Participants
Everyone the recording shows taking part. Names follow the project's dialogue file; no minutes exist online to check spellings against, so spellings of non-members are as the transcription heard them and are marked where unverified. Members are listed first. No member of the public spoke.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Brian Rapp | Chair | Presided. Reported his meeting with the teachers' association and faculty on the 4x4 schedule; questioned the roof and insulation work; asked that political-campaign rentals be charged for setup time; objected at 1:51:50 to the draft's checks of existing employees. According to the superintendent he signed the paraprofessional contract that evening. |
| Chris Irish | Vice Chair | Asked for publicity for school events; argued for waiving rental fees for community sports; defended checks of existing employees before agreeing to remove them; raised gender expression and athletics on the transgender policy. |
| Frank Sprague | Board member | Moved approval of handbooks, the program of studies, the student manual and the Maple Avenue roof; asked about off-hours roof work; supported charging for custodial time; asked for CMS enrichment classes on a future agenda. Answered LeClair's LADC question. |
| Rebecca (Becky) Ferland | Board member; SAU 6 chair | Asked for hourly rental rates and about renting the culinary kitchen; asked when paraprofessional bargaining would restart; moved first reading of the building rental procedure. |
| Michelle Pierce | Board member | Opposed renting the culinary kitchen during the school year ("This is a school room."); asked how the background-check policy would treat existing employees; reported the city's new subcommittees. |
| Patrick Adrian | Board member | Spoke once at length, on when a check of an existing employee might be useful. |
| Brent Ferland | Board member | The dialogue file places him by elimination only (the one male member left unassigned), and the attribution report rates it low to medium. The voice asked about coding in the curriculum, the athletics question on the transgender policy, a portal link in the handbook, and moved the background-check first reading "with the changes as discussed". |
| Middleton McGoodwin | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Superintendent's report (grants, dental initiative, flu clinic); introduced the emergency plans, handbooks, schedule changes, nominations and policies; relayed a state education department attorney's advice on the background-check policy. |
| Cory LeClair | Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6 | New teacher orientation; community use of buildings; the DHHS substance-misuse grant and the McKinney-Vento award. |
| Michael O'Neill | Business Administrator, SAU 6 | Reported the missed food service RFP and recommended the Maple Avenue roof contract. Addressed as Mike; surname from the project roster, not said on this recording. |
| Patricia Barry | Principal, Stevens High School | Presented program-of-studies changes for the 4x4 return, the student-parent manual, Playworks training and the accreditation visit; reported attending a signing for Senate Bill 152. |
| Melissa Lewis | Principal, Disnard Elementary School | Presented the emergency operations plans and elementary handbook changes. Disney in the transcript is Disnard. |
| Michael Lansing | Principal, Bluff Elementary School | Presented the emergency operations plans. Surname as heard by the transcription, unverified. |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda for this meeting is posted in any district share, so this list is reconstructed from the chair's transitions on the recording. The chair refers to "Roman numeral seven" and lettered items, so a written agenda existed. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped entry for the full text.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:03:44 | Call to order, pledge, roll call | Roll call not audible by name. |
| 0:04:32 | Agenda amendments and approval | Added acceptance of a grant to action items; corrected future item D to "fiscal year 18 budget". Approved by voice vote. |
| 0:05:17 | Minutes of August 3 | Approved by voice vote. |
| 0:06:05 | Superintendent's report | Grants, dental initiative, flu clinic. |
| 0:12:16 | Citizens' comments | No speakers. |
| 0:12:27 | Discussion: emergency operations plans | Informational; not subject to board approval. |
| 0:19:42 | Discussion: SAU 6 new teacher orientation | Informational. |
| 0:23:11 | Action: elementary student handbooks | Sprague moved; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:29:00 | Action: Stevens High School program of studies (4x4 schedule) | Sprague moved; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:37:03 | Action: Stevens student-parent manual | Sprague moved; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:46:56 | Food service program | Report only; no vote. |
| 0:50:17 | Action: Maple Avenue roof | Sprague moved the business administrator's recommendation of Melanson and Company at $109,500; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:58:44 | Action: nomination of new staff | Approved by voice vote. |
| 1:02:49 | Policy: transgender and gender nonconforming students (first reading) | Accepted for first reading; motion and second not audible. |
| 1:11:29 | Policy: procedure for building rental (first reading) | Accepted for first reading with the members' recommendations. |
| 1:39:47 | Policy: background investigation and criminal history records check (first reading) | Accepted for first reading with the paragraph on checks of existing employees to be removed. |
| 2:00:46 | Policy: volunteers (first reading) | Accepted for first reading. |
| 2:01:39 | Budget schedule; paraprofessional contract | Budget timeline to the next meeting; contract reported signed. |
| 2:03:40 | Action: acceptance of a grant | DHHS grant accepted by voice vote. |
| 2:12:01 | Future agenda items; adjournment | CMS enrichment classes requested; adjourned. |
Discussion timeline
Chronological, from the dialogue CSV. Times are the start of the cited exchange, taken from the CSV's own second count. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped cell for the full entry.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:03:44 | Call to order; agenda; minutes | Roll call heard only as Here and here. Agenda amended (grant acceptance added; item D corrected to "fiscal year 18 budget"). August 3 minutes approved: "We also have older minutes that we've already approved. So we only need to do August 3rd." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:06:10 | Superintendent's report | New Hampshire Charitable Foundation grants for place-based learning; the Sullivan County Dental Initiative adding silver diamine fluoride treatment; "we are participating, in the flu clinic for students at no cost." The dental hygienist's name comes through twice, as Kyle Messier and Carl Messier. | |
| 0:12:23 | Citizens' comments | Chair: "Open the floor for any citizens comments." No one spoke. | |
| 0:12:39 | Emergency operations plans | Revised plans for all SAU 6 schools, "almost 80 pages", to go to local agencies and the state. Superintendent at 0:17:53: "we do not distribute copies of this because there is information in it that is confidential". | |
| 0:19:45 | New teacher orientation; salaries | Induction and mentoring program. Superintendent: "we have to become more competitive with with salaries", hoping to do it through bargaining, and "the goal isn't to put it on the back of the taxpayer." | |
| 0:23:17 | Elementary handbooks approved | Lewis: "Eventually, we expect that our handbook will go primarily an electronic version." Report cards now online through the parent portal. Chair at 0:28:07 asked for "a way to have a link to a board, email addresses as well". Approved. | |
| 0:29:05 | Stevens program of studies for the 4x4 return | Barry: "The photography course is deleted" because the darkroom's silver disposal "was actually, violating some EPA regulations"; senior project dropped ("In senior Project we had seven students."); Spanish 3 and 4 not offered this year. Brent Ferland urged making programming a required course. Approved. | |
| 0:37:33 | Playworks, accreditation, and SB 152 | Playworks training August 26; the accreditation visit and a public gala on Sunday, October 23. At 0:43:26 Barry: "I had the privilege of being a part of a private signing this afternoon in the governor's office when Bill 152 was passed, which means better and stronger background checks for all schools throughout the state of New Hampshire." Student-parent manual approved at 0:44:50. | POSITIVE |
| 0:45:02 | Chair's statement on the 4x4 schedule | Rapp met the teachers' association and faculty; flex time kept; "we heard some really good. PSAT numbers." | |
| 0:47:33 | Food service RFP missed | Business administrator: "It's never my intention to make decisions for the school board, I take away choices from the school board. And due to the fact that I didn't get my RFP out early enough to allow for the minimum 21 day turn time"; "I'm recommending that we continue the in-house food service program for the 1516 school year." "Food service operates at a break even under the current in-house department." Asked whether a motion was needed: "No, we don't need". | OBSERVATION |
| 0:50:21 | Maple Avenue roof | A roofing report "estimated the cost to to repair the roof at Maple to be $167,000"; "We put a warrant out for 100,000". "I got two proposals back, got one from which and sons for $129,889, and one from a Lansing company for 109,500." "The reason I only got two quotes back is because I required a bond". Recommendation: "the contract with the Melanson Company for 109,500. There is a warrant article we did for 100,000." Motion at 0:55:21; approved at 0:58:32. | OBSERVATION |
| 0:58:47 | New staff nominations | Nine replacement hires read into the record; Sprague: "she's a former New Hampshire teacher of the year". Approved. | |
| 1:02:50 | Transgender policy, first reading | Superintendent: "Students who are transgender or gender nonconforming have rights. Very clear rights," and "I did not write this policy. It comes with the recommendations of a New Hampshire School Board association." Brent Ferland at 1:08:27: "does that kind of get you in trouble with any of the leagues that we participate in for?" Irish: "last year we had a 200 pound linebacker who this year identifies as a woman". The superintendent undertook to check. Voted at 1:11:20. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:11:32 | Building rental procedure | Custodial charges added. LeClair: last year she arranged for community sports groups "to not charge them anything for building use". Rapp at 1:23:15 on "one of the presidential campaigns"; the superintendent: "when we were talking about Mr. Trump, the idea, the theme of the board was, you know, we have a history of welcoming these candidates." Rebecca Ferland: "I might just want to do my next event down here at The Thing because it's a lot less expensive." | |
| 1:29:59 | Renting the culinary kitchen | Members debated renting the technical center's teaching kitchen. Pierce: "absolutely disagree with any of it being used for outside it being a classroom" and "This is a school room." First read accepted with the recommendations. | |
| 1:39:50 | Background-check policy, first reading | Superintendent: "This policy, reflects the law that went into effect July 19th of this year." and "Senate Bill 152 as of last month is in place". On a state education department attorney's advice (Diana Fenton in the transcript, spelling unverified), "she recommended candidates for employment who have committed a felony will not be considered." | POSITIVE |
| 1:45:13 | Checks of existing employees | Rapp: "I have a question about the border or superintendent may require a criminal records check of any employee at any time." At 1:51:50: "This was supposed to be for all new employees, all new hires. And that was the deal that was made that that got certain senators over the hump to be able to support it". Superintendent: "I can't tell you whether additional criminal record checks on the top of page four is in the law. I don't remember seeing that in the law." and "personnel matters should not come to the board". At 1:55:01: "I have no problem with redacting additional criminal record checks." | POSITIVE |
| 1:57:10 | Applicant pays; what the check reveals | Rapp asked about "having the prospective employee pay for the background check"; the superintendent confirmed. On results: "What will be there is that there was a felony. It won't tell you exactly what it is." First read accepted "with the changes as discussed". | |
| 2:00:46 | Volunteer policy | Updated because "the volunteer policy references the old RSA." First read accepted. | |
| 2:01:39 | Budget schedule; paraprofessional contract | Superintendent: "Brian Rapp earlier this evening signed the contract. This was a bargain by a policy subcommittee, and it been signed." Rebecca Ferland: "Isn't the paraprofessionals contract for one year?" and asked that bargaining restart early. | |
| 2:03:45 | DHHS grant accepted | LeClair: "Award to support, substance abuse, misuse and prevention in our middle school"; a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (transcribed A lady Frank stands for for LADC) "to the tune of mid 30,000"; the funder requires that "you take a vote agreeing to enter into this grant relationship with them". Accepted at 2:07:51. | |
| 2:07:56 | McKinney-Vento award | Homeless-student funding "is allocated on a competitive grant process"; "So we receive a $35,000 grant every year for three years." | |
| 2:12:01 | Future items; adjournment | Sprague: "the CMS enrichment classes, if we could expedite that". Pierce: at the joint meeting with the city "they came up with three subcommittees", one on homelessness and hunger. Adjourned. | |
Items flagged for review
Flags are a reviewer's aid generated by comparing the meeting against the law in force on August 17, 2016. Several provisions cited below were later amended, and each flag cites the text as it then read. They are not findings of violation, and nothing here is legal advice. Where no verified rule applies, the flag says so and is recorded as an observation. Five flags follow, ordered by severity.
OBSERVATION The Maple Avenue roof was awarded at $109,500 against a $100,000 warrant article, with no statement of where the other $9,500 comes from
The business administrator said at 0:50:21 that a warrant article provided $100,000 and at 0:52:14 recommended "the contract with the Melanson Company for 109,500. There is a warrant article we did for 100,000." The board approved on Sprague's motion (0:55:21, vote at 0:58:32). Nobody said where the remaining $9,500 would come from.
Two provisions in force in 2016 frame the question. RSA 32:8 (unamended since 1993) bars a school board from paying or incurring liability for a purpose with no appropriation, except as RSA 32:9 to 32:11 allow. RSA 32:10 permits transfers among appropriations during the year, but its paragraph I(d), as it read in 2016, says: "Any amount appropriated at the meeting under a special warrant article may be used only for the purpose specified in that article and shall not be transferred." Whether the $100,000 was a special warrant article, and whether the balance came from the operating budget's maintenance line, cannot be determined without the warrant and the budget, neither of which is available online. On the other side: the administrator required a performance bond, named both bidders and both prices in public, and chose the lower, which is the kind of disclosure that lets a reader check the decision.
Sources: RSA 32:8 (limitation on expenditures; 1993, 332:1, unamended); RSA 32:10, I(d) (2016 codification).
OBSERVATION The food service RFP missed its deadline, so the in-house program continued without a board decision
At 0:47:33 the business administrator told the board he had not issued the food service request for proposals in time "to allow for the minimum 21 day turn time" and that he was therefore continuing the in-house program, adding that it is "never my intention to make decisions for the school board". Asked whether a motion was needed, he said no. The 21-day figure is his characterization of a state requirement; this page did not verify it. He proposed issuing an RFP in October so that the choice could be made during the FY18 budget process, and said the in-house program runs at break even. The practical effect was that an option the board had been weighing was removed by a missed administrative deadline, and the board took no vote. The transcript says "1516 school year"; the context is the 2016-17 year.
Sources: No statute verified; the 21-day requirement is the speaker's characterization.
OBSERVATION The transgender students policy received its first reading without an audible motion or second, and the athletics question was left open
At 1:05:43 the chair asked for concerns, then for "A motion for first read." and "Do we have a second?"; no mover or seconder is audible, and the vote at 1:11:20 is by voice. Members asked whether admitting students to teams by gender identity would conflict with the rules of the leagues the district plays in, and the superintendent undertook to check. The policy was adopted on third reading on September 21, where the same athletics concern was argued at length.
The superintendent described transgender students' rights as "Very clear rights" by reference to the policy's legal references, which are not in any available record. In August 2016 the relevant federal position was guidance, not regulation: the Departments of Education and Justice's Dear Colleague Letter of May 13, 2016, withdrawn on February 22, 2017. This page did not verify a New Hampshire statute then in force addressing gender identity in schools.
Sources: ED/DOJ Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, May 13, 2016 (guidance); withdrawal letter of February 22, 2017.
OBSERVATION No agenda, packet or minutes for this meeting are posted online, and the roll call is not audible
MAP.md records that neither district Drive share holds anything before July 2022 (checked 9/26/26), so this page rests on the recording alone. That is a limit of what the district posts online, not by itself evidence that records were never made: the board approves its August 3 minutes on this recording (0:05:17). In 2016, RSA 91-A:2, II required minutes to be "open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting". Because the roll call comes through only as Here and here., who attended is inferred from who speaks; the minutes would settle it. The limb of the project's missing-records rule applied is the online-availability observation.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2015 codification, in force until January 1, 2017); Input/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md section 13.
POSITIVE The board checked the draft background-check policy against the new statute and struck a clause the law did not require
The draft policy, prepared from legal advice given to superintendents, would have let the board or superintendent "require a criminal records check of any employee at any time." Members objected (1:45:13), the superintendent said "I don't remember seeing that in the law.", and the board accepted the first reading with that paragraph to be removed (1:55:01). The statute as amended by 2016 N.H. Laws ch. 117 (SB 152), effective July 19, 2016, directs a check of "every selected applicant for employment in any position" before a final offer, in RSA 189:13-a, I; paragraphs I and II as then in force speak of selected applicants and designated volunteers, not existing staff. The board's instinct to align the policy with the text of the law rather than adopt a broader power by default is a good-governance practice.
Two cautions. The chair's account of a legislative deal that limited the law to new hires is his characterization. And Barry's description of a "private signing this afternoon in the governor's office" was not the enactment: the bill-status record shows SB 152 approved on May 20, 2016, so the August event was presumably ceremonial. The superintendent's descriptions of what a records check reveals and of how felony records can be removed are his characterizations and were not verified here.
Sources: RSA 189:13-a, I and II (2016 codification; source note ends 2016, 117:1, eff. July 19, 2016); bill status for SB 152 (2016): chapter 117, approved May 20, 2016.
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast show 8577, "SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 8-17-16": Claremont Community TV, CLAREMONT SCHOOLS gallery. Every timestamp on this page links into this recording.
- No Drive material: neither the Claremont nor the SAU 6 share holds a year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023 (MAP.md, checked 9/26/26). No agenda, packet, warrant, contract, policy text or minutes were located.
- Related pages: September 21, 2016 (transgender, building rental and background-check policies adopted) and October 5, 2016.
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/8577 SchoolBoard081716.mp4.CSV (777 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/8577 SchoolBoard081716.mp4Input/Transcripts/8577 SchoolBoard081716.mp4.jsonScripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/8577 SchoolBoard081716.mp4.mdInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 13
Laws and rules cited on this page
- New Hampshire statutes, as in force on August 17, 2016. RSA 32:8 (limitation on expenditures). RSA 32:10, I(d) (special warrant article amounts; 2016 codification). RSA 189:13-a, I and II (criminal history records checks; 2016 codification). RSA 91-A:2, II (notice and minutes; 2015 codification).
- Session law. 2016 N.H. Laws ch. 117 (SB 152), approved May 20, 2016, eff. July 19, 2016, per the bill-status record; its effect is cited from the codified RSA 189:13-a.
- Federal guidance (not law). Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, May 13, 2016, withdrawn by the February 22, 2017 letter.