BELLOWS FALLS UNION HIGH SCHOOL
School Board Meeting
August 24, 2009
Present:
Daniel Axtell, Jack Bryar, Russell Capron, David Clark, Stephen L. Fine, Matthew Guild, Stephen Major, Jan Mitchell-Love, Margaret Perry, Laurie Rowell
Also Present:
Johanna Harpster, Christopher Kibbe, Andrea Allbee, Sharon Reynolds, Christopher Hodsden, John Broadley, faculty members and students, FACT-TV
1. Call to Order:
The Chair, David Clark, called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.
2. Adjustments to the Agenda:
A. Business Manager Andrea Allbee will respond to the board’s question regarding comments appearing in the FY08 audit under the Superintendent of Schools’ report.
B. Removed from the agenda will be a Tuition Request and Math Support for the Academic Resource Center.
C. Academic Eligibility Waiver will follow Communications and Public Comments.
D. Building and Grounds Committee will be added to Reports.
3. Consent Items:
There being no objection, the Chair declared the minutes of August 10, 2009 approved as presented.
4. Communications and Public Comments:
A. Bald Hill Project
Building and Grounds Committee Chairperson, Russ Capron, met with representatives of the Bald Hill Committee and New England Power Company (NEPCO) to discuss a right of way NEPCO would like to obtain in order to upgrade their power lines. Because the specific information was not available, the parties agreed to meet again on September 3.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Page Two
August 24, 2009
B. Other
Joel Love spoke about a relative, an elementary school teacher outside Vermont, who was given special in-service days to allow her to write grant applications that paid the system more than it cost the system for her substitute. He wondered if the same grant opportunities are available in Vermont.
The administration received a letter from the New England Association of Schools & Colleges regarding work expected from the faculty to complete the certification process. Principal Hodsden will be coming to the board with recommendations on how the teachers can be supported as they complete this important work.
5. Academic Eligibility Waiver:
Laurie Rowell moved to waive the Academic Eligibility Waiver Policy for the beginning of the 2009 fall season, due to an inconsistency in the policy regarding eligibility for fall sports.
Board members, Principal Hodsden, faculty members Lori Walters, Justin Aube, Holly Falzo, and Craig Divis, students Nadine Rowell and Jenessa Lever, and community member Joel Love participated in a lengthy discussion. Margaret Perry’s motion to call the question passed on a vote of seven in favor and two opposed. The main motion failed on a vote of three in favor (Rowell, Mitchell-Love, Bryar) and six opposed (Guild, Perry, Major, Axtell, Capron, Fine). The Chair did not vote.
6. Reports:
A. Principal
(1) Diversity
Curtis Reed will be providing staff training to address harassment issues within the student body and the development of a diversity committee. Stephen Fine suggested the administration explore whether there are other area professionals available at a lesser cost.
(2) Academic Resource Center
Principal Hodsden continues to work with Superintendent Harpster on what this program will look like.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Page Three
August 24, 2009
(3) School Choice Update
The two students who received permission to pursue school choice at the last board meeting have received their notices of acceptance.
(4) School Resource Officer
John Broadley will replace Ryan Parkman on the School Resource Officer Committee. SRO Jennifer Cenate will be out of the building for three months while she is away at training, and Principal Hodsden is looking for guidance from the board as to whether the Sheriff’s Department should be asked to send another officer in her absence, or be in an on-call status. The Chair suggested the SRO Committee schedule a meeting for this discussion.
(5) Carpet installation has been completed for this year. An invitation to bid on the remaining areas needing replacement will be sent out later in the year.
B. Superintendent of Schools
(1) Transportation
Legislation passed in 2008 will allow the district to transport up to five persons, excluding the operator, in a van. Superintendent Harpster has asked Mac Jones and Sharon Reynolds to decide where a van may be useful instead of using the large buses to transport fewer than six students. There are more than five students attending classes in Brattleboro, but on most days, the majority of the students arrange their own transportation. The administration is thinking about sending a letter home to parents asking whether they will be looking to the school district to provide transportation or not.
(2) Budget Timeline Draft
Stephen Major moved to adopt the budget timeline as included in the agenda packet, with meetings beginning at 7:00 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Page Four
August 24, 2009
(3) Business Manager
In response to questions surrounding the auditor’s comment that there was approximately $26,000 in “uninsured, uncollateralized cash” Andrea Allbee explained that the school is insured by an irrevocable letter of credit from a Federal Loan Bank, but for some reason, Fothergill, Segale & Valley continue to include this comment in their management letter. TD Bank will be asked to provide information to the board regarding the insured funds.
C. WNESU
The next meeting is scheduled for August 26, 2009.
D. Committees and Special Projects
(1) Policy Committee
A meeting will be scheduled to continue discussion on the Academic Eligibility Policy.
(2) Instruction and Educational Effectiveness Committee
The committee has been discussing the Academic Resource Center.
(3) School and Community Relations Committee
Minutes of the July 11th meeting were distributed. The committee has been working on ways to address diversity and providing NECAP support.
(4) Building & Grounds Committee
No further discussion
7. Business for Discussion/Action:
A. Strategic Planning
The board will discuss long-term planning at its September 14th meeting.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Page Five
August 24, 2009
B. Member-to-Member Request for Boys’ Soccer
Stephen Fine moved to approve an agreement with Oak Meadow School regarding participation on the boys’ soccer team, with no fee attached. The motion passed unanimously.
8. Appointments and/or Resignations:
A. Appointments
(1) Jack Bryar moved to approve a contract for Maureen Donovan to conduct Summer Freshman Academy Home Visits for the 2009-2010 school year. The motion passed unanimously.
(2) Stephen Fine moved to approve the following Coordinators for the 2009-2010 school year: Diane Cecere (Fine Arts), Gail Christmas (.5 Freshman Academy), Kelly Spaulding (.5 Freshman Academy, Craig Divis (Social Studies), Holly Falzo (English), Kristin Gottschalk (Science), Marilee Huntoon (Foreign Language), and Peter Naitove (Special Education). The motion passed unanimously.
(3) Stephen Fine moved to approve the following co-curricular appointments for the 2009-2010 school year: Justin Aube (Student Council Advisor), Matthew Burke (Marching Band), Diane Cecere (Sampler Advisor), Craig Divis (Scholar’s Bowl), Susan Swan (Math Team), and Lori Walters (Math Team). The motion passed unanimously.
(4) Stephen Fine moved to approve the following homework lab appointments for the 2009-2010 school year: Justin Aube, Kelly Spaulding, Gail Christmas, Kristen Amend, Matt Willis, Susan Swan, Ron King, Maureen Parker, and Kristin Gottschalk. The motion passed unanimously.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Page Six
August 24, 2009
9. Directors’ Comments:
Jack Bryar encouraged faculty participation at Instruction and Educational Effectiveness Committee meetings, and asked the administration to make sure they are notified of meetings as they are scheduled.
Jan Mitchell-Love distributed copies of an e-mail she received regarding the state’s Education Fund and the potential impact on property taxes. The next Article 6 Committee meeting has been scheduled for October 1st in Room 200 at the Bellows Falls Middle School, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Russ Capron noted that the board appointed SRO Jennifer Cenate or the Windham County Sheriff’s Department as Truant Officer for the 2009-2010 school year, so no action will be necessary in Ms. Cenate’s absence if a truant officer is needed.
Mr. Capron asked why a financial report has not been provided to the board at its second meeting of the month, and commented on the copier bid that was awarded at the last meeting.
9. Date of Next Meeting:
The Chair set the date of the next meeting for September 14, 2009.
10. Executive Session:
Jan Mitchell-Love moved to go into executive session at 9:25 p.m. for the purpose of discussing a student matter, and invited the administration to attend. The motion passed unanimously.
The Chair returned the board to open session at 10:02 p.m. No action was taken as a result of executive session.
11. Adjournment:
There being no further business to come before the meeting and no objection, the Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Mitchell-Love, Clerk
| 