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02.16.26 BSB Minutes - Final.pdf

Document

The mission of the Bedford School
District is to develop a community of
Jearners who are curious, resourceful,
and respectful. Academic achievement
is the district's highest priority.

"Seaford School Districe

BEDFORD SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Monday, February 16, 2026
SAU Office Board Room
103 County Road, Bedford NH 03110
6:30 p.m.

MINUTES - Final

1. Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance/Roll Call
Chair Sue Jennato called the February 16, 2026 Bedford School Board meeting to
order at 6:30pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited at that time.

Present were: School Board members Andrea Campbell, Bill Foote, Sue Jennato, Kara
LaMarche and Stephanie Nichols; Superintendent Michael Fournier, Assistant
Superintendent Tom Laliberte, Business Administrator Lisa Ambrosio and Student School
Board Representative Andie Nugent.

2. Affirm Agenda Items
There were no agenda revisions.

3. Participation at School Board Meetings
There was no public input.

4. Community Senate
BHS Community Senate Members Matt Benn and Anthony Correnti gave an update on the
items they have been discussing, including:
e Feedback on Strategic Planning/NEASC draft (not a full senate in attendance).
e Digital portfolio (eliminating slideshow).
e Testing incentives and preparation (e.g. exemption from final exam if student has a 3
or 4 on SAS exam).
e Upcoming voting.

5._English Language Learner (ELL) Presentation
Assistant Director of Special Services, Lisa Horne along with ELL teachers Ieva Grauslys,
Dina Murphy, Kristen Prachar, and Zachary Camenker shared an outline of the BSD’s
English Language Learner Program with the Board. Highlights included:


e Mission of ELL program: to develop English learners’ ability to listen, speak, read,
and write across all content areas.

e What EL teachers did (e.g. adjusting curriculum/teaching for different language
proficiency levels.)

e Curriculum and Instruction - following WIDA (World Instructional Design
Assessment).

e Assessment and Data.

Collaboration and Advocacy (including meeting with resource teachers to review

accommodations for ACCESS test).

Family Engagement.

Professional Development and Communication such as the cultural calendar.

Facts such as Bedford having the third largest population of ELL students in NH.

There have been between 1-10 students in ELL classes.

The next Coffee and Conversation will be on April 9th.

Supporting Documents
e ELL ntation

6. PAC Presentation
Director of Special Services Melissa Gray and Assistant Director of Special Services Lisa

Horne presented an overview of the newly created Parent Advisory Council, including its
goals, membership and role in supporting students and families. Highlights included:

e Mission: to advise the District on issues impacting the education, safety, and overall
school experience of students with special needs.
Made up of parent volunteers, Special Education teachers, and a School Board liaison.
Meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Contact: parentadvisorycouncil@bedfordnhk12.net

PAC had: established 2-3 goals to guide focus areas; developed a Welcome Newsletter for
families; organized a Special Education workshop for families (March 25th); explored
strategies to enhance inclusion in activities; and provided feedback on parent experience
during IEP meetings.

Supporting Documents
e PAC Presentation

7. Policy Updates
There was a second reading of the following policies:
Policy JCA - Change of Class or School Assignment - Best Interests and Manifest Hardship
e Current Version
e Side Side Comparison
e Clean JCA (Recommended by NHSBA)

Policy JLCJA - Emergency Plan for Sports Related Injuries and Additional Protocols for
Athletics Participation
e Current Version
e Side by Side Comparison
e Clean JLCJA (Recommended by NHSBA)

Policy JICK - Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention


e Updates included: bullying between schools, the Principal of the victim's
school needed to call the school of the perpetrator; and when allegations
involved students from other Districts/States, the Attorney General's office
needed to be contacted.

e Current Version

e Si i rison

e Cle CK (Recommended by NHSBA’

Andrea Campbell made a motion to approve Policy JICK - Pupil Safety and Violence
Prevention. Kara LaMarche seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0 with Student School
Board Representative voting in favor.

Stephanie Nichols made a motion to approve Policy JCA - Change of Class or School
Assignment - Best Interests and Manifest Hardship and Policy JLCJA - Emergency Plan for
Sports Related Injuries and Additional Protocols for Athletics Participation. Kara LaMarche
seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0 with Student School Board Representative
voting in favor.

There was a first reading of the following policies (where there were legislative changes):
Policy GCCAD: Leave for Uniformed Service Members or Their Spouses
e Provides notice requirements, compensation/benefits, seniority/retirement,
re-employment rights, accommodations, protections for spouses of service
members, eligibility, grant of unpaid leave, etc.

e Clean GCCAD (Recommended by NHSBA)

Policy IHCD/LEB - Advanced Coursework/Advanced Placement Courses & STEM Dual
& Concurrent Enrollment Program
e Changes included: dual and concurrent enrollment definitions; and students
participating in CTE would receive credits - $150/course to be paid by the State.
Current Version IHCD/Current Version LEB

Side by Side Comparison
Clean IHCD/LEB (Recommended b: A

8. Budget versus Actual
Ms. Ambrosio presented an updated budget v. actual report for FY26. Highlights were:

Surplus trending to $700,000,
Special Education revenue funded at 91% (surplus built into next year’s budget).
Medicaid was trending better.
Local revenues: PWS boiler replacement ($20,000 rebate through the NH Saves
Program); City of Manchester refund of @ $9,000 for some hookups; and rebates for
procurement card program.
Facilities rental - doing better than anticipated.
e HVAC bond earning interest - security project earned $26,000 of unanticipated
revenue and would be returned to the tax payers.
Expenses: surplus.
Deficit in Special Education and Maintenance (covered by surpluses in
salary/personnel lines).
© Maintenance deficit to be better as more staff were hired and contracted service
decreased.
e Savings as SRO was not there for the full year.


e Savings in legal lines and transportation.
e Substitute expense running higher than budgeted (it was lowered during Covid).
e Food service - break even. Fully staffed besides a manager at the elementary level.

Supporting Documents:
e Budget v. Actua’

9. Minutes

Bill Foote made a motion to approve the minutes of January 26, 2026 as presented. Kara
LaMarche seconded the motion. Motion passed 4:0:1 with abstention from Stephanie
Nichols and with Student School Board Representative voting in favor.

Kara LaMarche made a motion to approve the Deliberative Session minutes of February 3,
2026. Stephanie Nichols seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0 with Student School
Board Representative voting in favor.

Kara LaMarche made a motion to approve the minutes of February 3, 2026. Stephanie
Nichols seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0 with Student School Board
Representative abstaining as she was absent for that meeting.

e Draft Minutes of 01.26.2026
e Draft Minute: .03. 2026 Deliberative Session
e Draft Minutes of 02 126 BSB Meetin:

10. Materials Included
Enrollment Report: overall District increase of 3.
BHS: 2 transfers to another state (grades 9 and 10).
Total homeschooled students as of 2/2/2026: 85.

January 2026 Discipline:

e ISS: BHS: 6 incidents for 6 days; RAL: 3 incidents for 3 days; PWS: 3 incidents for
3 days.

OSS: BHS: 3 incidents for 3 days.

Threat Assessment: 1 at RAL.

Saturday School: 1.

February 2026 Enrollment Report

Jan n IL ension Report
January Out of School Suspension Report
January Bullying Report

January Saturd, hoo! Report

11. Consent Agenda : N/A

12. Short Subjects and Good News Notes

Ms. Nugent reported that girls skiing won the Alpine Ski. The winter play just ended and
was very well done.

Mr. Fournier attended a conference last week on school partnerships with institutions of
higher education. Topics included teacher recruitment and retention.


13.

14.

Mr. Laliberte attended the DECA awards in Manchester; 82 participated and 59 placed.
The 28 students who finished top 3 in the overall events have the opportunity to
compete in the international competition in GA.

Ms. Jennato and Mr. Foote had gone to BHS to speak about the ballot and help answer
questions (for eligible voting students).

Nonpublic Session Per RSA 91-A:3, II (c)
Compensation of a Public Employee

At 7:54 pm, Bill Foote made a motion to enter into nonpublic session per RSA 91-A:3,
II (c) Compensation of a Public Employee. Andrea Campbell seconded the motion.
Motion passed 5:0 with Student School Board Representative voting in favor. Roll call
vote.

Correction: The nonpublic session should have been entered pursuant to RSA 91-A:3,
II (a) rather than RSA 91-A:3, II (c). All other aspects of the motion and vote
remain unchanged.

Present were: School Board members Andrea Campbell, Bill Foote, Sue Jennato, Kara
LaMarche and Stehpanie Nichols; and Superintendent Michael Fournier.

Return to General Session
At 8:48 pm, Kara LaMarche made a motion to return to general session. Stephanie

Nichols seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0. Roll call vote.

While in nonpublic, the Board provided feedback to Superintendent Fournier for his
quarterly review.

Kara LaMarche made a motion to issue a new three-year contract (July 1, 2026 - June
30, 2029) to the Superintendent with the following terms:

e Year 1: A 6% salary increase.
e Retirement: An additional $2,000 contribution toward the Superintendent’s 403(b)

plan.

e Performance Award: Eligibility to earn up to $20,000 in annual performance
awards under the new agreement.

e Current Award: A $10,000 performance award for work completed between
February 2025 and February 2026.

Stephanie Nichols seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0.

15. Adjournment

At 8:50 pm, Kara LaMarche made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Stephanie Nichols
seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0. Roll call vote.

Respectfully submitted by,

Susan DeFelice


Contract for the Position of the Superintendent of Schools
For School Administrative Unit #25 (Bedford School District)

Preamble. This Contract is amended on this day, the 17th day of February 2026 between
School Administrative Unit #25, Bedford, New Hampshire (hereinafter “Bedford School
Board” or “Board”), and Michael Fournier (hereinafter "Superintendent".

Employment and Term. The Board agrees to employ the Superintendent, and the
Superintendent agrees to accept employment in the position of Superintendent, for a three-year
term commencing the first day of July, 2026 and extending through the thirtieth day of June,
2029. The Superintendent's work-year shall be twelve (12) months.

Base Salary. The Superintendent's salary shall be $183,420 (one-hundred eighty three
thousand four hundred and twenty dollars). The base salary shall be payable in twenty-six (26)
equal biweekly installments, annually, and shall be subject to such deductions as may be
authorized by the Superintendent or as may be required by law. The base salary will be
increased by 3% or higher each year, as agreed to by the Board and Superintendent.

|. Performance Bonus. In addition to the Base Salary, the Superintendent will be eligible for an
Annual! Performance Bonus, of an amount not to exceed $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars).
The Annual Performance Bonus will be a one-time, annual payment in February, determined
as a result of the Superintendent's Performance Evaluation by vote of the Board. The amount
of the annual performance award will be determined by the Board based on the quarterly and
annual performance evaluations of the Superintendent.

. Performance Evaluation. The Board will provide the Superintendent with an annual written
evaluation of the Superintendent's performance under this contract. This evaluation shal!
include, but not be limited to, the position description and the annual written goals and
objectives established by the Board and the Superintendent. This performance evaluation shall
be completed no later than January 31st on an annual basis. In addition, the Board will conduct
informal reviews with the Superintendent on a quarterly basis using the same position
description, annual written goals and objectives as above.

. Renewal of Contract. This contract shall be renewed for successive three-year terms, upon
mutual agreement between the Board and Superintendent, on the same terms and conditions of
the last year of this contract unless at least 6 (six) months prior to the expiration of the
then-current term either (i) the Board provides written notice of non-renewal to the
Superintendent, or (ii) the Board offers the Superintendent a new Contract on terms no less
favorable than the last year of this Contract, or (iii) the Superintendent provides written notice
of non-renewal to the Board.

. Authority and Responsibility. The Superintendent agrees to administer and supervise the
schools of the District in accordance with the laws of the State of New Hampshire and the
rules, regulations, and directives of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, the District,
and the Board. As stipulated in Section 302:01 of the New Hampshire Code of Administrative
Rules, the Superintendent shall have the authority to organize, reorganize, and arrange the
administrative, teaching, and support staff in such a way as, in the Superintendent's best
judgment, best serves the School District. The Superintendent shal! be responsible for the
nomination, placement, and transfer of all non-elected school district personnel.



10.

u.

12

13.

Certification. The Superintendent shall be required to hold for the life of the Contract a valid
certificate for Superintendent, properly registered and issued by the State of New Hampshire.

Termination for Cause. This Contract may be terminated by the Board at any time for the
Superintendent's (i) immorality, willful misconduct, or insubordination; (ii) failure of the
Superintendent to meet the goals and expectations of the Board, after given notice and a
reasonable opportunity to improve; or (iii) the failure on the part of the Superintendent to
conform to the laws of the State of New Hampshire, the rules, regulations, or directives of the
New Hampshire State Board of Education, or of the Board. If there is conflict between the
rules of the State Board of Education and/or the Board, the rules of the Board will prevail.

Termination of this Contract for one or more of the foregoing reasons shall take place only
following written notification of the reasons thereof. Unless the Superintendent submits to the
Board, within twenty (20) days of receipt of such notification, a written request for a hearing
before the Board, this Contract is considered terminated as of the date which falls thirty (30)
days after the Superintendent's receipt of notification. If the Superintendent requests a hearing,
the Board shall hold this hearing within twenty (20) days after its receipt of this request. The
Board shall render a written decision to the Superintendent within ten (10) days of the hearing
Any determination by the Board that is adverse to the Superintendent shall be subject to
arbitration pursuant to clause 29 below.

Termination without Cause. The Board may at any time and without cause relieve the
Superintendent of his duties under this Contract, provided that the Board shall pay to the
Superintendent, in a lump sum as severance pay, the salary and value of fringe benefits that
would have been earned under this Contract for one (1) year from the actual date of
termination. For the purposes of this paragraph, the Superintendent's salary shall be deemed to
be the base salary as of the date of termination of employment. Fringe benefits shall be deemed
to be the annual premiums, then being paid by the Board on the Superintendent's behalf on the
date of termination, described in paragraphs 17, 18, 19, and 20.

Termination by Superintendent. The Superintendent may terminate this contract without cause
by providing the Board with one-hundred eighty days (180) written notice. The Superintendent
waives any performance bonus pursuant to paragraph 4 if they terminate this contract without
cause prior to June 30, 2026.

Vacation Leave. The Superintendent's work-year shall be twelve (12) months with thirty (30)
working days annual vacation leave. In the event that the Superintendent has not used all annual
vacation leave for this contract, they may carry the unused days to an aggregate maximum of
thirty-five (35) days over to the following year and/or the Superintendent may be paid a
maximum of ten (10) days. At the expiration or early termination of this contract, the
Superintendent shall be entitled to payment for any unused annual vacation leave which has
accrued during the year and which, subject to the aforesaid limits, the Superintendent may have
carried over from prior years, upon leaving the employ of the district.

Sick Leave and Short-Term Disability. Sick leave shall consist of fifteen (15) days per year
with an accumulation to one hundred twenty (120) days. If the Superintendent qualifies for
and needs to use Long Term Disability insurance, they are entitled to use accrued sick leave
as Short-Term Disability insurance until the time when Long Term Disability insurance
coverage begins. Unused sick leave will be paid to the Superintendent upon retirement from
education with a minimum of fifteen (15) years of service as an administrator in the District


and having reached the age of fifty-five ($5). Payment shall be at the Superintendent's
per-diem rate as of the date of retirement, not to exceed a total amount of seven-thousand five
hundred dollars ($7500) and paid in one lump-sum. Other than as described above, any
unused sick leave will not be paid at termination.

14. Personal Leave. The Superintendent shall be granted up to three (3) days personal leave to
take care of important matters that cannot be handled except during the working day. Such
days shall be granted without stating specific reasons provided three (3) days' notice is given
and that such leave is not taken on the day before or the day after a holiday or vacation period,
or on a Monday or Friday in May/June. The Superintendent may carry up to two (2) of the
unused days over to the next school year with an annual limit of five (5) days personal leave.
If requesting a personal leave day(s) carried over from the previous school year, or if the
personal leave request does not follow the guidelines above, the Superintendent must state a
specific reason and personal leave may be granted at the discretion of the School Board Chair
or their designee.

15. Bereavement Leave. Bereavement leave shall be at the discretion of the School
Board Chair or their designee.

16. Holidays. The Superintendent is entitled to the following paid holidays, unless school is in
session: Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the
day after, Christmas Day and the day after, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. /Civil
Rights Day, President's Day, and Memorial Day. Compensatory time will be provided for paid
holidays that occur while school is in session.

17. Health and Accident Insurance. The District will provide the Superintendent with medical
insurance coverage under the Access Blue Site of Service Plan (ABSOS) with a $1,000/$3,000
deductible and $20/$40 office copays. The district will pay:

Ninety-six percent (96%) of the single premium
Ninety-three percent (93%) of the two-person premium
Ninety percent (90%) of the family premium

The Superintendent will also have the option of purchasing Access Blue $15 (ABIS) with a
$500/$1,500 deductible and a $15 office copay or Open Access 20 (OA20) with a $0 deductible
and a $20 office copay. The District will contribute a dollar amount equal to the amount that
would have been contributed to the ABSOS plan for these plans.

All three plans offered have a prescription plan with retail copays of $10 for generic, $25 for
preferred brand names and $40 for non-preferred brand names and with mail order copays of
$10, $40, and $70 respectively.

If during the course of this Contract, the Access Blue Site of Service Plan (ABSOS) with a
$1,000/$3,000 deductible and $20/$40 office copays is no longer available to the District or the
District changes its health insurance plans/carrier, the District will provide the Superintendent
with reasonable notice of such change. A comparable plan and cost sharing schedule will be
presented to the Superintendent for the term of this Contract.


18.

19%

20.

21.

22.

23.

24,

25.

26.

27.

Dental Insurance. The District will provide the Superintendent with dental insurance
coverage under the Northeast Delta Dental Insurance Plan Option IS, or an equivalent plan,
under the same terms as negotiated with the Bedford Education Association.

Life Insurance. A group term life insurance policy equal to three times base salary to
a max of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) will be provided at District
expense.

Public Liability Insurance. The District will provide the Superintendent with public
liability insurance coverage for their acts or omissions as an employee of the District, at
no cost to the Superintendent, such insurance to provide coverage and be subject to
limits within the reasonable discretion of the District.

Disability Insurance. The District will provide long-term disability insurance in the amount of

sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the Superintendent's monthly Base Salary in the
event of total disability, as defined by the policy, at such time that short-term disability
expires. This benefit covers the Superintendent up to the Social Security normal retirement
age, or until actual retirement, per the terms and conditions of the policy, at no cost to the
Superintendent.

Annuity. The District will contribute on behalf of the Superintendent twelve thousand dollars
($12,000) in each year of this Contract or extension of this contract to a 403(b) plan. A
matching contribution by the Superintendent is not required.

‘Travel and Expense Reimbursement. The Superintendent shall be reimbursed for
ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the normal conduct of their office, including
professional conferences, seminars, workshops, committee meetings, and travel.

Communications Reimbursement. The Superintendent may elect to either be reimbursed for
use of personal cell phone or be issued a District provided cell phone, If the Superintendent
elects to be reimbursed, payments will be made semi-annually (December and June) at a rate
equal to what the District pays for a provided phone.

Professional Associations. The District shall pay the Superintendent's annual fees and dues
to the American Association of School Administrators, the New Hampshire School
Administrators Association, and such other professional associations as may be mutually
determined by the Board and the Superintendent.

Professional Activities. The Superintendent may engage in activities such as teaching,
lecturing, or consulting in addition to employment with the District, provided that these
activities do not interfere with the Superintendent's performance of responsibilities under this
Contract.

Graduate Coursework. Graduate courses and their reimbursement must be approved by the
Board. The amount of course reimbursement will be at the rate of 75% of the tuition fee
regardless of the number of courses requested per semester. Courses are identified as those given
by colleges, universities or specified programs offered by administrative associations.


28. Savings Clause. This Contract shall be governed by and construed according to the laws of the
State of New Hampshire. Invalidity of any portion of this Contract shall not affect the validity of

the remainder of the Contract.

29. Arbitration. All disputes between the parties concerning their rights and obligations under this
Contract shall be subject to binding arbitration. Such arbitration may be commenced by any
party serving a written demand therefore upon all other parties and the American Arbitration
‘Association. Arbitration shall be by a single arbitrator sitting in Bedford, New Hampshire (or
such other place as the parties may agree upon) in accordance with the rules of the American
‘Arbitration Association. The fees of the arbitrator shall be shared equally by the parties. The
decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on the parties, subject to review in
accordance with RSA 542:8.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Contract on the dates

reflected below. School Administrative Unit #25:

See Cale Date: z/ (4[ Ze

Sue Jennato, Chair of the Bedford School Board

2-19-26

Michgel Fournier, Superintendent