20th, 2026. This is the Gotham School Board meeting. Let's start with our Pledge of Allegiance.
Allegiance in the pride of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice to all.
So let us start with correspondence. So I will turn over to the superintendent for correspondence, please.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. No correspondence this evening.
No correspondence.
Okay. For good news and combinations, I would like to start as a chair to talk about volunteer appreciation week.
So Goffstown benefits from a variety of volunteers and organizations that make our community a better place to live.
We are fortunate that this spills over to all of our schools as well.
Families and community partners contribute to our schools in so many different ways.
Whether it's volunteering on field trips, supporting activities through parent-teachery,
associations, working in the classroom, on the fields, or at our musical and theater productions.
On behalf of our schools, we are better, and we thank you because of you.
Thank you very much for all that you do and for all the work that you put into our community.
So round of applause for all of our volunteers. With that, I'll turn it over to other good news
accommodations. As we're kind of all sitting in the line, I'll do my head bobbing a little bit,
but it looks like Assistant Superintendent would like to speak. Please do.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
So a few things to report out on.
Over at Bartlett, last week, they took the time to celebrate their school community through a various amount of activities, including a spirit week last week.
They also did handwritten public acknowledgments of staff and volunteers last week and had a luncheon for their volunteers as well.
And they just want to thank everybody who supports Bartlett in the community.
They're very appreciative of that.
Also, over at Glen Lake, they hosted a family.
fun night where families could come and join an activity centered around literacy and steam.
The evening included a sensory-friendly room for students and families who would benefit from a quieter experience.
There were costume book characters, as well as the book fair was open. So all students were able to
take home a book, a magnifying glass, a toy insect, and some math activities. It was a very well-attended
event. Also this past Saturday, the Glen Lake School Partnership hosted their third annual
bike safety rodeo. Students traveled on two courses with different signs and obstacles
and had bikes checked and adjusted by trek bikes. And they also participated in a helmet
check station. It was very well attended by families and the Glen Lake Partnership raised
over $2,000 with this event. So a special thank you to Glen Lake Partnership for putting us
together, not only because it's a great fundraiser, but more importantly, it's safety for our students.
over at Maple Ave. It was a very busy weekend this past weekend as the Maple Ave PFT hosted two events.
They had boys night out on the 17th and the Little Miss Dance on the 18th. So on Friday night, students had a chance to go to Fun City and bounce around with their friends. And on Saturday, students and grown-ups boogied down in the hilltop cafe over at Mountain View for a night that was really fun and had a lot of memories.
And tomorrow night, I'd also like to remind everybody watching from home that the Maple Lab show
chorus will be performing here in this auditorium at 7 o'clock, and they'll be performing Broadway hits for the
community, so we hope to see people there. Thank you.
Thank you, Assistant Superintendent. Are there any other good news combinations? Yes,
heading down to the other side of the table. Good news from Gothtown High School.
junior Aubrey Karen has spent the last few months working really hard coordinating colleges, trade schools, and military representatives to be part of our What's Next pair, which took off today.
Students had the opportunity to learn about a multitude of options for life after high school.
Individual students and classes attended.
I'm excited to share the good news about Lawrence Gaietsky.
She was accepted into Project Search Program at Concord Hospital.
This is a one-year program for students and young adults whose employment goal is a competitive employment.
She has been working really hard at Gostown High School, and this is a wonderful next step for her as she progresses towards a success to success in her adult life.
Approximately 90% of the students accepted into this program gain employment after their completion of the program.
All juniors will be taking the end.
NHS science test either tomorrow or Wednesday.
During April 7th through 9th, foreign language students participated in the stamp, which is standards-based measurement and proficiency assessment, a nationally recognized exam.
Stamp measures students proficiency in rural languages across four domains, reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
The assessment provides a comprehensive picture of a student's ability to use language.
language and real-world contexts and aligns with the American Council on teaching a foreign language guidelines.
The stamp assessment also serves as a key pathway for students to earn the New Hampshire seal of bi-literacy.
This distinction recognizes graduating seniors who demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one other language.
Students may qualify to meet this benchmark, including demonstrating English proficiency through the
through scores such as the SAT and the world language proficiency through their stamp composite score.
There are two levels of seals of bi-literacy.
There's the gold level, which awards students who demonstrate proficiency at an intermediate high level,
and silver level, which awards students who demonstrate proficiency at an intermediate mid-level.
A total of 88 seniors participated in stamp testing for this upper level, that included 12 level 4-4.
honors AP French students, 42 level four honors and AP Spanish students, 28 level 3-4 Latin students,
and an additional six students who tested in other languages spoken within our school community,
including Portuguese, Italian, Bosnian, and Tamil, reflecting some of the linguistic diversity in our school.
In addition to the seniors, our level two students in French, Spanish, and Latin,
also completed the stamp testing in their classes during the week of April 14th.
This, these students taking this assessment serves as a diagnostic tool to measure the current proficiency level
and to inform instruction and assessment practices moving forward.
Students at this level are tested in the language they are studying, allowing foreign language teachers to gather data on their progress and to better align their instruction and assessment practices across
their courses. And that's the news from Gothestown High School.
Thank you very much.
The good news from Mountain View, I'd like to send out a thank you to MVP for supporting the building
of a new Gaga pit at MBMS, as well as a thank you to the teacher, Bobby Glenn, who's going to be
donating his time to build the pit, which will be available for next school year.
The congratulations to the teachers and students of Team 73 for a successful ripple effect project,
The students worked on this project all year long to research, develop, and design a project of their choice.
And last week, the students put all their work on display for a gallery walk, allowing the students to showcase all their hard work to parents, community members, and other students at MVMS.
I attended the gallery walk.
It was really amazing to see all their hard work on display.
It was pretty amazing what some of these students were able to accomplish.
The MBMS Music Department will be hosting the New Hampshire MEAs.
South Central District Music Festival on May 9th, with performances starting at 430.
The event will bring middle school students together from South Central, New Hampshire, to make music
as part of the festival's band and chorus.
Mountain View has 17 students who will be participating in this year's festival, and will also be
sending four of their string students to participate at the orchestra in Southeast Festival at
Cooperative Middle School.
The students at MDMS were top performers in the SIFMA Foundation Stock Market
game. So in digital integration, which is one of the UAs that the students take part in,
the students were given $100,000 in virtual monies to invest in the stock market.
The students were required to track, monitor, and adjust their investments based on real-time
stock market data. MBMs was the top-performing New Hampshire Middle School for the spring
session and placed second overall on the state of New Hampshire for the 25-26 school year,
which was pretty cool. I guess we need to look to them for some investment advice.
do need to look the down.
Yeah, they did phenomenal.
Sending out a big thank you to the students of MBMS who participated in a fundraiser to raise money
for a seventh grade survival kit.
The idea came when a group of seventh grade students realized that they had students in their
school who may not have access to necessary everyday supplies.
And so together they created a fundraiser and they ended up setting up a four bin
drawer outside Ms. Roy's office label the seventh grade.
survival supplies, and the supplies include things like pencils, pens, flashcards,
mints, inspirational stickers, mini deodorants for both males and females, and other materials.
They had a goal to raise $80 to fund the project, and the students actually ended up raising over $300
and also a thank you to the Goffstown food pantry who helped donate some of the supplies to
complete their survival kit. And lastly, I'd like to send out a huge thank you to Rick Sweeney,
Dale Smith, and Dead River Fuel for helping support a very successful Maple Year for Team
Civil 1 at MBMS.
Year after year, Rick and Dale, donate their time, supplies, and knowledge to support this program.
This year, we collected over 150 gallons of sap, and we're able to put together a makeshift
evaporator, which did River donated a propane tank, allowing us to process about 45 gallons of sap,
producing a little over a gallon of syrup.
And this Friday, the students of 7-1 will be enjoying waffles, ice cream topped with their own
maple syrup.
And next year, the plan is to...
What time?
I'm pretty sure.
It's around two-ish, so if you're, you know, interested in some waffles and ice cream.
And next year, the plan is to open up the Maple experience to the fifth through eighth grade with the
Adopt-a-Maple program that we're starting.
And that is it from MVMS.
Thank you very much.
Great, great stuff.
Any other correspondence are good news?
Reda?
Yeah, I just wanted to mention that both Jared and I were invited to participate in Kurt McDermott's class.
He put on.
on a community change maker challenge, which is part of a statewide nonprofit group.
And they challenge the students to come up, to identify a problem and come up with a solution
that they would then work into a paper, a video, and they present it in front of the panel of
judges, that which Jared and I were judges for this event.
and then one group gets selected to move on to the regional, the regional statewide event,
which is, I think it may, over at UNH in Durham.
This is the first time it's ever been offered at Goffstown High School.
And from our experience, I really hope that they continue with this and get more engagement.
There were several groups, but only a few chose to go on to the challenge that is a, you know,
a big step, but I think with more effort in the continuity of this plan, more students
will get pretty excited about doing this. So it's local problems, coming up with solutions,
and presenting it to a panel of judges.
That was a great event. Jenny, of course.
Thank you. The Gavdowne High School Student Council also had a parent's night out where
they had kiddos come in, and the student council members took care of babies had, basically,
kids for the night of parents. And I heard that parents were very pleased. The kids had a blast.
As a matter of fact, a little story, one parent, or one couple of parents came to pick up their
kiddos, and there was still an hour left of the program. And they're like, no, no, no, we don't
I don't know. Can we please take? And so parents said, okay, if you can stay, and they
probably went out and got dinner, a snack, or a drink, and came back later. So it was well
received. So they will probably continue on doing nice things for our community as well.
Great. Thank you, Jenny. Any other items for today?
Okay. Thank you, everybody. Thank you for all the work that, uh, an acknowledgement. We'll
on to public comment. Are there any public comment in the gallery? Seeing none, I will
be closing public comment at this time. There are two presentations that we do have on our agenda
today. One of them is school counseling presentation and the second one is who we play for
program. So at this point in time, I'm going to turn it over to Superintendent Bulki to go over
the first presentation. Thank you. Good evening, everyone. So this evening we'll be talking
about the school counseling program and it's my pleasure to introduce Melissa
Ms. Mazzoni, who is our school counseling coordinator here at Gautstown High School,
and I'll pass it off to Mrs. Kohler.
Sure. Just to give a little bit of context before Mrs. Mazzoni starts, is as part of the
E.D306 is the minimum standards. The school counseling department is mandated to come and present
their program for approval every two years. So Melissa is going to talk a little bit about the
program, our staffing, so all the board members and those people at home can learn a little bit more
about what our school counseling office does.
And Melissa, sorry that we're in the theater tonight.
This is a tough, it's tough to present.
You can't sit at a table.
You can't look at your material.
So thank you for being flexible.
Appreciate it.
That's all right.
I'm going to still try and look at my material.
I wrote down what I wanted to say because I'd really like to do this well.
So thank you for having me here this evening.
Like Wendy and Brian had said,
I'm here to outline our comprehensive school counseling program,
which is aligned with.
New Hampshire Ed 30630 and is being brought forward tonight for biennial board approval.
This was originally a 40-minute presentation to C&E last week, and I've condensed it down to
about 10 minutes for you this evening.
I'll walk you through the structure of the program, how we support students across all grade
levels, and how we are meeting state requirements while reflecting the values and priorities in our
district.
Some key takeaways for the board this evening.
our school counseling program is fully aligned with ed 306 30 and the broader ed 306 minimum standards required for public school approval the rule states that every two years the school board must approve a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate k-12 counseling program including the implementation plan it also requires that programs include a sequence of learning opportunities supporting academic career and personal social development delivered through core curriculum
planning, responsive services, collaboration, referrals, and data-driven practices.
Our program provides comprehensive services for every student.
We are aligned with the SAU-19 Strategic Plan and the American School Counselor Association
Mindsets and Behavior Standards, which represent our national best practice. And finally, we have clear
structures in place to define and implement the program, and we are ready for board approval to
proceed with implementation. This slide is connecting the work of the school
counseling program directly to the district's portrait of a graduate. Our vision
and mission reflect the belief that preparing students for life beyond SAU 19 means
supporting the whole child and not just their academic performance. Through counseling
instruction, planning, and responsive support, we help students build the skills to
achieve the portrait of a graduate. Self-awareness, resilience, problem solving, and future
readiness. By meeting students where they are and providing equitable,
developmentally appropriate supports, the counseling program helps ensure that every
student has the opportunity to grow into a confident, capable, and connected graduate.
Carrying out this mission are 12 counselors across our six schools, as well as eight
additional professionals who support student services, including an emotional behavioral
specialist, a 504 interventionist, an SAP counselor, and SAP counselor, four,
school psychologists and myself, the director. And if you were wondering, what is the
professional role of a school counselor? School counselors are certified, licensed educators required
to hold a master's degree and credentialed through the New Hampshire Department of Ed. We are
comprehensive program leaders who design, deliver, manage, and assess counseling programs
aligned with academic missions and goals. Our counseling programs are delivered systematically to all
students, not only those in crisis, and we address academic career and social
emotional development. School counselors also serve as leaders and advocates working to close
achievement and opportunity gaps. The school counseling core curriculum is delivered throughout the
school's overall curriculum and systematically presented by school counselors in collaboration with
other professional educators in classroom and group activities. At the elementary level, comprehensive
curriculum focuses primarily on prevention and foundational skill development. You can
see the description of specific programming on this slide here. I want to highlight our second step
curriculum, which is presented in collaboration with counselors and teachers, helping students
with emotional regulation, empathy, and problem solving before challenges escalate. Small groups
and targeted supports for Tier 2 and 3 interventions will reinforce these skills. In grades 5 through
You can see here the various counseling programming which support students through key developmental transitions.
Lessons help students build identity, self-management, and relationship skills as academic and social demands increase.
Counselor-led community meetings foster school community where students feel connected, heard, and valued.
They develop skills, celebrate successes, and reinforce shared expectations in a sense of belonging at these meetings.
Activities are centered around the school-wide.
character trait of the month.
And at the high school level, the counseling program emphasizes academic planning,
post-secondary readiness, and personal well-being.
School counselors provide clear, structured, and scaffolded support for post-secondary readiness,
including academic advising, career, trade, military, or college planning,
and individualized guidance at key grade levels.
Ongoing monitoring and targeted interventions in groups ensure that students stay on track
contract academically while also receiving support as needed.
Our goal is that every student graduates with a clear plan and the skills to pursue their chosen pathway.
Individual student planning is a core component of our counseling program.
Counselors support students in identifying strengths, setting goals, and developing realistic plans for success.
This includes onboarding new students, monitoring attendance, and academic progress, coordinating 504s, and supporting IEPs, and guiding future
planning, which becomes more individualized as students progress through the grades.
Responsive services addresses student needs as they arise, and this aspect of the counseling role has become increasingly essential as we continue to see a significant rise in student mental health, emotional, and behavioral needs across all grade levels.
School counselors provide timely, short-term individual counseling, group counseling, and crisis response, offering immediate developmentally appropriate support within the school
setting.
Counselors also collaborate closely with mobile crisis teams and school-based support systems such as MTSS,
P-A-T, and PBIS to ensure coordinated care.
In addition, counselors serve as critical connectors between students, families, school-based supports, and community resources,
helping to ensure that students receive the right level of care at the right time.
Our work is vital to maintaining student safety, supporting emotional well-being, and creating the conditions,
necessary for learning.
In addition, we use data to inform and evaluate our counseling program, and this is an ongoing priority for me.
We analyze attendance, academic performance, behavior, crisis data, graduation rates, and career readiness indicators.
This allows us to assess our impact, identify gaps in access, and continuously refine how our services are delivered, while keeping our relationships and student voice at the center of our work.
And finally, our implementation
plan. This outlines the three-year implementation and refinement plan, which is designed to ensure that the counseling program is not only compliant with
30630, but also sustainable, responsive, and aligned with student needs over time.
The plan follows a clear cycle of defined, manage, and deliver, which mirrors both state expectations and best practice.
Year one focuses on defining the program. During this phase, we clearly articulated the K-12 counseling program,
across the different grade bands, ensuring that we aligned with ed 30630, relevant RSAs, and the ASCA mindsets, and behaviors.
Year two focuses on managing and delivering the program.
At this stage, the counselors will implement the defined curriculum and services,
strengthen our collaboration with other educators, and refine when and how the counseling instruction is integrated into the school.
Year three focuses on assessment and refinement. During this phase, we will use multiple data points,
attendance, academics, behavior, graduation, and post-secondary readiness to evaluate our impact.
We will identify what is working well, what we can improve, and set goals for the next cycle before returning to the board for the next biennial approval.
This structure ensures that our program remains intentional, transparent, and accountable.
Thank you very much for your time and your support.
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
Open up to questions.
I was going to thank Melissa.
I want the board to know, and I'm so sorry this is so hard to see all of you down the chain here.
This was about a 40-plus minute presentation that Melissa did at the C&E meeting.
So this was a high-level kind of executive summary.
I'm happy to answer any questions.
Either Melissa, Mrs. Kohler, myself.
Jean.
Thank you.
And Melissa, you mentioned the SAP counselors.
I was just curious.
how many staff coaches there are in the district?
And is there one of the middle school and the high school or just the high school?
We just have one at the high school for the student assistance program.
All right, thank you.
Dan?
You said 12 counselors across the six schools?
Yes.
And how does that average out?
Is it, you know, from like, how often do you see a child in, say, fourth and fifth grade?
Is it just as needed when they're younger and then more intervention when they get older?
Or does that shake out?
Yeah.
I see your hand.
Sorry.
No.
back off.
Sure.
So we have five school counselors at the high school, and that's separated by alphabet.
So the counselors have certain letters of the alphabet, and the students are assigned for all four
years.
At the middle school, we have four school counselors, and the students, they rotate through the grades
with their students, so they'll start in fifth grade with a group of students, and then go all
the way up to eighth, and then rotate back down for the incoming fifth graders.
We have one school counselor.
at Bartlett, and he does four days at Bartlett and one day at Glen Lake.
We have one school counselor in New Boston, and then we have one full-time counselor at Maple Ave and a part-time counselor who assists for two days.
If I could also just add, so the counselor that Melissa just mentioned at Maple Ave, that's there two days a week.
If the board will remember, we asked for that from an unfilled position back in January.
So that's been a tremendous help over for Maple.
I'll also mention, and I know Melissa touched upon it, is the rotation between grade levels.
So at the middle school with one school counselor moving through with those students all the way through eighth grade,
how important that is when a counselor really knows their students and they're talking about course selection for the high school.
And one of the things I really appreciate here at Gothstown High School is the same thing.
Our students have the same school counselor for four years.
And whenever it's time to pick classes for the next year, the school counselor actually meets with every single student to go over what they chose and to talk about what their aspirations are for whether it's military, college or career readiness.
They go over everything and they really know their students.
So beyond the meeting with groups, getting together for testing, 504 case management, they do a lot of things that are really high touch with our students to make.
sure that we know them and make sure we're setting them on the right path for after graduation.
Other questions?
Again, please raise your hand so that I can ensure that I see you.
Shane.
If there are no other questions, I'll make a motion to approve the K-12 Comprehensive School Counseling Program presented by Ms. Mazzoni.
I have a motion.
Second.
And I have a second by Vanessa.
Before I call the vote, I just ask one further question.
Knowing that you've bubbled up some issues that have occurred, or not issues, but just some things that you need to the administration.
Are there other things that you need support from this board on at this point in time?
At this point in time, I can't think of anything.
But, you know, if I could have 12 more counselors, that would be wonderful.
It was just, you know, we want to give you an opportunity to say these are things that we're seeing.
We want to speak for the superintendent.
We want to emphasize that's why we're at all right.
That's why we're asking the people that are on the front lines and making sure that your voice is heard.
So thank you for that.
Mr. Talbot, if I could mention that several years ago, we came to the board and moved a half-time counselor at Mountain View to a full-time position
so that we could allow for the rotation between all the grade levels, and that has had a massive impact at the middle school.
I just want to thank the board.
We've had that for several years now, and that made an incredible impact over at Mountain View.
Thank you.
Thank you, Wendy.
Yes.
Jack.
Since we've gone this far down the hole, I'd just like to put a plug in for someone who had a who used the services for many years, not just for academics,
but for kids that were academically doing well and needed trauma support, and the cohesion between the staff over the last 20 years.
Unfortunately, I've had it going on that long, to help out students that aren't academically challenged
and just on a path trying to struggle with everyday life that maybe isn't being picked up.
parents or the medical community, it's much appreciated.
Thank you.
You're here, Jack.
Thank you.
Thank you, Jack.
All of it.
Shane.
And just to clarify, so you'll be coming back in two years for reauthorization of this plan.
At that point, do you're going to present the data that you've collected, things like that?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Great.
Thank you.
Sure.
Any further questions and comments?
Okay, there's a motion in a second.
So all those in favor of reauthorization of this plan for a two-year period, please signal by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Any abstentions?
Very unanimous.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Melissa.
Moving on, we have another presentation for who we play for.
So I will turn it over to Assistant Superintendent.
When you call, there.
Great.
Thank you.
So for board members, in your packet, you have a handout that says who we play for.
For returning board members, this is something that you've seen before.
If the board will remember, last year, I brought a pilot.
to this board that we wanted to open up the opportunity for families of high school students
to sign up for a pediatric EKG.
So this is a program that as part of a regular physical examination, children normally don't have.
And this is a low-cost option for families to be able to sign up and have an EKG for $20.
If there's a financial problem, the organization will work with families.
to make sure that that is not a burden that they have to carry if they're unable to.
And these EKGs take about five minutes in a pediatric cardiologist looks at the results and reports back to the family of those results.
So here at the school district, we are not receiving any medical information.
So last year, this past August, we did this and we had 70 students sign up to participate,
68K, which is pretty remarkable, only two no-shows. We had three students who were in the yellow zone.
And the yellow zone means that they should follow back up with their PCP because they should take an extra look at that.
And we actually did have one student who came out with the red zone, which was stop everything immediately.
You need to see someone. So we're really thankful that we were able to offer this to our community last year.
And because this was a pilot, I'm bringing it back to the
the board for approval because we would like to continue to offer this to our families here in
Goffstown.
Great.
What question?
Stan.
How many student athletes have in Goffstown that would have been eligible for it if they had signed up?
So that's a great question.
We didn't just open it up to athletes.
We opened it up to anybody at the high school.
So this was not just for athletes, our performing arts, students who are not involved in extracurriculars.
Anybody was allowed to sign up.
Okay.
Thank you.
That's a great question.
Jack.
I repeat my point.
plug for this. Since when I coached soccer, had an athlete who the year after he left the soccer team,
after having troubles with his stamina, was tested for an issue with his heart, and he found it in college
and something like this might have allowed him to find it sooner and not have it be so much of an issue.
So I applaud this action.
There's Jimmy.
I also support this strongly. This is not a test that's given.
routinely to children unless there's like a medical issue in the family or they're having
symptoms.
So this kind of a check would not be done on kiddos.
And so it's good that it's inexpensive.
It can be done easily, you know, not doctor's appointment, not all of that follow-up, I mean,
unless it's necessary.
So I think it's really awesome the parents have this opportunity to just take.
one more thing that they have to worry about their kids off in their worry list and have
something like this done. Thank you, Cheney.
Chair, if I can also mention that if it is approved this evening, we would be looking to start
advertising it in June to do this in August. And what we do is we schedule it around
when before tryouts and things like that for athletics so that people can pre-plan that. And
students are not taken out of class or anything else to have this done.
So if it is approved tonight, we'd be looking for that August time frame again.
Great.
Thank you, Wendy.
What other questions?
That I will entertain a motion.
Motion to approve.
That we play for program has presented.
Motion by Laura.
Second by Jimmy.
Any further questions or comments?
All those in favor?
Say aye.
Aye.
Approved?
Oh, that was approved.
Disapproved?
Obstensions.
We are unanimous.
Thank you.
Thank you for our presentations.
Moving on to our next agenda item, the review of our April 6th, board minutes.
I'll give a moment for people to look through them.
Everybody's name spelled correctly.
Hopefully, that's important.
Okay.
Seeing no questions or comments or revisions, I'll entertain a motion.
Shane.
I just want to, I think I arrived before 8, 10 p.m.
I arrived right towards the end of the public hearing.
hearing that was closing, but I don't know what time I got here, so maybe we just leave it.
Sounds great.
Now that comments been made.
I want to entertain a motion.
The minutes as presented from the
public hearing and
April 6th.
Motion by Shane, seconded by
seconded by. Second.
Second by Vanessa.
Okay, hey for the questions and comments.
All those in favor, please signal by San Diego.
Aye.
Any disapproves?
Any abstentions?
We are your name this.
Moving on to committee reports. I'm happy to say that hopefully all of our committees have met
and elected leadership, and I will ask for the individuals from those committees to speak for their reports.
Starting with our Finance Committee, Jack.
Thank you.
I'd like to prevent the manifest.
I present it as a motion.
Correct? Yes. I'd like to make a motion to accept this manifest summary from April 2nd to April 20th, which contained two pay periods and totaled $4,012,028.48.
Motion by Jack. Seconded by... Seconded by Vanessa. Jack, if you'd like to go through it. We'll go through it. The major items, obviously, is payroll and benefit.
The payroll of the two periods being $1,548,845. Payroll taxes in Health Trust, a little over a million put together,
with the total of that being $3,233,602.72.72. The next biggest, well, not the next biggest, the next category we have listed is the SPED activity, which
The total was $179,6.96.92, with the two biggest things being out of district, or out of district and in district transportation.
And out of district services, one transportation totaling 83,3, 320. Out of district services, totaling 44,323,328.
which contain regular transportation, our portion of the SAU assessment, are the two big ones, regular air transportation, 177, 937.
SAU assessment, our portion, 136, 405, other smaller things totaling 400,069333 cents, one item, or two items,
items under food services totaling $38,960.58, all coming to a total of $3,922,118.55,
which leaves the balance of a little over $89,000 from the total, which is expenditures under $5,000, which, if you're so interested, can be found on the checkbook register posted on the website.
like. Great job, Jack.
Eight questions for Jack or administration for this manifest. Seeing none, I will call the roll.
So, though, all those in favor of accepting the manifest as presented, please see you go by saying hi.
Aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? We are unanimous.
Moving on to the revenue and expense reports. I will turn it over to our business administrator.
Great, thank you. So as you look at the revenue, how much money we are bringing in, so both for the board and the people following along at home.
If we look to the left-hand corner, if we go down a couple lines, we'll see the accounting period nine out of 26.
So just to remind people that we start our accounting periods in July, and we label that the first accounting period, and we go through June, which we label the 12th accounting period.
So nine would be the ninth, would be March, which is the ninth month after July.
and that is for 26, which is fiscal year 2026.
So one of the things that we first see when we go down to the first budgeted revenue is for property taxes, for local education.
And we can see that we have a budget for that, and then we have a year-to-date receipts and available balance.
So that's an example of something which will bring into the penny what is on the budget.
As you look to the right on that, you'll see that the period receipts, so, are negative.
That does not mean that necessarily that money left the district back to the town.
What it does mean is that the town collects both the local education property tax as well as the statewide education property tax.
The statewide education property tax is further down on your sheet, the second to the lowest on page one.
And you can see that for this month, what we did was we transferred over in a way, an accounting way,
to recognize that all of the total adequacy grant for swept came in.
So when the town sends us over money twice a month, they don't say this percentage is for local
and this percentage is for the swept.
They just add up by the end of the year to the total amount between the two.
So some are known.
Others are not known.
So if we kind of go in the middle of the first page, we can see interest income.
which had a budget of 80,000, and then we've had year-to-date, receipts of 121,000, and an available balance of negative 41,000.
So for revenue, an available balance of negative 41,000 is a good thing.
That means that we have collected more than we have budgeted, that we budgeted or thought we bring in.
So interest income is one of those things, which we don't have control over.
We have money in TD Bank that earns interest, about TD Bank, you know, the amount that they have for interests.
is based on what it's typical for any bank at that time.
So I don't know as people look through the revenue,
if they had any other questions on that.
What questions do we have for Doug, if any?
Doug, I appreciate you kind of going through this with the detail that you have
over the past many, many cycles.
Thank you for that.
And then looking at our end of your process,
you want to touch along with that, Doug?
Yeah, I wouldn't mind touch it based on the expenditure
report as well real quick.
So the expenditure report is also available online for anyone to look at.
This, if you look to the right, a lot of times we're interested in it, is what is our available
balance?
How much money do we have left?
So that is calculated by taking the budget, subtracting out the year-to-day of expenses, and
then subtracting out the incumbences outstanding.
So the incumbrances are money that we believe will be spent between now and the remainder of
the year.
And then the last column on the right is a year-to-date budget, and that is a percentage of the budget that has been spent or encumbered.
So sometimes you'll see negative amounts.
Those can go for different reasons.
One is that we knew we were going to be over for our water bills this year.
That's one of the reasons why we brought that up in the budget for next year.
Propane, it was a colder winter, so both at home.
And here we spent more on propane.
pain to heat the buildings. Electric, that has also been brought up for the budget for next year.
Voice Communications, we spent a decent amount of time talking about that in the budget.
You'll see those as negatives this year, but those lines have been brought up next year as well.
Some of the negatives have to do with some accounting that we have to switch up, where sometimes
you might see a salary, which is a negative amount, and then the next line is a positive amount,
which has to do with how much is left to spend.
We just have to kind of do an accounting thing to charge it to the right account.
There are some salary lines which are the increases that we have to then divide back out to
those salary lines as well.
So there's definitely some both positives and negatives.
As you look through the whole thing, the last page will tell you what is the available balance,
and we're at a little over 2.3 million, which means that as of the
now, according to e-finance, which won't be exactly where we'll end up, but that is,
would be about 95.65% of the budget being spent.
Thank you, does.
So at this point, I'll move on to end-of-year processes, and if there was any questions.
So the goal of our end-of-year processes are many, but the two main goals is to make sure that
we're spending this year's budget on this year's students, as well as we're looking to
get more of an understanding of what the fund balance will be by the end of the year.
So a couple of things that are happening now is that this Friday is the last time for
requisitions or permission to spend to be brought in by either teachers or administrators.
So what happens is whenever somebody wants to make it purchase, they have to get at least two
approvals, if not four approvals for approvals for that purchase.
So one comes from the building level, and then one comes from myself,
each time or the assistant VA. So the last time to put in permission to spend
will be this Friday. So after that, there really shouldn't be anything unless it's an
emergency. Because, again, we know what's happening between now and end of the year. We know
that where graduation is. We know how much it's got to cost. It hasn't happened yet, but we
know the bills for that. The second thing is once a requisition is approved, it becomes a purchase
order or a PO, those stay open until they're closed. So the buyer or who put in that
acquisition will be getting all of the POs that are still open to them. And their responsibility
to is either to let us know which ones to close, which ones, or to adjust the amount, or which ones
need to stay open. So sometimes they need to close because, you know, there might be $5.44 left on it,
and there's going to be no more purchases on that. Sometimes I need to be adjusted because we're getting
towards the end of the year and they're not going to fulfill all of what they expect it to. And
sometimes they stay open because we know that we know that we're going to.
broke apart, for example, transportation into multiple months, and we saw multiple
more months to pay for that.
So another thing I'll be looking at which would be key to fund balance is the tuition.
So the last tuition invoice for New Boston, even though it's not due yet, I'll start kind of working
on it to have a better understanding of how much more money will be coming in for revenue for tuition.
So between now and our next school board meeting, those are some things that I'll be concentrating
on. So I'll be able to have a close to accurate projection for fund balance at the next meeting.
Great. Thank you, Doug. Thank you.
Sure, that's generate a lot of thoughts and questions that we might have. Maybe not for this meeting,
but maybe for the next one as well. But are there any further questions for our business administrator?
Seeing none, thank you, Doug. Appreciate your time and effort on this.
Moving to Budget Committee. Vanessa.
Oh, that's me. They haven't met you. He's cake.
On the fifth is their next meeting.
Cinco de Maya?
I'll be there with my margarita.
There you go.
For my understanding, is that a joint meeting with the select board?
I think they said that.
Yes.
Yes.
In the theater.
It'll be here.
Great.
Thank you, Vanessa.
Moving on to C&E.
CNA covered of the
two presentations we had tonight in our last meeting.
And we will be meeting again May 18th to 2026 at 7 p.m. at the S.E.
Great.
Thank you, Jenny.
Moving on to PNC.
Yes.
PNC has met actually a couple of times for some work sessions since our last meeting.
We met last week on the 14th, and we started to dig into our communication strategy plan that we plan to bring forward.
during the retreat.
We've made some good progress, and we hope to have a draft to bring to the board before the retreat.
We also met prior to our meeting this evening to meet with Brian regarding the agenda for the retreat,
and we just shared some thoughts about the topics that we'll be covering.
So more on that later, but we're very much thinking about the retreat, and we just said that.
at the end of June. Our next meeting is on May 11th at 6 p.m. in the library.
Thank you, Rita. And moving it over to PRC, I believe that Shane.
All right. Policy met last Monday, and we continued to pick through the policies, both that are required
and also some that are optional and are for deletion. So the restructure committee met last week. So we have a new committee, which is
exciting.
And we will meet again on May 18th at 530 at the SAU office.
And we'll obviously have some more policy updates later on.
Thank you, Shane.
S-EU Joint Area Committee meeting.
I know that we said is scheduled if needed on June 10th.
But Jack, as the pseudo-chair, I don't know if you'll be the next chair of that.
Any updates you can give it at this point?
I think that discussing that the
discussions had at the SA meeting last Wednesday that we're probably not going to
hold a meeting until we are more defined on consequences of open enrollment.
Great. Thank you, Jack. Before we move on to the superintendent report, are there any
other committee reports that we would like to discuss for today?
Jack. Yes. Yeah. So as I learned the alphabet soup here, I want to point to
something I have been signed up, or I signed up to participate in the T-E-S-S contract negotiations.
To avoid a conflict of interest, I'd like to remove myself from that as my wife is a para at the middle school.
Dan, I appreciate you having the transparency to let us know that and making sure that, you know, we are
transparent as transparent as we can be.
Though I know that you would be an asset and a major advocate of this board as side of those negotiations,
I appreciate your candor and honesty on that.
So I want to open it to the board for a moment with Dan resigning from GESS.
The other members are RETA and myself of GESS.
Historically, that has been a pretty easier negotiations with GESS.
And unless if there's any kind of real thoughts from the board, I've talked with RETA,
I think that you're okay if it was just you and I continuing.
But again, I want to open to the board.
if we want to have a third member that I can appoint and bring back to our next meeting
to add to GESS, or if the board's okay with just RETA and I going forward at this point in time
with GESS and the negotiations we would have.
So open it up to the floor.
Vanessa?
I'd like to do it.
You'd like to do it?
If you need a third, I'm happy to do it.
Unless you don't want a third, but just speak plainly.
But I am willing.
Okay.
Any other thoughts?
It would be cool.
Well, I'd say, are there any other volunteers then that would like to join the fund?
Just so that you know, Vanessa, that the process would be that we'd be meeting during the day,
usually right after school where the support staff could meet with us.
So it would probably be roughly, you know, meeting at 2.30, so I want to make sure your work schedules are accommodating to that.
Yeah, just meeting the dates.
Okay.
Any other thoughts?
Well, at this point, since.
somebody does want to volunteer, and I'll never turn away help, Reda, for us.
That way, if we need to take a break, we can.
I will ask, with Dan's resignation, that Vanessa, be added to the GESS negotiations.
I will ask for a vote of the board to ratify this.
So at this time, I will accept a motion as such.
Vanessa, you have made that motion I'm taking yet?
Oh, yeah.
Be added to the GESS.
I know you could self-motion.
Is there a motion?
a second? Second by RETA. Any further questions or comments?
I'm asking the question. If he cannot be on G-E-S-S, he could be on G-E-A.
And he is on G-E-A. He's not resigning from that. Okay. Okay. Great question.
Thank you. But not for four more years.
Any other further questions or comments? Okay. So the motion has to add Vanessa onto the G-E-S-N-S-N-N-E-S-N-S.
negotiation team. All those in favor, please signal by saying aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions? It is unanimous. Welcome aboard. Vanessa?
With that, we will go on to the superintendent report. Superintendent Volki, I turn the floor to you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of quick updates for the board this evening. We received
notification just today from the New Hampshire Education Department that we are to expect a slight reduction in Title I. At this point, Title I, at this point,
ones provide support services to us at both Bartlett and Mountain View Middle School.
It looks like a fairly small reduction, but it continues to be yet another example of a reduction
in federal revenue here at the local level. So we'll keep an eye on that. Number two, I wanted
to let you know that Mrs. McGrath, myself, Mr. Totten, and Mr. Gross from the SAU, we went and met
with middle school teachers today. We had a voluntary staff meeting. There was some outstanding
questions about next year's schedule. So we had a productive discussion with the teachers
today about that. We still have some more work to be done, but I'm optimistic that will be successful
doing that. And my last piece, it's been a very busy spring for us. We've got a lot going on,
and I hope everyone has a wonderful break. The kids and teachers are kind of looking like they need it.
So I hope we get some nice weather, and I hope everyone has a nice spring break. And I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Myself, Mrs. Cole, or Mr. Tock, or Mrs. McGrath, because she's here this evening.
Okay, open up the floor.
Are there any questions for our superintendent?
Mr. Shane.
Brian, could you just give a little context to the schedule for next year conversation, just so people at home if they don't know kind of what the...
Sure.
Yeah, so one of the things, so this year we negotiated a new contract with the Gostown Education Association.
our teachers union, and we're very appreciative and supportive that the community supported that
and implemented that contract. As part of that, one of the things that we were trying to accomplish
was to create a 30-minute lunch for all of our teachers. And right now, that's about 22 minutes
in some schools. We do have a couple of schools that it's 30 minutes, but that delta between the
current schedule and 30 minutes is what we've been trying to work on. It is a larger conversation,
that we've had a scheduling committee this year that's been meeting at Mountain View,
and it was comprised of teachers and administrators.
They worked hard on throughout the year to develop a new block schedule.
That schedule is not being implemented for next year.
We had hoped that we would have agreements on that.
There were still some outstanding questions from our teachers association.
And unfortunately, we had a situation that in order to move forward with any kind of a schedule change,
It's a rather complex process that we have to do through Power School.
So essentially, if we were to change the schedule next year, we need to be doing all kinds of custom building in Power School now.
And unfortunately, from the time where we were originally projected to bring the schedule change to the board, it just wasn't ready.
And unfortunately, in order for us to make a decision on the Power School schedule changes that needed to happen in the month of March or early,
April at the absolute latest. So unfortunately, we will not be implementing
the schedule changes next year, but hopefully we'll keep working and get to resolution with
the teachers and put that in place for September of 27. I do think the proposed schedule is good
for teaching and learning. It moves more towards a block schedule that reduces the number of
transitions. We have some slightly longer classes, which is indicative of what we have at the
elementary level and the high school level. So we have 90-minute
protected blocks for literacy and math when kids are in elementary school. That pauses for a little while in the middle school, and then we go back to that at the high school. So we're looking to implement a block scheduled process. But unfortunately, we had some issues that we still had to resolve, and the clock kind of ran out on us. So I explained all of this to the middle school teachers today. We appreciate the work that everyone is done, and we will pick that back up. But unfortunately, for next year, it was just getting to be too late to move forward with that this year. So
Thank you for that question.
And it's important.
We're excited about the new schedule change, and we'll look to do that the following school year.
Thank you, Brian.
Thank you.
Any other questions for Brian?
Thank you, Mr. Superintendent.
Appreciate your time.
We'll move on to old business.
We have second read and board approval policies, starting with our first,
K.E, the public complaints and public complaints about school personnel.
Are there any...
questions that we have, since we've gone through these a couple of times, this is
vote for ratification today for these particular items.
Shane, I'll be looking for you to make a motion as we move these forward then.
Absolutely. Seeing none, I'll make a motion to approve
K.E, public complaints, and public complaints about school personnel as presented tonight.
Second.
Second by Adam. Any questions or comments about the policy?
Seeing none, all those in favor of updating our policy?
policy, K-E. Please signal by saying aye.
Aye. Any opposed?
Any abstentions? We are unanimous.
Moving on to our next policy, which is B-E-D-G, the meeting minutes.
Accepting motion from Shane.
Any questions?
I don't see any. All right, great. I will make a motion to approve policy B-E-D-G meeting minutes as presented tonight.
Second.
Motion by Save Chain. Seconded by Adam.
Give a moment.
Any further questions or comments?
Seeing none, all those in favor of policy B-E-D-G as presented.
All those say aye.
All those in favor say aye.
Opposed?
Abstensions.
We are unanimous.
We need clear instructions.
Yes, I'm sorry.
I'm used to just getting it over once we make the motion.
Okay.
Okay, moving on to policy E.H.
And the regulation.
for EH. Any questions or comments to Shane or to the team?
Seeing none, motion. Aye. Shane?
I will make a motion to approve policy E.H. Public access to school district records and regulation EHR1, which outlines the procedures for writing no request as protected this evening.
And second by Adam again. Okay. Any questions or comments?
We have motion. So all those in favor, please signal by saying aye.
Aye. Aye.
Any opposed? Any abstentions?
Any end us again.
Okay. Our next section's policies for deletion.
I'm going to be a little bit quick on these. Hopefully people did their homework as asked for for the last meeting.
I'm going to start at the very top. And if there are questions, these are policies for deletions.
So that means they will be removed as policies and guidelines.
So I will first go.
Yes, Reda.
Before you get
going into the individual policies. I just have an overall question because a lot of, I understand
the need to clean out some of these policies and some of them are only a couple of sentences.
But some of these policies we've actually consulted over the year when we have a board member
that leaves or if we need to have a special election. And I'm just wondering if the committee
was thinking about that. And if these policies go away, do we have other policies
that are going to help us answer the question? So we're familiar with this if we've gone
through it on the board because we had to go back and refer to them. But as we get new board
members on, short of having a policy, there's no way to pass on the information. So I was just
wondering if the policy committee thought about that and has a plan.
or reference that we can look at.
Well, as Laura, as her hand was up in the member of the policy committee, as I'm looking this way,
I will like Laura go first.
No, I agree, right. And I think at our last meeting, it came to mind that I would like to remove
BBBE and BBBER from the deletion pile.
I'd like to retain those.
Some of the other ones that we looked at, they remained in the pile in the opinion of the
committee because they had an RSA to back up that was there. And so that would be what we
would go to. But I agree with you in particular about the unexpired term fulfillment and the
regulation. Okay. So the others, there's RSA and it's clear that that's how we would get
to the information. Correct. Yeah, I've seen some of the policies, just being a new member
of the policy committee. That was one of the things, reemphasizing what Laura said. So if there's
an RSA. We already have a law. Sometimes it's how we implement the law. I think it's important.
So that consideration was due in the policy committee, but I'll also let the policy chair
answer. I just had a comment in regards to what Laura said. I know BBE and BBE are still on the
agenda, but I think we did remove them last meeting. So I think you brought those up and I think we
already took those off because I don't see them on our paper here. And they're not in our pile either. So they are on the
agenda, but I think very took those off. So. And then one very quick follow-up. When we get
rid of policies like this, is there any archive or history that, you know, if all of a sudden we say,
oh, we should get a policy on this. I would defer to the SAU office. Do we hear an archive of policies
that have been deleted? That's a good question for Mrs. Moran. So historically, we've kept sort of the
entire archive of all of our policy process. But with specific to BBBD, just as an example,
board member removal from office, if you don't have a policy, the RSA is still germane to us.
So in the absence of a policy, anything, and by the way, Denise did a really nice job on this
kind of summary sheet. She always keeps us organized. And she indicated if there was an RSA that
pertained to that particular policy. But many of the
of these that you'll see, they were 20 years old. They've never been revised. Many of them
are one or two sentences. They don't really say very much. So it's my understanding. So Mrs.
Kohler was at the last policy meeting. She said to me that she believed B, B, B, B, D.
E. E. E. E. Yes. In R. Those are the two that the community would have. Okay, they're on the
agenda, but they're not in our. Okay. They're on the, gotcha. So I'm looking at the list. So I'm looking at the list.
They're not on the list, so I'm comfortable with that.
So what I'd like to do as we go through these is, does everybody have this white sheet
with all the policies that are just made for removal?
What I like to do is I'm going to start at the very top, and I'm just going to announce each one
slowly. If people want to discuss that particular item, potentially remove it from the list
to be deleted, I will entertain it as we go down.
So I will start with policy A.E.
Any questions?
or statements about A.E.
Okay, we'll move on to AED.
Recognition for accomplishment.
Seeing none, we will move to ADA, school district goals and objectives.
Again, seeing none, we will move to BDBA, board member qualifications.
And again, this is a tied to an RSA.
Move on to BBBC, board member or district officer resignation.
I know, RETA, you kind of, you cited this one.
Did you feel strongly about this one?
Or, you know, it's so easy to find the policies when you go to regular, you know,
if you have to go to regulations, and it only grab my attention because we have had to
refer to this.
So I don't, if everybody else thinks that we should get rid of it, you know, I can say no,
and it'll go away.
I think it's fine, but I think it's helpful to have.
I think if somebody resigns, I think they're going to resign regardless.
Currently, you know, as the policy states kind of outlining it briefly, it's that if somebody,
a board member does choose to resign, a letter of resignation should be sent to the chair with a copy
to the district clerk.
That's kind of the process that they would go through.
You know, if somebody chooses to resign, I'm sure that they're going to let the board or an officer
with an SAU notify them of that.
And I think you're saying, I'm sure they will.
Yeah, I hear what you say.
And it's like, where does they look?
They may just call up.
Denise, and she won't be there for the call.
But anyways, I just, I think it's simple and I would say keep it.
Okay.
We will keep it.
That's fine.
That's good enough for me to say that we will look to keep BBBC and not remove it.
We'll go to BBBD, board member removal from office.
Again, there is an RSC associated with this one.
I would just point out that in this policy, it cites.
but four different, maybe five different RSAs.
So if we just look at the RSAs on that one, it might be just easier.
We'll move on to BBBG, Board Elections.
I'll just say that we have created the little cheat sheets for people who are new to the board,
and those have been, so we somewhat covered us on.
Rhonda, BDA, Board Organizational Meeting.
With this particular one, I think it's helpful, because.
has all the subcommittee lists, and some of those may need to be taken off.
If this is not here, is there a person who, that is the keeper of all the subcommittees?
And actually, these aren't the subcommittees.
That's kind of just what's going on with the first date or the first.
I'm positive.
Okay.
Move on to BDEA, organization of board committees.
Okay, moving on to BDF, advisory committees to the board.
Okay, moving on to BDG, the school attorney.
Again, a lot of RSA work and right to know on this one.
We'll move on to B-E-E-A, school board meeting preparation.
I'm sorry, B-E-AA.
I'm going to pause on this particular item.
I think, you know, as I look at this policy, it lists out when we would be provided information
so that we can make informed decisions.
I would like to retain this because I think it's very important to receive information
so that we can study it before we're just presented at the board, not having time to reflect on it.
I think it is important that we try to receive all information at least four days as a policy state
so that if we are going to have a vote, we are informed on that vote.
So I would like to keep B-E-A-A-A and not have it marked for deletion.
Moving on to B-E-A-B, use of technology.
for communications you can moving on to BEDD rules of order with old
Robert's rules moving on to B.HC board employee communications moving to BHD
board communications go ahead redder with this particular one and maybe I'd ask the new
board members but this is something it's not really clear and sometimes there's confusion
around what's the role of the board number versus, you know, you're not managing schools.
Is this coverage any place else, like in the orientation, which I know we worked on, but...
Well, I guess my question is, is how do board employee communications...
I'm sorry, I was looking at the next one.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Do we all...
Do we all need...
Yes.
No, we are stopping on.
D.H.D. RETA.
Okay. Thank you. So with this one, and I apologize that this should have happened at our last meeting with A's.
This, I think this is also important to state, I don't know that it needs to be a policy.
And, you know, what you should and shouldn't be doing, because I think there's sometimes a misunderstanding that you are managing the schools,
which you are not.
So maybe if it's not necessary to have this as a policy, I'd like to make a recommendation that it be
included in the orientation packet for new board members.
And I'm okay if we're looking to keep BHC, which is board employee communications, and the
reason to keep it is not just for our own sake, but also for the community to understand that
if you're talking to a board member, they don't have the authority to.
to make decisions right so if we want to kind of keep that out there as kind of letting
everybody else know yeah jack you okay with that or yeah i was just telling dan he's not all
powerful anyway okay we will keep bhc moving forward to bhd board communications in general
you know looking at this it kind of is the mission statement of playing in communications
subcommittee which says right in there moving on to
from d we'll go to bID payment for services rendered by the school district
officers okay we will move on to b i d a yeah you never know jeff you never know
there's no compensation okay we'll move on from bida a to school board legislative
program policy b j exhausting the policies that are being brought for deletion we are
removing BBVC so we will keep that we're removing policy from
the Alicia school board meeting preparation and we're removing policy
BHC so we're keeping all three of those while the rest will be removed when I
receive a motion from shame I'll make good yes just one more question I'm sorry you
were going through quickly the use of technology for communication I think this
is a little bit of a sticky wicket with so many ways to communicate and I'm wondering
again this could also be covered in the orientation for new board members
which one sir it's this is this is B-E-E-A-D yeah so remember everything that you write down
and send to other board members is available for a public record in Reddit do you believe that
we should keep this one as well I I recommend
but I also it could also be included in the orientation I just think this
is something that in my experience with working with some new board members it
there's a lot of information here and it's good to be able to come back and
look at it with that said we will be keeping them B-E-A-B we will not be
removing the use of technology for communications so that will be four
policies that we are keeping and
that we will not be removing. I will make a motion to delete the policies as amended
this evening. Motion by change, seconded by. Second. Second by Adam. Any further questions or
comments? Yes, Adam. I'm looking back at B-E-A-G. So it reads the following, reflect proposed
technical changes to RSA-91A and will serve as our policy until such time as a legislator passes new
legislation and that's from 2005 it looks like so like is there I don't
know if that line needs to go back like policy they can go back to policy or
review yeah we didn't get some back to policy for review and we can either if we
change it we can change it or if we just need to kind of look it over and make sure
it's still in line please I'll get through reading yeah Laura just for all of those
policies that we just pulled can we bring those back to policy and get
updated review date for all those being a member of policy that you are I'm sure
you have that right in authority well the only thing is they're going to be
deleted not the ones that we're pulling oh the ones we're pulled yeah yeah yes
yes yes yes yes yes yes so if we will have B-B-B-B-B-C B-E-A-A-B-E-A-B-E-A-B-H-C will be
put back in the hopper for policy review do great I have a motion and I have a second
So at this time, all those in favor of removing the designated policies, please
single by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Any abstentions?
We are unanimous.
Okay, moving on.
We turn the page.
We have new business.
We have a few first reads, so I will turn it over to Shane to give us an elevator speech of our first read policy so that we can do homework and come back for our first read policy so that we can do homework and come back for our next session.
Yeah.
So we have G's a number of policies that we went through last week that we recommended
to the full board for our first read.
First was KHB, which is the advertising sponsorship and recognition in schools policy.
So we actually, we had a pretty hearty conversation about that last week.
So it's coming to the board.
I was guessing that this might be ready to go by retreat time, and I think we're right around that time frame.
So we're looking like we're going to get there.
JFAB, which is foreign exchange students, we had a good discussion about whether we should change our policy from five to three.
It appears that most districts around us have three as their number.
So we had a pretty hardy discussion about that.
CBB was appointment of the superintendent, pretty straightforward.
CBF is the code of ethics for administrators.
Again, this will align with the state code of ethics, so that's kind of state.
that's kind of state.
It's state mandated and we have a policy to cover it as well.
CHC are the regulations communication,
DBB in the fiscal year,
are we getting into some of the ones for deletion here?
Yeah, it's part you were.
So some of these are marked for deletion, unfortunately,
we don't have them marked on the agenda
or on the sheets, but we'll be removing.
So I'm going to go ahead and tell you guys,
CBB, CBF, CHC are for deletion.
DBB, DBB, DBF,
slash DBG, DC, DC, DD, and DG are also for deletion.
If we look back at what we just did,
we did the A's and the Bs, now we're into the C's and the D's,
we'll be going down the alphabet.
So KHB and JFAB are really in policies
to look at moving forward, CBB down through DG,
those are ones we're one look at and consider whether or not
we need those policies still or not.
So if you want to make a line under JFAB, anything below that,
is recommended for deletion.
So.
Now that we've confused everybody, we'll pause to see if there's
any particular questions we have for policies,
HB or JFAB.
Again, this is an opportunity to ask questions if we want.
We can again ask questions at our next meeting, hopefully, when these come forward
to ratification.
And I know it is the first read, so you guys probably haven't read through them yet,
so if they passed out of yet.
That's right.
First read.
Next question.
Okay.
Seeing none, we will move on.
to other new business, which is MBMS softball field proposal.
Mr. Superintendent?
Yeah, thank you.
For this particular topic, I'm going to hint at all
to talk in our business administrator.
Great.
So in front of everyone's night,
there is a memo from Scott Groves, Ryan Cowett,
and Randy One, from the FAU as well as
the athletic director for the district.
So this is an example of a kind of a partnership
which has worked this year, and we're looking to kind of extend it to next year.
to next year. So this is between Gostown Youth Softball League, which uses fields at the
middle school and the high school. So last year, what they did was they came into the high school
field, similar memo, which was approved by the board, and they did work to the field, which
benefited their players and then, but also obviously benefited our players as well. So they're
looking to do similar work to the middle school field. As you can see, they're looking to dig out, about
three plus inches of the infield mix and then replace it with newer infield mix.
They're also looking to repair a small field behind the softball field, which I'm sure people
practice on. And then they're looking for, to add a bit more infield mix at high school,
as well as clean out some drainage swells and creating a small berm to alleviate water
issues in the right field. So again, this is a benefit to them, but it's also a benefit for us.
So there is an invoice there, which you can see has a total cost of 19,300.
One of the reasons why we feel comfortable moving forward with this is that the work that they did last year,
everyone was appreciative of it because it was done right. It was done well, and it was done to the standards
that we would want it to be done to. So moving forward with the same company, kind of doing that same work,
we feel comfortable with. So what they ask is for is for the amount of the invoice.
to be credited towards their fee that they get charged on an annual basis.
They tend to pay between $6,000 and $7,000 per year.
So this will kind of extend that credit out a little bit further as well to a benefit for us, though.
Thank you, Mr. Ton.
What questions do we have for this proposal?
Question?
Yes, Dan.
Relating to the valuation of the work, do we have any other, praise this.
but methodology of seeing how much that's value.
I only ask because Adam, who I think is a charm in town and really appreciate all he does for everybody,
does operate the green thumb landscaping just for the sake of verification of the number to make sure it's spot on.
It is, by understanding this is the only estimate that we have.
Okay.
Other questions.
Ginny.
Personally, I think this is a good idea, and the work that they did,
At our softball field here was done well and timely, and certainly the girls' softball field at Mountain View need some work, and, you know, if they do the same there, it'll be wonderful.
We're in desperate need of fields.
If we can have somebody do this in desperate need of money and fields, I think that this would be a good use of money and fields.
I think that this would be a good use of someone coming in to volunteer to help.
I think he has a good reputation in town.
I see a lot that he does with the Gus and Zendoszs softball and just think it's amazing.
So I would go ahead with this for sure.
Are you making a motion?
Sure.
I would make a motion.
I'd like to make a motion to accept the, oh, thank you very much.
Wait a second until I get that page.
Yeah.
Okay.
I move to authorize the operations manager to execute an agreement and 19,300 fee waiver with the
Gustaville Youth Soccer League to perform the proposed work at MFEMF.
M.S. and G.A.S. Sopho Fields.
The waiver contingent on completion of proposed work to the satisfaction of the facility's work.
I have a motion by Cheney. Do I have a second?
Second by Shane. I think I saw a question from Jeff. Jack?
I don't mind, but I would echo sort of what Dan said, not that I worry about the money because it's not a invoice to us. It's to Grafton.
softball. So, but to protect Adam from himself, just, you know, as long as he recused
himself for that he's not putting himself in any liability because he does put himself out there
for the town. Just make sure that that, you know, that he's protected. I don't think it matters
to us one way or the other. I'm all for it. I believe in community investment. I started it a long time
ago with the tri-town fields.
and I'm wholeheartedly behind it all.
But when you are at the club on the board of the club and the guy doing the work, there is some
thumb, whatever you want to call.
It strikes Ms. Jarris.
Yes.
Looking at it, I guess.
I don't want to go with it.
Great.
Thanks, Chuck.
Ginny.
Also, we have done these before in people doing things in lieu of what they owe to the district for what they owe the district for using.
using fields and stuff. So this is nothing new at all.
No, no, I don't think that is. Other questions?
Or comments? We have a motion by
Ginny to accept this proposal. Seconded by Shane. We'll now
call the vote. All those in favor of this, please signal by saying aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions.
Motion passes unanimous.
Okay.
Moving on to staffing. Notifications. I turn it over to Superintendent Polki.
Thank you. So this evening, we have quite a bit to go over on the staffing sheet, and Mrs. McGrath, our HR director, is here with us to be able to speak to some of this.
So let me go through the batches on the staffing sheet.
So for your approval this evening, we have two resignations of two speech assistants, one at Glen Lake and one at Mountain View Middle School.
So we would be looking for your approval for the resignations.
Make a motion to approve the resignations as presented.
Motion by Shane, seconded by. Second. Second by Vanessa.
Any questions for these resignations, the superintendent?
I just have one question, Jared. Go ahead.
Brian, do you know if we have people in the wings to fill these spots? Are we looking to fill these spots?
We would be looking to fill those spots, and finding speech is always.
a challenge. So these will be
likely challenging for us.
That's what I thought. All right. Thank you.
The resignation is as of June 30th, so
end up the school year. Okay, we have a motion.
Oh, question? Go ahead, Jack.
If we say no, do they have to come back?
We could try. Okay. We could try.
Jimmy, did you have something?
Yeah, just, and I don't know whether you have an answer to this or not,
but just that we have two speeches since leaving
from different schools.
Is there a reason other than moving away or something?
If there were, Mrs. McGrath is nodding her head.
I would not want to speak about any individual employees in public session of the board.
So if there were specific questions about these individuals or the reasons for their resignations,
we could speak to that in non-public session.
We will be going in to discuss other items on the staffing sheet.
So if you want to hold them.
on that at that probably doesn't change your vote would be would be my speculation
thank you we have a motion a second for there is no go ahead Dan question for the
for the sake of that is if those roles aren't filled through next year do you use third party
to back fill we we do when we need to our preference is always to hire employees
sure but speech in particular Dan is among the most challenging vacancies that we
face. And you'll see these two particular positions are speech assistants.
Even more challenging to find is a speech and language pathologist. So those are
perennial challenges for us. So yes, if we don't fill them with employees, then we would go the
contracted services route, which unfortunately is considerably more expensive.
Sure, of course. Other questions? Okay, so we have a motion to accept the resignations as presented.
in favor signal by saying aye aye and I oppose the abstentions it's with
mixed emotions we accept this I see administration nomination placeholder if
ready yeah so this one we will actually speak to in non-public this evening so we
do have a candidate that we will be bringing forward this evening I'm actually
very excited about this candidate who I think will be spectacular so we'll
talk more about that one in non-public under teacher nominations
These ones came in after Mrs. Kohler finished the process after your packet went out on Friday.
So the only reason that these are here is because we had two new positions that we're moving forward.
One is a math teacher and one is a one-year elementary education teacher.
I don't see that on my list.
There's a white sheet. That's my right. I'm sorry. I should have clarified.
Got to go in water, man.
Right. Okay. So the white sheet. We're all the yellow sheet. We're going to the white sheet.
Thank you, Mr. Superintendent. So we have a question in nomination, Shane. Just the question for clarification. We have one person listed as working at MBMS, but it says elementary ed one year.
That's because it's a fifth grade position. So I would do it. Yeah, that's what that is. All right. Thank you.
Yep.
Six.
Either fifth or six.
Both of them are actually considered elementary.
Thank you.
So teacher nominations, we have two of them.
Any further questions or comments?
I will accept a motion to accept the teacher nominations as presented from.
So moved.
Shane?
Second.
Seconded by Vanessa.
Any questions or comments?
All those in favor, signal by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Any abstentions.
Welcome to the team.
Thank you.
The next batch, which are our technology nominations, we will need to discuss the salary associated
with all of those positions this evening in nonpublic.
So I would ask you to wait on approving those nominations.
The next batch is co-curricular non-sports nominations.
These ones you can do now.
So let me speak to just a couple of these.
And again, as this is personnel related, we could go into non-public to talk in greater depth.
Mr. Derocher.
is being nominated as the artistic director for Gostown High School.
This includes all performing arts performances over the course of the entire school year.
And as the board is aware, Mr. Dorocher is moving from a teaching position to our curriculum
coordinator role at Gostown High School.
And I indicated that this would only be a one-year approval and that it would be my expectation that we would move on to a new individual at that point in time.
As of right now, we don't have anyone else.
So I did support this for this year with the expectation that it would move beyond that.
And then the next two individuals, these are the folks who run our summer middle school theater program.
They are returning.
They have done this for many years in the past.
So those are, that's for the middle school summer theater program.
I will take a motion for the acceptance of the co-curricular non-sports nominations.
So moved. From Shane. Second. Seconded by Vanessa. Any further questions or comments?
All those in favor, please sit in all by saying aye. Any opposed? Any extensions?
Motion carries unanimously. Okay. The next piece on the staffing sheet is approval of programs movement from pilot to stipend.
And I would point out, see how it says, 2007, 2008. These would be for the fiscal.
school year 28 school year so the reason we're bringing these to you now is per
our process we bring any new positions moving from pilot to stipend to you in the April
meeting so that gives us sufficient time to budget for these in the upcoming subsequent
budget process so with that I'm going to hand it off to Mrs. McGrath.
Thank you Mr. Bossley you did a nice job summarizing so this is the first
time we're going through as we implemented the new pilot program process. This is
our first batch of co-curricular positions that are just completed there, coming up on completion
of their second year, and the administrators in each of the respective buildings have identified
that the programs have been successful and that they're recommending them to continue.
So they will continue next year into their third pilot year per policy, JJ. But as Mr. Balke indicated,
In order to budget for a stipend for FY28, we need to know the status of the board's support to move it forward from pilot to approved.
And I would add to that if I may, Mr. Chair.
Yes.
The process for determining what those stipendant amounts, there's a formula that we use.
So all of those individual clubs and activities would go through the process and through the process and through the
formula that we have established to determine the stipend amounts.
Ginny, I saw you with your hand up.
Could you just update us at which schools these might be?
And I just have another question as to who decides that these have been okay to move on from
pilot to a program?
Sure.
So who oversees them?
Sorry, I'll go through the list and identify the schools and then I'll speak.
to a second question. So Hedgehog, Hedgehog snapshot is at Bartlett. Dungeons and Dragons
is at Mountain View Middle School. Creative Writing Club is at GHS. GSA is at GHS.
GSA is at GHS. Hiking Club is at GHS, as are the last two, National Honor Society
and Science Olympiad. The process for the recommendation, it is the expectation that the principal
needs with the advisor on an
annual basis to evaluate how the club is doing. So you may recall when they
requested the pilot in its first instance, the advisor worked with either the athletic director
for athletics or with the activities director for the non-sport curricular programs. They filled
out a comprehensive proposal to start the pilot. And the principal has been asked to
meet and report out on how the club or activity is performing compared to what they
thought it would be. So last year, we held a meeting with all of the administrators. We went through.
They reported out on all of the clubs and activities. They've done the same or will be doing the
same this year. They came forward with written proposals on continuation of these ones that are outlined
for you tonight. Okay. Thank you. It was just done differently. So I've done differently.
wondered how it was, you know, going forward. So thank you.
Is there a similar process to retire any stipended clubs that are not active?
Yeah, it's a great question, Adam. So after we have gone through our comprehensive co-britular program
review about three years ago now, one of the pieces that we did was implement this annual meeting
to go through all programs. So in addition to the ones that are in pilot status,
the principles are required to report out on all programs. So if the initial goal of the
program is no longer functioning as it was when it was proposed, that we would either reevaluate it to
readjust it or consider whether it needed to be eliminated. So we did that comprehensive process
about three years ago and we looked at every co-curricular program and now that's part of our annual
review process that we do with our administrators.
Thank you.
Ms. McGrath, could you articulate what GSA stands for?
Sure. It's the Gay-Straight Alliance.
Thank you.
It's actually Gender Sexuality Alliance.
Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry. That's okay. Thank you.
And that club has existed at Gopston High School for over 20 years.
Do you further questions or comments?
Just a further question. Looking at these particular items, knowing that we would want to build out a stipend,
when we go into the budget session for next year, which will be in the, you know,
later in this fall, would that fall under the new?
Yes.
Or would this fall under, because it is part of the GEA for the contract in the formula,
but it would fall under a new budgetary, I guess.
Yes. So of these new, of these current pilot programs, if we create stipends for any of them,
that will all show up as new spending.
So we will make it very clear that these are new stipendant positions, and we'll go through the process and identify the policy.
We didn't build these into the contract.
Correct.
Yeah.
Well, we do have, isn't the formula part of the contract?
The big list of all the existing co-curriculars is part of the contract.
And actually, through the four-year contract, we raised the, we increased the amounts.
So the first year, it's a 5% increase, and then each of the other years, it's a 3% increase.
to those, but all of these are not, that we're not part of the warrant article for the contract.
And any new stipends would be considered new spending in the FY28 process.
So if I can go a little bit further, and I'm going to, do we have to establish a memorandum of understanding
with the unions because this would be in addition to something that we would be placed in the next
contract that we would have?
So no. The way that we've typically done.
done it is the list that's in the contract, those are the base co-curriculars and athletics
that we're required to offer.
But if we add a new one, we would then, the next time we do a contract, we would typically add it
at that point in time, so it would then become part of a list.
Just follow-ups on Adams piece then, just in a moment, Ms. McGrath.
Follow us on Adam's piece, we already have something that's there, we want to remove it.
How would we do that if it's already part of an addendum in the contract?
So what we've done in the past is if we have a club that's no longer functioning,
there's no longer that student interest or whatever it may be, we simply don't fill it and
we just leave it empty.
Okay.
And then, again, we go through, when we do teacher negotiations, we didn't eliminate, I don't
recall, any positions this time, did we?
No.
But previous contracts, we have eliminated a number of them.
And it was never because, it was always because of enrollment.
and students no longer being interested in a particular topic, or maybe there's no longer an advisor.
We have not cut any programs.
This is a direct student service, and we think that this is some of the best money that we spend.
Athletics and co-curriculars are an extension of the classroom.
Ms. McGrath, did you want to follow up?
Yeah, the only thing I wanted to add, when we're creating new positions, we do go through the process with GEA leadership to review the formula.
So the formula language specifically is not in the contract, but we have templates, models of both the sports formula and the non-sports formula.
And so when we create that, we share the data with GEA leadership on how the stipend against the formula was created, and we both sign off on it.
And then that's part of the file.
And then as the superintendent spoke to, we then add it to the list when it's gone through the budget process and everything.
be signed off on it.
Great.
Thank you.
Further questions.
Ginny.
Yeah.
This is kind of concerning to me that this doesn't go through on the default budget because we've made
agreements with these people in that, you know, you'll do this, you'll do this, you'll do this,
and then, you know, if you do what you say, and as we ask, then there'll be a stipend at the end
of it.
So then we go to a budget committee meeting.
They decide.
they're not going to cover these.
So do we all of a sudden, even though we've made agreement with these people, not cover what we've agreed with them,
or just pull it out of, you know, bottom line budget?
Is there something we can write in the GEA contract that makes these stipends be automatic?
No.
No.
No, we not.
Does that, like, kind of, were you, like it does mean?
It does.
So what we would do is, because these are new stipends, the process would need to be that, yes,
the budget committee would need to approve them.
But the second part of your statement was also correct, Jenny, that it's a bottom line budget.
So at the end of the day, if the budget committee said, we're not supporting any new stipends.
So let's say one, two, three, four, five, six, seven of these stipends.
We're not supporting any new stipends for any new programs.
Then at that point, the board, once the budget process is done and finished, the board could then
make a determination, you're exactly correct.
It is a bottom line budget.
And so let's say the value of this was $5,000 for all these stipends.
And if that's the case, then the board could make the decision to do a budget transfer and move
5,000 from one area to another to support these.
So the board could still be committed to doing these, but they would still need to go through the process and have approval by the budget committee.
But then I'm just thinking of what the select people just went through, where they decided the town had said, no, we don't want you to get stipends, and they put the stipends because they do tons of work, and they got just hammered.
I think that this is really different, though, because
Because that, I believe, and I certainly don't want to speak on behalf of the select board,
but that was more a function of elected officials receiving a stipend.
These are teachers doing additional work beyond the classroom.
So we already have a rather large list of co-curriculars and athletics that we're paying stipends on already.
So this is a well-established process and practice for us.
So, you know, could somebody disagree with, you know, the,
what the particular clubs could be, they certainly could, but at the end of the day, it would be up to the board to make a decision as a bottom line budget.
If you wanted to transfer money, same thing with the field trip.
So go back two years, the Canterby Lake field trip, the budget committee cut it.
If the school board wanted, you could move $7,000 to do that physics field trip, and you could just do it.
So it would be within the board's purview if the budget committee did not support these items that you could
revisit it. Okay, because I would hate to go back on our word with these people that have
decided to work with kids and all of a sudden they don't get, after doing it for a couple of years,
don't get their reward in the end. Yeah, so the only thing I would share is I think teachers are aware
under policy JJ that this, there is a process and that until a program moves from a pilot to a
stipendant position, that there is no stipendant. Yeah, I realize. Yeah.
I say know that, but I'm worried about the next step in actually getting the statement.
Okay, thank you. I'm sorry.
Other questions or comments?
Jack?
A comment, Matt. I might not have stood up well for our stipends, but I would fight for these stipends if the push came to shove and take the head out of the board.
Absolutely.
Thank you, Jack. Other questions or comments?
Okay.
So this is to approve.
the administration to use the process to add this to next year's budget. That will be part of
the fiscal year 2027, 28. And the motion would be to add these as new stipends to that fiscal
budget. Dan, motion to move the programs from pilot to stipend. Motion by Dan, seconded by.
Second.
Any further questions or comments?
Great.
All those approve this motion, please send a little to say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed? Any extensions?
Motion passes unanimously.
Okay. And I see there is another piece under this for configuration.
Yeah, so thank you, Chair.
So this one, I'm going to pass it off to Mrs. McGrath so she can speak to this.
But let me give a little context on both of these before Kate speaks.
speaks. So every year during the budget process, there's often a question asked of school
principals. What are things that you've asked for that the superintendent has not supported
or maybe didn't bring forward? So rather than these resting exclusively with me, I wanted
to bring forward and bring these to the board. These would be two examples of things that
in the absence of the board, either approving or not approving these, I would take action.
on them. So let me speak a little bit of what they are, and then I'll pass it off to Kate.
So the first one is reconfiguration of Bartlett's music position, including strings.
And there's no detail on this, but from memory, I believe that the current Bartlett music position,
which includes strings, is a 0.5 position. And Mrs. Pishka is recommending that that that position
goes down to a 0.4 position. And then, oh, there's a
All right.
Like you know you're reading.
Brett.
Oh, wait, Kate wrote it.
Okay.
But just this does prove that I actually do pay attention.
Yeah.
So, let me see here.
So, yeah, going from 50% to 40%.
So the reason that I supported this is
it's a reduction in FTE.
And then the current would, the position would include
adjusting strings until after school.
So Kate, anything else to add on this?
I think you nailed it.
And the cost cake?
Sure.
So right now, the budget for the 50% position is 31,338.
Changing it to 40% would bring it down to 25,070, and the stipend amount for the position is $1,874.
And that is using the co-curricular formula through the GBA process.
So this model with the Strings program would make it consistent with what we're
doing at both Mountain Vee and GHS.
And the participation has skyrocketed with the program being after school for the
Bartlett students.
So it's been a really nice win-win.
This is a model that we have done kind of as adjusting for the last two years, and it's been
very successful.
Eight questions for the administration.
So you're looking for a motion on this one?
Yeah, we would be looking for a motion to approve the adjustment.
of the music position from 50% to 40% with strings being after school as presented.
So motion by Shane, seconded by.
Second.
Second.
By Dan.
Okay.
Any further questions or comments?
Seeing none, we will move.
All right.
I just wanted to convert.
So the participation has increased with the change to after school.
It's increased with it being after school.
So our, and by the way, I was a little concerned about it.
that I didn't want to impact participation for any families that couldn't transport
children after school, et cetera, but this has been successful and we want to continue to
grow it. I think the Strings program is fabulous in the fourth grade. That's great
exposure. Agreed. Great.
Great. See no further questions or comments. All those in favor of this adjustment, please signal
by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any abstentions.
motion is unanimous. Thank you. And the second one on the sheet, this would be another
example of something that I wanted the board to have the opportunity to hear this one and to hear
the rationale, because very often, so this one is a challenge for me, because the request is to
take two part-time administrative assistant positions. These are both at Mountain View.
And it's currently the front desk coverage.
So historically, back when Mrs. Kohler was the amazing principal at Mountain View for 10 years,
she wanted originally, it was one person, Wendy wanted to split it so that we could have a longer
duration coverage so that we, instead of having one full-time person, two part-time people equated
to more hours of coverage. So originally when Wendy did this, we did the two part-timers
so that we would have longer coverage. But the reality has been that we've had increased
incredible turnover in those positions. We've had a significant challenge finding,
recruiting, retaining staff, and this one, this one, the reason I'm bringing to you tonight
is this includes the two consolidation of these two positions and potentially increases the cost
of this because there's benefits associated with it. So we haven't hired, we haven't gone
through the process, but we've had incredible turnover in these positions. We think with
one full-time benefit-eligible position that we would have greater retention in that position
and we'd have more consistency. And just to give you the superintendent perspective of all this,
when this was presented to me, I said, great, is there any reason that we can't do that
through the FY28 budget process and present it that way? The reason was because
the position are open now, this is an opportunity to consider a re-consolid consolidation
of that. So, Kate, can you speak to this a little more? Anything I left and was there
a memo I missed on this one?
There is not a memo. We've had several versions of the drafts of the memo as the proposal
has modified over the last couple of months. So in the last two to three years, we've filled either
the AM or PM position four to five.
times. So the ability, as the superintendent spoke to, to attract and retain qualified
staff for these positions. Some have been for wonderful reasons. We had a real great success
story where one of our part-time front desk people ended up moving into a full-time admin assistant
role and is actually now a teacher, a first-year teacher for us. So sometimes, you know,
we get really wonderful folks who kind of thought about teaching.
and get into this role and say, yep, that's what I want to do. And then we help them
make that transition. And for other times, whether it's fit, whether it's, you know, skill set,
that mountain view front desk is a very busy place, and it's not the job for everybody. So we had
somebody leave in the morning last summer. We hired the individual. By the time we got them,
it was the end of the summer. They ended up leaving
in January. By the time we hired the next person, it was March, and that person left
after two weeks in the job. So we've had, that's just this year. So we've had a pretty
consistent set of circumstances that the position has become vacated. When it was open
in January, we did speak with the superintendent at that point in time and said we're really
concerned about continuing with this model. We've had significant turnover. And, you know,
we, we're going to take one more swing at filling it with part-time and see if we can, you know,
get somebody who's going to be a bit for a longer period of time and two weeks later, we're vacant
again. So as Brian spoke to, so the current part-time FTE, full-time equivalent, is 1.15
because the staff members work four and a half hours in the morning shift and then
4.75 hours in the afternoon shift, so it's greater than eight hours for the duration of the day.
We would be looking to reduce the FTEs from 1.15 down to one. It would also be a reduction
in hours the way that we're looking at. We would like to move some of the days to the
principal's admin assistant at Mountain View. So right now, that position is
195 workdays, and we would like to up that to 210 workdays. That individual is responsible for
payroll, purchasing, and some other key tasks that happen over the summer. So we don't feel
like we need them all summer long, but to lose the front desk coverage during the summer
and to also be short on the purchasing and the payroll, we felt like it was appropriate
to add a few days to the principal's admin assistant position. So depending on who gets hired
if this proposal were to be approved, the part-time, the two part-time positions moving to a
full-time position would become benefits eligible. So they would become eligible for
New Hampshire retirement system, medical and dental. So we estimate the cost impact.
if the hired individual was to take two-person coverage, to be just over 24,000.
And if they were to take family, it would be about $32,000.
The cost right now of the position being vacant for the number of days, and I didn't add it up,
of what it's been this school year alone, but the cost to hire, the cost of the turnover,
we've spent significant time training, you know, three individuals over the last two years.
year. The superintendent supported, you know, either bring it through the budget process
or bring it to the board and see if we can address it in a timely manner. So that's where we are.
So Kate, just hearing this, so the delta in total compensation is roughly 24K to 32K,
depending on the benefits package that they select. Yeah, and I did worst case scenario, Jared.
So if they opt out of medicals, which, you know, could have.
happened, then we could only be looking at about $5,000 for New Hampshire retirement system.
So those cost drivers are really, you know, if they select two-person or family, medical, and dental.
Thank you.
Any further questions or comments to the administration on this proposal?
So the proposal is to modify two part-time admins from 1.15 FTEs to one FTEs to one FTE,
increasing a days for change for 195 to 210.
with a potential total compensation change of up to $32,000, give or take.
So just to clarify, the part-time admin assistance would reduce from 201 days down to 195.
Thank you.
And then we would increase the principal's admin assistant from $195 to T10.
Thank you.
Thank you for that clarification.
Thank you.
Any further questions or comments?
If not, I will accept their motion.
If one is presented.
So moved as presented.
Thank you, Jack.
Jack is moving forward with the proposal as presented.
Do I have a second?
Second.
Second by Dan.
Any further questions or comments?
Okay, I'll call the roll.
All those in favor of this proposal as presented, please signal by saying aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
Any abstentions.
We are unanimous.
Okay.
Before we break into non-public, which we will talk about, let's move on to the top three things.
And I know Reda and Laura have been writing down furiously.
So I turned it over to Reda.
Okay, so I'm going to start, and Laura's going to find the missing third thing.
So I really felt like there's a lot of stuff happening at the schools, and I didn't choose one over the other,
but this is the end of the year, a lot of programs.
a lot of, you know, bi-literacy, proficiency, the gallery walk, the stock market,
all of these things I thought could just be one.
The other thing that I thought was worth putting in was the schedule, the change of,
the lack of change of schedule at the middle school and the block schedule not happening this coming year.
I think that's very important.
Oh, do you have one?
Well, the two presentations, I thought, as well.
Yeah, I would say the counseling plan.
Okay.
Do you want them together, the two presentations together or the counseling?
Yeah, they can be together. That's fine, yeah.
Actually, yeah, both of them was good because we did pilot the EK1 last year.
Right. So to say, like, we're continuing with that.
That would be good.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
Any other comments for RETA for those three things?
Sounds good.
Great.
And a fourth thing, we need to take a group photo of the board.
Everybody I know hopefully received a message to dress nice for this volunteer photo.
Okay.
Any other business that could be come before the board before we go into executive sessions?
Seeing none.
We will have non-public under RSA 91A3 sub-C.
which have discussed in public would likely affect adversely the reputation of any person
of the member of the public body itself unless such person requests an open meeting with that
I'll accept the motion so moved by Rhetta seconded by Vanessa we will do a roll call vote
starting with mr. Jeff yes yes yes yes yes yes yes we will be going into non-public
we, we're going to move.