PEMBROKE SCHOOL BOARD
TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2007
PRESENT: Tom Haley, Michael Reardon, Clint Hanson, Tom Serafin, Ry Weisiger, Rick Mitchell, Deb Bulkley, Susanne Whitbeck, Mona Sandberg, Sandy Valine (recording secretary), Tammy Boucher, Marc Lamontagne, Jen Lamontagne, Amanda Kruzcynski, Holly Dunlea
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Clint Hanson called the meeting to order at 7:01PM in the Library at PA.
2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS February 13 and February 21, 2007
A motion to approve the minutes of the meetings (2-13-07 and 2-21-07) was made by Mr. Mitchell and seconded by Mr. Serafin.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
3. IMMEDIATE BUSINESS
A. POETRY PERFORMANCE
There is a special treat on the agenda tonight. The winner and alternate of the Poetry Out Loud Competition will be performing tonight. Holly Dunlea, PA teacher, and advisor is also present. She has done a fabulous job with this competition and participants.
Mr. Reardon reported that Amanda Kruzcynski is one of the anchors for announcements, participates in the swing dancing club, and is Freshman Class President. She is also the Runner Up for the Poetry Out Loud Competition.
Jennifer Lamontagne is a PA Senator, participates in the drama festival, and has served as a representative at the Keene State College Competition.
Mr. Hanson thanked the students for an outstanding presentation. Great job ladies! It is a pleasure to hear something about the educational programs at School Board Meetings. GOOD LUCK at the competition!
15-17 schools will be competing at
B. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS None at this time
C. PARENT CONCERN
The issue has been resolved at the current time.
Mr. Haley commended Ms. Bulkley and Mr. Warburton in dealing with the issue and working out a solution.
D. CONSENT AGENDA
A motion to approve the request for non-resident enrollment was made by Mr. Weisiger and seconded by Mr. Mitchell.
The action taken tonight is not perceived as precedent setting. Mr. Haley will work with the family regarding tuition payment.
There was a question regarding liability of specialized educational services if necessary. Mr. Haley stated that he would investigate that further if necessary, but at this time, there is not any indication that specialized services would be necessary. The board could always revisit the issue at a later date.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
The request is made due to an additional student moving into the area and the bus coordinator supports the request.
A motion to approve the request for an additional bus stop was made by Mr. Mitchell and seconded by Mr. Weisiger.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
ROBOTIC TEAM
A motion to approve the request for the Robotic Team’s field trip to the competition was made by Mr. Weisiger and seconded by Mr. Mitchell.
It was reported that the PA team is strong and should do well in the competition.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
KEY CLUB
Key Club Overnight Field Trip Annual Convention
A motion to approve the Key Club’s trip to the annual convention was made by Mr. Serafin and seconded by Mr. Weisiger.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
SENIOR CLASS (2007) A conceptual request for the class trip was presented.
A motion to approve the request in concept was made by Mr. Mitchell and seconded by Mr. Serafin.
The board supported the moving forward with the planning of the class trip and understands that the group will prepare a more detailed proposal.
Mr. Serafin stated that there is concern about sending a wrong message about approving the requests without complete information.
In regard to the Outing Club advisors’ request, the concern was about the time period of presenting the request and the resulting urgency of the board’s decision/action was discussed by Mr. Hanson.
Mr. Haley stated that there could be the requests could be
combined with the intention that along with a group’s major trip, they could
present preliminary plans for additional trips to be taken during the year. For example, hiking trips, such as climbing
Mr. Serafin asked what the implication of approving tentative or spontaneous trips is.
Mr. Haley stated that if trips/participants would be covered by the insurance of the district, then the insurance carriers would require that the trip be approved in advance. If something happened, the insurance company would be “off the hook” but the district would not be.
Mr. Hanson stated that there is a legitimate fiduciary responsibility behind the need for the board to approve trips and activities taken by the district.
ALL IN FAVOR
THE MOTION CARRIED
Mr. Haley reminded the board of a bus stop reassignment and many discussions that took place this fall. Part of the discussion had to do with the potential over load on the bus. The board’s decision included the fact that if/when that happened, the stop would revert back to the original bus routes. Mrs. Beaudoin has reported to him that we have reached that point. She anticipates that the originally assigned riders will be on the bus from now through April.
Mr. Haley gave Mrs. Beaudoin the authority to change back to
the original bus routes today. Mr. Haley
wanted the board to be aware of that action.
The board did not have any issue with Mr. Haley’s decision.
4. OLD/UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. DISTRICT MEETING PLANNING
Mr. Haley stated that he kept this topic on the agenda to allow for any necessary changes. No additional information has been presented by the State Officials.
A copy of the most recent edition of the handouts was presented to the board.
Mr. Haley will be in touch with Mr. Freeman-Woolpert to double check the status of the information this week.
B. POLICY REVIEW
A motion to approve the following policies was made by Mr. Weisiger and seconded by Mr. Mitchell. These policies have been previously presented to the board and action was scheduled for tonight’s meeting. These policies are in line with state standard compliance.
A first review of the following policies was presented to the board.
Mr. Haley stated that this is an answer to long standing
concerns at
Mr. Reardon spoke regarding repeating Failed Courses. He feels that it should not be possible to fail a course again, if in fact the students are working on the course, meeting with the staff, and taking advantage of additional accommodations that could be made.
It’s not ok to continue to repeatedly fail the class. There are logistical benefits. Mr. Reardon talked about the 5th block option and/or the need to have students meet the standards and competencies in some other way and at their own expense. Parents and students will be made aware of the policy if approved through notices and inclusion in the PA Handbook.
There is currently $6000 of outstanding financial obligations due at this point. Much of the money is due to library and/or books. Many schools do this type of thing already.
The board is asked to make comments and present them to Mr. Haley.
Action on this policy is to be taken at the next meeting.
C. SCHOOL CALENDAR 2007-2008
A motion to approve the 2007-2008 school calendar as presented was made by Mr. Serafin and seconded by Mr. Mitchell.
TWO IN FAVOR
TWO IN OPPOSITION
THE MOTION DIES DUE TO A TIE
The calendar will be revisited when there is a full board present.
5. OTHER BUSINESS
A. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS None at this time
B. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF REVIEW TRS
At 7:57 PM a motion was made by Tom Serafin, seconded by Gerry Fleury to enter non-
public session under RSA 91-A:3II(a) to discuss staff reviews. On a roll call, the school
board voted:
Clint Hanson YES
Rick Mitchell YES
Tom Serafin YES
Ry Weisiger YES
THE MOTION CARRIED
Present in the non-public session were: Clint Hanson, Gerry Fleury, Rick Mitchell, Tom
Serafin, Ry Weisiger, Tom Haley, and Deb Bulkley.
The board discussed staff reviews with Ms. Bulkley
At 9:15 PM a motion to end the non-public session was made by Ry Weisiger, seconded by Rick Mitchell. On a roll call, the school board voted:
Clint Hanson YES
Rick Mitchell YES
Tom Serafin YES
Ry Weisiger YES
THE MOTION CARRIED
Chair Clint Hanson noted that no action had been taken in the non-public session.
6. ADJOURNMENT
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Mr. Weisiger and seconded by Mr. Serafin at 9:20. Without objection, the meeting was adjourned.
7. NEXT
SCHEDULED MEETINGS
School Board Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Village 7 PM
8. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
None at this time.