All towns · pittsfield

School Board Meeting Agenda (PDF)

Document

September 3, 2026 School Board Meeting 
DRAFT meeting minutes 
 
Meeting Information 
Date: 2026-09-03​
Location: PMHS Media Center​
In Attendance:  
Board members Sandra Adams, Tim Robinson, Adam Gauthier, Molly 
Goggin and Becky Berk 
Administrators Dr. Tim Herbert, Jack Dunn, Dr. Erik Anderson, 
Melissa Brown, Jerry Gregoire 
Public: Beth Colon-Page (district special educator), Debbie Vintinner, 
Dan Murphy (district IT), Terri Jones (district treasurer), _____ 
Meeting Notes 
●​ Topic Title: Opening, Introductions, and Manifests Review 
▪​
Chair called the meeting to order at 5:31 pm. and 
welcomed all.  
▪​
Reviewed completed payroll manifests and vouchers with 
dates: 6/5/26, 6/19/26, 7/3/26, 7/17/26, 7/31/26. 
▪​
Manifests currently in front of the board still need 
signatures; no rush, members should read carefully. 
●​ Topic Title: Agenda Amendments 
▪​
Added “Old Home Day.” 

▪​
Added “Inclement weather on early release days” based 
on an email suggestion from an educator. 
▪​
Added voting to accept a $2,000 donation for the drama 
club. 
▪​
Added acceptance of a $2,000 donation from White Gate 
Investment for the coding program. 
▪​
Becky made a motion to approve the amended agenda, 
seconded by Molly.  Passed 5-0. 
●​ Topic Title: Approval of Minutes (Public and Non-Public) – August 6, 
2026 
▪​
Corrected spelling: Terri Jones with an “I.” 
▪​
Motion to approve public minutes made by Becky, 
seconded by Molly, passed 5-0.   
▪​
Non-public minutes: discussion to remove an identifying 
word from subject number two; noted minutes will be 
sealed. 
▪​
Becky made a motion to approve non-public minutes, 
seconded by Molly, passed 5-0.  Motion to seal 
non-public minutes made by Becky, seconded by Tim, 
passed 5-0.   
●​ Topic Title: Superintendent’s Personnel Report and Nominations 
▪​
New hires for board nomination: 
●​ Tess McMahon, Library Media Specialist, Master’s 
step 0. 
●​ Chloe Shea, Elementary Teacher, Master’s step 9. 
●​ Cadence Ward, Elementary Teacher, Bachelor’s 
step 0. 
▪​
Process closure for two existing new hires: 
●​ Eric Pascal and Morgan Smith: working without 
located signed contracts or nomination records; 
board was asked to vote to nominate. 
▪​
Contract closure: 
●​ Daniel Bennett: nomination previously accepted; 
signatures required to finalize contract. 
▪​
Resignations needing board vote: 

●​ Elizabeth Grecian (Student Services 
Administrator). 
●​ Kara McNevich (Library Media Specialist at 
Pittsfield Elementary School). 
●​ Amy Billado (Special Education Teacher at 
PMHS). 
▪​
Teacher contract Article 23: $1,000 penalty for departures 
after July 15.  Student services coverage: 
●​ Tobi Chassie (retired, returning) and Michelle 
Speckman (retired LEA from Concord) to provide 
part-time LEA services; Michelle to start late 
September/early October. 
o​ Actions: 
▪​
Adam made the motion to approve nominations as a 
slate, seconded by Tim. Passed 5-0. 
▪​
Adam made the motion, seconded by Becky to accept 
three resignations and voted to pursue the $1,000 penalty 
from Kara and Amy: passed 5-0. 
▪​
Signatures to close Daniel Bennett’s contract will 
proceed. 
●​ Topic Title: Finance and Banking Updates 
▪​
FY26 closeout: 
●​ Plan to book grant revenues (Title I, IDEA) and file 
reports; final FFE payment received and booked. 
●​ DOE-25 to be completed by month’s end to close 
FY26. 
▪​
FY27 manifests prepared for payroll and payables by 
Senior Accountant Danielle Sutton and Jack Dunn; 
superintendent will sign off. 
▪​
Fraudulent check incident: 
●​ Citizens Bank caught altered payee on check 
issued by district; claim filed; reissued check which 
was hand-delivered; no loss. 
▪​
Camden Bank authorization: 
●​ Need vote to add signers: Treasurer Terri Jones, 
Superintendent Tim Herbert, Jack Dunn, and 
Danielle Sutton. 

●​ Student activity accounts (elementary and 
middle-high), alumni fund, and a CD (Class of 
1990, 2-year cycle, set up on 8/9/1990) require 
signer updates; some current signers retired; 
cleanup needed. 
●​ Most funds are with Citizens Bank, except for the 
above. 
▪​
Audit engagement: 
●​ FY25 audit engagement with Plodzik & Sanderson 
to proceed;  
o​ Actions: 
▪​
Vote to add signers for Camden Bank; Molly made the 
motion, seconded by Tim; passed 5-0 
▪​
Vote to accept FY25 audit engagement with Plodzik & 
Sanderson passed 5-0. Sandra made a motion seconded 
by Becky to retain the auditors for another year.. 
▪​
 
●​ Topic Title: School Opening and Operations 
o​ Description: 
▪​
School opening was described as fantastic and smooth, 
with strong attendance at “Meet the Principal” events and 
open houses. 
▪​
A student assembly was held focusing on themes of 
kindness, reading, learning, and grit. 
▪​
Drop-off and pick-up procedures have been running 
smoothly, with the main concern being parents parking in 
the moving drop-off loop. 
▪​
Student attendance is high, around 95-96%, with juniors 
and seniors having the highest rates. 
▪​
Current enrollment figures show 7 new enrollments and 
28 withdrawals. Historical data shows fluctuations, and a 
trend analysis was requested. 
▪​
Kudos were given to Tim Herbert for his presence and 
community interactions at the Back to School events. 
●​ Topic Title: Student Academics, Behavior, and Programs 
▪​
New Honors and High Honors diploma options have been 
introduced. 

▪​
Students in programs like V-Lax, ELO, or CRTC can now 
use personal devices. 
▪​
Class meetings were held to review academic/behavioral 
expectations, emphasizing the cell phone policy. 
▪​
Four students will attend the Impact program at NHGI, 
sponsored by NH Vocational Rehab. 
▪​
The school tried unsuccessfully to launch Pittsfield 
Academy due to staffing issues. 
▪​
Plans are in place to revive “What I Need Now” (WIN) 
groups for literacy and math intervention. 
▪​
Graduation data for the 2025-2026 cohort: 85.7% 
graduation rate (24 of 28 students); of the graduates, 8 
attended a four-year college, 7 attended a two-year 
college/trade school, and 9 entered the workforce. 
●​ Topic Title: Community Support and Events 
▪​
The first food distribution for End 68 Hours of Hunger is 
scheduled for September 10, 2026, and will continue 
weekly. 
▪​
Students are excited about homecoming activities, 
including a pep rally, dances, and bonfire. A fire permit is 
required for the use of Drake Field for homecoming 
events. 
▪​
Public kudos were given to staff for supporting a 
last-minute “senior sunrise” event. 
●​ Topic Title: Technology and Staffing 
▪​
High school students have mostly received their 
Chromebooks; distribution is in progress at PES.  
▪​
Filling paraprofessional roles remains a significant 
challenge; one interview was scheduled for September 4, 
2026. 
●​ Topic Title: Donations Accepted 
▪​
Tim made the motion, seconded by Adam to accept a 
$2,000 donation from Whitegate Investment for the 
coding/elementary school program; passed 5-0. 

▪​
Molly made the motion, seconded by Adam to accept a 
$2,000 donation from Paulette Wolf for the drama club 
passed 5-0. 
●​ Topic Title: Policy Discussions and Approvals 
▪​
Inclement Weather on Wednesdays: A request to allow a 
delay on Wednesdays for inclement weather instead of 
canceling was discussed. Cancelling Wednesdays last 
year was common for inclement weather, since these are 
early release days anyway for teacher workshops. This 
would require an MOU with the teachers’ association, and 
the board/administration will respond accordingly. 
▪​
Policies – Second Reading: 
●​ JICA (Student Dress Code): Molly made the 
motion to approve, seconded by Becky.  Approved 
5-0. 
●​ IHCD (Advanced Coursework): Becky motioned, 
Molly seconded. Approved as written 5-0. 
●​ JICK: Tim motioned, Adam seconded. Approved 
5-0, pending correction of a placeholder school 
district name. 
●​ DFA (Investment Policy): Becky motioned, Molly 
seconded. Approved 5-0 after discussion about 
clarifying conflict of interest procedures and review 
frequency. 
●​ JICK-R1 (Form): Adam motioned, Molly 
seconded.  “Dean of Operations” was changed to 
“Administrator/Principal.” 
●​ ACE (Non-Discrimination): Becky motioned, 
Molly seconded. Approved 5-0. 
●​ EAG (Use of Private Vehicles): Becky motioned, 
Adam seconded.   Amended to reference “state 
safety regulations” instead of a stricter-than-state 
inspection standard and approved 5-0. 
●​ IHBG (Home Education): Tabled for further 
review to align with HB 1268, which reduced 
record-keeping and student evaluation 
requirements for parents. 
●​ IJOA (Field Trips): Becky motioned, Molly 
seconded.  Approved as written. 
●​ JICD (Student Discipline): Molly motioned, Adam 
seconded.  Amended to require parent notification 
“within 24 hours” of a temporary reassignment, 
rather than in advance. Approved 4-1 with Becky 
opposed. 

●​ JICBR (Sexual Assault Reporting): Sent back to 
policy committee for revisions. Concerns were 
raised about the need to report for ages 13 and 
under only, the need to incorporate HB 1267 
(parent presence during police interviews), and 
removal of inapplicable job titles. 
●​ JJJ (Access for Nonpublic Students): Sent back 
to policy committee to align with HB 1817 and 
clarify financial implications (EFA, adequacy 
grants). 
●​ JIA: Becky motioned, Molly seconded.  Rescinded 
unanimously per NHSPA advisory. 
▪​
Parent-Student Handbooks: Sandra motioned, Becky 
seconded to approve PMHS handbook.  Passed 5-0.  
Molly motioned, Tim seconded to approve PES 
handbook.  Passed 5-0.  
●​ Topic Title: Adequacy Aid Reduction and Food Service Program Status 
▪​
The district faces a $224,000 reduction in state adequacy 
aid this year  
▪​
Free and Reduced Meal eligibility processes are 
underway, with a target date of October 16, 2026, to 
update student statuses. 
▪​
An administrative review (audit) of the food service 
program is in progress. 
●​ Topic Title: High School Options and Legislative Committee Work 
▪​
The High School Options Study Committee (SMART 
Committee) has been meeting to explore options, 
including tuitioning students. They have surveyed 
potential partner districts and are analyzing data. 
▪​
The committee, with help from the administration, will 
also research the legal process and costs of closing a 
school building. 
▪​
The legislative committee is reviewing recent legislation, 
including impacts on reading curriculum (Reading 
Recovery no longer supported) and a prohibition on 
materials from the World Economic Forum.  Becky 
attended webinars recently on a multitude of impacts of 
passed bills and will provide a summary to Board 
members. 
●​ Topic Title: Agreements and Facilities 

▪​
MOU for “68 Hours of Hunger”: A motion was made by 
Molly, seconded by Sandra to accept the MOU with End 
68 Hours of Hunger for SAU facility use.  Passed 5-0 
▪​
Concord Tuition Agreement for Advanced 
Coursework: Sandra motioned and Tim seconded to 
approve an agreement  allowing Pittsfield students to 
access advanced courses at Concord School District. 
Passed 5-0. 
▪​
Door Replacement Project: The administration will 
review procurement policy to determine if a single bid 
from Integrated Door Solutions for the PES door project 
can be accepted. 
▪​
NHSEA Delegate: Molly motioned and Adam seconded 
to nominate Sandy Adams as the delegate for the 
NHSBA Delegate Assembly in October.  Passed 5-0. 
●​ Topic Title: Board Operations and Budget 
▪​
A plan will be discussed to improve the advance 
distribution of complete electronic meeting packets to 
board members. 
▪​
The budget process for the upcoming cycle was 
discussed. The board will consider forming a temporary 
budget subcommittee, set budget goals, and engage with 
the municipal budget committee. 
▪​
The board will consult the DRA regarding the use of a 
$37,000 reserve fund and the possibility of allocating 
future unassigned funds for transition needs. 
●​ Topic Title: Items for Next Agenda 
▪​
Budget and budget process 
▪​
Last year’s final test scores and plan going forward 
▪​
Trend analysis of enrollment and withdrawal info 
▪​
Auditor’s opinion 
▪​
Financial closeout for 2026 and statement of position 
●​ Topic Title: Transition to Non-Public Session 
▪​
Sandra motioned, Adam seconded to enter non-public.  
Approved 5-0 by roll call vote. The board moved to enter 
a non-public session at 7:40 p.m. 
●​ Topic Title: Return to Public session and nominations of special 
education administrators  
▪​
The board returned to public session at 7:58 pm 

▪​
Liz Gracian’s resignation was confirmed as already 
accepted. 
▪​
A nomination was proposed for MichelleSpeckman and 
Tobi Chassie to assist with part-time LEA special 
education administrative services. 
▪​
Motion made by Molly; seconded by Adam. 
▪​
Approved, 5-0 
●​ Topic Title: Adjournment 
▪​
A motion to adjourn was made by Molly and seconded by 
Adam.  Approved 5-0, meeting adjourned at 8:10.     
 
Submitted by Becky Berk