DRAFT: PENDING BOARD APPROVAL

OYSTER RIVER COOPERATIVE SCHOOL BOARD
Minutes of the Regular Meeting

August 14, 1996 Oyster River High School 7:00 p.m.

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:

David Brown, Jay Flanders, Patrice Gray, Al Porsche, Shirley Thompson, Joan Valentine, Ann Welsh, and Student Representative Michael Beland

ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT:

John Powers, Sylvia Blakslee, Michael Everngam, Chris Cairns, Dennis Harrington, David Michaud, and Marcia Ross

PRESS/OTHERS:

Continental Cablevision Representative Linda Gombar, six visitors and two members of the press

CALL TO ORDER:
Chairperson Valentine called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
COMMENTS BY VISITORS
None
PRELIMINARY ACTIONS
1. Announcements:
  Linda Gombar, Continental Cablevision, appeared before the Board to present the district (high school) with a new television monitor and VCR in recognition of the outstanding work per formed by high school student Jeremy England as a "cub reporter" with Continental Cablevision during the past year. She pointed out that Jeremy represented Oyster River very well and that he should be proud of his accomplishments. Ms. Gombar continued that as a graduate of Oyster River High School she too is proud.
2. Commendations:
  Chairperson Valentine added her commendation on behalf of the Board to Jeremy England for his work with Continental Cablevision and for bringing recognition to the district.
3. Approval of Minutes:
  Motion by Mrs. Thompson, second by Mr. Porsche, to approve the minutes of July 16, 1996, corrected as follows. Page l, add to announcements that Chairperson Valentine noted that the meeting would be the last for recording secretary Eileen Koehler who is moving from the area. Ms. Valentine expressed appreciation for her work on behalf of the board. Page 7, paragraph 2, correct referral to Dr. Powers as referral to Superintendent Powers. Motion approved.
  Motion by Mrs. Thompson, second by Mr. Porsche, to approve the minutes of July 29, 1996, with the following correction. Page l correct Donald Mayrand to Donald Maynard. Motion approved.
4. Approval of Manifests:
  The following manifests were reviewed and approved
```
Vendor #75 -$1,173,156.33      Payroll #02 - $45,615.15
        01 -   588,773.57               03 -  43,813.96
        02 -    90,636.96
```
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT:
1. Middle School Construction Project Update:
  Business Administrator Michael Everngam reported the following status of construction projected to the opening of school on September 4.
  1. Classroom wings anticipated to be completed for student use.
  2. Front and rear site work and access to building expected to be complete. The hand rails at building entry may need to be temporary and the stripping on the base coat areas may be omitted.
  3. Lower (ground floor) hall expected to be complete along with shop, teacher lounge, tech ed center, assistant principals' office and guidance office.
  4. Principal's office and conference room will be sufficiently complete to occupy.
  5. The new core stairways/elevator may not be complete, which is also the case for the new first floor corridor.
  6. Art rooms are anticipated to be complete.
  7. Library, kitchen, four classrooms on second floor will not be complete for the opening.
  8. The cafeteria may be complete except for floor tiling.
  9. The community room, ESL area, and some library space is expected to be complete.
  10. The gymnasium is complete.
  Chairperson Valentine commended Mr. Everngam and "Clerk of the Works" Charlie Bennett for their out standing work on the project to date.
2. Bus Bids
  Business Administrator Everngam informed the Board that four companies delivered sealed bids for the provision of one new 33-passenger handicap equipped bus, and one new 77-passenger bus. Only one company met the advertised bid specifications and said bid was within budget provisions. Motion by Mr. Porsche, second by Mrs. Thompson, to authorize the administration to enter into a two year lease purchase agreement with School Lines Inc. for one 33-passenger bus, handicap equipped, at $47,731.93, and one 77-passenger bus at $49,241.37, with first year payments of $23,264.33 for each bus to be made to Bluebird Capital Corporation. Motion approved.
3. Annual Guide - District Meeting Backplan; Budget Backplan:
  The Superintendent informed the Board that he would be preparing, over the next three weeks, the "Annual Guide of Primary School Board Topics and Administrative Support Activities" for the 1996-97 school year. The guide will include the following topics: 1996-97 Board goals, budget development, curriculum/program evaluation, district meeting preparedness, negotiations (Oyster River Bus Drivers' Association), personnel, space/capital needs, and special education. He shared with the Board preliminary planning leading up to the annual school district meeting, and budget development.
  The Superintendent informed the Board that clarification was needed in the district meeting timeline as it relates to filing for school board seats and absentee ballots. The provisions of Senate Bill 2 call for dates leading up to the district meeting to be "keyed" to the first session of the district meeting which must be held between the second Tuesday of March and the following Saturday. New Hampshire election laws call for the day of election as the date to which filing and making absentee ballots available are to be keyed. The presumption is that the election law date will prevail, which under Senate Bill 2 is the second Tuesday of April, or April 8, 1997. Use of the election as used in the district meeting planning guide will be confirmed.
  Board member Jay Flanders pointed out that the projected date for the first session of the annual district meeting, i.e., Wednesday, March 12, is in conflict with the practice of the Durham Town Council which has held an annual public meeting on the Wednesday following the Tuesday election. The Superintendent will confirm the Durham, Lee, and Madbury plans for 1997 town meetings and, as necessary, recommend alter native dates within the allotted time period of the second Tuesday of March and the following Saturday, which in 1997 is a time period from Tuesday, March 11, through Saturday, March 15.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. 1. Public Participation at Board Meetings (BDDH)
    Chairperson Valentine reported on behalf of the subcommittee re this subject, that the committee has come up with a three part recommendation, as follows:
    1. Agenda items scheduled for formal board vote will be identified by an asterisk (*) on the public agenda.
    2. Under a three month trial period, members of the public who make previous arrangements will be allowed to speak to the asterisked topics for two minutes at the time of board consideration. Arrangements to speak must be made by noon on the day of the scheduled Board meeting, with accommodation through the district office voice mail which has a provision for addressing the School Board. Persons who have not made previous arrangements as noted would be limited to comments under the regular comments by visitors section of the agenda.
    3. A box will be provided at Board meetings for public questions, which will be responded to by the Superintendent at the subsequent meeting of the Board.
    Concerns were raised by Board members re the impact on Board time and work if, by example, 20 people wanted to speak to an item. This was countered by the suggested that this could now happen under the comments by visitors section. Board member Patrice Gray suggested that the Board conduct a survey of other districts before engaging the program. Ms. Welsh cautioned that awaiting a survey would delay the trial period into the budget season and if the program did not work it could be a compounded problem when related to the time needed for Board budget deliberation. Following continued Board deliberation, motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mr. Flanders, to accept the recommendations of the subcommittee for public participation at Board meetings. The motion lost.
    Motion by Mr. Porsche, second by Mrs. Thompson, to survey public participation practices at board meetings in other districts throughout the state, and to work through the NH School Boards Association for support in carrying out said survey. Motion approved.
  2. Use of Facilities (KG):
    Business Administrator Everngam addressed the facilities use policy, and circulated a checklist to facilitate implementation. Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mr. Flanders, to recommend policy KG and regulations KG-R for adoption at the September 4 meeting of the Board. Motion approved.
  3. Student Dissemination of Materials (KBF):
    Through deliberation the draft policy was amended in paragraph 4, item 2 to read, "the activity is student/classroom related and approved by the building principal." Motion by Mr. Porsche, second by Mrs. Thompson, to recommend the draft policy for adoption, as amended. Motion approved.
2. Preliminary Enrollments:
  The Superintendent reviewed preliminary enrollments at the schools noting that a total of 412 students is expected at Mast Way, with but 395 students projected at budget time. At Moharimet the expected enrollment is 427 students, with 410 projected at budget time. At the middle school, 758 students were projected, with 784 students now registered. High school projection was 649 students, with 633 students registered to date. He pointed to the dilemma in kindergarten where 75 students have registered against a program capacity of 60. With the option of transferring 12 of the students from Mast Way to Moharimet unsatisfactory and with three weeks remaining before the opening of school, the Superintendent recommended that the Board authorize a fourth section of kindergarten at Mast Way School.
  Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mr. Porsche, to authorize an additional section at Mast Way to accommodate the additional student load. Discussion ensued relative to the need to review the elementary school district lines re areas of attendance at Mast Way and Moharimet. The task will be reviewed in the fall, with the assistance of the Long Range Planning Committee. Motion approved.
3. Review District Educational Goals:
  The Board agreed to review district goals, last updated in 1984. Chairperson Valentine appointed a three-member subcommittee of the Board to begin the review. Appointed were Board members David Brown, Patrice Gray, and Al Porsche.
4. New Teacher Welcome:
  The Chairperson received consensus approval for scheduling a "new teacher welcome" by the Board prior to its September 18 meeting.
5. Technology Committee Appointment:
  Chairperson Valentine nominated Middle School Assistant Principal Pat Cushing to the District Technology Committee. Ms. Cushing has extensive experience in the area of technology. Motion by Mr. Porsche, second by Mrs. Thompson, to approve the nomination. Motion approved.
6. Board Goal #4 - Teacher Evaluation:
  Board members received backup information re the evaluation procedures to be issued to all teachers at the opening of the school year. At the request of the Chair, the Superintendent prepared an estimate of the number of evaluations to be conducted at each school building based upon three observations with summary evaluation for teachers in their first three years, and one observation/summary evaluation for teachers in their fourth year and beyond. The latter are subject to this procedure once every two years, with an annual letter of evaluation provided those teachers not subject to the procedure in a given year. By consensus it was agreed to hold a Board workshop with principals in the fall (October) to discuss teacher evaluation procedures and to hear an update in December of the number of evaluations conducted to that date.
7. Substitutes:
  Report on Qualifications and Orientation: The Superintendent responded to the request of the Board Chair for a report on qualifications and orientation of substitutes. He noted the following:
  1. There is no state certification of substitutes separate from a requirement that substitutes be a high school graduate.
  2. Orientation and training are conducted on an individual basis by the principal or delegated staff.
  3. The source of applicants is through the press and the schools. Utilization of teacher aides and teacher interns (with pay) are called upon when substitutes cannot be found.
  The Superintendent reported on an emerging problem in securing substitutes with the $40 daily pay rate unchanged since at least 1987. The pay rate after 20 consecutive days is $55 with a contract established when the substitute becomes a "permanent need." He pointed out that Oyster River has benefitted through the years by its access to the university and community people with post-secondary credentials. However, the demands for increased subs for a growing population and better pay rates in some surrounding communities have diminished the ability to attract substitutes.
  Finally the Superintendent noted that the leadership team (central office administration and principals) is committed to developing Oyster River School District substitute teacher standards for recommendation to the Board, with a report forthcoming no later than the October 16 Board meeting. Board member Al Porsche noted his long time concern for the number of substitutes in the schools which represents teacher absence and asked for updates through the coming year of the number of substitutes engaged.
8. Other:
  Chairperson Valentine noted that the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) will be returning to its work on behalf of the district in the fall re enrollment projections et al. With the need for a replacement of the LRPC representative to the High School Space Needs Study Committee, she nominated Robert Kennedy to the position. Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Thompson, to appoint Robert Kennedy to the High School Space Needs Study Committee. Motion approved.
AGENDA PLANNING:
Review recruitment policy, Math/music curriculum, district improvement plan, Mast Way sprinkler system, High School Space Needs Study Committee report; NEASC update, Reports/goals from principals, and financial reporting model.
CLOSING ACTIONS:
During the month of September, two regular meetings are scheduled for the 4th and 18th. The NH School Boards Association is hosting a workshop entitled "Setting the Course for a Successful School Year" on 9/16, the NH School Administrators Association is sponsoring Dr. and Mrs. William Glasser on 9/17 in a day-long presentation on "The Administrator's Role in a Quality School," and "Building Bridges, Not Battles: Creating Community Support Around Sensitive Issues" on 9/30. The National School Boards Association is holding its annual conference 10/6-8/96.
School Board Chairperson Valentine then called the Board's attention to prospective dates for meeting with their counterparts in town government, with suggested dates as Tuesday, 9/14, or Monday, 9/30. She asked Board members to inform the executive secretary in the district office by 8/23 if interested in such a meeting being scheduled and to cite a preferable date. She noted possible topics, including discussion re budget parameters and high school space needs. She invited Board members to suggest other topics to the executive secretary.
COMMENTS BY VISITORS:
Mrs. Rose raised a question of the teacher contract; has it been finalized? She is seeking copy of same. She also inquired as to whether we are aware of the substitute rates in other communities for comparison purposes.
NONPUBLIC SESSION:
Motion by Mr. Porsche, second by Mrs. Thompson, to adjourn to nonpublic session for personnel matters. Motion was approved by roll call vote. The Board entered nonpublic session at 8:50 p.m.

In nonpublic session the Board acted upon nominations for personnel elections.
Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Thompson, to approve the request for release from contract for Tim Bower, high school industrial arts/art education. Motion approved.
Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Thompson, to approve the .10 fte contract increase for the 1996-97 school year in adaptive P.E. for the following personnel: Charles Goebel at Mast Way, Allison Cohen at Moharimet, and Karen Penke at the middle school. Motion approved.
Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Welsh, to approve a request for release from contract (.5 fte) from Mandy Tolson, substance abuse counselor at the high school, pending funding satisfactory replacement or service for students. Motion approved.
Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Thompson, to rescind the Board action of July 28, 1996, in the following high school activity elections: Senior Class Advisor .5 fte Mary Kishbaugh; Senior Class Advisory .5 fte Steven Lord; Fall Drama Helen Brock The names were erroneously presented before the Board. Motion approved.
Motion by Mr. Brown, second by Mrs. Thompson, to approve the nomination of Nathan Grove, middle school social studies, effective for the 1996-97 school year. Motion approved.
In other personnel matters the Board heard a report re the Superintendent's position in an outstanding personnel matter. No action was taken.

Respectfully submitted,
John H. Powers
Superintendent of Schools

Motion was made and seconded that the Board release the following statement: The Oyster River School Board has announced that it has decided not to renew the superintendent's contract. The Board will initiate a nationwide search for a new superintendent." Motion approved by a 5-2 vote.