MINUTES
OF MEETING
PRESENT: John Harrington, Bonnie Beaubien, Don
Gorman, Kevin Barry, Kevin Webber, Bob Miller, Bill Fowler, Paul Yergeau, Tom
Haley.
1. Staff
Meeting
The staff meeting was tabled
due to school being cancelled for the day due to local flooding.
2. Call
To Order
The May 15, 2006 DCS Board meeting was called to
order at
3. Pledge
of Allegiance
Chair John Harrington led the Pledge of
Allegiance
4. Minutes of Previous Meetings
The minutes of
A motion was made by Bonnie Beaubien, seconded by
Don Gorman to accept the minutes of
ALL
IN FAVOR
MOTION
CARRIED
5. Immediate Business
A. Agenda Review
The
board reviewed the evening’s agenda. No
changes were suggested.
B. Citizens’/ Staff Comments
None
Bob Miller reviewed the past year’s driver’s education
program. He requested board approval of
a contract for 2006/07. The only change
is a cost increase from $500 to $550 per student.
A motion was made by
Kevin Barry, seconded by Kevin Webber, to approve the contract for 2006/07 with
Bob Miller.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
D. Department Head Report
Maintenance Director Bill
Fowler was present to discuss maintenance and custodial matters. He discussed the need for a better
lawnmower. The change over to more
energy-efficient lighting was completed and is working well. Summer projects were reviewed. Proposal for lawn maintenance were reviewed.
Kevin Webber, seconded by
Don Gorman, made a motion to accept the proposal of Jason Markson Landscaping
for lawn maintenance.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
E. Policy Development-Ms.
Beaubien, Mr. Gorman, Mr. Barry
Ms. Beaubien and Mr. Gorman
reviewed with the board members the changes that they are suggesting to the Use
of School facilities Policy.
Pg. 1: Policy:
It is the basic policy of the Deerfield School Board to permit
maximum utilization of
Pg. 1:
User Groups: C.
Parks and Recreation Dept.
Pg. 2: User Fees:
• A cleanup fee\ may be assessed to any user group as determined by
the
Maintenance Supervisor. The cleanup fee will be $25.00 per
hour with a two-hour minimum.
• A kitchen fee will be
assessed to provide a school food service employee to oversee kitchen use. The kitchen fee will be $25.00 per hour with a
two-hour minimum. If a school food service employee volunteers his/her time,
the fee will be waived.
• A security
fee may be charged to any user group. The fee is assessed to
provide a school representative to
oversee security during facility usage. The security fee will be
$25.00 per hour with a two-hour minimum.
• A rental fee is assessed to all category D,
changed to E users based upon the following schedule:
Pg. 3: Rules and
Regulations:
f) There shall be no alcoholic beverages
or unauthorized use of controlled substances on school property at
any time. Strict enforcement of this regulation shall be the responsibility of
the renter/user.
g) No
Tobacco Use regulations are in effect in accordance with school policy,
which states that
smoking
is not permitted in the school building or on school grounds. The renter/user
will enforce compliance of this policy.
Pg. 4: Application
6; No Baseball or Softball bats may be used in
the school.
Kevin Barry
asked who would determine when and why a fee would be charged. Mr. Gorman stated that it was his opinion
Bill Fowler/Maintenance Supervisor would be the likely person to do so. If there were a dispute it would go to
administration, and so on.
The board
discussed expectations and this policy will be voted on at their next meeting.
Bonni McPherson
presented to the board a letter concerning the DCS Athletic policy.
*See Attachment
A
Ms. McPherson
stated that the DCS teams are losing by 30 to 40 points per game and that coaches,
parents and students are frustrated. The
current policy of no-cuts “water downs our teams” places too many students on a
team, etc.
Dwight Barnes
stated that his concern was roster size.
Presently he now has 17 members on the DCS baseball team making it
cumbersome.
Julie Kukla
stated that she was concerned about students on probation and the enforcement
of policy.
Mr. Harrington
stated that the board would continue to discuss the policy more in depth.
6. Old/Unfinished
Business
A. Budget Adjustment Request –
Mr. Yergeau, Mr. Harrington
Mr. Yergeau asked the board to revisit the budget to
see if it was possible to fund a part-time nursing position and grade level
team leaders. To fund these changes Mr.
Yergeau suggested reducing other lines in the budget such as general supplies,
Advertising, Phys. Ed. Equipment, CD players, etc.
Mr. Webber stated that he was concerned about not
replacing equipment due to the fact that with this type of policy the school
could end up having to pay out more when having to replace a large amount of
broken equipment.
Mr. Yergeau stated that equipment is important but
it is the school personnel that have the greatest impact on education.
Ms. Beaubien agreed that personnel have the greatest
impact on educating children over items.
It was noted that an additional $20,000 would need
to be found and the board will continue discussing this need.
B. Negotiations- Mr. Webber,
Mr. Gorman
It was noted by the members of the board that the
enclosed Paraprofessional Master Agreement
now included the Dental Benefit on pg. 14 of the
Agreement.
A motion was made by Kevin Webber, seconded by Don
Gorman, to move the
ALL IN FAVOR
MOTION CARRIED
C. Lawn Maintenance Proposals –
Mr. Harrington
·
Refer to D. Dept Head
D. Public Awareness Efforts –
Mr. Webber
No Additional Information at this time was given.
7. New
Business
A. Staff Request - Mr.
Harrington
Ms. Barnes a DCS teacher requested payment of $3,
780 for courses taken during this past year.
Course and workshop funds have been depleted, based upon the Master
Agreement limit of $35,000
Mr. Yergeau stated that if the board paid in full
the request by Ms. Barnes the line would be overspent by $200.
A motion was made by Kevin Barry, seconded by Bonnie
Beaubien to reimburse Ms. Barnes for $3,780.
Mr. Webber stated and Mr. Gorman agreed that the
amount should not go over $3,500.
2 In Favor
3 Against
MOTION FAILED
A motion was made by Kevin Webber, seconded by Don
Gorman to reimburse Ms. Barnes the amount of $3,500 for course work taken.
ALL IN FAVOR
MOTION CARRIED
A SECTION OF THE MASTER AGREEMENT PLAN
Teachers who make a written request shall be entitled to
advance payment for courses. Such prepayment of courses will be made from the
district directly to the learning institution upon presentation of a tuition
fee schedule or tuition voucher from the institution indicating that the
employee is enrolled subject to tuition payment.
If an employee who has received advance payment for course
work fails to meet the grade achievement provisions set forth elsewhere in this
section, or fails to complete the course(s), the district shall be entitled to
recover such advance payments by pro rata deductions from the employee's salary
over a period of not less than ten (10) pay periods or more than fifteen (15)
payments.
2. Professional days for the purpose of visiting other
schools, attending meetings or conferences of an educational nature, attending
workshops, seminars, practice, conferences and in-service training
sessions may be granted by the Principal and Superintendent at their
discretion. In the event such leave is approved, the teacher will receive full
pay and will be reimbursed his/her reasonable expenses. The teacher and Principal will mutually
arrange for an appropriate substitute. Payment for expenses will be made within
sixty (60) days of submission of an expense report to the Superintendent by the
teacher.
3. Teachers who make a written request shall be entitled to
advance payment of expenses for professional days as defined above taken within
a given fiscal year, provided they are recommended by the principal and
approved by the superintendent prior to the date of the activity. Payment shall
be made directly to the teacher upon timely receipt of a Reporting Leave Form
with a request attached. Payment shall
be processed and forwarded in accordance with the district's regular manifest
schedule.
4. The Board shall be obligated to expend no more than the
sum of thirty-five thousand (S35,000) dollars for the purpose of one (1) and
two (2) above during any school year.
5. In an effort to support staff improvement the Board may,
at its discretion, expend more than is required under this Agreement. Such
action will in no way obligate the Board to expend more than agreed upon in
subsequent years.
6. For each year of the agreement, seven thousand five
hundred (S7.500) dollars of the workshop reimbursement funds shall be
exclusively dedicated and utilized for activities, which are directly related
to Deerfield School District initiatives.
8. Other
Business
A. Informational Items – Administrators and Board
Members
Mr. Gorman presented to the board a power point
presentation that showed the impact of a default budget over a 5-year
period. Mr. Gorman stated that by using
this type of format it better demonstrates the real impact of a default budget.
The board members thanked Mr. Gorman for his presentation and will asked that
he continue with this project.
Mr. Gorman presented to the board his idea of
replacing the modulars with a steel building.
He passed out to the members a computer generated picture of the floor
plan. Mr. Gorman stated that by
replacing the modulars with a pre-fab steel building they would address the
space issue.
The money spent on rental would then be put into a
building with a life expectancy of 50 years. In addition to the classroom space
a teachers’ room would be available and additional bathrooms.
Kevin Barry stated that the size of the proposed
classrooms do not meet state requirements of 900 sq. feet. There are also septic restrictions when
adding 3 bathrooms.
Kevin Webber stated that ledge would have to be
blasted to put the building in the same location as the modulars and that Kurt
Lauer from Lauer Assoc. stated that setbacks to a body of water would not be
met. Other concerns were energy
efficiency and handicap access.
John Harrington stated that he appreciated Mr.
Gorman’s work but felt that it was not a long-term solution.
E-mail from Mrs. Swanson (DCS Guidance Counselor)
stated that at this time DCS has a total of 69 8th graders and that
DCS is responsible for the public schooling of 64 due to moving, etc.
Mr. Haley stated that DCS is two short from the
Deerfield/Concord required number but that after speaking to the Concord Supt.
it was not a problem at this time.
The board members discussed how to communicate the
message to
It was decided that a letter would be sent home to
all 5th, 6th and 7th grade parents concerning this issue.
Kevin Webber-stated that the stop signs are twisted
and need repair and that the weather is now nice enough to put the fire lane
signs in place.
Mr. Webber also stated that the review of the
electrical needs at DCS will be reviewed June 23rd.
Tom Haley – informed the members that they have
locked in at $2.39 a gallon for heating oil.
Paul Yergeau – stated that 7 interns would be coming
to DCS for the 06-7 school year.
Mr. Yergeau also inquired about rescheduling the
bi-annual teacher meeting with the board.
It was decided that May 31st would be a good time.
Mr. Yergeau also read a letter from U.S. Senator
Sunnunu concerning 9 computers that DCS will be receiving from a government
program. Senator Sununu will come June 1st to present the computers
to DCS. This gift was generated from a
letter written to Mr. Sununu from two DCS students.
B. Agenda Preparation – Mr.
Harrington
Use of Facility
Budget Adjustments
Athletic Policy
C. Citizens’/Staff Comments
9. Adjournment
A motion was made to Adjourn the May 15, 2006 Deerfield Community School Board meeting at 8:40 pm by Kevin Barry, seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
The next Deerfield School Board meeting is scheduled for
Monday, May 31st, 2006 at 6:00 P.M. at
Attachment
A
To the Town of Deer-field School
Board Members,
Let me begin my letter by saying I
am aware that the school policy on athletics is always a sensitive discussion.
I have coached softball and basketball at DCS for 4 & 5 years, and also
serve currently as the athletic director. Over the course of those years I have
struggled with our current athletic policy and all its grey areas. Although it
has changed some in the last couple years, it has not, in my opinion, kept the
same pace of expectation as our inter league teams, and also our surrounding
town teams which we scrimmage each season.
At present I have found through
conversation with other athletic directors, coaches and parents that the
majority of these schools not only have a feeder system for there programs, but
use some type of selection process to create more structured, competitive, and
skilled teams. We struggle with this. I have watched the same teams not only
lose games, but consistently over the course of years, lose by 2,0-30 points in
almost every basketball game, or other crazy scores in other sports. We are
striving to build character and self esteem through our athletics; this is not
what's happening. The frustration shows in the players, coaches and parents.
This I have witnessed first hand and am proposing a policy idea that I feel
will help prepare our athletes better for the larger high schools they will be
attending.
To our
athletic personalities here at DCS, this is very important. Sometimes it is
what makes them love school, getting up each morning looking forward to it. I
truly feel that not all children are academic wonders as not all are athletes
and the more we consider all personality types the more rounded and successful
our students will be.
Most importantly I want a goal of
giving any student the opportunity to play on a team. At present we offer many
different sports from many different programs, school, Park and Recreation, and
our local Little League. Not to mention the many private travel and indoor
teams. The list below is an outline of our sports in town and the age groups
they are offered to.
Soccer:
DCS
Grades 7 and 8
Parks Grades K-6 (I am presently addressing our
7&8 grade need with Joe Manzi)
Travel U8, U12, U14(depends on the year and availability)
Indoor (Field House Sports) U8, U12, U14 (depends
on the year and availability) Cross Country:
DCS Grades 5-8 Basketball:
DCS Grades 7 and 8
Parks Grades K-6 (I
am presently addressing our 7&8 grade need with Joe Manzi)
Travel Grade 3-4, 5-6 Cheerleading
Offered
Sporadically, I have a proposal in for a team for the 2006-7 year Softball:
DCS Grades 7&8
Parks None
Little League Age 8-15 years old Baseball:
DCS Grades 7&8
Parks None
Little League Age 5-15 years old Spring Track:
DCS Grades 5-8
Parks None
Proposal:
1. Open
up Basketball, Soccer, Softball, and Baseball to grades 6-8 at DCS, this allows
a feeder program to our teams and larger ability selection.
2. Allow team selection and
healthy competitive play. Place students in those 3 grades at their playing
ability with other players that they can grow and improve with. Sometimes there
are students in the 6th or 7th grades that could
contribute helping to keep our teams competitive within our league of schools.
3. Use
our Recreational Teams as just that. Every student should have a place to play
and level that they can succeed in. Our recreational teams are less competitive
allowing students to work on there skills in a more relaxed environment. I find
this creates a more confident child, when, they are on a team just because of
age or grade they often struggle with confidence on the field, court or floor.
4. Seek out skilled coaches. This
is always a challenge. We have had many coaches needing better tools and
guidance to be positive and productive with our student athletes.
5.
Create a policy that is adhered to no matter what the circumstances are of the
student. I have seen to many instances where behavioral or academic issues are
swayed for students. I truly feel that our policy should hold firm and true to
ALL participating with no exceptions. Almost every instance of exception I have
witnessed has not been positive for some of the other student athletes.
6. Create a committee to rewrite,
submit, rewrite again, submit, and over and over if necessary until a policy
can be voted in. This committee should be people involved in the athletic
program as well as school board members and citizens. I do not recommend anyone
with a student at DCS; it is too hard to separate parental feelings of
protection (this is just my opinion).
As we prepare our students for
high school we must consider athletic, social, and academic areas. Preparing
students for the successes and failures of life is very important. I have seen
too many learn there true athletic level of play only after the shock of being
cut (often wondering why) from a team in high school. Every student should be
encouraged to play and give the opportunity to do there best. We can for fill
the needs of all our students, but it is important to place them at a level in
which the can succeed.
Respectfully,
Bonni McPherson DCS
Athletic Director