WINNISQUAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Minutes of the Annual Meeting March 25, 2006

Transcription

1 WINNISQUAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Minutes of the Annual Meeting March 25, 2006 Pursuant to the Winnisquam Regional School District Warrant, the Annual School District meeting was convened in the gymnasium of the Winnisquam Regional High School in the Town of Tilton in said District on the 25 th day of March School District Moderator Ken Randall called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM. Moderator Randall then called for a recess until the voters signed in with the Supervisors of the Checklists. The meeting reconvened at 10:40 A.M. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. He thanked the assembly for the plaque awarded to him at last year s meeting for thirty years of service as School District Moderator. Moderator Randall said the section for non-voters was behind him on the stage. He put the assembly on notice that if at 6:00 PM, there are still articles to be discussed, the meeting would be recessed to Wednesday, March 29 th at 7:00 PM. Moderator Randall introduced himself, District Clerk, Adele Chertoff, and Assistant Moderator, Scott McGuffin. He told the assembly he had approximately 15 vote counters because of such a large group. Moderator Randall introduced Larry Prince, School Board Chairperson, who then introduced Allan Demko, Business Administrator, Don Parks, Interim Superintendent, and John Teague, School District Attorney. He then introduced the administrative staff and school board members. Larry Prince recognized outgoing school board members, Pam Washburn from Tilton for her dedicated service from , and Tom Salatiello from Sanbornton for his dedicated service from and presented both with plaques. Larry said two new members of the School Board would be sworn in after the meeting and they are Mike Gagne of Tilton and Jim Hamel of Sanbornton. Moderator Randall explained the voting procedure. He said there is a process to limit The Articles of Agreement would be given reasonable discussion time and he asked speakers to limit remarks and speak only once. Moderator Randall explained reconsideration and protection of their vote. If reconsideration is voted for, the assembly must wait seven days after this meeting. Motion: A motion was made by Steve O Leary, seconded by Judy Davidson, to accept the ground rules for the meeting. Moderator Randall read Article 1 as follows: Article 1 Submitted by Petition The current apportionment is based on fixed percentages as follows: Northfield 37.75% Sanbornton 24.50% Tilton 37.75% To see if the District Voters will vote to amend the Articles of Agreement of the Winnisquam Regional School District as follows: AMENDED ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT OF THE WINNISQUAM REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT This Agreement is entered into pursuant to Chapter 195 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated as amended by and among the pre-existing school districts of Sanbornton, Tilton and Northfield. (Two-thirds ballot vote required). Section 5. The operating and capital expenses of the Winnisquam Regional School District payable in each fiscal year shall be apportioned as follows: 1

2 New Apportionment FY FY FY FY FY Fixed Fixed Fixed Self-Adjusting Self-Adjusting Percentage Percentage Percentage 70%ADM30%EV 70%ADM30%EV ADM = Average Daily Membership EV = Total Equalized Evaluation Northfield 38.50% 39.25% 40.00% 70%30% 70%30% Sanbornton 25.25% 26.00% 26.75% 70%30% 70%30% Tilton 36.25% 34.75% 33.25% 70%30% 70%30% Motion: A motion was made by Don Stevens, seconded by Foster Peverly, to bring this article to the floor for Discussion: Nina Gardner introduced herself and said today s proposal was a cooperative effort. This effort came about through communication and She said the committee heard concerns about the need to be fair and equitable and she would describe this formula as a soft landing. Nina explained the formula and commended the committee. This formula is being brought back to ADM and EV and will adjust. Nina discussed student enrollment in the towns and said this formula will shift the costs more appropriately as the demographics of the communities change. She asked for support of this formula because it is fair. She said it will stay in place for five years by state law and the Articles of Agreement allow a creation of a study committee in the fourth year and at that time we can look at the impact to the communities. Patsy Wells, Chairman of Sanbornton s Board of Selectmen, said it would be an understatement to say the Formula Committee was passionate, that the Board s of Selectmen of the towns of Northfield, Sanbornton, and Tilton were also passionate. She said no one wants to see taxes go up. She asked for support of this formula and thanked the assembly for their participation. Lana Dearborn, former selectman from Northfield, commented that she has worked on varying formulas brought forward for the past several years. She understands it is difficult to ask the people from Northfield and Sanbornton to pay a larger percentage of the School District budget, but the beauty of this new formula is that is gradually steps the two towns into a larger percentage and she asked for support of this article. Pat Clark said there are two reasons for getting together as a cooperative you can have a richer program by banding together and it is less expensive than going on your own. He thanked Joyce Fulweiler for her work and asked for support of this formula. Barbara Wirth commented she recognizes the challenge to produce the new formula. She asked for more information on Tilton s industry base. She is concerned about the burden that will be put on Sanbornton and Northfield and believes the economic and social conditions of all the communities should be considered before votes are cast. Joyce Fulweiler responded with tax rate information and Scott Davis presented equalized valuation information. Rick Manseau, Chairman of the Tilton Board of Selectman, thanked the school funding committee and everyone who attended the joint meeting. He believes this new formula gives a fair representation of what we are facing and asked the assembly for support of this article. Kent Finemore spoke in support of this article and feels it is a segue for the communities to come back together. Kathryn asked if Northfield s funding was found unconstitutional, are they prepared for other funding? Joyce Fulweiler responded they have always received state aid because of the makeup of their community and trusts the state legislators to make the right decisions regarding state aid for education. 2

3 James Vila supports this funding formula and said there is a perception that the significant commercial growth around Exit 20 has been a windfall. He said most of the commercial establishments have a base valuation of approximately one-third to one half less than what the Town of Tilton assesses residents. Trish Thompson spoke in support of this warrant article. She commented on rural living in Sanbornton and thanked Tilton for building up their area. Cindy Taylor believes all should pay equitably for each child that comes into the district and no one should have to bear the burden for anyone else. Gloria Muraszko asked if anything is in place to provide that each town does their evaluations? Scott Davis responded that equalized valuations are numbers put together by the Department of Revenue Administration every year. Every town is on the same playing field. You don t have the risk of one community not being assessed. The question was called and the moderator asked how many more people wished to speak. There were three or four and Moderator Randall allowed the remaining speakers to speak. Sharyn Baker asked for clarification with real numbers for the 70% ADM and 30% EV. Nina Gardner gave each town s enrollment numbers and equalized valuation numbers and presented how the 70% - 30% formula figures out. Franz Shultz commented that he would like to see spending under control. Donna Bouchard voted against the formula last year and now thinks it should be passed. She urged voters to consider that property taxes are too high for everyone and that it is time for the state to consider other alternative ways to generate revenue. Rosemary Gauthier is not opposed to formula but is also concerned that aid money is not guaranteed from the state for the town of Northfield. She does not feel the question was answered previously and has concerns for the elderly and young people of Northfield. Joyce Fulweiler said at this point she is thankful that we have gotten beyond who is going to pay. She is optimistic that everything will work out. Motion: A motion was made by Jim O Leary, seconded by Aurlow Stanley to call the question to end discussion on Article 1. The question being called, the moderator called for a ballot vote on Article 1. Moderator Randall read the results of the vote on Article 1. Ballot Vote: Yes 648 No 127 and the Moderator declared Article 1 as read passes. Motion: A motion was made by Chuck Mitchell, seconded by Don Stevens to reconsider the vote on Article 1. Division of the house was called for. Moderator Randall asked for a standing vote. Vote: Yes 23 and the Moderator declared the motion for reconsideration fails. In the interest of time it was suggested that the Moderator proceed to Article 6 because the polls must remain open for one hour. Motion: A motion was made by Tamar Cerafici, seconded by Steve Randall, to change the order of Article 6 so the Budget Committee can precede any budget 3

4 Moderator Randall read Article 6 as follows: Article 6 Submitted by Petition To see if the School District will vote to adopt the optional School District Budget Committee (RSA 195:12-a) to become effective March 25, The budget committee shall have the same number of members as the cooperative district school board plus one additional member from the School Board. The terms of office and manner of election of members shall be determined in the same manner as for the cooperative school board. Whenever it is voted to establish a budget committee, the moderator in the first instance shall appoint the members of the budget committee, except for the additional member appointed from the School Board, within 15 days of the vote establishing the committee. The members appointed by the moderator shall serve until the next annual meeting when the meeting shall elect their successors. (Majority vote required). Motion: A motion was made by Leif Martinson, seconded by Wes DeSousa, to bring this article to the floor for Discussion: Leif Martinson proposed this article because of the $22 million dollar budget. He would like to see a second level of review. Don Foudriat asked if it would be the School District Moderator appointing the members? John Teague answered that it would be. Ken Gorrell spoke in favor of this article and stated additional resources would be available for a complex problem. Curt McGee said the budget is a runaway train and is in favor of Article 6. Larry Prince spoke in opposition to Article 6. Barbara Foster is against Article 6. She commented that community members could voice their opinions at Budget Committee meetings or contact Board members. Cindy Taylor is leery of a budget committee. Les DeSousa complimented the School Board on the job they do. Gretchen Wilder said there was a conflict of meetings scheduled this year and would like to make sure it does not happen again. She encourages everyone to attend meetings. Gloria Muraszko is proud of the education her children have gotten in the district and is opposed to Article 6. Tom Cavanaugh thanked the School Board and is in favor of a budget committee. Dave Foster spoke in opposition to Article 6. He said what drives costs are fixed costs and a budget committee adds another layer and won t serve the district. Tamar Cerafici said it is not that the Board isn t doing a good job. A budget committee adds a layer of information not a layer of obstruction. Peter Dascoulias commented the more people who participate the better. Pam Washburn spoke in opposition to Article 6. Aurlow Stanley said he was originally in favor of a budget committee, but as he now sits on the Board and is involved in the budget process, he opposes one. 4

5 Michelle Jackson supports a budget committee. Motion: A motion was made by Kathy Mitchell, seconded by Joe DeMello, to call the question to end discussion on Article 6. The question being called, the Moderator called for a ballot vote. The polls were declared open at 1:07. In the interest of time, Moderator Randall proceeded to Article 2 while the polls remained open. Moderator Randall read Article 2 as follows: Article 2 To see if the Winnisquam Regional School District will vote to approve the cost item included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Winnisquam Regional School Board and the Winnisquam Regional Teachers Association which calls for the following increases and benefits at the current staffing levels: Year Estimated Increase $370,534 And further to raise and appropriate the sum of $370,534 for the fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable in salaries and benefits over those of the appropriation at current staffing levels paid in the prior fiscal year. (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this appropriation. Motion: A motion was made by Larry Prince, seconded by Dave Foster, to bring this article to the floor for Discussion: Larry Prince told the assembly the salary increase is for one year only for $208,000. There are related benefits of $23,000 and health care increases of $101,000 that equates roughly to the total of $370,000. Larry presented the changes in what the district pays towards insurance and the reductions negotiated with the teachers. Leroy French said he is not in favor of this article. Ken Gorrell said he is opposed to this article and is concerned with the one-year nature on the salary. He commented on the Teacher Healthcare Plan Analysis in the district newsletter and said the information was meaningless without fixed numbers. Trish Thompson spoke in favor of this article and said if we don t pay them we will lose them to other districts. Joe Zanca is concerned about the one-year versus three-year contract. He is also concerned about teacher turnover. Dave Tryon commented on the dedication of the teaching staff and the administration. He feels it is important to retain the quality educators we have. He urges everyone to vote for the pay raise. Nina Gardner told the assembly if this article passes the bottom line of the budget would be reduced by $120,000. Scott Hilliard commented on a recent fundraiser he attended for a young girl with cancer and the dedicated principal and staff at that school and said he is extremely proud to say he serves with them. Ray Belanger said parents need to spend time with children and that is a big part of education. Teachers can only do so much in the time they have with them. His son will graduate soon and credits the teachers who taught him and feels they deserve a raise. Barbara Wirth realizes the challenges teachers face on a daily basis. She recommends the one-year salary agreement. She sees the numbers improving, but is concerned with the dropout rate. Leif Martinson commented he thinks this is a modest increase and is in favor of it. 5

6 Motion: A motion was made by Jim O Leary, seconded by Kevin Washburn to call the question to end The question being called, the moderator called for a vote on Article 2. and the Moderator declared Article 2 as read passes. Moderator Randall read Article 3 as follows: Article 3 To see if the Winnisquam Regional School District will vote to approve the cost item included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Winnisquam Regional School Board and the Winnisquam Custodians AFSCME 3158 which calls for the following increases and benefits at the current staffing levels: Year Estimated Increase $48, , ,581 And further to raise and appropriate the sum of $48,409 for the fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable in salaries and benefits over those of the appropriation at current staffing levels paid in the prior fiscal year. (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this appropriation. Motion: A motion was made by Nina Gardner, seconded by Aurlow Stanley, to bring this article to the floor for Motion: A motion was made by Audrey Bonneville, seconded by Aurlow Stanley to protect the vote on Article 2. Discussion: Nina Gardner thanked Aurlow Stanley and Kevin Washburn, who were part of the negotiating team of the school board. She said the contract is a three-year contract. Nina commended both the teachers union and the custodial union for their willingness to explore other health care options. The custodians changed to a two-tier plan and agreed to pay for a portion of their health care. Employees who do not take the insurance will receive $1000 in lieu of insurance. There is a 2.95% salary increase each year in the contract. A $300 sick bonus payment was provided to encourage attendance. Money for college courses is also included. There being no further discussion the Moderator called for a vote. and the Moderator declared Article 3 as read passes. Motion: A motion was made by Aurlow Stanley, seconded by Kevin Washburn, to protect the vote on Article 3. Moderator Randall read Article 4 as follows: Article 4 Shall Winnisquam Regional School District, if articles 2 or 3 are defeated, authorize the governing body to call one special meeting, at its option, to address articles 2 or 3 cost items only? (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this action. Motion: A motion was made by Larry Prince, seconded by Nina Gardner, to withdraw Article 4 for consideration. Moderator Randall read Article 5 as follows: Article 5 Submitted by Petition To see if the Winnisquam Regional School District will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $7, for the purpose of funding a girl s soccer team to be added to the existing Winnisquam Regional High School soccer 6

7 program, starting with the school year at the junior varsity level. Cost of said program would then be added to the athletic budget. (Majority vote required). Motion: A motion was made by David Krause, seconded by Bob Mazur to bring Article 5 to the floor for Discussion: Pam Washburn explained that the School Board previously decided not to fund a soccer program due to cost and choices of other sports in the fall season. The School Board has adopted a process of adding new programs, such as sports to district offerings, and this warrant article circumvents that important process. There are also Title IX issues and field space issues. The School Board does not recommend this article. Pam said at one time she was for this, but not at this time. Connie O Connell spoke in favor of the Winnisquam Football team. She said they are a self-funded team and believes the girl s soccer team should also be self-funded. Trish Thompson asked if female students have been asked if they want this program? Valerie Allen said a study has not been done. Terry Hallowell spoke in opposition to this article. She has seen how hard the football team has worked to get their program off the ground and feels it would be an injustice to put money towards another sports team ahead of the football team. Dave Tryon asked for information about the Title IV impact. He also commented on this becoming a football against other teams issue and feels we should support all teams. Nina Gardner responded there is a deficiency in offerings of male sports. There is also limited field space. She feels we should support what we have. Don Bormes commented that the bottom line is to educate our children to be scholars not athletes and if money is to be spent it should be spent on programs to improve the scholastic average of our students. Motion: A motion was made by Ellen Belair, seconded by Aurlow Stanley, to call the question to end discussion and to vote on Article 5. The question being called, the moderator called for a vote on Article 5. Vote: Negative and the Moderator declared Article 5 as read fails. At 2:12 P.M., Moderator Randall declared the polls closed on Article 6. Motion: A motion was made by Aurlow Stanley, seconded by Pam Washburn to protect the vote on Article 5. Moderator Randall read Article 7 as follows: Article 7 To see if the Winnisquam Regional School District will vote to raise and appropriate up to $100,000 to be placed in the Capital Reserve Fund Building Renovations and Repairs, such amount to be funded from undesignated fund balance as of June 30, (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this appropriation. Motion: A motion was made by Valerie Allen, seconded by Dave Foster, to place Article 7 on the floor for Discussion: Valerie Allen explained that this article is brought forward every year. If approved the funds are put into the Capital Reserve Fund Account allowing for what is being requested in Article 8 to be done. 7

8 There was no further discussion and the Moderator called for a vote on Article 7. Moderator Randall read Article 8 as follows: Article 8 To see if the Winnisquam Regional School District will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of fifty-seven thousand dollars ($57,000) to purchase replacement windows at the Union Sanborn School and to replace a handicapped lift a the WR High School Vocational Agriculture program, and to authorize the withdrawal of fifty seven thousand dollars ($57,000) from the Capital Reserve Fund Building Renovations and Repairs created for that purpose. (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this appropriation. Motion: A motion was made by Dave Foster, seconded by Aurlow Stanley, to bring Article 8 to the floor for Discussion: Dave Foster explained that the $57,000 is to be used for replacement windows at Union Sanborn for $40,000 and $17,000 to replace the lift at the Ag Building at the high school to be in compliance with ADA. Kathryn commented that $140,000 was requested last year and said they were told this was the final funding amount. Dave Foster responded the plan for the windows has been ongoing. He explained what the $140,000 from last year s meeting was used for. (Page 13 in the Annual Report). Trish Thompson asked how much money was spent on replacement windows last year? Dave replied that the windows have been replaced in phases. This is the third year requiring another $40,000. It is a four-year plan at $40,000 a year for a total of $160,000. Rosemary Gauthier asked for clarification on the money spent on the replacement windows. She believes that $40,000 will be asked for next year and then the windows will be done. Dave Foster told her she was correct. Motion: A motion was made by Jim O Leary, seconded by Aurlow Stanley, to call the question to end The question being called, the moderator called for a vote on Article 8. and the Moderator declared Article 8 as read passes. At this time, Moderator Randall read the results of the vote on Article 6. Ballot Vote: Yes 209 No- 245 and the Moderator declared Article 6 as read fails. Motion: A motion was made by Aurlow Stanley, seconded by Pam Washburn, to protect the vote on Article 6. Moderator Randall read Article 9 as follows: Article 9 To see if the district will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $21,712,024 for the support of schools, for the payment of salaries for the district officials and agents, and for the payment of statutory obligations of the District. The article does not include appropriations voted in other warrant articles. (Majority vote required). The School Board recommends this appropriation. Motion: A motion was made by Nina Gardner, seconded by Valerie Allen, to place Article 9 on the floor for 8

9 Discussion: Nina Gardner asked to amend the bottom line of this article. She said this is not a sweep article; it is the gross amount of the operating budget. $120,000 will be taken out, which is the amount of the insurance from the teacher contract that passed. The adjusted amount is $21,592,024. Dave Foster seconded the amendment. There was no further discussion on the amendment and the Moderator called for a vote on the amendment. Discussion: Nina Gardner gave the details of the budget. Approximately 85% of the operating budget is personnel costs. Insurance costs increased 12%. $186,000 went to special education increases reflecting student population and needs. There was an adjustment in the salary for the new Superintendent. The Director of Technology was provided a half time secretary. $102,000 in one time costs for this year's retiring teachers. The bus contract had a 3% increase. The cost of diesel fuel increased almost $10,000. District wide energy costs are up and $35,000 was budgeted for district wide energy use. There is a five-year plan for the replacement of computers. 100 will be replaced this year. $33,500 will be used for an alternative program with Laconia and Belmont to address the dropout problem. There is a salary pool for non-unionized employees ranging from a 0% increase to 4.1%. Special Education Aides will have an increase of $1.00 per hour. Sub pay is being increased from $60 a day to $65 a day. One teacher is being added at Union Sanborn due to increasing population. One teacher is being added at the high school to meet the new state minimum requirement for social studies. Lastly, a summer grounds person is being added. Donna Bouchard asked if we leased or bought the district computers? Kevin Sousa responded he looked into leasing in the past and it does not seem financially feasible. Donna Bouchard asked what the criteria is for special education since it is such a large part of the budget? Nina responded there is a process of evaluation and diagnosis for the various conditions that children receive services for. John Scanlon said last year he asked about postage and supplies and was told software was added into that category which increased the budget to $27,000. He asked if that package was already bought, why are we still budgeting $15,000 extra in postage? Nina responded this is a place where there is a four-year lease on the software. This is the second year in this lease and is a lease/purchase. John asked that this be taken out of postage. Nina asked this to be named something other than postage. John Scanlon asked to have the Budget Hearing scheduled on a night when there are no other meeting conflicts. He would also like to see a more detailed report. John Scanlon commented about the cut of $19,000 for tutoring from the 504 section and doesn t understand the justification. Jack Tiano said money for tutoring was moved into the special ed account from the 504 account because they can get reimbursement back from the state. A comment was made about other expenses in the budget section. The gentleman said a lot of money is listed as other expenses. Jim Vila compared the increases in the 1100 accounts and on and 2724 co-curricular athletic account and asked if we are a district in need of improvement, why are we spending more money on co-curricular activities to the disadvantage of basic academic and vocational services in the classroom? Larry Prince responded a big part of that is the athletic director position. No new programs are being added. Jim Vila asked if we need an athletic director? Larry Prince answered the voters last year told them they did. Jim Vila said it is a misalignment of priorities and suggests we focus on the core curriculum. 9

10 Nina Gardner responded that they are mindful of the growth of the co-curricular portion of the budget. It is part of the reason they opposed the addition of soccer, but they are important to the total educational picture of this district. Kathryn commented on the line-by-line budget being 50 pages. She asked why taxpayers pay dues and fees and tuition? Nina Gardner said fees are paid to NEASC for accreditation. The School Board belongs to the School Boards Association that provides for policy development. Services are paid for the principals to get training as part of professional development. Larry Prince commented that in the private sector if your employer requests or requires you to go to training, there is no money that would come out of your pocket. In the district, money is set aside for professional development and we do pay them a salary and we do pay for them to attend conferences, which goes through an approval process. Everything they are sent to is job related and the benefit comes back to the district. Ken Gorrell asked the Board what processes for curriculum analysis and cost analysis have gone into this budget? Nina Gardner commented as part of the school improvement plan, the district is going through a comprehensive review of curriculum materials and their effectiveness. This is a major planning effort tied into where will go financially and academically. She said what you don t see here are months of meetings at the district level. Ken Gorrell said the specific question is are you looking at costs as an independent variable in any of this analysis? What are the numbers as far as this community s ability to pay? Nina responded that as we build the budget we look at priorities and the needs of students. We don t control who comes in the door or their needs and many of the needs are controlled by state and federal law. Donna Bouchard thinks it is really important for a well-rounded education for kids to participate in athletic programs. Motion: A motion was made by Wayne Elliot, seconded by Kathy Mitchell, to call the question on Article 9. The question being called, the moderator called for a vote on Article 9. and the Moderator declared Article 9 as read passes. Moderator Randall read Article 10 as follows: Article 10 To transact any other business that may legally come before this meeting. Larry Prince announced we entered into a contract with the new Superintendent who begins July 1 st and are very excited about that. He wanted to thank Don Parks for the job he has done as the interim Superintendent. Ken thanked the vocational students for the flowers. Motion: A motion was made by Judy Stewart, seconded by Aurlow Stanley, to adjourn the meeting at 3:05 PM. A true Record, Attest: Adele Chertoff, Clerk Winnisquam Regional School District 10