| 0:01:38 | Agenda changes | "Under Roman numeral six A, we have Claremont School District grants. That's going to require to have the board approve. So we need to put that under action items instead of updates." The nonpublic item is added under RSA 91-A:3, II(c), after a false start: "It's two C. I'm sorry. That's wrong. Three C. No it is two c." (0:02:23) | MED |
| 0:03:51 | Student reports | All Stevens juniors took the state assessment; honor society inductions; a Key Club project of "approximately 60 Easter baskets to the elderly of Sullivan County" (0:05:21). Middle school students took part in national assessment testing and were completing the Smarter Balanced tests "by April 13th" (0:06:15). | |
| 0:08:43 | Early college credits | The superintendent describes a River Valley Community College pathway for current eighth graders entering Stevens, with a planning meeting the next week, aimed at a high-need profession in Sullivan County. | |
| 0:10:51 | SB 193 testimony | "yesterday I drove the Concord with several other superintendents" to testify on SB 193. His example: ten students leaving would not reduce staffing "but it would draw $36,000 from the Claremont School District" (0:12:00). "the fiscal year 17 budget caused an increase of $0.11 per $1,000 on the Claremont tax rate. But because of a reduction of stabilization funding for this year, that 11 set increase changed to $1.25 increase." (0:12:27) Testimony ran "from about quarter of 11 to about 215" (0:13:49). | |
| 0:14:17 | Committee vote expected | "I'm quoting from State Representative Linda Tanner. There are many Republicans on the committee who are due to die voucher people." [as transcribed] "It will be a close vote." (0:14:45) | |
| 0:15:37 | A student's food-service email | A Claremont Middle School student, a member of the Fuel Up to Play 60 club, wrote to the board about the food service action item. The superintendent invited him to the April 19 meeting: "Actually, I've already invited him, so it's too late to give me a permission, I guess." (0:18:02) | |
| 0:19:28 | Tax rate and zip code | Asked by Sprague whether wealthier towns' legislators follow the party line, the superintendent: "I think it's a combination of both." "And the tax rate was about $43 per 1000." (0:20:00) | |
| 0:22:15 | Bluff principal search | "There were ten of them. I was a facilitator, but there were ten members. They were unanimous about this individual being the next leader of bluff." (0:22:44) | |
| 0:23:20 | Strategic plan | Begun in early July with a Thanksgiving target, the plan is late: "State championship football games and snowstorms got in the way of our schedule." (0:23:52) The next session is "next Friday at 4:00, 3:00, 4:00", settled as three o'clock in the SAU conference room (0:24:45). | |
| 0:25:27 | FY2019 budget topics | The superintendent lists topics for board briefings, including technology, athletics, capital improvement, security, early childhood growth, pupil-teacher ratios and K-5 health education, where "we are sorely lacking" (0:27:56). Sprague adds "a lucky 13": staffing patterns in "bussing, maintenance and administration" (0:30:20). | |
| 0:31:15 | Is early childhood working? | Adrian asks for evidence on the preschool and in-district special education programs. The superintendent: "It has to work. It's a requirement." (0:32:21) Zullo asks whether he means referral rates or kindergarten readiness (0:36:19). LeClair: "every dollar we invest on a child 0 to 5, it's a 7 to $17 return on investment" (0:38:18). | |
| 0:40:53 | Per-school costs | Pierce asks for each school's cost, given "a decline with our enrollment" (0:40:58). The superintendent: "Where are we in 2022, 2023? And we shouldn't be deciding that 12 months before the decision" (0:42:28). | |
| 0:45:02 | Grants | The system of care grant, "approximately $2 million over the course of four years", likely five. New: Title I reallocation, "we have $20,250 to send a team of folks to the New Hampshire Department of Ed summer summit" (0:46:12); McKinney-Vento, "an additional $16,500" (0:47:35), for a licensed child care space for high school students with babies, "We officially opened last week" (0:48:00); and "two grants from Broome, one for $3,000, one for $5,000 to support early learning" (0:49:32). Total for approval $44,750 (0:50:44). | MED |
| 0:51:04 | More grants on the horizon | Books for preschoolers, a Home Depot application for an outdoor play space the building trades students would build, and "about $502,000 in additional competitive grants just for this year" (0:51:55). | |
| 0:54:02 | Primex contribution cap | O'Neill: the cap program "limits your increase to a 7%. We actually saw 16% increase year over year" (0:54:27); later he gives last year's uncapped increase as 19 (0:56:33). He recommends continuing "to a 7% increase through 2021" (0:54:48). Zullo asks what Primex is: "a risk pool insurance company that all public entities participate in" (0:57:21). | |
| 1:00:24 | Tech center history | Opened in 1992 for region ten; "the center cost $5.2 million to build" (1:00:43). The 20-year agreement "expired in 2012" and a ten-year agreement followed (1:01:19). Claremont enrollment "was 155. This year we have 129", and programs fell from eight to 4.5 (1:02:25). | |
| 1:08:52 | Student survey and labor data | A weighted survey put culinary arts first "with a weighted score of 202" (1:09:38); about 200 students were surveyed through advisories (1:34:06). State sector data point to manufacturing, hospitality, health care and information technology (1:12:49). | |
| 1:14:16 | Three proposed programs | "I'm proposing that we we we introduce three programs pre-engineering, teacher prep, and computer repair and networking." Schedule: pre-engineering July 2018, teacher prep September 2019, computer repair and networking July 2020 (1:20:33). Each teaching position would cost "$67,431 to $104,045" (1:21:23); computer repair equipment about $56,000 from Perkins funds (1:23:06), of which the center receives about 76,000 a year (1:23:31). | |
| 1:27:25 | No duplication with Newport | The 2012 agreement "says we cannot duplicate programs. Newport can duplicate our programs." Claremont may duplicate only if it is oversubscribed (1:27:47). | |
| 1:31:12 | LNA seats | Pierce asks about licensed nursing assistant training at Newport, capped at eight students. Snyder: Claremont's share "might only be three" seats (1:33:17). Sprague: the question is whether anyone from Claremont who wanted it was turned away. | |
| 1:36:45 | Interest inventories and shared staff | Sprague suggests aptitude inventories through the high school's college and career software (transcribed Navy) rather than a survey, and asks why the district is not "sharing staff" with the community college (1:38:14). "our schools are the are what's going to transform Claremont" (1:38:51). | |
| 1:40:09 | Welding | Sprague says Newport's welding course is full. Snyder asked Newport's director: "I'll give you the last five years. None." "It's not one of insufficient capacity for Stevens students, it seems." (1:41:29) LeClair: Claremont students have "first option of refusal" on their share of seats (1:42:44). | |
| 1:44:39 | Schedule access | The superintendent: a Stevens scheduling committee will work toward a fall 2018 schedule, which he hopes "will provide greater access to tech center programs" because access now "only occurs if it's a fit for their schedule" (1:45:51). | |
| 1:48:06 | Adult training | Pierce describes her own welfare-to-work welding course and asks whether the tech center could train adults. Snyder: possible for machining or plumbing, but "We don't have a welding lab in this building." (1:49:45) | |
| 1:50:49 | Teacher prep and pre-K | Adrian doubts the curriculum suits pre-K classrooms. The superintendent: "The Department of Education, Patrick for two years has been telling us the program should be discontinued." (1:54:35) Rapp: "I'm very surprised we haven't begun already the teacher prep program." (1:55:48) | |
| 1:58:43 | Food service RFP | O'Neill: proposals "will be evaluated by a committee against the following criteria with assigned wages [weights] indicated" (1:58:43), and he has scheduled vendor presentations at the next three board meetings (1:59:46). The contract runs "on a one year basis, generally it's for five years with with it's a one year contract with full one year renewals" (2:01:42). The RFP closes "April 19th, which is the day of the first vendor meeting" (2:03:46); finance "it's only 20 points". On the weights: "We can't change the weight. Okay, that's that's statutorily" (2:06:21). | POS |
| 2:06:51 | Evaluation committee | Zullo, who has been reading the regulations: "it is so extensive that my brain turned to mush." The superintendent will form a committee "representative of the district, both in house as well as community" (2:07:09). Board volunteers are not clearly settled on tape. Members suggest student members from the high school and middle school (2:08:36). | POS |
| 2:09:46 | Lead screening policy | "I have added pre-kindergarten. It was kindergarten." Sprague: lead screening information is valuable to student support teams (2:11:39). Rapp: "No one else has won and I'm proud of it." (2:14:43) | |