Participants
Everyone the recording shows taking part, as named in the project's dialogue file and its attribution report. The roll call is only partly audible (0:06:19 to 0:06:28). Where the dialogue file leaves a voice Unidentified, this page does too.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Brian Rapp | Chair (re-elected tonight) | Elected chair on a voice vote (0:04:38); thanked the board "for the vote of confidence" (0:04:57); ran the vice-chair election, the meeting and every vote; announced the nonpublic session (0:48:32); asked for preschool to be added to the lead policy (1:03:34). |
| Chris Irish | Vice chair (re-elected tonight) | Elected vice chair (0:05:13 to 0:05:34); asked for the election results to be read (0:14:08); said the board had "voted to privatize" food service management (1:17:40). |
| Michelle Pierce | Member | Credited by the superintendent with seconding Rapp's nomination (0:04:24); seconded the agenda (0:07:05); moved the minutes (0:07:16), the nonpublic session (0:48:44) and the lead policy to second read (1:10:44). Nominated Irish (0:05:13); the attribution report rates this cluster as Pierce by inference (medium). |
| Frank Sprague | Member (re-elected March 14) | Asked for granular personnel data for the FY19 budget (0:39:49, 0:40:09); moved the three policies to third read (0:59:06); on lead symptoms mistaken for other disabilities (1:05:08). The cluster is heavily mixed; the attribution report rates it medium. |
| Patrick Adrian | Member | Asked the food service workers who they were (0:23:03); put on the record that one vendor bills parents for unpaid meals (0:29:12, 0:29:39); on the FY19 budget process (0:41:20); asked for press coverage of the lead policy (1:07:38). |
| Rebecca Zullo | Member (elected March 14 to a one-year seat) | Asked who sets school menus (0:26:49), whether staffing data would come (0:45:38), whether private vendors pay the same rate (1:14:46) and why the board was looking at a new food service (1:16:13). |
| Michael Petrin | Member (elected March 14; sworn in tonight) | Oath read with the clerk naming Patron (0:00:28); named in the roll call (0:06:28). No speaking row is attributed to him; the attribution report notes an unidentified cluster as a candidate. |
| Middleton McGoodwin | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Presided over the chair election (0:03:12 to 0:04:54); superintendent's report, including the student representative's items (0:08:11); explained his meeting with food service staff (0:27:36); the Bluff principal search (0:30:29 to 0:34:57); the FY19 budget calendar (0:37:33); instructional hours (0:54:36); the three policies and the lead policy (0:57:16, 1:01:04); the March 30 joint meeting (1:11:17). |
| Michael O'Neill | Business Administrator, SAU 6 (surname per project roster) | Presented the report of appropriations actually voted for fiscal year 2018 and asked the board to sign it (0:46:10 to 0:47:55). |
| Mary Woodman | School District Clerk (surname per project roster) | Administered the oath (0:00:09); took the roll (0:06:22); read the March 14 election results (0:14:41 to 0:15:59). |
| Cheryl Danza (spelling as heard) | Citizens' comments; Ward 2 (Two, I think); Disnard kitchen worker | Questions on the food service RFP: equipment, unpaid meal charges, menus under the same state guidelines (0:19:26 to 0:21:40; three years earlier, Fresh Picks, 0:23:08). |
| Unidentified | Citizens' comments; food service worker (not a Claremont taxpayer, by her own account) | Asked what the board is looking for, and who bears cost over the $650,000 line (0:24:27 to 0:26:03); answered the menu question (0:27:02). |
| Marion Lovett (spelling as transcribed) | Student representative | Absent: performing in the school show, per the superintendent (0:07:56). The March 1 recording's dialogue file spells the name Mary Ann Lovett; spelling unverified. |
| Unidentified | Oath responses, photo chatter, chorus votes | 70 of 532 rows, mostly the oath and voice votes. The nominator of Rapp (0:04:18) is unidentified. |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda for this meeting is posted online, though the chair refers to one (0:06:33) and the superintendent to a packet (0:30:29). This outline is reconstructed from the chair's transitions. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped entry for the full text.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:09 | Oath of office | Administered by the clerk to the newly elected members. |
| 0:03:06 | Election of chair | Superintendent presiding. Brian Rapp nominated by an unidentified member (0:04:18), seconded by Pierce per the superintendent (0:04:24); no other nominations; voice vote, no opposition heard (0:04:38 to 0:04:54). |
| 0:05:08 | Election of vice chair | Chris Irish nominated (0:05:13), seconded; voice vote (0:05:25, 0:05:34). |
| 0:05:41 | Call to order; pledge; roll call | Roll partly audible (0:06:19 to 0:06:28). |
| 0:06:33 | Agenda | No changes; seconded by Pierce; voice vote (0:07:08). |
| 0:07:08 | Minutes | Motion Pierce, second Sprague (0:07:16, 0:07:19); new members invited to abstain; abstentions heard; "Motion passes." (0:07:48). |
| 0:07:54 | Student representative's report | Representative absent; items folded into the superintendent's report. |
| 0:08:11 | Superintendent's report; election results | School show, athletics, a Disnard fire prevention poster contest; the clerk read the March 14 results at Irish's request (0:14:41). |
| 0:19:11 | Citizens' comments | Two food service workers on the food service RFP; closed at 0:30:21. |
| 0:30:25 | Discussion: Bluff Elementary principal search | Revised timeline; candidate to the board April 5 instead of April 19 (0:32:08). |
| 0:35:18 | Discussion: district strategic plan | Update only. |
| 0:37:17 | Discussion: FY19 budget schedule | Superintendent to bring a draft calendar; spring start. |
| 0:46:06 | Added item: report of appropriations actually voted | Total appropriations $35,183,247; signed by members without a vote (0:48:24). |
| 0:48:32 | Nonpublic session | Ground announced as transcribed "RSA 91, a two. See?"; motion Pierce, second Sprague, roll call (0:48:50 to 0:49:29); out on a voice vote (0:51:47). No action reported. |
| 0:51:56 | Calendar | NHSBA training; five snow days need no make-up under the hours-based school year; last day June 13. |
| 0:57:11 | Policies, second read | Procedural safeguards / nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, emergency care and first aid, evaluation for specific learning disabilities: motion Sprague to move to third read, second Pierce (0:59:06, 0:59:14); voice vote (1:00:55). |
| 1:01:00 | Lead screening policy, first read | Preschool to be added (1:03:34); moved to second read, motion Pierce, second Sprague, voice vote (1:10:44 to 1:10:55). |
| 1:11:13 | Next meetings | Joint meeting with the City Council Thursday March 30 "here at 6:00" (1:11:27); food service RFP presentations April 5 (1:13:43). |
| 1:22:23 | Adjournment | Moved by the chair, second Pierce, voice vote. |
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 |
|---|
| 0:03:12 | Officer elections | McGoodwin: "So this breaks from protocol a bit, but it's necessary because we do need officers of the school board." (0:04:11). "I would like to nominate Brian wrap [Rapp] this chair." (0:04:18); Rapp elected; Pierce: "I'd like to nominate Chris Irish." (0:05:13). | |
| 0:07:26 | Minutes; abstentions | Rapp: "members that that were not are here for the last meeting can abstain. It's one of the times that it's. It's okay to abstain." | |
| 0:14:41 | March 14 election results | The clerk, as transcribed: "Frank Sprague and Mike patron [Petrin] the winners of the two three year positions" (0:15:19); "Rebecca Zullo two 302"; all articles passed; "there were 637 out of 6980 voters" (0:15:59). Several tallies are garbled in the transcript (for example "Frank Sprague had 3344 votes") and are not relied on here. | |
| 0:17:51 | Superintendent on the vote | "The numbers indicate that there is support for the hard work the school board is doing". | |
| 0:19:26 | Citizens' comments: Cheryl Danza | "I know the RFP are going to be voted on next month"; a steam table that "it's natural gas and we don't have natural gas, so it's not actually hooked up" (0:20:13); unpaid meal charges: "I think that the taxpayers are required to pay that" (0:20:41); "if we have the same guidelines, I don't understand how what we're going to serve is going to look any different" (0:21:19). Rapp: "those are all valid questions" (0:21:51). | POSITIVE |
| 0:24:27 | Citizens' comments: second worker | "what are you know, as the school board looking for for changes." (0:24:44); "right now in the in the line budget, it says $650,000" and who pays if costs exceed it (0:25:22, 0:25:44). Rapp: "I'd rather make it an agenda item" (0:25:15); "That'll be in the RFP." (0:25:49); the workers may return April 5 (0:26:39). | POSITIVE |
| 0:27:36 | Superintendent on the food service decision | "This has been a three year discussion and the perception is we can do better." (0:28:01); "It doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong." (0:28:52). Adrian: with one vendor, unpaid balances go "to the parents" (0:29:39). | |
| 0:30:29 | Bluff principal search | Committee of Bluff faculty, parents, a community member and one district administrator (0:30:58); interviews the week of March 27; "the candidate will be brought to you in April 5th" (0:32:08). Rapp asked whether the committee members would be online; McGoodwin: "I have not done it, made it public" but "I would be very glad, Brian, to post the members of the screening committee" (0:34:05, 0:34:57). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:37:33 | FY19 budget calendar | "we need to start the budget process much sooner than we have in the past"; with "the voucher system that may be approved" (0:38:56). Sprague: personnel is "almost 80" percent of expenditure; he wants "a real more granular look at that, school to school" (0:39:49, 0:40:09). | |
| 0:46:10 | Appropriations actually voted | O'Neill: "it's due 20 days after the vote on next meeting is not until actually 22 days after the vote"; "Total appropriations is 35,183,247." (0:47:27); "What I'm asking is approval of this report. So I can submit it to the portal." (0:47:55). Rapp: "Do we need a motion? And do we need a vote or just sign it? Just sign it." (0:48:24). | POSITIVE |
| 0:48:32 | Nonpublic session | Rapp: "So we will be looking for a vote to enter nonpublic RSA 91, a two. See?" Pierce: "A motion to go to nonpublic." (0:48:44). Sprague seconded; Rapp: "And we need to have that roll call." (0:48:50); yes votes follow; "Two motion to come out of nonpublic." (0:49:29), then out by voice vote (0:51:47). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:52:02 | Calendar and instructional hours | "one of the greatest challenges of school board members are personnel issues." Five days lost to weather (0:54:00); "there is an RSA ed 306 18" [Ed 306.18, an administrative rule]; "we still are 11 hours providing more than the law requires" (0:54:36); last day "The 13th of June" (0:55:51). | |
| 0:57:16 | Three policies | Revised "because of changes in the RSA" and on NHSBA recommendations (0:57:49). Sprague: "I'll make a motion that we move the three policies forward to a third read. That'll give the new board members a chance to take a look at them." (0:59:06). | |
| 1:01:04 | Lead screening policy | "has been vetted by the Valley Regional Hospital. It's been vetted by the state"; to be "dovetailed to the immunization protocols" (1:01:49). Rapp: "Can we add preschool?" (1:03:34). Sprague: "we so often mistake the symptoms of lead poisoning for something else" (1:05:08). | |
| 1:11:17 | Joint meeting; tech center report | "Thursday, the 30th of March is our next joint meeting"; "It will be here at 6:00." (1:11:27); capital improvements to be planned with the city (1:11:48). | |
| 1:13:43 | Food service RFP | "I believe there were two main companies interested." (1:13:50); vendors would hire existing staff (1:14:08); Zullo asked the reasoning; Rapp: "We think that we can do a lot better." (1:16:20); Irish: "we voted to privatize" the management (1:17:40). | |
| 1:22:23 | Adjournment | "Motion to adjourn." Pierce: "I second." | |
Items flagged for review
Flags are a reviewer's aid generated by comparing the meeting against the law in force on March 15, 2017. They are not findings of violation, and nothing here is legal advice. Each flag names the rule it rests on; where no verified rule applies, it is recorded as an observation. Ordered by severity.
OBSERVATION The nonpublic ground is audible only as "RSA 91, a two. See?", and the motion itself names no ground or subject
The chair introduced the nonpublic session with a statutory reference the transcript renders "RSA 91, a two. See?" (0:48:32); Pierce then moved simply "to go to nonpublic" (0:48:44), Sprague seconded, and a roll call was taken as the chair required (0:48:50 to 0:49:24). The law then in force required the motion to "state on its face the specific exemption under paragraph II" and be decided by roll call. If the chair said 91-A:3, II(c) (matters likely to affect the reputation of a person other than a member), a ground was stated; as transcribed it reads as a paragraph of RSA 91-A:2, which contains no nonpublic exemptions. The subject is never stated, no decision is announced on return (0:51:47), and the recording runs only about two minutes between the last roll-call row and the motion to come out, so it may have been paused. Graded OBSERVATION because the transcript cannot settle what was said and the roll call was taken; the minutes, which might record the ground, are not online.
Sources: RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and II(c) (2016 codification; source note ends 2016, 30:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; 280:1, so the text in force in 2017): motion "shall state on its face the specific exemption under paragraph II"; roll call.
OBSERVATION No agenda, packet or minutes for this meeting are online
The chair refers to an agenda (0:06:33) and the superintendent to packet documents, including a revised principal search timeline dated March 11 and cover letters for three policies (0:30:29, 0:57:16). None of these, and no minutes, are in the district's online shares, which begin in 2022 and 2023 (MAP.md section 28). The minutes would also be the only record of the nonpublic session's ground (flag 1) and of the exact election tallies, which the transcript garbles. This is a finding about online availability, not evidence that records were never kept; the recording shows no lapse of its own.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2016 codification; source note ends 2016, 29:1, eff. Jan. 1, 2017): minutes "open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting".
OBSERVATION The principal search committee's membership was not public; whether the Right-to-Know Law reached it is not settled here
The superintendent described a ten-member screening committee of Bluff faculty, parents, a community member and one administrator that met March 13 and was reviewing applications (0:30:29, 0:30:58). Asked whether its members would be listed online, he said he had not made them public, citing candidate confidentiality, and offered to post the names (0:34:05 to 0:34:57). The law then in force treated as a public body any committee or subordinate body of a school board, or an advisory committee to it. A committee convened by the superintendent to screen candidates the board will then elect is close to that line; the recording does not show who appointed or charged it. The page records the question without resolving it. The offer to publish the names is in the district's favor, and the hiring itself went to the board.
Sources: RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) (2019 codification; source note ends 2008, 354:1, so the same text governed 2017): public body includes "any committee, subcommittee, or subordinate body thereof, or advisory committee thereto".
POSITIVE The report of appropriations voted was brought forward so it could be filed inside the 20-day window
The business administrator asked for a place on the agenda because, as he put it, "it's due 20 days after the vote" and the board's next meeting was 22 days out (0:46:10); he tied the total, $35,183,247, to the warrant articles passed (0:47:27) and asked the board to sign one copy for electronic filing (0:47:55). The statute required the governing body to certify the appropriations voted "within 20 days of the close of the meeting". Signing rather than voting, as the chair settled it (0:48:24), matches a certification by the governing body.
Sources: RSA 21-J:34, II (2016 codification; source note ends 2007, 182:2): the governing body's report "shall certify the appropriations voted"; "filed within 20 days of the close of the meeting".
POSITIVE Two food service workers were heard and answered in public, and invited back for the vendor presentations
With the food service RFP due in April, two kitchen workers raised equipment, unpaid meal charges, menus and cost overruns (0:19:26 to 0:26:03). The chair called the questions valid, kept the exchange within the comment period, said the answers belonged in the RFP process, and told them to return April 5 (0:21:51, 0:25:49, 0:26:39); the superintendent explained on the record why the board was looking at a change (0:28:01), and a member answered the unpaid-charge point (0:29:39). No statute then required a public comment period at school board meetings (the current requirement dates from 2022), so taking and answering these questions exceeded the legal minimum.
Sources: RSA 189:74 (source 2022, 333:1, eff. Sept. 6, 2022): public comment period at school board meetings; not law in 2017.
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast show 8976, "SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 3-15-17": Claremont Community TV. 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 section 28, checked 9/26/26). The agenda, the principal search process sheet, the policy drafts and cover letters, the appropriations report and the minutes were not located.
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/8976 SchoolBoard031517.mp4.CSV (532 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/8976 SchoolBoard031517.mp4Input/Transcripts/8976 SchoolBoard031517.mp4.jsonScripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/8976 SchoolBoard031517.mp4.mdInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 28
Laws and rules cited on this page
- RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and II(c) (text in force from January 1, 2017): nonpublic motion must state its exemption; roll call.
- RSA 91-A:2, II (2016 codification, text in force during 2017): minutes available within five business days.
- RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) (unchanged since 2008): committees and advisory committees as public bodies.
- RSA 21-J:34, II (text in force from April 1, 2007): certification of appropriations voted within 20 days.
- RSA 189:74 (eff. Sept. 6, 2022): cited only to show no comment-period statute existed in 2017.