| 0:00:11 | Swearing in | The superintendent cites the oath as "Per RSA 925." (as transcribed; the provision meant is not identified) and names the three new members; Sprague's term is corrected from three years to "A one year term." The clerk leads the oath line by line. | |
| 0:03:40 | Chair and vice chair | The superintendent: "all those in support of Brian Rapp serving as a school board chair of the Claremont School Board, would you please raise your hand?" then "Three and I counted three. Mr. Rapp is the next school board chair". The new chair takes vice-chair nominations; Irish is unopposed. | |
| 0:09:08 | March 2 minutes | Approved by voice. The single I abstain. at 0:09:39 is labeled in the dialogue file as the superintendent, who is not a voting member; it is more likely a member who had not sat on March 2 (see the footer). | MED |
| 0:14:41 | Mayor's message and the background-check bill | The superintendent reads Mayor Charlene Lovett's congratulations and reports testifying with the high school principal and the mayor on Senate Bill 152: "the House Education Committee voted 18 to 1 to approve Senate Bill 152"; it would "allow school superintendents to have access to strictly confidential information" and "become effective July 1st, 2016" (0:16:58) [enacted as 2016 N.H. Laws ch. 117, effective July 19, 2016]. Sprague asks whether the $20,000 warrant article is for those checks; hires before then will be told their contracts are "contingent upon there's nothing in their criminal offense record check that would disqualify them." (0:30:39). | |
| 0:17:30 | STEM Fest donation and math scheduling | A business "provided a donation of $500." for middle-school STEM Fest (0:17:59). The high school principal asks to offer honors algebra and geometry "in a true a B schedule every other day, all year long", with "nothing with the curriculum, the credit values, etc. has changed." (0:18:29). | |
| 0:20:03 | Orientation for new members | From New Hampshire School Board Association materials: no individual member has authority "unless the board by vote has delegated authority", "No legal action can be taken except that a duly Warren meeting", and at social functions a quorum need not leave "unless the four of you or five of you sit down and start discussing board issues" (0:24:36). | POS |
| 0:25:49 | SAT administration | The testing coordinator's report on the March 2 SAT; the state decision "was apparently made in the fall, and by the time the legislature funded it, there was not enough lead time." Sprague: "89 out of 112 taking the SAT." (0:31:07). LeClair: under the waiver the district has not been focusing on participation rates. | |
| 0:27:10 | Public participation policy | The superintendent reads the policy's third rule: "in public session, the board will not hear personal complaints of school personnel or complaints against any person connected with the school system. And that includes you, by the way." Personal matters about an employee or member belong in "a protocol of going into nonpublic." (0:28:49). | OBS |
| 0:33:31 | When will the public be heard? | Jason asks whether parents should speak in citizens' comments or at the early education item. Adrian and Brent Ferland prefer comment at the item; the chair agrees. | POS |
| 0:36:40 | March 8 results | No candidate on the ballot for moderator (a write-in received 72 votes); treasurer Jane Hunter 740; clerk Mary Woodman 743; three-year seats Patrick Adrian 424, Michelle Pierce 522 (transcribed "The shelters"), Richard Seaman 401; Sprague 702 for the one-year seat. Operating budget "652 yes votes and 165 novels" [no votes]; paraprofessionals 518-313; maintenance and custodians 531-300; secretaries 483-343; expanded background checks 556-274; security upgrades 464-368; Maple Avenue repairs 593-230; maintenance expendable trust 491-334. "There are 849 total voters" of 8,446 registered (as read), read as "a 13% voting public" [849 of 8,446 is about 10%]. | |
| 0:41:49 | Youth and Government | Lewis asks to take ten students to Concord, "on August 8th and ninth this year" for "all day Friday and all day Saturday" [as transcribed; April 8 and 9, 2016 were a Friday and Saturday, August 8 and 9 a Monday and Tuesday]. Sprague objects to "you and Jill are going to be incurring the expenses on your own"; Lewis: "The school district pays a stipend." Approved. | |
| 0:46:19 | Early education: the case for change | In fiscal 2014 "24% of our students were identified as having special needs" (0:50:01); in 2014 "44% of our half day kindergarten students at the end of the year scored below or well below" the literacy benchmark (0:52:11). LeClair presents three priorities, "early learning, personalization and engagement", a grant of technical assistance with no monetary value, and an AmeriCorps VISTA position with a $5,000 local share to be paid from Title I (1:00:31). | |
| 1:02:12 | The federal law | The superintendent explains child find and least restrictive environment under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, citing Ed 1105 for New Hampshire's rule (not verified here). The number of identified three- and four-year-olds is rising; "the fact that we have not been able to comply with Ida" (1:07:16); "We don't have the room to provide children ages three and four, who are identified with the appropriate special education services" (1:07:38). The plan was "blessed by the Doe" and "it'll put us in compliance with the federal law." (1:11:23). | MED |
| 1:09:27 | The proposed model | Mixed classes of identified and non-identified children aged three and four, plus self-contained classes, "a potential of 100 children", by "taking our pre-K program that is in the Maple Avenue Elementary School, transferring it to the current facility, and over the summer, retrofitting that." He cautions it "may not look exactly like this in the fall of 2016". | OBS |
| 1:13:07 | The technical center review | A study for the Newport and Claremont districts on whether programs align with "high skill, high wage job needs". A recorded August 2015 interview is played (1:17:30): "to assume or speculate that programs will close. Is inaccurate". Child-care enrollment from the high school has been low, and early child care offers no "positive, livable wage opportunity" (1:20:36). A teacher-preparation pathway is proposed, with a teacher hired "for the fall of 2017" (1:22:33); "We have 17 teachers next year retiring in Claremont alone." | OBS |
| 1:32:41 | Board questions | Adrian asks whether low enrollment reflects how the program is promoted; the superintendent says the review found the high school and technical center "are not connected." LeClair separates "three distinct issues": the identified preschool population, a Department of Education direction to move from an early-childhood pathway to teacher preparation ("that was not a local decision"), and the existing program (1:41:07, 1:41:35). | |
| 1:43:03 | Enrollment and compliance today | LeClair: "27, 27 for the program located in this building" and "I believe we are up to 38 in the Maple, preschool programs". Asked whether the Maple Avenue program meets the standard, Pierce: "Doesn't because it doesn't have the other students that." The superintendent: "It's mostly sped children." (1:44:12, 1:44:14). Twelve new identified children are expected (1:46:07). | MED |
| 1:47:17 | The child care program's finances | Sam: tuition of $185 a week (infants and toddlers) and $175 (preschool); "without a CTE teacher, the Claremont taxpayers pay $0 to fund our program"; after salaries and benefits, "an income after that of $28,102.80." (1:49:38), and building operation is covered from tuition (1:49:55). The superintendent: identified children cannot be blended into the program without staff holding "a licensure and special education" (1:51:22). | |
| 1:52:11 | A CTE program or child care? | Irish: "We only have four kids that are signed up to even take the health care program" and "This is a CTE program first and foremost." (1:54:03). Pierce asks whether a $24,000 career is one the district should train students for; Sam describes earning running-start credits in the program. | |
| 1:59:25 | Could the program be combined with the preschool? | Brent Ferland proposes using the tuition program to supply non-identified peers. The superintendent: the identified children's teachers "have to be special education certified" (2:01:50). LeClair: about 15 children in referral, 12 likely identified, "projection of around 50." (2:05:23); class models and ratios; services begin on a child's third birthday (2:08:27). | |
| 2:11:40 | The parents' motion | Jason reads a proposed motion directing the superintendent "to maintain the current status quo, as presented in the 20 1617 budget" until the end of fiscal 2017, after which the parents would "close completely and dissolve the program". He says "the taxpayers did not approve a $236,000 fund to facilitate this move. We approved $236,000 as a budget for the Tech center program." (2:12:58). The chair: "Budgets are total budgets and there are no specific line items. It can be reallocated." (2:13:34). Jason: three months is not enough for 27 families (2:15:58). | OBS |
| 2:20:06 | Least restrictive environment in the community | Gerber: "a special ed student may be placed there and receive their special education services there. There does not have to be a special educator on staff, as long as the special educator is in consultation". LeClair: for a district-sponsored program the Department of Education's recommendation is "dual cert teachers", but "there are additional ways to provide support to identify children in the greater community population" (2:25:03). | MED |
| 2:27:53 | Irish: decide now | "If we do nothing for a year, that's just one more year for this tech center to die." "If we do nothing for another year, we have wasted that $200,000, no matter how you slice it." (2:30:07). On whom to trust: "I got to go with the people. We're paying a salary" (2:30:49). | |
| 2:35:00 | More public comment | Emily Adams: "we will not have this conversation next year." Amanda: "Personally, if you were a student, would you sign up for a class with no teacher?" (2:35:37). The chair stops crosstalk: "This is a public meeting. People need to. People need to be able to hear the conversation" (2:40:08). | POS |
| 2:42:35 | State compliance and Perkins funding | The chair: "The state has acknowledged that it's not currently being used what it's meant for. So we're in noncompliance." Asked about Perkins money, the director: "the state said you cannot push out a CTE program in order to put something else in" and new guidelines permit district programs "so long as it doesn't displace a C to E program. So the proposal is legal according to the new state guidelines." (2:43:42). He has "lost 56% of my staff here in the last seven years." (2:46:24). | OBS |
| 2:48:08 | Members divide | Brent Ferland backs the parents' motion: spending the money as allocated "adds some, credibility to the budgetary process." (2:50:31). Irish: "I wasn't elected to to make decisions based on making them happy." Pierce: "I don't feel comfortable making any kind of decision tonight on any of this until I have an opportunity to understand some of it." (2:52:37). The superintendent: "What you're feeling right now is the price of leadership" (2:56:38). | OBS |
| 3:00:42 | The vote | Irish: "I make the motion that we move forward with the recommendation proposed by the administration." Seconded; roll call called by the clerk. Audible answers: after Avian [Adrian] No. (3:01:21); No. (3:01:24, Brent Ferland); No. (3:01:28, labeled Becky Ferland); after an unrecovered name transcribed Rosanna, Yes. (3:01:31); after "Michelle. Pierce." Yes, yes. (3:02:05); Yes. (3:02:10); "True. Passes." (3:02:16). Three no and three yes answers are audible; the seventh is not. | OBS |
| 3:02:59 | A comment after the vote | An unidentified audience member: "Doctor Goodwin was adding additional information, and you're not getting the whole story. I'm afraid to tell you I'm going to be straight. You were misled." A point of order is called; Irish: "Please don't go there."; the superintendent: "The policy does not allow discrimination like that." (3:03:17). | OBS |
| 3:03:29 | Pre-employment drug testing, first reading | The superintendent: "The city of Claremont does this with all its employees". Sprague asks for disclosure "up front" in postings. Brent Ferland: is the paragraph on "the New Hampshire law legalizing medical marijuana" redundant "given the American disability paragraph?" The chair: "people being prescribed medical marijuana, would they necessarily fall under American with Disability Act." (3:06:57). Pierce asks why not random testing; the superintendent: "Constitutionally I believe this random conjecture." (3:13:37). Irish: testing after hire "will have to be part of the collective bargaining" (3:15:15). The paragraph is deleted and the policy approved "as amended" on first reading (3:16:27). | OBS |
| 3:16:45 | Nurses and athletic trainer | Families' cost should "not be an obstacle" to head-lice treatment; nurses' websites are up. Irish praises the athletic trainer's concussion protocol. | |
| 3:22:28 | Collective bargaining | The superintendent wants to "address the salary of our professional teachers" and discuss health insurance. Becky Ferland: "I felt very uncomfortable going to the to those collective bargaining meetings and coming back and reporting to the board". Brent Ferland wants the priorities set "at a public meeting. So it's on the record" (3:24:03). No more than three members per bargaining team (3:25:50). Becky Ferland stays with the paraprofessionals, Brent Ferland the secretaries; Irish and Sprague take capital improvements (3:28:11). | |
| 3:32:01 | The chair's advice on email | "I would recommend a separate email account. Just understand. Freedom of information, public emails." so that "all school board business happens through that." | POS |