ROCKINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
School Board Meeting
January 18, 2010
Present: Joseph Brissette, Timothy Doherty, Michael Empey, James McAuliffe
Also Present: Johanna Harpster, Chris Kibbe
MINUTES
Mike Empey, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Pledge of Allegiance: Led by Tim Doherty.
Adjustments to the Agenda: Mike will speak about agenda items under New Business.
Review and Approve Minutes of January 4, 2010: Jim moved to approve the Minutes as printed; Joe seconded the motion. Mike asked that the new members of the Article 6 Study Committee voted in at the last meeting be listed and they are: John Edwards, Jane Purdy, Mike Harty, Dennis Harty and Chris Jones. They join the original committee members, who are: Tim Doherty, Jim McAuliffe, Joe Brissette, Jan Mitchell-Love, Russ Williams, Cheryl McDaniel-Thomas and Rick Schuhmann. The motion carried and the amended Minutes were adopted.
Visitors: None.
Communications – Chair: None.
7. Committee and Other Projects:
Budget Committee (January 4, 2010 Minutes enclosed): The Board has received and reviewed the proposed budget and Jim said the big question left is the tax rate information. He believes it should be higher than the $1.04 figure, and Chris will work with Andrea to determine the correct number.
Article 6 Study Committee (January 7, 2010 Minutes enclosed): The next meeting is scheduled for January 28, 2010 at 7 PM at the SU. Responses are coming in to the advertising for architects.
Adopt Reading of Animals on School District Property (Code G12 enclosed): Jim moved to adopt the Policy warned at the January 4, 2010 meeting; Tim seconded and the motion carried, with Joe abstaining.
9. Reports:
Financial (sent under separate cover): Jim commented on the budget draft dated January 13, 2010 concerning Special Ed reimbursement on the revenue side. On the expense side, Jim asked Admin to verify the positive variance in bond long-term interest. He asked about bus driver health insurance. Jim asked about Special Ed Salaries for Aides, and ESY. He talked about the Principals’ projections for the rest of the year and said they need to stay on top of things and remain vigilant.
Mike said the next meeting agenda will include a discussion on any guidance the Board has on the freeze. Jim will not be here but will e-mail his comments to Mike.
Superintendent of Schools: Johanna handed out a legislative report that came out today, and referenced several items. School consolidation is still the theme. Johanna talked about the new bills being introduced, and there was discussion of school choice. Mike mentioned an Op Ed piece from the Commissioner of Education and suggested Board members read it. Jim talked about a Windham County Superintendents meeting he and Johanna attended with legislators present, where he spoke about the voting numbers in the District, i.e., Rockingham three, Athens three. The Commissioner of Education will be at the Superintendents’ meeting in February.
Principals (enclosed): The Board discussed Dianne Ellis’ report on sexually offensive language incidents at the Middle School. The consensus is that the eight or ten offenders should be dealt with on an individual basis by detention or expulsion. Mike asked for data and this item was tabled until the next meeting when the Principals are present. Mike encouraged the Board to read through the enclosed information prior to the February 1st meeting.
Unfinished Business: Jim wants to hear from Mac Jones on the bus warranty work. Jim inquired about response to Johanna’s letter to the Union concerning the 1%, and Johanna said their deadline is next week.
11. New Business:
Approve Proposed .1 Adaptive P.E. Position (enclosed): This is addressed in an executive session at the end of the meeting.
Other: Mike talked about agenda items and asked the Board to get things to him by Friday so he can discuss them with Johanna; he also needs to receive the Minutes electronically. Mike’s goal is to streamline the whole agenda procedure.
12. Warrant Discussion (enclosed): The Accounts Payable Summary was sent in the packet to replace the large stack of warrants which was previously passed around and reviewed during the meetings. Joe questioned the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables invoices, and Chris has addressed them with Andrea. The codes used to identify the school are: 260 SRES; 024 BFMS; 249 CES. The Board asked for explanation of all the codes from Andrea, otherwise, everyone is happy to receive the warrants in this format.
Action List Review: Mike reviewed items and updated his Action List. New items are preparation for Town Meeting during the February 1st meeting; presentation by the Middle School SAP on the Prevention Coalition; the Association’s response on their fundraising effort.
14. Directors’ Comments:
Jim will be in Florida for the next two meetings but will be back for March 1st Town Meeting. He will provide his e-mail address and phone number to the Board. He’s running for re-election.
Mike said there will be an open spot on the School Board and a candidate is needed.
Set Date and Location of Next Meeting: The next meeting is February 1, 2010 at 7 PM and will be held at the SU building.
16. Executive Session:
Jim moved to go into executive session at 8:50 PM; Tim seconded and the motion carried. Joe moved that we come out of Executive Session at 8:55 PM and Tim seconded; the motion carried. No action was taken.
Adjournment: There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:57 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Timothy Doherty, Clerk
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