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FMRSD (SAU60) FM Cooperative Review Committee Meeting - September 9th, 2026

Video

Call this meeting to order. Time is
5:30.
Everybody please stand.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America to the republic
for which it stands. One nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all.
All right, thank you for everybody
coming this evening. Moving right on.
Number two, approval of the minutes.
Monday, August 17th
6. Everybody had an opportunity to read
them.
I hear a motion
move to the building.
>> I'll second that.
>> Any discussion?
All those in favor.
I
>> Okay. Item number.
>> It's just a test.
>> Oh, yeah. Wow. Roman numeral. All right.
Recognition of visitors and public
comment. Do you have any visitors this
evening?
that would like to
do um introductions.
>> Oh, thank you very much.
That will be the next item.
Any visitors?
Oh, I'm moving right along. And as
suggested,
um introduction starting in the you
Stephen.
>> I'm Steve Baron, school board member
from WLE. David Atkins from WLE. Gina
Tid from Wel,
>> Albert St.
Charleston, Kevin Keith, Langden,
>> Linda Stewart, Charleston.
>> Steve Delosio, Seekman, Selectman,
Walpole,
>> Jennifer Marches, Elf,
>> Bren Kane, Charlestone,
>> Bob Denith, Langden,
>> Judy Epstein, Walpole,
>> Garrett Neil, Charlestone,
>> Mary Lord, Aworth,
>> Chris Young, senior educational
official,
uh, Chris Walden, school board, and from
Charleston, and Mr. Rickers, welcome.
There's a seat wherever you'd like.
So, old business. Um, I'm going to allow
Christopher,
Mr. young to step in and go over talk a
little bit about what we talked about
the last meeting on finalization of the
norms. So last meeting we did discuss a
few norms. I tried to reiterate those
within uh just the floor. Uh they seem
pretty common sense when you actually
looked at what was being discussed. Um
so what is uh our norms for our meetings
moving forward is respect each other's
ideas with an open mind and it
summarizes uh a lot of what was being
discussed. Ideas should be backed up
through the use of data.
Uh use your name when speaking of course
when appropriate. Uh I apologize we do
not have our name plates. Um I will work
on that for next time. So we will have I
think it is
it is a smaller group but at the same
time it is nice to have illustrative
people online. Um and don't make it
personal uh which was a piece that is
important as we get into uh discussions
regarding these topics. So, any
questions? Any modifications to the
norms that were kind of outlined last
time?
>> I think they're good.
>> Very general, but at the same time, I
think they cover uh what needs to happen
within this committee. So, uh the other
thing that we discussed uh pretty
extensively last time uh is what's up on
the board. I was able to summarize it
within uh these packets. These packets
will hopefully help us moving forward. I
think there are some people that really
like the paper packets, so we will
utilize those within these meetings. Um,
but just to reiterate, we did do our
SWAT analysis. Uh, we did have
strengths, opportunities, weaknesses,
and threats. These are the areas that we
came up with. Um, just looking at what
was summarized. If you remember, this
past was sticky and kind of putting uh
it was a sticky activity in which you
kind of summarized what everybody in
this group was kind of outlining for
each of these four areas. Um they were
categorized as you can see the
strengths. This was one piece that I
noticed strengths or not as
the other areas had more
opportunities to explore and need to be
looked at. And that's ultimately what I
took away from from this. the
opportunities are there, the weaknesses,
those are things that as we continue to
move forward uh and get into a
resolution or a maybe
the next steps of our our committee
would try to address to make these
strengths versus the weaknesses. And
that's just the only thing that I wanted
to put down. anything any other
takeaways
um just from their part
okay want to dive into new business
which is really why we're here right
okay um
she I think what we wanted to talk about
were this was a past study I think was
that 2019
and everybody had an opportunity to
digest
So what you see in the folders a lot of
different information there is what we
started to do is dump information that
may may be relevant I would say is
relevant I will say maybe relevant as we
move forward we put in some studies we
put in um
uh
what are they called the the
now I'm spacing it the books um the
annual reports, I'm sorry, the annual
reports, there were a few of those in
there. And then there was also some
discussion on the legislative
uh pieces that are coming through. Uh
that is updated, as you know, pretty
regularly, but that was a very broad
um outline of some of the legislative
stuff that is being discussed at the
state and it uh as many of you know,
there's a lot uh going through currently
that may have or may not have an impact
on either this or any future things
within education, but I wanted you guys
to be aware of um that as it came up in
some of our past conversations in
smaller groups. So, looking at the 2019
study,
Garrett was the only one that was uh
from the original committee if I
remember correctly. Thought Steve was
on. I heard Did you just come as a
guest?
P. You were at a lot of
>> I was there a lot of them as a guest.
Yes.
>> Then you were Did you just come to Steve
to I guess I'm talking about both.
Sorry. 2019 study.
>> All right. Maybe it's just the first
couple we drag you in.
>> So what takeways did you from reading
some of those studies? What takeways did
people have or have a discussion to
start off? Maybe Gary, you can start off
maybe a little bit on what you took away
from the committee work that was um at
that time.
>> Um
so long ago.
Uh so there was a large group almost
about a little smaller than this that
showed up regularly. I refer to it as
six months worth of Tuesdays.
Um because it was almost every Tuesday.
We really
dove into the articles of agreement and
like ra through them like to think
the document that's marked up with the
red comments
was
enough not the final official findings
from that group but a lot of the working
dialogue is what all the the group was
thinking write write up
and that Um,
at the end of the day,
that group was almost deadlocked.
It was probably 60 40 60%
saying that we couldn't really do too
much to change the articles of agreement
for the better. Um, that's just a real
short compact version of it. home.
Every time we tried to
edit a method or discuss this,
it always had this ricochet effect like
all right, it was good for Charles Town.
It negatively affected we'll say Alstead
Wal or it was good for Akward. it wasn't
good for and I'm not saying everything
in the articles in agreement any of the
changes we proposed to it
there was always some little ricochet
and that whole group
nobody wanted to promote an idea that
was good for one community that had a
bad effect for another just to get to a
goal
um
that's the short I wasn't really
prepared to speak on this
It's about how I read it. Um
I don't know if there's any specific
questions about that. I might be more
useful. Um
I don't know did sit through now that I
think about it. I wasn't on the
committee, but I attended the
committees. And
I I think one of the just inherent
problems is that that Charleston has
about 41% of the population. Ball has
about 31% of the population and the
other three towns combined have about
28. You need twothirds of the vote for
anything to change.
There's really no path to twothirds of
the vote. It's very difficult. And we
did get there in 2003 when we put these
uh changes in place, but it's very
difficult to get there. Um
if I were to say, well, let's go back to
ADM. That's not going to pass because if
Charles Town's got 41% of the vote and
they only need a third of the vote to
defeat something, they're not going back
to ADM. No blame.
Okay. Well, let's use equalized
valuation. At least at the moment,
Charles Town is the sole beneficiary.
The other four towns are on the other
side of the fence. It's not going to
pass either.
So the question is where can we find
some common ground, some kind of, you
know, alliance? And yet at the same
time, I don't want this to be about two
wolves in a lamb. What are we going to
watch for dinner? You know, so we got to
be respectful of that, too. Um, so this
is not going to be easy. Yeah, that's
what the group was trying to remind
Steve was is the what can we find at all
five communities, you know, for the
easiest sales pitch for lack of better
words because to your point 2/3 is 2/3.
>> Yeah. But as far as coming up with
something that the rest that everybody's
going to get behind, that's for the
better for everybody.
>> Yeah.
Not easy. Um, I'm probably going to date
myself, but um, what Garrett's talking
about um, happened probably
I I don't remember the year, but I
remember being asked to be on a
committee to study and it was the same
thing. You know, it was like quite
frustrating. You know, nobody wants, you
know, no, I don't want somebody to pay
my bills. I feel bad that, you know, I
to to change something that would make a
burden on someone else. And
I don't think that's changed over the
years. I think it just continues.
It it it's almost like you have to find
um a happy median where the benefits are
spread so all towns get some good things
and all towns get some negative things.
like there's not going to be you don't
want to have winners and losers. You
want to have a compromise so that
everyone gets something out of it, but
um there isn't one uh attendance area
that's getting slammed. Like there's
everyone's got to give up something to
get something. Yeah. Kind of. Uh, one
other piece now that my memories got
going on this, for the most part, the
group thought that the articles of
agreement were way too complicated and
wanted to come up with a more
>> effective but simple. I used to run my
mouth in that committee that sixth grade
math students should be able to
understand it and explain it to their
parents because it fit in tax bill. like
it should be that simple
>> pipe dreaming. But that was kind of my
rhetoric
for
>> I think what you're getting at is they
need to be able
>> to be understood by everybody.
>> Lost and Steve Blesio did draft out a
simple
of proposed articles of agreement which
I clung to and I think they're in a
green binder on Mr. Young's shelf in an
office somewhere. I don't know. Did that
end up on I didn't get a chance to go
>> did not
>> end up scanned already.
>> I showed it around outside the crew and
um
people got behind it whether I was in
Walle or Charles Town or up on the hill
in Aquar somewhere.
I'm not saying that that exact version
published do, but at some point I would
recommend that the committee looks at
it. Not necessarily tonight. I don't
think the timing is I don't quite there
couple of years ago
as myself and
uh
the gentleman in house name is still we
were looking at uh just for the high
school a a fixed variable model where we
took into account that
The high school is predominantly ADA
which is not bad of Charleston and I
know the wall I'll say that
but it's the same issue if you put a
fixed variable model in place the only
beneficiary is Charlestown because if
you say well share things in thirds
and als
got 28% of the population and roughly
the same children and all pulled up
around 31 one, you know, it's we had a
large transfer from Jal drop from it's
current roughly 46% down to a third and
falls on the back of every other town.
And I think that's fair to be honest
with you, but I don't think it's got a
snowballs chance of passing snowballs
chance because the votes just aren't
there. Um, is it the right way to look
at it for the high school? Yeah, it is.
you know, the high school principal
should not be. Well, it isn't in this
case, but there are probably expenses
here that Charles Town's paying for 46%
of that they shouldn't be, but you still
got to be able to get there. You know,
when push comes to shove and the votes
aren't there, how do you think then? I
don't know.
I don't know how to get there. I mean,
I'm hoping that's what'll come out of
this, but I don't know how to get it.
Yes, Jennifer Maresy.
It sounds as though we might want to
start with deconstructing those articles
of agreement and looking at um
each town
separately and than rebuilding them so
that they can or separating them making
them independent the towns changing the
2/3 majority vote requirement to within
a town. I know this has all been talked
about in in this uh the secession, you
know, studies and so on. There's got to
be a more equitable way if we don't keep
it as everything that it is today and
then try to fix it.
So
if you know Charles Town votes for just
Charles Town and not the rest of that
and it and it makes sense because it's
simpler.
There's got to be a way to do this. I
think an interesting exercise would be
if we were to again just as an exercise
we have a magic wand and say okay we're
we're five towns we're five independent
towns. What would each town do? you
know, would it would it seek to form a
cooperative within some of the towns?
Would it seek to potentially tuition its
students someplace else? Would it, you
know, look for
some shared costs that are mutually
beneficial and do that not on a formula
basis, but simply by a, you know,
contract basis. If there's a particular
position that two towns needs and one of
them's going to get them three days a
week and the other one's going to get
them two days a week that you know that
that's how they get shared and one town
pays the person and the other town just
ponies up the difference at the end of
the year or twice a year whatever the
case may be. When when the alliances
come out when when they come up
organically because they're mutually
beneficial they can work and there trust
on everybody that's where you run into
problems. Well, certainly there isn't a
um it situation isn't the way it used to
be 20 years ago, 25 years ago, 10 years
ago, 40 years ago. It's much more
competitive. We have a whole different
uh imbalance of students versus Boston
and and so on. And so, you're right,
Steve. I mean maybe I mean there's no
such thing as a magic wand but perhaps
if we deconstruct it to that level and
just say let's let's start there and ask
the towns what would they do?
>> We have representatives of every town
here.
>> That's right. Might not be a good good
idea to break into five groups and just
talk through each of us
if we were all free agents if you will.
Where would we go? What would we do?
What alliances would we form?
See who gets where.
>> See, so
in today's structure, right, all the
towns have separate budgets.
>> It's just that they're being put
together as one lump to be voted on.
It's really what I think people want to
do is be able to just vote on their own
town
own town's budget and let the each town
create their budget and with the
cooperation of the SAU, right? Because
you can't do it in a silo,
>> right?
>> But but we're already separated in the
budget by each town.
>> So it seems to me like it's the
>> Can they be separated, Steve? Apparently
not by law from what I've heard.
>> I I don't know. I think that's they
can't cannot be separated
>> because we're
>> you're talking about cooperative
change agreements that would allow that.
>> You have to change.
>> I mean I personally think that if you
look at all the studies we've had a lot
of studies.
>> I mean 2019
after 2019 you had the Charles Town
withdrawal which I'm is that in the
Google Docs?
>> Yes. After Charles Town withdrawal, we
had a a keep the peace committee that I
was on, Albert was on, Steve was on. I
don't know if that document was put into
the Google.
Uh after that, you had the Walpole
Langden withdrawal.
Um and and they basically all come out
to the same conclusion. I mean, Walpole,
that study went on for two years. Steve
was on the committee. I mean they
dissected everything for you know very
qualified people and they all
everybody's come out to the same
conclusion that we need to break up into
separate K through8s and I think it was
loud and clear in the Walpole withdrawal
everybody wants to stay part of Fall
Mountain Regional High School but they
want to control their own separate
communities the K through 8. So the
articles of agreement, if we did that,
if we all agreed upon that, we're kind
of dancing around that, the articles of
agreement would get torn up and you have
to start a fresh anyway. So if you if
you created K through8 districts and we
have a cooperative Fall Mountain High
School,
that's going to change everything. And
that's I I'd say that that's the message
that's being been sent since 2019.
2019 said that
Charles Town said that. Walpole said
that. All the committees have said that
we need local control. Well, I mean,
anybody against local control?
>> I just have a question for you about can
you have an example of a district or a
co-op that's done that
>> that that they're operating?
>> What you're what
>> there are there are
>> all over the state.
>> There are four districts in this state
that run only high school. Wet and I
think there are three others that don't
come to me right away. But there are
four districts in this state that
operate only a cooperative district.
>> You did you say
>> Ket
I think the other three might be in my
bag if you want me to dig. Yeah. I mean
there there are
>> Well, Keen is not
>> Well, Keen is is a little bit of a
unique
>> think I have
>> uh Keen is the mothership.
>> Okay.
>> And and the other towns
go to Keen. Yeah, there there certainly
are districts that run that way. So, we
could set up that way, but it's a matter
of is everybody is there anybody against
having separate K through8s?
Yeah. Uh well, certainly I need I'm not
going to say I'm totally against it, but
I I I I think this committee needs to go
through the analytics. Uh, I know it's
another committee that you guys have all
been involved in, but um, but before we
do that, I my point Kevin, did you have
something you wanted to add?
>> In our folder is a it's it's an older
version. There's a newer version out
there, but there is a version of the
proportion.
>> Is that this?
>> That's that one. Yeah.
>> And that does list all of the different
kind of cooperatives that are currently
out there. And there are a number that
are 9 through 12, um, 7 through 12, 6
through 12. They're not all K through
12. So you have cooperatives that are
not
>> right. I mean I printed that cuz I found
that helpful and I thought you know
maybe we could
>> it als it also lists theortionment
formulas on there that everyone else
uses or they're they're
>> most of which did back in the 60s. So
>> yeah,
>> but but anyway, if we if we went down
that road, if we if we all said, "Okay,
it would be better to go K through
eight, you would throw out throw away
the articles of agreement and you'd have
to write new ones." And that might be
beneficial because again, if you did
that, you could then go to other towns,
Lemster, Marlo, who used to be part of
us, and say, "Do you want to join?" and
and get them to share expenses of the
high school. Right now they tuition, but
they're not really paying into the
expenses,
you know, building expenses, etc. So, it
gives you a new opportunity. I I think
that that's a good method. We certainly
in in my 40 years of dealing with this
have not gotten along well in our
current structure. That that's a fact.
So, if we can find a way that everybody
agrees with and they we're basically,
again, as as Steve just said, we're all
voting for our own K through8 budgets,
but then the money gets thrown into one
big pot. Uh so, we really aren't voting
on it.
you know, we only we break out um
warrant articles that have to be voted
on separately by the towns, but we don't
break the budgets out because it's it's
not a legal thing.
>> You have to come up with default budgets
for each town, too. If you did
>> Yes. And then the the next question
which has been thrown around in these
committees that I've been on over the
years is it as as you just said would it
be Walpole, Charles Town and then would
Violet stay together in Langden, Aworth
and Alstead and that's up to them. It's
not up it's not up to me. I don't live
in that town. Um or would those three
towns be separate?
Joel
>> speak only for myself.
I will say that that I am prepared to go
down this road or any other road that
you all agree on and give my best
effort.
It occurs to me that for anyone who's
ever taught who teaches at the high
school now or has ever taught at the
high school,
the long-term and uninvited consequences
of having
K3 budgets voted on locally only
will be remedial education
of some ever increasing dynamic. M
>> I'm not saying that's a deal breaker,
but I think we need fools to pretend
that's not going to happen.
>> Is that happening in Ken?
It is happening in right now.
>> What does that mean? it was K through
five or K through six
>> and had the middle school
come to the high school which probably
is big enough to take all those kids and
there would be a little bit less of the
necessary remediation if you get the
kids here younger
>> I'd say you could do that I'm not a fan
of it because there's a big difference
between a
seventh grader and a uh
senior in high school and if you're
mixing them together and I don't
Manadnock does that and I don't know
that it works that well.
>> Um it's just a big age difference
between
>> throwing throw in a kid that's a seventh
grade and all of a sudden they're in
high school. I can tell you we tried
middle school here in the 90s I think.
>> Yeah.
>> Got 23% of that
>> and the only school too is already here
now.
>> Yeah that's true. But but the strange
bed poles were there were the one you'd
expect which is it's going to cost
money. I don't want to spend money and I
don't want to spend my seventh grader or
sixth grader to to Langdon. I don't want
them on the bus with seniors. I mean
that's what you were hearing from
parents. Yes. You put those two groups
together and we ended up with 23% of the
vote. Although you make a valid point.
Now we're not building a building.
>> So you know that makes a difference.
>> Unfortunately you guys made me the chair
so I'm going to have to intervene.
uh and just say yeah we all right that
good discussion on some past studies but
it really we've drawn into framework and
I think it will be better if we can
break up into groups but before we do
that uh we just wanted to talk about
this last thing in the packet it's just
and I'll fall on my sword it was I'm the
one that typed this up it's this is not
this is just notes for discussion okay
so don't point at him
this is just something because of the
field I come from. I like to do things
in a linear fashion.
Um, husband, the others here. So,
basically, I look at this in some phases
and as if we're doing an environmental
alternative analysis, right? The first
one, they're not going to do anything
because no committee has done anything
in 40 years, we can't resolve the issue
or
since uh the 2002 vote and we changed
the uh the method structure.
So if you look at this and then the
second one really is we're looking at a
district because it was fraud up. Can we
change legitimately change the articles
agreement, stay together as a district,
change the articles, modify the cost?
That's really what a lot I mean that's
that's really where I'm at a modifying a
hoop hoop face. And the second thing
which I find important once you guys
start going down this road who's paying
what? Well, who gets the bigger? Is it
going to be a weighted vote on the
board?
Who's not paying the most? It's just a
consideration. Maybe it's a weighted
board vote. These are things we have to
look at. Maybe that's why we haven't got
Mary brought up the point. Some good
things, some not so good things. we all
have to have. Maybe that happens.
There's a lot of things that can happen.
Maybe one town decides to opt out um at
some point.
>> That's a real risk with the new law now.
>> Just saying
>> 60% of the town's question period.
>> And then the third thing would be what I
think Wes has brought up. Um I know it's
been discussed and we certainly want to
look at uh the 195 again each town uh
controlling K through eight. That's it
can be abbreviated. I like that point on
uh is it prime controlling the primary
how we work. So this is phase one in a
shared administration and shared high
school. So those are the things because
we're going to break up into groups.
I think we can service that and get a
few more things done. Phase two really
is
agreed. I'm not from Aworth, not from
Stad and Langden. It's up to them. So if
you look at the bullet points, how do we
our five communities see us in the
future? What's it going to look like? Um
Aworth has a conversation amongst their
community. They need to recognize and
they know do they continue or get it on
the warrant article at least so that
they can close if they decide to gives
them an option. Um and same with Langden
else. um what is it that they're what um
their patriarchs they want to do their
comm their town and Charles Town and
Walpole are really in the framework of
continuing primary and elementary ed but
accepting of our neighbor neighboring um
students into our smaller schools. Um
that's that's really the phase two
piece. And then phase three would be,
you know, if we really are shrinking,
do we send seventh and eighth to the
high school at some point? The extended
consolidation
because there's a lot of pieces here.
And if we get it all wrapped up and
mongled into one, it's going to be hard
for us to to really accomplish. uh you
know this would be an 18-month thing and
I don't think anybody wants to go in 18
months of discussion. I think Mr. Sun
here does he was actually
that he said he wanted to do that. So
everybody has experience from being on
these previous boards and previous
discussions and you have all have
opinions. We do know that as much as we
like our own opinions, we got to have
some facts and data to back it up to get
it passed the snip test of our community
members. We and a lot of it is going to
be cost and convenience. Uh for some,
you know, but these are the things at
least the three phases we we're going to
we hopefully you guys agree we should
kind of focus it and then break it up
into groups because we think the groups
and and the groups are all going to talk
about the same thing and then we can
come back rather than us because it's
it's easier to talk in a smaller group.
bring what your structure and what your
potential costs are going to be and then
we can just kind of start going because
we got to we want to start assembling
this thing
>> otherwise
Chris what's the start time here at high
school
>> 77
>> what is it
>> I think it's 7
>> 720
>> 720 first class first bell 720
>> 7:15's first bell
>> 7:15 first bell
>> yeah 720 is still a 5m minute passing
time
>> you you parents of children that young
son to send their kids here at that
hour.
>> Those kids get up early
before 7.
>> I'm talking about high school.
>> The bus goes on my road at 557.
>> Yeah, I was going to say
>> I'm talking about 555. You're all
driving right by the house.
>> Don't blame me.
>> I would say this. That's a discussion
for structure when we're in it. Uh just
wanted to paint this out as we're going
to break up here in a minute that these
are the if everybody's thinking currents
they're the basic well they're nothing's
locked in stone and again throw your
darts at me I'm fine I got thick skin
I think very help with creating
uh but these are the three phases that I
think at least to me are logical that's
if If we were to really look at one
town, how we would kind of move, but as
a community, as a district, how are we
going to move to the ultimate goal?
What's it look like in 10 years? The
demographic, if you look at the 7450
kids when I was an 85 graduate,
what were last year looking at the
budget? 440.
What's going to happen to us? And we do
need to play nice. the peace community.
that we do need that and we're all going
to take a bit of a hit
and we're also going to have some
advantage here and there but you know
>> well Chris what if you just action
number one what's the vote on that
>> what's
certainly as a as a group I mean stay
the course then and does anybody believe
that we should stay the course and
change nothing
>> right ultimately right that would be in
the report that's not going to happen.
We know we got to do something,
>> right?
>> Um
I I mean, personally, I'd like to see
that we got to a point instead of 18
months that we could put together some
sort of a warrant article to get a pulse
from the communities.
Uh because we've had committee after
committee after committee and you've had
three towns in the last 10 years that
have voted to withdraw.
What's the pulse of the communities?
Would would you be in favor of having a
K through eight and a cooperative high
school?
>> I don't agree with you. Please take my
18 months as a jest and we're never
going to be here that long. That would
be part of what comes out of tonight. I
agree, Wes, that you know, if everybody
else agrees, you know, that would be a
good what's the pulse of the communities
want to do? But we have to have
something to offer them at least in
general and start bringing it to our
towns to see what it is that they want
to do, you know, ultimately, you know,
cuz we're this is a big deal. What's
going to happen? I know there's the five
town breakup.
>> Well, it's not really, you know.
>> Are you suggesting just a non nonbinding
question on the warrant?
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Okay. Because Oh, every time we've ever
brought every time it's ever come up for
a a district junior high school, it's
gotten shot down.
>> Yeah.
>> Heck, bring it down lower than that.
District sports teams at the junior high
level. Shot down. Everybody wants to
stay viol.
They don't want to break. So, why are
you ramming your head into the wall if
the if the public doesn't want
um
boy could answer that a lot of different
ways and I'm not the answer for this
committee by the way.
>> No reparing. Here's the ultimately I
think we
Wes I think we got to get we and to
everybody I do believe that we have to
have this consolidation uh framework.
What's it going to look like? Because it
does play into everything. Everything's
playing in all of the ovals. If
anybody's been in any of those nice
committee meetings, they all overlap.
You know this overlap. So um we're
trying to simplify this. uh if we could
get to the question that you want and
and we could
>> No, I'm just
>> but I'd like to my my ultimate goal in
this would be to find some peace and
unity amongst all five communities and
and we certainly have as as you brought
up do I have examples of other towns.
There are plenty of towns around us that
have four, five, six communities in one
school district and they get along a
hell of a lot better than we do. Um you
know, I mean Chris, you live in
Chesterfield. How long was your school
board meeting last year?
>> About 25 minutes.
>> Yeah. 25 minutes for a deliberative
session. When was the last time you
heard that from
>> West Milan? Same thing. They all go to
you. Do you have fights with West Milan?
>> They're vastly different. So, yes.
>> I'm saying that would be my goal is for,
you know, everybody to get along. I I
often bring up, you know, we we all I I
just got here late because I was at a
soccer game down the a mile down the
road.
We all get along. Nobody knows what
town. We're all from Fall Mountain. We
need to get along that way all the time.
So, what what what is the cause? The
cause is the K through eight. We all
have the same investment at the high
school. We all have kids going to the
high school.
So, we're almost there. The 2003
change
changed it that instead of all the money
getting thrown into one pot, it's now
divided by town. Except as Steve said,
we don't go there. So if we change the
articles of agreement, as you said, so
that we could vote on the budget, that
would change it. And and breaking into
either five separate districts or three
separate districts. I mean, I I think
that's one thing that we all need to
understand. I mean, I I have relatives
in all five towns, not my my wife's
relatives.
Um
it's not up to me.
It's and it's not up to any of us
>> what they're doing in Langden, what
they're doing in Aworth, what they're
doing in Alstead, what they're doing in
Charleston. That's up to the residents
of those towns. If those residents want
to shut down the Aworth school, so be
it. I don't think they do. You know, my
wife has has a lot of of relatives in
Aworth and I don't think they want to
shut down the Aworth school, but maybe
they do.
>> Go ahead, Stephen.
>> Can you expand on what you meant by
consolidation?
in phase two.
>> Oh yeah. Um consolidation is a word that
I've heard thrown around a lot and and
so
>> reduce the number of schools
>> right
in general the re reduction again the
bullet points are the one the numbers
you'll see below are all actions that
the the towns have to think about
themselves. So it it doesn't mean I say
awkward well they got to decide
continual closure that's up to them.
>> So I was trying to get a more of a
definition of consolidation what that
meant.
>> Basically reduction of schools
>> we're shrinking and how should we shrink
or do they build?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> You mentioned data earlier and I'm
certainly a data driven person. At what
point do you think it would be
appropriate for us to look at the actual
footprints of all the schools, the
number of students,
you know, at that level to wouldn't that
guide us toward whether it should be
seven to eight moving here or just eight
or
>> in phase three? Sure. at any time. I
anytime be you know you want to pull
data but um
is that something every you I mean if
you want to do that now I would say
right but they can
>> well number of students number you know
all all of that I think will help assist
the groups
>> in two weeks we'll have that data
>> yeah that's true
>> right October 1st
>> I'll have a data
>> did it ever come in
>> I always assume everything's going to
happen First that doesn't mean it's
available,
>> right? We went through that on the
budget.
>> Well, you know, I found the four high
schools. John John Stark, Hemi, Baker,
South Eaggan, and W. Those are the four
districts that run only the high school
only, right? Only high school.
>> What were they? I'm sorry.
>> John Stark, Hemi, Baker, Sagen, Winn.
Those four school districts operate just
by
so it's not unprecedented by any means.
break anything into groups.
>> So, we're going to break into groups um
in
facilitator or what? So, what I
recommend you break into three groups so
we have enough
um
each talent and a representative or
enough representation to have a good
discussion. the framework um are really
just beginning,
>> right?
>> Okay. Nothing is in stone. I think this
is a working document that could start
some of our discussions.
Uh this room is set up. The reason we're
in this room is hopefully to make the
video a little bit better. Um but also,
uh we're going to break up. So, as soon
as we break up, we can use that room. So
we'll kind of take a pause be able to
but at the end kind of come back in uh
and sit together have one person report
out of the discussions what came of um
this I will be around to help facilitate
a little bit um and really we're diving
into the work now we're really starting
to get into
um
what the structure is going to be as
passing fell
>> and I would say there's a there are a
lot of lot of details that always get
glossed over in these things. Um
um it's not as easy just to say 195
break up because there's a lot on the
tail ends um uh to such things and if
and if the data shows me where I need to
go that's what I'll and everybody agrees
I'm on board with that. Um I just want
us all I want to be comfortable award
all of our towns Charlestown Wall
because we're going to start to put down
what you foresee the pros and cons of
each struct of the structure should be
you know whatever this your committees
and also think about where the costs are
going to stack up because the articles
need to be modified and the cost
structure how we have it now one way or
the other we have to modify that That's
the biggest point uh the problem that we
have the way the current methods are
assembled and um so Chris will be
walking around and I'll be with one of
them wherever
feels they want to take me in.
>> Can you just clarify exactly what we're
talking about? Is it this?
>> Yeah, this is the this is just talk.
Yes.
>> I don't want us to go like off on
tangent. No, I want very much. Yeah,
that's why we set this up. And it's um
you just go down each
each phase and you think about what the
structure is it going to is it good,
bad, ugly or indifferent and then
basically jotting some bullet points on
the pros and cons of each and and what
potential where the costs are going to
start to move. Um, and
I would leave it up to Stad Langden. And
I I I mean, because I've heard this a
bunch of times from other people, uh,
the other three communities join as one.
I mean, maybe that's an idea. I'm just
putting it out in space and ether. Um,
however, what however they do that, I I
mean it's uh it still needs to be talked
about, at least discussed, bring back to
the communities for them to say yes or
no, of course, but it's an option to uh
a viable option to look at, you know, if
based on the student numbers once they
come in and people get a real consensus
of what's going on.
>> Question, as we're kind of getting
closer to details, we start to have
legal questions.
Do we have legal support? We put the
money in the budget for legal support
from this. One question I have about
19513. Does that mean we have to become
five towns, five different districts, or
could we become like the Walpole Langden
district? Um, so I think there are going
to be definitely some legal questions
that come from any of our uh options.
And as we solidify them a little bit
more, I think we're still at the
exploratory phase.
>> Okay.
>> As they get solidified a little bit more
and we're saying, well, this is really a
direction that we want to go. Yes, we're
going to have to have label involved. Uh
when you look at um 19513,
there are specific things within that
that are pretty clearcut,
>> right?
um when you look at rewriting the
articles of agreement that could look
vastly different depending on the
directions that you go. So it it depends
on um what road we are go what path we
are going down but yes there is legal
um
there's going to be legal involved as as
we progress
one more kind of question is I did a lot
left a lot of pounds other on their
articles of agreement and it seems
pretty boilerplate
>> does the New Hampshire schoolboard
association have like a boilerplate
template that that they're using because
they all look very similar.
>> They could have the same legal.
>> I was going to say typ what typically
happens is there are two or three to
four legal firms and that's why you see
boilerplate templates.
>> Okay.
>> And then most of them fall the same
period of time.
>> So you know each other hasn't been a
cooperative formed in more than one
year.
>> Are there any cooperative that have
dissolved? Mhm.
>> Sorry.
Roxberry
Unity just
>> well I know Claremont Unity pulled out
like um Cornish pulled out a while and
um
Peter Yeahather
>> um there are some towns that sold out of
those um
>> one pulled out of Conal.
>> Yeah. Oh yeah that's what the was about.
Yeah.
>> Yep. Okay.
>> So, it is 6:20.
>> We really want to dive into this. Maybe
go till 7:00,
>> then come back, report it out, spend a
longer time. Um,
that was the cut off.
>> That was the cut off.
>> Yeah.
Yeah.
>> You want to partial sound?
>> Um,
sure.
Why don't I do that? How many committee?
How many? How many?
>> I was thinking three just based on the
third or fourth one.
>> Yeah. Let's do it old school. You
remember? One, two, three. One, two,
three. One, two, three. One, two, three.
One, two, three.
And I'll fit in where I can. Where
anybody will take me in.
So just let everybody know we'll do a
quick report out from each group member
not each group member
a a person from each group kind of
discuss what was talked about and next
steps uh what you would like to see as
we move forward and kind of next steps
as we move into the next meeting because
I think that is the piece that
district's just
trying to as we move forward what
direction or what steps need to be taken
at at our next meeting more conversation
or group like um we continue to move
forward. So one point of clarity on the
schedule you were given this meeting
ended at 7 5:30 to 7. So just in the
future it would be nice if it could end
at 7.
>> You're in trouble now. You're probably
sore at that. All right.
>> I agree.
>> Okay. Okay. So, I guess we'll make the
remainder of this evening as as short as
possible. So, we're going to have the
group number one
rep. I'll speak is um this is
overwhelming. Absolutely overwhelming.
Um it it it didn't go well.
It really didn't go well because
conversation.
>> It is so multifaceted
that the the thought that you can, for
lack of a better term, socially engineer
this is is damn near impossible. the the
only way this is going to come about if
it's if it's done organically. If if if
the first step is, you know, we end up
as five different towns with five
different school boards and then those
school boards can certainly reach
agreements with other school boards to
share resources to to you know to
whatever. But I find that's me speaking
I'm finding it very hard to come up with
a path here based on the way this
district is assembled where where it's
you know it's it's kind of pretty even
what I said before 41% 31% 28%. Where's
do you see anybody here see a path to
two/3 and we did it we did do it in 2003
but let's look at how that happened.
Charlestown supported that article 98%
of the vote. Walpole gave it about 60.
It didn't get half in the other three
towns. In the aggregate, it got about
69% of the vote. And that's what I said
before about I don't want this about
what was on the land voting on what's
for dinner. We ended up with in court
over it, right? And and not just Newport
Superior Court, Supreme Court. And you
know, the district did prevail, but I
think it did leave a lot of, you know, a
lot of hard feelings. And it would be
interesting to see what elite alliances
would be formed if each town could make
that choice. You know, maybe Aworth
reaches the conclusion that they'll go
to Newport. Who knows? You know, but you
won't know unless it's just a plan.
>> I know. I know.
>> I know the answer.
>> Yeah, I know.
You may not have a choice, you know,
depending upon I mean if Charle Town
decides to tuition their high school
students somewhere else and you can't
sustain this place. You can barely
sustain this place now. What's going to
happen if Charles Town decides they wish
the high school kids fit somewhere else?
Because you know they can get a much
better deal than the $5.5 million
they're paying to run this place
fair statement.
>> We did the math.
>> We did the math.
They could probably buy 200 seats in
Charleston and Claremont for four $4
million.
Now everybody thinks that the other
schools are doing a bad job. You know,
Bellis Falls stinks. Claremont stinks.
Keen State. The only two the school is
doing a good good job is us. Really?
What do you think they'd say in Bellis
Falls? What do you think they'd say? You
think they'd agree with you?
>> No, of course not.
>> Three.
>> Two. That was compressive.
>> Yes, it was. I'm sorry.
>> Yes. We we were much simpler.
>> Oh, good.
>> Very simple. Right. On phase one, one,
it's not an option.
>> Oh, we did say that.
>> Yeah.
>> Not an option.
>> That's as far as we got.
>> Phase one, two
has been tried for 40 years and there
hasn't been a way of coming up with
something commonality that works
anywhere. So,
>> oh, we said that too.
>> Okay.
>> So, see, we accomplished. which we got a
little
>> so phase 1 three we thought that that's
probably the best way to go K to a
question mark not K to 8 not K to six
just K to a question mark but we need to
ask well-crafted questions to the legal
to come back with something and the
question that I think I would ask
personally was we would like each town
to vote separately on their budget keep
the high school together as as a
collaborative what's the best way to do
that and let somebody from a legal
standpoint say this is how you would
structure something or do something I
don't know then on phase two we feel
that it's important that we put a
warrant article this year
uh to ask Aworth and Langden I guess if
they would like to close their schools
>> consolidate and I don't think on phase
three I think it's something we should
explore further Mhm.
>> about consolidating some grades into the
high school if we can. Um I realize
there's a lot of issues with that, but I
don't think you can resolve them in 5
minutes or that's a bigger bigger
discussion to have. And is that a good
summary of what we talked about? Spot
on. Spot on.
>> That's actually a great summary of what
we talked about.
>> We just didn't write it.
>> That was that was that's the quick
summary, right? that's going out.
I feel like at least your boat is
floating.
>> Good summary.
>> Yes.
>> Okay, we're all set.
>> Okay. We also phase one step one, we
said that's a no-go. Um, we talked a lot
about two and what would happen. We
talked about questions about um what
areas um of the budget were the areas
that people had a problem with like
where are um where are towns, you know,
paying more than their fair share and
and how can we modify the formula so
that it's clearer and they're paying for
what they actually use. We talked about
um schools with empty classrooms. How do
we um address that? And maybe we look at
having a district-wide um tuition rate
so that um there is some school choice
within the district. Um you know, it
might not be uh a everyone in Aworth
goes to maybe some of the Aworth
students who are on the back side of
Aworth are actually going to Charles
Town. So, you know, just having that
flexibility. Maybe um there are some
students from the bigger towns that want
to go to the smaller schools and if you
had a um district-wide tuition rate that
would be easier to do. Um we you know
again talked about um you know step
three in act 19513 and we talked about
the worry of um you know curriculum not
being consistent um resources not being
consistent of you know the maybe this
inequitableness
of that's a word inequitableness
of resources across the district. you
know, you're going to have attendance
areas that are halves and some that are
have nots. Um, and we talked about
transportation as an example of how
crazy the formula is um for funding the
transportation. Why is it so crazy?
Uh there are there is data um on record
Joel uh said uh for transportation and
how much uh fuel each bus has used. I
guess this data has been collected for
many many years and that might be
something that we should look at. Um,
and
yeah, that's what we got to. Anyone want
to add whoever was in my group? Um,
no.
>> No, I think you covered it.
>> Well, thank you.
>> We were easily distracted.
>> Yeah.
>> Well, we remain committed.
>> Definitely.
I think it was for me if I just uh it
was well worth it especially to sit with
umstead
I'm sorry Wal just wanted to get that in
but to listen to Langden and Akward um
folks and
because I always know Charles and the
push with Bull there's always there's
been that so I I I know that dichotomy
um so that was very interesting but I do
think it broke open it sounds to me
some quagmires, some issues.
>> Absolutely.
>> And that I and I'm I'm going to take it
as positive quite frankly that maybe we
can resolve some of these things. I'm
trying to be positive that we can
resolve and and and to move this
district forward because it sounds to me
everybody knows there needs to be
changes. How do we get there? And I am
think that if we can get the right data
together, the right messaging,
I think we can sell something. We can to
the public if you are willing to present
it and tell them that, hey, here are the
options. Things aren't looking good for
us over the next 20 years if we just
stay like this. You know, what can we
do? And then if we don't attempt it,
because I'll be honest with you, if no
one here wants to attempt this, we're
wasting our time. and I got better
things to do. I'm sure everybody else
says I'll just pay the tax bill just
>> and maybe even lead the school board.
But I'm just saying
but there are things I think it's it's a
worth venture
as a facilitator for next time where do
what two minutes what do you see the
next steps next meeting as beneficial as
we move forward?
I'd like to break break up into five
groups by tough
>> and then talk about all the different
options
by yourself.
>> Five groups.
>> But what are your town's options if in
fact
>> you were disconnected if you a free
agent if you will? What might you do?
>> Any other thoughts
>> in addition Oh, sorry. In addition to
that, if things were to stay the same
and were to stay cooperative,
>> what would need to happen? It'll refer
you to be happy.
>> Yeah.
>> On the flip side,
>> I like that there's
>> be h say that one more time. I'm sorry.
in order for like so Charles Town were
to stick around and not
to be part of the cooperative if were
were to stay, what would have to change
in the articles in order for each town
to be happy? And I know that I'm saying
that in quotes because is anybody ever
going to be 100% happy? Probably not.
But
>> at least satisfy. Yeah.
>> So two two sides of that. Chrissy had
promised to get some data to us and I
think that's a good start and then if we
know where we are empty in schools and
where we have room we can start talking
about from a high altitude
what it might look like to consolidate.
>> So I have all that information I'll
share it within the next folder. It's
going to all be in Excel so you guys can
copy it and manipulate how you want but
they'll go back a number of years. We're
trying to it may look different from
year to year because it depends on what
data is actually we actually had for
that year but as you go further back it
may look a little bit
>> what exactly is the data that is going
to be
>> it's just enrollment numbers by grade
level uh for every school it break
broken up by schools broken up by a
number of different
>> but you have like special ed numbers for
each school
>> so that gets more complex But yes, we
there are implements that we can look at
um with with it
>> just because I know your sped budget is
probably a third of your budget.
>> Um
just would be good to
>> I I won't promise that right now but
there that is something I can look into.
>> That is stuff that is is public. So it's
I will take
>> class. Do we have like um
>> student teacher ratios in each school?
>> I you can manipulate the data however
you want. I'm just going to give the
data for you to
>> I'm just trying to figure out what data
is in there and what might be helpful.
>> So what that folder that I we created is
ultimately just I don't know what's
going to be helpful and what's not. I
just want to share what we have. Um, and
if there is specific data, then we can
look at getting that. It's just going to
take some time. I'm just trying to use
things that we have had in the past to
be able to share.
>> I guess I'm just suggesting some data
that might be helpful.
>> Yep. Perfect. Anything else you need?
>> Um, so we mentioned articles for next
week, right? Is that was that one of
them? What's it going to take? So that
might mean to stay uh and break it up by
groups, but it should for the most part
be reversed in the articles.
You know, we're part of this because
that's they're going to be augmented,
we think probably. So you should be
versed in those articles and um at least
highlight question mark around those
things so we can start um vetting those
things. It's going to be import and next
time you will be ending at 7:00.
>> Right. Anybody got a motion?
>> Yes. Second.
All those in favor
move.