Participants
Everyone heard on the recording or named as present or absent in the approved minutes. Spellings follow the minutes and agenda; where the dialogue file's label differs, the minutes' name is used and the difference is noted. Unidentified voices stay unidentified.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Heather Whitney | Chair | Presides. Approves the consent agenda by no objection (0:01:10). Raises equity of access for the Puerto Rico trip (0:45:38), class sizes and teacher load under the new schedule (1:15:36) and the bargaining update (1:19:13); asks Henry to confirm the surplus protects "the 420,000 that we assured" (1:44:45). Announces an August 7 session with counsel Matt Upton on Right-to-Know and board roles (1:59:20). |
| Frank Sprague | Vice chair; Finance Subcommittee chair | Asks the trip's educational purpose (0:42:33) and the 97% scheduling figure (1:06:23); seconds the Stevens handbook motion (1:12:22); describes the NECAP geometry gap (1:12:35); supports paying for roofs outside warrant articles (1:43:56); volunteers for the communication committee (1:48:50). The minutes name him as seconder of the trip motion. |
| Candace Crawford | Member | On the SREB process (0:36:36); asks the trip's size, scholarships and whether approval is final (0:46:43, 0:48:14); supports the schedule but wants lead time for families (1:13:56); moves the $583,000 roof motion (1:43:18). Becomes chair of Capital Improvement and of the permanent tech visioning committee (1:50:28, 1:51:13). |
| Bonnie Miles | Member | Asks about the roof motion at the start (0:01:33); praises the SREB work (0:35:53); on phones and student interaction (1:34:03). Steps down as Capital Improvement chair while staying on the committee (1:50:19); seconds Crawford's nomination as visioning chair (1:51:07). |
| Michael Petrin | Member | Moves the Puerto Rico trip (0:46:23) and the Stevens handbook "including the schedule change" (1:12:14); asks for behavior and grade conditions on the trip (0:52:38); says the subcommittee favored paying for the roofs from "the fund balance" (1:42:14); volunteers for the communication committee (1:48:57); asks for future data on 504 plans (2:00:38). Addressed as "Mr. patron." and "Mr. Peterson." in the transcript. |
| Whitney Skillen | Member; Policy Subcommittee chair | Arrived 6:39 p.m. (minutes). Asks how often Perkins V needs assessments are required (0:37:45); urges fundraising that lets "any student" attend (0:50:53); asks about tech center class length (1:09:48); seconds the roof motion (1:43:52); moves Crawford as visioning chair (1:51:00). Called "Miss Gillam" and "miss Gillen" by the chair in the transcript. |
| Arlene Hawkins | Member | Absent (minutes). Sprague jokingly nominates her for the communication committee (1:47:23). The clerk's roll reads "Riley Hawkins" (0:00:35). |
| Noelle Kronberg | School board clerk | Calls the roll (0:00:30); reads back the trip motion (0:53:58), the handbook motion (1:21:15) and the roof motion (1:45:37). |
| Nicole Bouchard; Kylee Plummer | Student board members (agenda masthead) | Not heard on the recording and not listed as present in the minutes. |
| Chris Pratt | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Presents the end-of-year report (0:02:58); thanks Ben Nester (0:08:32); frames the period schedule (0:55:29); on faculty support (1:19:20), the phone policy's effects (1:25:31) and pouch costs (1:37:32). |
| Mike Koski | Assistant Superintendent | Presents the cell phone survey (1:21:42) and the English language arts results (1:51:37). |
| Mary Henry | Business Administrator | Financial update and roof bids (1:38:23). |
| Ben Nester | Director of Special Education | Last board meeting; thanked by Pratt and the chair (0:08:32, 0:09:03). One line at the end of the tape (2:01:27). |
| Dr. Michael Herrington | Stevens High School principal (agenda: "SHS Interim Principal") | Remote, camera off. Presents the Puerto Rico trip (0:40:08) and the period schedule (0:56:48). |
| Charles Gessner | Stevens staff member who built the schedule (named in the minutes; role not stated) | Labeled Unidentified in the dialogue file. The minutes record that "Charles Gessner shared that it was actually 90% of students" and explained the tech center double blocks, which matches the voice at 1:06:39 through 1:11:54. Herrington's "Mr. governor was showing up" (1:05:44) is the transcript's rendering of the introduction. |
| Dr. Alex Herzog | Director, Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center (departing) | Reads a statement for the vision committee chair, Andre on tape and Andre LaFreniere in the minutes (0:10:41); introduces Winkler. |
| Dr. Dale Winkler | Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) | Presents the career pathway review, remotely (0:13:55). |
| Caleb Milbourn | Citizens' comments, Ward 1 | Name from the minutes; the transcript gives "Caleb. Billboard, Ward one." Asks whether the district has early learning centers for staff childcare, and whether the board plans facilities to bring out-of-district placements back, saying Stevens "spends over 25% of its budget on sending students out of district" (0:02:05). |
| Unidentified | Various | Three roll-call answers (0:00:35); the second to the trip motion (0:46:33; the minutes name Sprague); brief interjections. |
Agenda
Items from CSB Agenda 6.20.24.docx.pdf, quoted from that document. Dispositions from the recording, checked against the approved minutes. The packet also holds an Exhibit G (a document on New Hampshire Children in Need of Services) that the agenda does not call for.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:03 | I. Call to order, pledge; roll call | Roll at 0:00:30; minutes: Crawford, Miles, Petrin, Sprague, Whitney present, Skillen arrived 6:39, Hawkins absent. |
| 0:00:44 | Consent agenda | Agenda: "Consent Agenda (vote required)", covering the agenda and "Minutes Approval- June 5, 2024 CSB Meeting". The chair adds Koski's state test results under other business and approves the consent agenda on "Seeing no objection" (0:01:10); no vote. See flag 4. |
| 0:01:48 | Citizens' comments | One speaker, Caleb Milbourn, Ward 1 (0:02:05). |
| 0:02:52 | III. Superintendent Report: end of the year data | Pratt's report; farewell to Ben Nester. No action. |
| 0:10:16 | VI.1 SREB Virtual Presentation (Exhibit A) | "Report from consulting group employed by district to assess current CTE program." Herzog's statement, then Winkler. The chair announces the board will make the tech visioning committee permanent (0:39:07). No vote. |
| 0:39:53 | VI.2 FY 24-25 SHS Trip to Puerto Rico (Discussion/Vote) | Petrin moves approval (0:46:23), confirming it is approval of the trip "which includes further fundraising" (0:48:48); second heard but not named (0:46:33; minutes: Sprague). The clerk reads it as "To approve high school Puerto Rico trip for the 2024 2025 school year." (0:53:58); voice vote, carried (0:54:07). |
| 0:54:13 | VI.3 SHS Period Schedule/ Approval of SHS Handbook (Exhibit B) | Agenda includes an "update on collective bargaining impact related to schedule change". Petrin moves the handbook "including the schedule change" (1:12:14); Sprague seconds (1:12:22); voice vote, "motion passes" (1:21:21). See flag 3. |
| 1:21:28 | VI.4 SHS Impact of New Cell Phone Policy (Exhibit C) | Koski's survey results and discussion; no vote. See flag 5. |
| 1:37:55 | VI.5 Financial Update (Exhibit D) | Henry's report; Crawford moves "We appropriate, 583,000" for the Disnard roof and the third phase at Stevens by New England Weather Guard (1:43:25); Skillen seconds (1:43:52); "Motion passes unanimously." (1:45:53). See flag 1. |
| 1:46:06 | VI.6 Development of Communication Ad Hoc Committee | Petrin and Sprague volunteer; recorded by the chair, no vote (1:49:11). |
| 1:49:39 | Sub-Committees | Crawford replaces Miles as Capital Improvement chair, "if there's no opposition" (1:50:28). Skillen moves Crawford as chair of the permanent tech visioning committee, Miles seconds, and the chair treats it as "a consent" (1:51:13). |
| 1:51:13 | V. Other Business | Koski's English language arts results (1:51:37). |
| 1:58:33 | VI. Future Dates/Future Agenda Items | Public forum on achievement; joint City Council meeting; August 7 session with counsel; no board meetings in July (2:00:11). |
| 2:01:19 | VII. Adjournment | By consent; minutes: "Consent adjournment". |
Discussion timeline
Times are taken from the dialogue transcript (Dialogue/15814 SchoolBoard062024.mp4.CSV) and link into the recording.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:01:10 | Consent agenda | "Are there any board members that object to moving the consent agenda as written and as described? Seeing no objection, the consent agenda is moved". It includes the June 5 minutes. | OBS |
| 0:02:05 | Citizen comment | "Does the district have any early learning centers?" and "Stevens High School spends over 25% of its budget on sending students out of district." The chair: "Normally we don't give responses, but, we're thinking about all of those things." (0:02:43). | |
| 0:02:58 | End-of-year report | Pratt: "It's pretty much all the data that we have at the district level", to be posted on the website; enrollment, discipline by month and by sex, state and i-Ready data, IEP and 504 counts by building (0:07:25). "I think we're up to 76 pages." (0:09:32). The chair notes Kip Ryan also posted it on What's Up Claremont (0:09:39). | POSITIVE |
| 0:08:32 | Nester farewell | Pratt: "this will be his last board meeting with us"; the chair acknowledges "Mister Nestor's contribution" (0:09:03). | |
| 0:10:41 | Vision committee statement | Herzog reads for the committee chair: the study "started after the 2022 deliberative session"; a second phase consultant "has already been hired" (0:12:16). | |
| 0:13:55 | SREB career pathway review | Winkler: desktop audit in fall 2023, site visit "March 28th and 29th" (0:17:12); Perkins V requires a comprehensive local needs assessment (0:15:57). The facility "is in a very good condition and it has room to add additional CTE programs" (0:26:43). Five recommendations, including expansion into electricity, HVAC, manufacturing, hospitality, health science and education (0:28:44), and keeping the CTE Vision Committee (0:31:10). Priorities from the May 30 workshop: programs of study, a defined purpose for the committee, and student advisement from the middle grades (0:32:37). Needs assessments "at least every two years" (0:37:54). | |
| 0:39:07 | Visioning committee made permanent | "So this evening we are going to seek permanent membership and identify a chair of that committee." Done by consent at 1:51:13. | OBS |
| 0:40:08 | Puerto Rico trip | Herrington: a parent proposed it; a trip for juniors and seniors "every other year"; five days aligned with a break; "The funding method is mostly going to be funded by the student" (0:44:17). The chair raises "concerns about equity for student access" (0:45:38). Count: "for giving me about 35" (0:46:49). Petrin: estimated cost $1,200, reduced by group and individual fundraising (0:50:08). Skillen asks for fundraising that lets "a student, any student, to attend, possibly even a student who may have like zero family contribution" (0:50:53). Approved (0:54:07). | OBS |
| 0:55:29 | Period schedule rationale | Pratt: "we're not saying that period scheduling is better than block". Herrington cites SAT reading and writing "46.5%, not yet approaching the standard" (0:57:17) and an IXL diagnostic ("the Excel diagnostic") flagging "94.9% of the students tested" for remediation (0:57:55). Average hall pass "15 minutes" and "they can't sit in class for 78 minutes" (1:02:52); semester two passes: mean 63, median 47 (1:03:45). | |
| 1:06:39 | How the schedule was built | Gessner (per minutes): "the first run was 90%", correcting the 97% figure; "100% of the kids got 90% of what they wanted" (1:07:05). Tech center classes "double blocked" to protect Newport transportation (1:10:52). | |
| 1:12:35 | Board discussion and vote | Sprague: students in pre-calculus not proficient on NECAP because geometry was "two years ago". Crawford wants families to understand "the rationale" (1:13:56). Herrington: class sizes "are going to be reduced" (1:15:43). The chair asks about "the teachers reception to this and the collective bargaining update" (1:19:13); Pratt answers on faculty preference only (1:19:20). Approved (1:21:21). | OBS |
| 1:21:42 | Cell phone policy survey | Koski: about 50% return, "225 students and 32 out of 57 faculty"; no teacher said the policy made learning worse (1:22:49); students still bring phones daily. Pratt: "a huge, huge decline in bullying and harassment" (1:25:31). Koski received one parent complaint, Pratt two (1:30:10, 1:30:22). | POSITIVE |
| 1:38:23 | Financial update | Henry: as of May 31, "870. Thousand and $35 in surplus" (Exhibit D's grand total: $870,035.10); "one point, I think 3 million" still encumbered for out-of-district placement (1:38:33); "close to a million" expected (1:39:23); 1.84 million encumbered overall (1:39:43). The $420,000 is in the figure: "I added it to the budget" (1:40:25). | MEDIUM |
| 1:40:46 | Two roofs, $583,000 | Stevens gym roof $273,000 and Disnard $310,000; bids out in February (1:41:37). Petrin: the subcommittee's view was to "take it out of the the fund balance" (1:42:14). Henry: a purchase order must issue "before June 30th" (1:42:53). Crawford: "We appropriate, 583,000" (1:43:25). Sprague: keep such items "out of the Warren articles" (1:43:56). The clerk's read-back is transcribed "a motion to across the continent for $82,000" (1:45:37). Carried unanimously (1:45:53). | MEDIUM |
| 1:46:06 | Communication ad hoc committee | Purpose: "systems for critical communications, for votes and budgets" (1:46:33). Petrin and Sprague volunteer (1:49:11). | |
| 1:51:56 | English language arts results | "last year's state average for the Ela test was 51% proficient"; writing was new this year. The middle school opt-out rate "was that 20% rate" (1:57:13); "below that 95% mark, those start counting" (1:57:43). | OBS |
| 1:58:55 | Future dates | A joint City Council and school board meeting; "August 7th. I have employed the services of Matt Upton to come give a presentation to the school board and a retreat type setting to review the right to know laws." (1:59:20). No board meetings in July (2:00:11). | |
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 20, 2024, or is labeled an observation where no verified rule applies.
MEDIUM The board voted to "appropriate" $583,000 for roofs, described as coming from fund balance, a power a school board does not have
Crawford's motion, prompted by the chair's "We appropriate", was to "appropriate, 583,000 to cover the, repairs to the roofs" (1:43:25); the approved minutes record "a motion to appropriate $583,000". Petrin described the subcommittee's view as taking it "out of the the fund balance" (1:42:14). Appropriations are made by the district meeting. A school board may not pay or incur liability "for any purpose for which no appropriation has been made, except as provided in RSA 32:9-11"; RSA 32:10 lets the governing body transfer an unexpended balance from one appropriation to another, provided "The total amount spent shall not exceed the total amount appropriated" and no money goes to a purpose the meeting deleted or rejected. Unexpended FY24 appropriations lapse on June 30 unless "encumbered by a legally-enforceable obligation, created by contract or otherwise" before then (RSA 32:7, I), which is why Henry said the purchase order had to issue before June 30 (1:42:53). Read that way, the vote is a year-end transfer and encumbrance of unspent FY24 operating appropriations, which the statutes allow; fund balance itself is what remains after June 30 and is not available to the board. The record does not say which lines were transferred from, and the motion's wording does not match the authority. The arithmetic is also tight: Exhibit D's surplus of $870,035.10 is measured against a budget of $35,300,311.92 into which Henry added the $420,000 the board had promised to return to taxpayers (1:40:25); $870,035.10 less $583,000 is $287,035.10, below $420,000, so the promise depends on the roughly $200,000 of extra revenue and the out-of-district encumbrance releases Henry anticipated (1:45:03). The audited FY24 statements would show the transfers, the encumbrance, and whether the $420,000 survived.
Sources: RSA 32:8 (no expenditure without an appropriation, except under RSA 32:9-11; 1993, 332:1); RSA 32:10, I (2024 codification; transfers by the governing body within the total appropriated); RSA 32:7, I (2024 codification; lapse unless encumbered by a legally enforceable obligation); Exhibit D-Claremont May 2024 Budget Report 6-12-24 (1).pdf (grand total line)
OBSERVATION The minutes differ from the recording on two figures
On the trip, Herrington's estimate on tape is "for giving me about 35" (0:46:49); the approved minutes record "Dr. Herrington said he thinks it would be about 25 students". On the state English results, Koski gives last year's state average as "51% proficient" and says this year's had "not been published yet" (1:51:56); the minutes record "State average is 50%". The minutes also give the trip vote as "all present voting in favor" and name Sprague as seconder, which the recording does not contradict. Neither difference changes a decision, but minutes approved as the official record should carry the figures as stated. No rule beyond the general requirement of a "brief description of the subject matter discussed and final decisions" governs figures in minutes.
Sources: 13. approved CSB Minutes 6.20.24; RSA 91-A:2, II (2024 codification; minutes contents)
OBSERVATION The agenda promised a collective-bargaining update on the schedule change; none was given before the vote
On June 5 the board tabled the Stevens handbook because counsel wanted to discuss "any impact bargaining" with the union first (see the June 5 page). Tonight's agenda item reads "Discussion concerning proposed period schedule at SHS and update on collective bargaining impact related to schedule change". The chair asked for "the teachers reception to this and the collective bargaining update" (1:19:13); Pratt answered that faculty polls showed "overwhelming support" (1:19:20) and Herrington described a staff survey (1:19:49). Neither said whether counsel had completed the impact bargaining or what it produced, and the minutes record only teacher support. The board then approved the handbook "including the schedule change" (1:12:14, 1:21:21). Bargaining strategy may be discussed outside a public meeting, so the absence of detail is not itself a defect; the observation is that the public record does not show the condition on which the item was tabled being met.
Sources: CSB Agenda 6.20.24.docx.pdf; RSA ch. 273-A (public employee labor relations); RSA 91-A:2, I(a) (bargaining strategy excluded from the definition of a meeting)
OBSERVATION Minutes and committee chairs were settled by consent, including minutes that omit a vote
The chair approved the consent agenda on "Seeing no objection" (0:01:10) although the agenda marks it "(vote required)". The by-laws adopted on June 5 provide for consent-agenda items to be moved "by consent", so this follows the board's own rule. What it approved, without discussion, were June 5 minutes that record no vote on that evening's middle school handbook motion (flag 3 of the June 5 page). Committee chairs for Capital Improvement and the newly permanent tech visioning committee were also settled by "no opposition" and "a consent" (1:50:28, 1:51:13). The by-laws give the chair power to appoint standing committees "with board consent", which covers this. No rule found makes either step unlawful.
Sources: Exhibit E- Claremont School Board By-Laws .pdf (rules 1.04 and 2.10), adopted June 5, 2024; 12. approved CSB minutes 6.5.24
POSITIVE The administration published its year-end data and surveyed both staff and students on the phone policy
Pratt's 76-page end-of-year report (0:09:32) carries enrollment, discipline, assessment, special education and Section 504 counts by building and was posted for the public (0:02:58). On the phone pouches, Koski reported a staff and student survey with about a 50% return, "225 students and 32 out of 57 faculty" (1:21:42), and presented the students' negative responses alongside the teachers' favorable ones (1:23:43). Neither is required by statute; both give the public the data behind the decisions. The survey (Cell Phone Policy Survey.pdf) and the report are in the packet.
Sources: Superintendent's End of Year Report 2024 (1).pdf; Cell Phone Policy Survey.pdf
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/15814 SchoolBoard062024.mp4.CSV (577 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/15814 SchoolBoard062024.mp4Input/Transcripts/15814 SchoolBoard062024.mp4.jsonInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 233
Laws and rules cited on this page
- RSA 32:8: no expenditure without an appropriation except under RSA 32:9-11 (1993, 332:1, unamended)
- RSA 32:10, I, 2024 codification (source note ends 2017, 127:4): transfer of appropriations
- RSA 32:7, I, 2024 codification (source note ends 2017, 127:3): lapse of appropriations; encumbrance exception
- RSA 91-A:2, I(a) and II, 2024 codification (source note ends 2023, 188:1)
- RSA ch. 273-A: public employee labor relations