:02), and said a rolled balance "would then get expensed into 23. Even though you hadn't purchased the items, you hadn't encumbered them" (0:44:49). Governmental funds use the modified accrual basis, under which expenditures are recognized when the liability is incurred, not when a balance is rolled; recording an unencumbered, unpurchased amount as a prior-year expenditure would overstate that year's expenditures. Henry gave no amounts and no years beyond FY21 to FY24, so no figure on the record departs from the standard. The audited statements and the auditor's findings for those years would settle whether it affected reported totals. In the same discussion Pratt said the district has no capital improvement plan (0:47:37); no statute found requires a school district to adopt one.
Sources: GASB Statement 34, ¶79 (governmental funds: current financial resources focus, modified accrual basis); N.H. Admin. Rules, Rev 1102.03 (NH school districts follow GAAP, GASB first)
OBSERVATION The retreat report omits the retreat's collective-bargaining action item
The May 11 retreat minutes, approved tonight on consent, record three action items. The chair reported two, communication and subcommittee structure (0:22:35, 0:23:21). The third, "Improving Collective Bargaining Effectiveness", reads in the minutes: "Establish a norm that the board will meet in a non-meeting or non-public once before collective bargaining with SREA and paraprofessionals' union". Collective-bargaining strategy sessions are excluded from the definition of a meeting by RSA 91-A:2, I(a), so the norm itself is lawful; the observation is that the public summary given on camera did not mention it. The retreat minutes name five members and the clerk and give the SAU 6 conference room, 10:00 a.m. to noon; no notice for the retreat was located in the packet folders read for this page.
Sources: draft CSB retreat meeting minutes 5.11.24.pdf; RSA 91-A:2, I(a) (collective-bargaining strategy is not a meeting)
POSITIVE The board held the Stevens handbook until counsel could address impact bargaining
The Stevens handbook carried a period-based schedule that Koski said depended on "the union contract and possible change in works" (0:19:00). The chair had asked counsel, who advised waiting until he "discussed with the union any impact bargaining that may occur with change in work hours and expectations" (0:19:49), and the board tabled the handbook "until a legal review" (0:20:35). Changes in working conditions are a bargaining subject under the public-employee labor relations statute; checking with counsel before adopting a document that changes work hours is the careful course.
Sources: RSA ch. 273-A (public employee labor relations)
POSITIVE Draft minutes reached the public share on the fifth business day
The draft minutes of this meeting were uploaded to the June 20 packet folder on June 12, 2024 at 19:53 UTC (3:53 p.m. in Claremont), Drive createdTime. June 12 is the fifth business day after June 5, within the five-business-day limit of RSA 91-A:2, II. The approved minutes name the mover and seconder of each motion they record (see flag 3 for its gaps).
Sources: draft CSB meeting minutes 6.5.24.pdf (Drive metadata read 2026-10-03); RSA 91-A:2, II (five business days)
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/15786 SchoolBoard060524.mp4.CSV (375 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/15786 SchoolBoard060524.mp4Input/Transcripts/15786 SchoolBoard060524.mp4.jsonInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 232
Laws and rules cited on this page
- RSA 91-A:2, I(a) and II, 2024 codification (source note ends 2023, 188:1): collective-bargaining strategy excluded from the definition of a meeting; minutes contents, movers and seconders, five business days
- RSA 91-A:3, I(b), II and III, 2024 codification (source note ends 2023, 189:1): roll-call entry; the twelve live nonpublic grounds; sealing by recorded 2/3 vote with a determination
- RSA ch. 273-A: public employee labor relations
- GASB Statement 34, ¶79: modified accrual basis for governmental funds
- N.H. Admin. Rules, Rev 1102.03: GAAP hierarchy for NH school districts