Deerfield
School Board
Deerfield
Community School
Deerfield,
New Hampshire
Thursday,
January 4, 2007
MINUTES OF MEETING
PRESENT: John Harrington, Bonnie Beaubien, Kevin Barry, Kevin Webber, Paul Yergeau, Don Gorman, Peter Warburton, Kandy Davitt
1. Call To Order-Mr. Harrington
The January 4, 2007 DCS Board meeting was called to order at
6:30 PM by Chair John Harrington.
2. Pledge of Allegiance
Mr. Harrington led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Minutes of Previous Meetings
Nov. 16th
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept the minutes of November
16, 2006, seconded, by Don Gorman.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
Dec. 7th
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept the minutes of December
7, 2006, seconded, by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion
Carried
Dec. 21st
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept the minutes of December
21, 2006, as corrected seconded, by Bonnie Beaubien.
All In Favor
Motion
Carried
Pg. 2 ( 5C, 2nd
paragraph)
Mr. Gorman and Ms. Beaubien reported that they asked Concord
Representatives to be ‘released’ from the present contract language, which
stipulates that beginning in the fall of 2007, 95% of Deerfield graduating 8th
grade students will go to Concord.
Should Read: Mr. Gorman and Ms. Beaubien reported
that they asked Concord Representatives to be ‘released’ from the present
contract language, which stipulates that beginning in the fall of 2007, 95% of
Deerfield graduating 8th grade students will go to Concord. During
the discussion Mr. Gorman referenced the # number of students wanting to attend
another high school as 12 not 6.
Pg. 4 (1st paragraph)
Bonnie Beaubien mentioned that the school’s EMP should be shared
with the Town of Deerfield.
Should Read: Bonnie Beaubien mentioned that the
school ’s Emergency Management Plan should be shared with the Town of
Deerfield.
4. Immediate Business
A. Agenda Review
No Changes
B. Citizens’ Staff Comments
A number of residents from Deerfield were present to discuss the
Concord Contract.
Mr. Harrington welcomed them to the meeting and stated that in
order to keep the meeting moving in a timely manner he would allow each of them
to speak for 5 minutes.
Mr. Gorman stated that he didn’t care if they stayed till midnight
every person should be heard. He further stated that they have a right to
say and take the time they need to be heard.
Other members of the board were concerned that comments could
become repetitive.
A motion was made by Don Gorman to allow each citizen who chose to
speak unlimited time, seconded by Kevin Webber.
Don
Gorman Yes
Kevin
Webber Yes
Kevin
Barry No
Bonnie
Beaubien No
John
Harrington No
2 In Favor
3 Against
Not
Carried
Mr. Rothmich presented to the board a “Petition to Continue
to Allow High School Placement Options”
Recent percentage increase of Deer-field students
required to be tuitioned to Concord High School based on the current
Deerfield / Concord contract eliminates placement options for students with
a desire to attend a high school of choice allowing a better suited high
school education for some individuals. Deerfield residents listed below,
inclusive of families with children attending a high school of choice as
allowed in years past believe placement options should continue to be
available by creating a “grandfather” clause exempting siblings of students
attending a high school outside of Concord from the current contract
percentage requirement. "The Deerfield School Board shall pursue
changes to the High School Contract with Concord to create a 'grandfather'
clause allowing families who already have students attending another high
school be allowed to send their other children to that high school
(exempting the student from the percentage calculation in the current
contract) and to allow students to attend schools other than Concord within
the terms of the contract."
Action petitioned for
Mr. Rothmich noted that in 6 years the contract with Concord would
end and asked the board if they have thought past the 10 years?
The members of the board stated that they have been discussing the
situation and are very aware of the terms of the contract.
Mr. Yurek stated that Deerfield doesn’t need another house on the
market and that Deerfield is better off if they can have choice.
Denise Fahey inquired about the Concord/Deerfield meeting. It was
stated to her from a Concord Board member that DCS was asking for too much and
that an apparent change in language from “will continue” to “expected” was a
major concern of the Concord Board members.
Mr. Harrington stated that they have not heard officially from
Concord and will wait until then to determine what Deerfield should do
next.
The board members informed those in the audience that Deerfield
signed a contract with Concord and that they want Deerfield to start following
the terms of that contract.
Mrs. Fahey and others noted that in the contract with Concord,
Deerfield is responsible for transportation. Mr. Barry replied that this
wording was in the contract to insure Concord that they were not responsible,
it did not mean that the town of Deerfield had to supply buses for their high
school students. Mr. Barry and Mr. Harrington stated that the board is
very aware of the transportation issues and the board has been and would
continue to discuss how to finance transportation to and from Concord High.
Mrs. Shute stated that she was concerned about returning to the
application process for Deerfield’s 8th grade students. Mrs.
Shute stated that it is not a fun to see 8th graders be rejected by
high schools and does not want to return to that process. She stated that
a High School education should be a given for all 8th graders and
was concerned that if Deerfield kept pushing the boundaries Concord would close
their doors completely.
Robin Lemauk stated that the petition was not to derail the
Concord contract but to allow DCS students to attend the high school where they
have a sibling. Doing so alleviates having two siblings attending
two different high schools.
Mr. Yurek asked if this effort was a waste of time due to the fact
that the Contract was a legal and binding document with Concord? He also
asked if a Deerfield student went to Coe Brown would the district have to pay
Concord for that empty seat. The reply was yes and that the cost would be
$11,200/per student.
Mr. Harrington replied that it was a binding contract but if
Concord chose to change the terms of the contract they could.
Mr. Gorman wanted to clarify a few misconceptions concerning
negotiations. He stated that the discussion concerning siblings did not
take place. Mr. Gorman stated that he felt an obligation to represent the
residents of Deerfield and did not feel that he was only to discuss the word
changes given to him by the board. Mr.
Gorman stated that there were 12 students in total looking for an alternative
placement. The Concord Board was willing to listen to the request. Mr. Gorman stated that he could not in good
conscience leave out any family. Mr.
Gorman also stated that he did not know that he was under an edict.
Mr. Harrington stated that the position the board wanted to go was
written and that the board’s position was very clear.
Kevin Webber called Point of Order reminding the members of the
board that this was Citizen’s comments and that this particular part of the
discussion needed to take place at another time during the meeting.
Kevin Webber stated the changes wanted in the contract were:
- Reduce the % of 8th
grade students required to attend Concord
- Ease up or make the
calculations simpler/not relying on ADM numbers.
Mr. Webber then stated that before the board goes forward with any
more discussion they need to wait for a formal letter from Concord.
Mr. Rothmich inquired about the transportation clause in the
Concord/Deerfield contract and that it stated that Deerfield would be
responsible for students’ transportation.
Mr. Rothmich further stated that Deerfield was not meeting that part of
the contract because they were not providing transportation.
Mr. Harrington stated that it was in the contract so that it was
clear that Concord would not provide transportation and that the board was
going to discuss how to fund high school transportation.
See: Attach A : Concord Contract proposed changes
Peter Warburton stated that the Petition Warrant Article would not
prohibit the board in going back to Concord to continue discussing the
Deerfield High School Placement concerns.
Denise Fahey stated that she would encourage the members of the
board to go back to the original intent and remove the words10th,11th,
and 12th graders.
C. Meeting Schedule
February 15th-Deerfield School Board meeting starting
at 6:00 pm. DCS staff has been invited
to attend. Regular board meeting would
begin at 6:30.
February 4 Deerfield School Board meeting starting at 7:00 pm due
to Curriculum night.
D. Negotiations Update-Mr. Webber, Mr. Gorman
Mr. Webber stated that there was nothing new to add.
5. Old/Unfinished Business
A. Warrant Article Information – Mr. Harrington
Mr. Harrington brought forward the high school transportation
issue. The board discussed the pros and
cons of how to bring this forward to the public and decided it was best to
bring it as a warrant. It was stated
that in past history the community members wanted large budget items to be
placed outside of the budget so that it could be reviewed easier. A warrant article makes it very clear as to
how and where the money is being used stated Mr. Webber.
Ms. Beaubien stated that since Deerfield is a rural community with
no high school it should be paying for high school transportation.
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to place as Article 7 (High
school Transportation) on the ballot.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
Article #1
1. Shall the School District raise and
appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special
warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set
forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first
session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $10,782,517? Should this article be defeated, the default
budget shall be $10,717,718 which is the same as last year, with certain
adjustments required by previous action of the school district, or by law; or
the governing body may hold one special meeting in accordance with RSA 40:13, X
and XVI, to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only.
[Note: Warrant Article #1 (operating budget article) does not
include separate Warrant Articles #2, #3, #5 or #7.]
[Approval of the requested budget will result in an estimated $0.11
per $1,000 increase in the tax rate.]
[Defeat of the requested budget will result in an estimated $0.01
per $1,000 decrease in the tax rate under the default budget.]
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 1 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
2. Shall the District vote to approve the
cost items as set forth in the collective bargaining agreement reached between
the Deerfield Education Association and the Deerfield School Board for the
2007/08 and 2008/09 fiscal years, which calls for the following estimated
increases in salaries and benefits at current staffing levels:
Year
2007/08 $217,209
Year
2008/09 $184,151
and further to raise and appropriate the sum of $ 217,209 for the
2007/08 fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to
the increase in salaries and benefits over those of the appropriation at
current staffing levels paid in the prior fiscal year?
[Approval of the collective bargaining agreement will result in an
estimated $0.39 per $1,000 increase in the tax rate]
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 2 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
3. Shall the District vote to raise and
appropriate the sum of $10,000 (from surplus) to be added to the building
Repair Trust Fund previously established, and authorize the use of that amount
from the June 30, 2007 unreserved fund balance (surplus) available for transfer
on July 1 of this year?
[From currently
appropriated funds, which may remain at the end of the 2006/07 year.]
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 3 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
4. Shall the District vote to designate
the School Board as agents to expend from the Building Repair Trust Fund
previously established?
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 4 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
5. Shall the District vote to raise and
appropriate the sum of up to $10,000 (from surplus) to be added to the Special
Education Trust Fund previously established, and authorize the use of that
amount from the June 30, 2007 unreserved fund balance (surplus) available for
transfer on July 1 of this year?
[From currently appropriated funds, which may remain at the end of
the 2006/07 year.]
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 5 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
6.
Shall
the District vote to designate the School Board as agents to expend from the
Special Education Trust Fund previously established?
A motion was made by Kevin Barry to accept Article 6 as written,
seconded by Kevin Webber.
All In Favor
Motion Carried
7. Shall the District vote to raise and
appropriate the sum or $115,200 for the purposes of providing two buses for
Deerfield high school students attending Concord High School, and additionally
providing an approximate $30-per-month stipend to the family of each
duly-enrolled public high school student legally residing in Deerfield who does
not use the bus(es) provided through this warrant or receive any other
subsidized transportation from the District?
[Approval of the transportation warrant article will result in an
estimated $0.20 per $1,000 increase in the tax rate.]
*See page 5-Motion for Transportation Warrant
8. BY PETITION: “The Deerfield School Board shall pursue
changes to the High School Contract with Concord to create a “grandfather ”
clause allowing families who already have students attending another high
school be allowed to send their other children to that high school (exempting
the student from the percentage calculation in the current contract) and to
allow students to attend schools other than Concord within the terms of the
contract.” (This is an advisory article
to the School Board.)
* See page 2 & 3
B. Website Update – Mr.
Harrington
Peter Warburton-addressed the
board concerning the website update and getting information posted in a more
timely manner. He stated that things are
coming together nicely and the board members should notice a change.
C. Deliberative Session
Minutes – Mr. Barry
Mr. Barry has contacted Kelly Services concerning the hiring of a
secretary to do the minutes for the School Deliberative Session. Mr.
Barry stated that they have 144 hours by law to have the minutes typed and
returned. The cost is $21.59 per hour.
The board members agreed that this was the best way to have the
minutes taken.
6. Other Business
A. Informational
Items-Administrators and Board Members
Mr. Harrington- Mr. Harrington wanted a sense of the
board members to determine if they should or should not go back to Concord to
discuss the contract agreement. Mr. Webber stated that they should wait
until they receive a written response from Concord.
The other board members agreed.
Paul Yergeau - Mr. Yergeau informed the members of the
board that DCS received a grant money totaling $5,000. The grant was
written by Eva Oliver, Deb Boisvert, and Vicki Therrien. The grant monies
would be used to implement MP3 players to practice language skills.
Don Gorman - informed the board members that the swamp next to the
school is a wetland.
He also informed the board that the Athletic Policy needs to be
reviewed because of the impact that it has on baseball teams. It is
important that this gets advertised so those who want to attend the board
meeting will be informed.
Kevin Barry-Mr. Barry informed the members of the board that all
Petition Warrants are to be in Tuesday, January 8th, 2007.
B. Agenda Preparation
Concord Response
C. Citizens’/Staff
Comments
At 8:22 P.M., a motion to enter non-public session under RSA 91-A:
3II(c) to discuss a contract matter was made by Kevin Barry, seconded by Kevin
Webber.
On a roll call, the board voted:
John Harrington YES
Kevin Barry YES
Bonnie Beaubien YES
Donald Gorman NO
Kevin Webber YES
THE MOTION CARRIED
Present: John Harrington, Kevin Barry, Bonnie Beaubien,
Donald Gorman, Kevin Webber, Paul Yergeau, Peter Warburton.
Mr. Gorman left the non-public session at 8:23
The board discussed a contract matter.
At 8:55 P.M. a motion to end the non-public session was made by
Kevin Webber, seconded by Kevin Barry.
On a roll call, the board voted:
John Harrington YES
Kevin Barry YES
Bonnie Beaubien YES
Kevin Webber YES
THE MOTION CARRIED
Chair John Harrington noted that no action had been taken in
non-public session.
6. Adjournment
At 8:56 P.M. a motion to adjourn was made by Kevin Barry, seconded
by Kevin Webber.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION
CARRIED
The next Deerfield School Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday,
February 1, 2007 at 7:00 P.M.
The next Deerfield School Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday,
February 15, 2007 at 6:00 P.M.