ANNOTATED
MINUTES OF THE RYE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
December
21, 2016
PROVIDED
BY THE RYE CIVIC LEAGUE
Final
Revision B
Note:
These annotated minutes are provided by the Rye Civic League. They have been prepared using the PDF version
of the draft minutes downloaded from the SAU50 website on January 1, 2017. All RCL annotations are in bold italics. The absence of annotation does not indicate
that the RCL has confirmed that the minutes accurately reflect what
transpired. The time stamps are in
minutes and seconds relative to the start of the RCL video of the meeting,
which is provided by the RCL and is available at https://vimeo.com/197396368/. The draft minutes have not yet been approved
by the School Board and are subject to change.
Consult the SAU 50 website at http://www.sau50.org
for the official minutes once they have been approved and are no longer in
draft form.
To be approved by the Rye School Board at
the January 18, 2017 meeting.
RYE SCHOOL DISTRICT
RYE, NEW HAMPSHIRE
The regular monthly meeting of the School
Board of the Rye School District was held at Rye Junior
High School on Wednesday, December 21,
2016, at 6:00 p.m.
PRESENT:
School Board Members: Kevin Brandon, Kate
Hillman, Margaret Honda, Scott
Marion, Jeanne Moynahan
Administrators: Salvatore Petralia,
Superintendent
Kelli Killen, Assistant Superintendent
Suzanne Lull, Principal, Rye Elementary
Marie Soucy, Principal, Rye Junior High
Staff: Jeanne Brown, Kathie Kennedy
Residents/Visitors: Steven Borne, Carol
Ann Mastro, Carrie Yakoula, Joe
Cummins, Paula Tsetsilas, Christine
Metzner, Katherine
Errecart, Mike Errecart, Julie Struble
Summary
CALL
TO ORDER:
Dr. Marion called the meeting to order at
6:14 p.m.
(0:00 elapsed)
SECRETARY’S
REPORT
Approval of public and non-public minutes
of November 16, 2016 and December 2, 2016.
Mr. Brandon made a motion, seconded by Ms.
Moynahan, to approve the public minutes of
November 16, 2016, as amended.
Vote: Unanimous.
Mr.
Brandon made a motion, seconded by Ms. Moynahan, to approve the public minutes
of
December 2, 2016. Vote: Unanimous.
Ms. Hillman made a motion, seconded by Ms.
Moynahan, to approve the non-public minutes of
December 2, 2016. Vote: 4-0 (1 abstained).
(3:12 elapsed)
Communications
Mr. Petralia received a memorandum from
Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh to inform the Board of
Selectman and respective school boards
regarding the status of a November 22, 2016 meeting with the
Division of Homeland Security.
Chief Walsh reported that the crisis plan for Rye is well in place. Mr.
Petralia thanked the staff at RES that
represented Rye Elementary very well.
The New Hampshire School Board’s
Association Delegate Assembly is January 21, 2017 in Concord,
NH at the LGC Building.
(6:55 elapsed)
FINANCIAL
REPORT
Ms. Moynahan made a motion, seconded by
Ms. Hillman, to approve the manifest voucher from
November 11, 2016 to November 18, 2016 in
the amount of $257,775.84. Vote: Unanimous.
Ms. Moynahan made a motion, seconded by
Mr. Brandon, to approve the manifest voucher from
November 19, 2016 to December 7, 2016 in
the amount of $465,559.74. Vote: Unanimous.
Ms. Moynahan made a motion, seconded by
Mr. Brandon, to approve the manifest voucher from
December 8, 2016 to December 16, 2016 in
the amount of $599,967.38. Vote: Unanimous.
Increase in SAU (and thus School) Budget
in order to hire Assistant Business Manager (10:12 elapsed)
OTHER
The SAU 50 Board voted to search for an
assistant business manager to begin the succession planning
for Mr. Katkin’s
eventual retirement. The SAU 50 Board, with all Rye members in support, made
this
decision
to help ensure that Mr. Katkin’s institutional knowledge is transferred to a
potential
replacement.
Because the costs associated with the SAU 50 staff are
shared among the districts, Rye’s
share of this
position will be somewhere between $60,000 -$70,000. The new assistant business
manager
would be working alongside Mr. Katkin for two-three years with the hopes that
this person
would eventually
become the SAU 50 business administrator.
It was also mentioned that this person would result in an increase in
the SAU budget beyond what had been planned.
(17:53 elapsed)
REPORTS
Superintendent
Report
Mr. Petralia was at Rye Junior High School
twice this week. He was able to observe students rehearsing
for their winter
concert. He gave kudos to Ms. Wirth for her efforts in preparing the students.
Alison
Dunn invited Mr. Petralia and Ms. Killen
to be judges for the door-decorating contest. He added that
he could feel the
positive energy in the building. Mr. Petralia complimented Ms. Soucy and the
RJH
faculty
for a job well done.
Mr. Petralia stated that he participated
in the seventh meeting with representatives from RESPA last
Thursday at which, he regretfully
reported, RESPA declared an impasse. This means the current
collective
bargaining agreement (CBA) will remain intact for 2017-2018. Mr. Petralia felt
that they
were getting close
in agreeing upon economics and insurance and that unfortunately language issues
were the hang up.
Dr. Marion publicly thanked Ms. Hillman and Mr. Brandon for their efforts. Mr.
Brandon added that it helped having
continuity with Ms. Hillman at the table since she participated in
RESPA negotiations last year.
The Board is hoping that an agreement could be reached next year.
Mr. Petralia shared a draft calendar for
the 2017-2018 school year. Mr. Petralia typically
receives a
draft calendar
template from the Department of Education in October and then the school
calendars are built from there. Mr. Petralia hopes that the calendar can be
approved at the January board meeting
so families can
begin planning. Several interested parties have had input on the draft calendar
that will
be presented to
the Board later in the meeting.
Mr. Petralia has communication, per
request from the Board, from Attorney Lowman regarding School
Board protocols and procedures at the Town
of Rye Budget Committee Meetings, upcoming public
hearing,
and deliberative session. This will be discussed later in the meeting.
(26:24 elapsed)
Assistant
Superintendent Report
Ms. Killen acknowledged Deborah Paul,
registrar from PHS guidance department, for her efforts in
compiling
the Rye School District graduation data and SAT information. Ms. Killen shared
these
results
with the Board. Students from Rye were considerably over-represented in the Top
10 and Top
20 in the class of 2016 and had noticeably
higher average SAT scores than other PHS students, the
state, and the
nation.
(30:19 elapsed)
Rye
Junior High School Report
Ms. Soucy shared that the winter musical
concert was very successful. Ms. Soucy also shared that there
are many great
projects happening in social studies. The 8th grade team put on a very
successful
production
with their 1920’s performance. Their energy was great and the students had fun
with what
they were doing and
learning. Ms. Fleming’s 6th grade Language Arts class held an event where the
students
researched a country and had to create a menu and plan the food that that they
brought in.
Parents were invited to a culminating
event where the students shared their menus. In 7th grade, in
Sarah Nice’s class, students participated
in a presidential debate from the election of 1860. In Jennifer
Miller’s class, students participated in a
version of “Shark Tank” to share their inventions from the
Industrial Revolution.
Many teachers at RJH have been awarded
grants from REF. Robin Ellwood received the largest grant
ever from REF for a
universal laser cutter; Laura Sunderland will be putting up art around Rye in
local
businesses,
Alison Dunn will be putting on a corporate field day for 8th graders, Anne
Gilbert will be
putting
some stand-up desks in her classroom. Student Council sponsored a Food Drive to
end the 68
hours of Hunger.
HOWLS rubrics are being fine-tuned and teachers will be piloting those this year.
Dr. Marion asked Ms. Soucy how teachers
will share examples of the HOWLS in action? Could they
use video or some
other way since these habits are hard to judge? Ms. Soucy agreed that grading
these
habits
can be subjective which is why rubrics should be specific. Dr. Marion
referenced Jonathan
Vander Els from the New Hampshire Learning
Initiative who is a resource on this topic and would be happy to help.
(35:35 elapsed)
Rye
Elementary School Report
Ms. Lull shared that there have been two
winter concerts this month. She gave kudos to Ann and
Cindy for their efforts as the concerts were very successful. Both concerts had songs in Spanish and
French from our World Language classes.
Each concert had standing room only crowds. There were
many wonderful
comments on both concerts.
RES has been awarded three grants from Rye
Education Foundation. The first is a collaborative book
project
with students in Uganda. Third grade and students in Uganda will each write on
the topic of
hope and what does
hope mean to them. They will compile all writings and artwork into a book. The
second
grant was to create an outdoor classroom for the whole school use. Green
Penguin Landscaping
is graciously
donating all labor and equipment to help make this happen. The last grant is a
puppet-
making
residency in grade 4. This grant will connect literacy and social studies, as
students create
papier-mâché
puppets for their state projects and write/perform a simple production.
Ms. Lull stated that in regards to HOWLS,
the faculty at RES is looking for gaps across grade levels
with the Habits of
Work and Learning before they build the rubrics. The next step is to look
vertically
to see how the
habits progress through the grades.
The wellness committee is going to be
trying the BOKS program which will give students a brain and
body boost before
the start of their day. Parents will be trained by Reebok to run this program.
The RES Science Fair will be on February
22, 2017.
Dr. Marion publicly thanked both of the
principals on behalf of the entire Board for their great work
for our students
and for reporting out in an organized way on the School Board goals.
(48:07 elapsed)
UNFINISHED
BUSINESS
School Board Goals/Action Items for
2016-2017
Ms. Honda shared a document with the Board
that included the Rye School District goals and the work that is being done to
reach those goals that is provided by the principals. These will be posted on
the
Rye School District websites.
(49:40 elapsed)
The boiler walk-through the next day was
mentioned.
Use of unused Junior High School space for
Town offices (50:00 elapsed)
Other
Dr. Marion stated that the Board had been
asked by Rye Town Selectman Craig Musselman for an
outline
of plans for space utilization and whether dedicated space at RJH can be
allocated for use as a
town hall. Dr.
Marion indicated that answers to any of these questions regarding this topic
will need to
come from the
Superintendent’s office because of the educational impact in a variety of
areas. Mr.
Brandon added that the question asked in
May/June by Selectman Mills and Mr. Magnant is different
than the question
posed by Mr. Musselman and that we needed clarification as to what the
Selectmen
want from the School
Board. The Board discussed who should be involved in future discussions. The
Board is not going to be ready for any
recommendations by January. Dr. Marion suggested that Mr.
Petralia begin identifying the scope and
sequence of work that would need to be done to identify the
best way to deal
with this. The Board stated that they want to work with the administrators to
provide
input on what is best
for the students. Mr. Petralia shared correspondence from the school district
counsel
regarding use of school buildings. Dr. Petralia also stated that they know of
no law preventing the rental of school space, however
the School Board may only spend money for school purposes. That means that the School District could not
expend funds to renovate the building for Town purposes. The Town would need to expend that money, he
said.
(57:10 elapsed)
RECOGNITION
OF GROUPS OR INDIVIDUAL VISITORS
Joseph
Cummins (Washington Road) – Mr. Cummins commented that Barrington
town offices were
in Barrington
Schools for a time. Mr. Cummins asked for confirmation that the Board responded
to
Mr. Borne’s request.
Mr. Petralia responded to Mr. Borne’s inquiry. Mr. Cummins said that the RSA
speaks
to home education students and not private school students. Mr. Petralia feels
that the statute is
quite clear and his
position stands. Mr. Cummins respectively disagreed. He stated this is a
violation
of the student’s
civil rights. Mr. Cummins implored the Board to see the advice of an attorney. Mr.
Cummins wanted the minutes to be edited to
reflect that his comments at the previous meeting were
not meant to be
disparaging to the staff or the parent group that gathered regarding the 0.2
FTE
reductions
at RJH. Dr. Marion stated that he noted that he understood Mr. Cummins’
intentions and
would correct the
record in these minutes.
(64:00
elapsed)
Carrie
Yakola (Whitehorse Road) – Ms. Yakola thanked the principals for
the positive information
in the principals’
reports. She asked the Board if the budget is done annually or every three
years. Dr.
Marion responded that it is done annually
but it is not necessarily wiped clean. Dr. Marion added that
approximately
85% of the budget is fixed due to salaries and benefits. Dr. Marion added that
the Board
is trying to find
the most stable path forward but there will always be changes (retirements, new
hires,
people
leaving, etc.). Ms. Yakola asked where the money comes from to hire, for
example, an assistant
business
administrator? Dr. Marion responded that the SAU 50 Board is responsible for
succession
planning
regarding the SAU 50 finances. The money comes from local property taxes for
the most
part. Ms. Hillman
added that there are two budgets, the Rye budget and the SAU 50 budget that Rye
is a part of. Ms.
Yakola asked if taxes will be raised. Dr. Marion responded that yes, the
proposed
budget
was going to result in an approximate $0.55 per $1000 tax increase and this
additional position
would likely increase
this to $.56 or $.57 per $1000 of property value. Editor’s note: In fact, the correct figure is approximately
$.59 if Rye is to pay half of the $145,000 annual cost increase as each $18,841
in spending raises the tax rate $.01.
Dr. Marion said that Residents can vote to increase
or decrease the
budget within approximately 10% of the proposed budget at the Deliberative
Session.
Mr. Katkin has prepared a budget document
that identifies expenditures, increases and impact on taxes.
This document is available to the public.
(71:10 elapsed)
Paula
Tsetsilas – Thanked the Board for their time. She is
glad to see so many parents listening and
commenting.
Ms. Tsetsilas shared that 7th Grade Project Safeguard was invaluable. The side
conversations
that occurred during after the event were great and brought the community
together for
parents
to support their children. Ms. Tsetsilas shared that her 7th grade daughter has
picked up two
new sports this
year (field hockey and basketball). The basketball team has practices and games
Monday through Thursday which
allows the kids to spend weekends with their families (skiing for
example).
Ms. Tsetsilas gave kudos to Piper Cronin. Ms. Tsetsilas apologized to Ms. Honda
for being
critical
of SeeSaw. She has seen great work from both of her students. She recognized
Ms. Scally for
the gingerbread
project taking place at RES. The gingerbread man is sent to people around the
world
and then pictures
and information is reported back to the students. Ms. Tsetsilas added that
“TTQA”
(Turn the Question Around) has been a
concept taught that transcended from Rye Elementary School
and continues at
RJH. Ms. Tsetsilas asked if the Board has to have a meeting to add the line
item for
the new assistant
business administrator. The Board responded that yes, they would need a special
meeting
to approve the new budget.
(78:21 elapsed)
Katherine
Errecart (Forest Green Road) – Ms. Errecart asked what the full salary
of the new
business
administrator would be and what happens after the two years? Dr. Marion
answered that the
exact salary is not
known, but approximately $100,000 plus benefits would be approximately
$140,000.
The SAU Board is worried that waiting for the end of Mr. Katkin’s tenure before
hiring his
replacement
would lead to that person being at least being two years behind. Mr. Petralia
added that
Mr. Katkin’s duties go well beyond the
scope of finance and payroll. He is responsible for providing
Board reports that occur multiple times
per month and budgets that occur four times annually among
the districts Mr.
Petralia wanted to emphasize the wide range of duties that Mr. Katkin has and
that he
has been with the
district for 35 years. The SAU needs to plan the successor for gaining the
information
Mr. Katkin holds. Dr. Marion also said that he does not see
the need for two high level people, and that it is quite unusual in education
to hire a replacement as an assistant in preparation for the more senior person
leaving.
Participation in courses and programs by
private school and home schooled students (83:04 elapsed)
Steven
Borne (Wallace (sic, it’s Wallis)
Road) – Asked if the budget is posted and Mr. Petralia stated that it
would be
posted
the next day. Mr. Borne then asked about the addition of the BCBA behavior
specialist and if
this person would be
for IEP students or for other students as well. Mr. Petralia responded that a
BCBA
a very
specialized educator to work with autistic students. Mr. Borne shared a
brochure with the Board
on a presentation
he went to regarding “The 5 Signs of Mental Health.” He offered that if the
schools
want posters, they
will ship them to them. Mr. Petralia added that he also attended the
presentation on
mental
health by Judge Broderick last year. Mr. Petralia will send the brochures to
each of the schools.
Mr. Borne then asked \who owns the
schools? Ms. Moynahan responded that as long as the building
is being used as a
school, the School Board owns it. If it ceased being a school, it would then be
owned
by the town. Dr.
Marion encouraged Mr. Borne and others to speak in favor of warrant article 4
which
supports
the maintenance of the school buildings. Mr. Borne added that he and his wife
did not feel
they were part of
the community at a function after Project Safeguard because they could not
attend.
He stated that the RSA is for “non-public”
students, which would include private school students. The
RSA mentions students but not parents.
Programs that are new and different need to be communicated
to non-public
families as well. Dr. Marion clarified that the Board needed time to review the
question
that Mr. Borne had
asked. The Board did not deny the request, but needed time to make sure they
think of potential
unintended negative consequences. The request to have Mr. Borne’s wife attend
was
denied
because of the very short lead time between the request and the event. He is
hoping in the future
that this “nebulas
question” could be answered. The Board wants to take this up in a deliberative
fashion.
Mr. Petralia clarified that last year’s request was regarding Mr. Borne’s son’s
participation in
the school play
whereas this request was about his wife’s attendance at Project Safeguard. Mr.
Petralia
noted a date change
on the RSA. Dr. Marion stated that the Board doesn’t make policies one case at
a
time. Mr. Borne
stated the decision was disappointing.
(87:53 elapsed)
Mr. Borne referred to RSA 193:1-c. He said that it takes a community to raise a
child and he and his wife were being excluded from the community. The RSA says that “access to public school
programs by nonpublic…” Nonpublic is
children that go to private schools, so the RSA is clear that any programs that
the public school has should be available.
We leave it to Margaret with the communications that when things come up
with the programs that they are communicated to the home school children and
the non-public children. The problem
with the RSA is that it talks about students, not parents, he said. Mr. Borne stated that he is meeting with
State Representative Kate Murray tomorrow to see if parents can be added to
this. He said that the School Board and
RJH Principal had had this conversation last year and he thought that it was
behind them.
Dr. Marion interrupted Mr. Borne and
stated that they did not deny anything, but that time was needed to look at
this. There is not a clear line, he
said. He used the example of an eighth
grade field trip. He said that a teacher
would find it disruptive to have five or kids that were not there before. It is a slippery slope and they want to get a
better handle on it before they say that everything that the school offers is
open to all comers who live in town.
Editor’s note: RSA 193:1-c states in part that “[t]he local
school board may adopt a policy regulating participation in curricular courses
and cocurricular programs, provided that such policy shall not be more
restrictive for non-public, public chartered school, or home educated pupils
than the policy governing the school district’s resident pupils. In this section, ‘cocurricular’ shall include
those activities which are designed to supplement and enrich regular academic
programs of study, provide opportunities for social development, and encourage
participation in clubs, athletics, performing groups, and service to school and
community.” See http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/XV/193/193-1-c.htm
for the full text.
Mr. Borne requested that the School Board
get clarification. He stated that he had
spoken with the Department of Education.
The request that was denied by the RJH Principal and the School Board
was the request that his wife be able to attend the lecture for parents. In the future, something that is clearly
above the line of the nebulous area should be allowed, he said.
(93:38 elapsed)
Joe
Cummins (Washington Road) – Mr. Cummins stated that the
interpretation of the RSA needs to
be reviewed by a
legal opinion and he urges that this be done with speed. He said that he did not want to
run into this problem with his own child and asked that the School Board save
him the court expenses. To ignore the
matter and sit on it puts the Board members in a heightened level of jeopardy,
he said.
Mr. Petralia, addressing Mr. Borne,
incorrectly said that the prior year’s request had been for participation in a
school play, Bye Bye Birdie. This year
it was for his wife to attend Project Safeguard. The copy of the statute provided indicates
that there was a change on March 26 of this year. It’s conceivable that something changed since
we last spoke about Bye Bye Birdie, he said.. Editor’s note: In fact the change on March 26, 2016 inserted
the words “public chartered school” (or schools) in three locations and made no
other change. See 2016 N.H. Laws
4:1. Mr. Borne corrected Mr. Petralia,
saying that the discussion the prior year was about allowing Rye non-public
school students to attend school dances to be with their friends. The question about the play and sports were
hypotheticals that came up during the discussion. There never was a request to participate in
the play, he said.
Dr. Marion asked whether the ability to
participate in events should apply to any parent of a child of the exact same
age, a parent of a child of any age, or any taxpayer in Rye. Dr. Marion
expressed concern about opening the doors of the School to people they do not
know anything about. Editor’s note: The statute clearly does not extend to
taxpayers and refers to pupils. As the
language quoted above indicates, the School Board may adopt policies regulating
participation, but only if they are not more restrictive than those that apply
to resident pupils.
STANDING
COMMITTEES
Advisory
Committees
(98:42 elapsed)
Wedgewood
Farm Committee
The 8th grade science classes have
completed some fabulous scientific work using the Wedgewood
land. There is a
Wedgewood Oversight Committee that is more financial and legal. Curriculum
oversight
is the responsibility of Ms. Soucy and the teachers. Ms. Moynahan stated that
she does not
feel the need for a
school board member to be on the committee. Dr. Marion asked Ms. Soucy and Ms.
Moynahan to ask the committee to consider
how long the committee needs to remain in existence.
They indicated that they would do so.
Legal opinion on whether Board would be
bound by a warrant article’s purpose (101:24 elapsed)
Legal
Opinion
Dr. Marion shared that if a person writes
a warrant article to raise money for the school and it is
approved,
the warrant article cannot delegate what the money is used for. Once a warrant
article is
voted down, the Board
is prohibited from spending money on that specific item during the fiscal year
in question. Editor’s note: Dr. Marion’s view is not completely
correct. It is true that if an amount
was added to the operating budget to, for example, increase the hours of the
Junior High School Librarian and music teacher, that these funds could be
transferred to other line items in the budget by the School Board and not used
as intended. See RSA 32:10, I. However, any money appropriated by a special
warrant article may only be used for the specified purpose and may not be
transferred. See RSA 32:10, I(e). See http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/III/32/32-10.htm
(104:20 elapsed)
RJH
Boiler Committee
There will be a walk-through taking place
on December 22, 2016. It
was also stated that the boiler replacement is in process.
(104:35 elapsed)
Board
Communications
Ms. Honda shared an update on the Board
Communications. The School Board will have a place in the
quarterly
town newsletter. School Board meetings will be added to the town calendar. The
website is
continuing
to be developed and designed.
(107:00 elapsed)
Rye
Education Foundation
The principals shared updates of what
grants were awarded at RES and RJH. The total awarded to the
school
was over $47,000. Dr. Marion explained that the laser cutter Dr. Ellwood
requested at RJH is
going to be used to
make the gear wall that was shown in the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed.”
Dr. Ellwood had written to the teacher
High Tech High in California to get the plans. It will also be
used for many other
projects in the districts. The Board expressed great appreciation to REF for
their
tremendous
support of our schools.
(109:55 elapsed)
Portsmouth
High School
Honors
Class Changes
Ms. Hillman stated that the next meeting
to discuss this issue is the PHS parent advisory committee
meeting
on January 10, 2017. The 9th grade team is considering eliminating the honors
classes for
freshman
so they could better place students for their sophomore year. PHS has
acknowledged missteps
in the
communication of this consideration. PHS has assured parents that they are
interested in hearing
feedback.
Dr. Marion added that there is a rationale for the decision but the
communication was not
effective.
The Rye School Board can provide input and rationale but have little impact on
the decision.
PTA
Carol Ann Mastro shared that PTA is
funding some coding robots for Sheila Adams, a Maker Space
for Jacquie
DeFreze, and also just completed funding some events for the teachers including
a cookie
swap at both schools
and holiday gift cards. They will be sponsoring Mother/Son event in March. The
fundraiser
will be a Casino Night/Live auction on April 7th.
(115:50 elapsed)
SAU
Technology Committee
Ms. Killen stated that the Technology
Committee has met and the members have begun looking at
different
learning management systems. A sub-committee will be looking at what is already
being used
to see if any of
those can accommodate and/or supplement a learning management system. The
Committee would like to be able to make a
recommendation for the schools to use next year.
Social Studies Model and parent feedback
(117:30 elapsed)
Special
Issues
Ms. Hillman stated that there already was
an action item to get feedback from parents regarding the
social
studies model at RJH. This past fall was too soon to be soliciting feedback but
a meeting should
be set up for
January or February. Ms. Soucy asked about the purpose of a Special Issues
meeting. Ms.
Hillman stated it is usually two school
Board members and opened to parents to solicit feedback on a
specific
topic of interest. The Board discussed providing some information on what is
being done with
social
studies currently so the input from parents can be informed. Ms. Honda added
that teachers could
provide
feedback on focus areas that could be supported by the integration specialist.
(120:50 elapsed)
Survey
The Board’s goal is to have the survey
presented to parents in May 2017. Ms. Hillman asked the Board
to consider hiring
someone to enter data from the surveys if that will increase responses and
motivate
the students to
encourage their parents to respond to the survey.
NEW
BUSINESS
(124:08 elapsed)
2017-2018
School Calendar
Mr. Petralia shared the draft calendar for
2017-2018 with the Board. The Board discussed reasons for
alignment
with Portsmouth (transportation and families with students in both districts).
The calendar
is drafted with
alignment to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The draft calendar included
three
floating
workdays for teachers to complete classroom preparation, parent/teacher
conferences and
District PLCs. Ms. Killen shared that the
floating days are based on feedback from teachers that the
number
one thing they want is more time with their colleagues and what will be the
best model to meet
the needs of the
teachers. The Board discussed advantages and disadvantages based on consistency
across
the SAU. Dr. Marion questioned if the two hours after school are actually two
hours, because
people
are often tired as compared to a day with no students where they are fresh. Dr.
Marion suggested
that the Early
Release days be used for the PLCs. Ms. Killen responded that some groups
functioned
well with an
administrator and some did not. Travel time made it difficult for teachers of
different
schools
to be settled in to do the work. Teachers want to meet with other grade level
counterparts in
different
schools. Dr. Marion stated that he wants to see evidence. Ms. Killen responded
that there are
over 500 curriculum
documents that are evidence of the work being done. The Board discussed
leadership
in the PLC groups and having teachers facilitate PLCs. Ms. Killen shared that
leaders are
emerging
and there is a gradual release of responsibility. Ms. Hillman and Dr. Marion
both stated that
they would advocate
for professional development for creating expertise among the teachers to help
facilitate
these groups. Mr. Petralia stated that he would be looking for feedback so the
calendar could
be approved in
January. Dr. Marion stated he would like more concrete accountability for the
PLC
floating
day.
(161:27 elapsed,
minutes are out of sequence relative to the meeting and video)
Filing
Dates for Elected Officials
There will be two seats open for the Rye
School Board. Ms. Hillman has indicated that she is not
intending
to run again and Ms. Moynahan is interested in running again. The dates for
filing are Wednesday, January
25, 2017 to Friday, February 3, 2017
(at the town hall) and interested parties must be registered voters to
file. Dr. Marion encouraged early sign
up, as other candidates who might be thinking about signing up might avoid
doing so if they view the candidate who signed up earlier as acceptable.
(155:00 elapsed,
minutes are out of sequence relative to the meeting and video)
Agenda Planning
The Board discussed rearranging the School
Board agenda to accommodate the big ticket items and
people
that may want to comment.
PUBLIC
COMMENT
Board reaction to November 29, 2016 parent
meeting (164:55 elapsed)
Paula
Tsetsilas (Rock Orchard Lane) - Ms. Tsetsilas provided a document to the
Board. She stated
the purpose of the
meeting held on November 29th was to distribute information so that parents
feel
as though they
have been a part of the discussion from the beginning. It was well attended
with
representation
from parents of all grade levels. Ms. Tsetsilas stated that many parents have
approached
her with support
and ideas on how to help since that meeting. She outlined the major points that
are in
the document which
included: 1) updating parents about the social studies integration and how it is
going at each grade
level. Parents want to know if students are meeting the standards and if
teachers
need resources,
parents want to help. 2) Understanding enrollment trends and how as a community
they get ahead of
this. What departments need to be engaged by parent groups? Ms. Tsetsilas added
that at a town
planning meeting someone brought up the need for more affordable housing in
Rye. 3)
Strategic planning so that parents can see
goals set by administration are available to parents as well
as progress
towards those goals and 4) Understanding why parents that are choosing to send
kids to
private
school are doing so. The principals responded that they do exit interviews.
(173:55 elapsed)
Ms. Hillman responded to Ms. Tsetsilas and
asked what the intention of the parent information meeting is. She
stated
that some misinformation was presented and she has some concerns with what came
out of that
meeting
and what is the expectation for the School Board after that meeting.
Ms. Hllman said that:
“…I get confused on this parent session
and what the intention is or was or is going to continue to be. The confusion lies in much of what is coming
out of it seems to be things that we cover here… I get concerned about the
amount of misinformation that was at that meeting. And then, it becomes, oh we have this parent
meeting and it almost seems like non-School Board members are providing
information that perhaps is not accurate.”
Ms. Hillman referred to a list of ten
things that might come out of a parent meeting that might or might not get done
and might conflict with School Board decisions.
She said:
“Whose process is it exactly? And, I mean this respectfully. Because, there’s a School Board that sets
these policies and actions and they hear from the audience, and I don’t mean
that we don’t want to, but I just want to figure out where this fits with what
the School Board, who has been elected to govern, fits.”
Editor’s note: The video of the parent session is available
at: http://www.townhallstreams.com/locations/rye-public-library/events/36496/rye_public_library. The RCL has reviewed the video and believes
that, while there may have been misunderstandings among the parents, the
information conveyed by the primary presenters, Paula Tsetsilas and Steven
Borne, was not incorrect in any significant respect.
Ms. Tsetsilas responded that in her
opinion there should be two-way communication between the parents and the
School Board. She stated that the School Board is elected and there is a
responsibility of the School Board to listen, but asked to be corrected if that
is incorrect. Ms. Hillman referred to three way communication and a third leg that is
getting misinformation, although not purposefully. Ms.
Tsetsilas said that As parents, it takes time to
digest change and this meeting was a way to help people understand what
the changes were.
Dr. Marion added that he had suggested changes to Ms. Tsetsilas and they
weren’t
made in the final
presentation. There were assumptions made. Ms. Tsetsilas shared that parents
felt as
though
the consultant position at RJH could be represented differently. Ms. Hillman
responded that if
the meeting is not
a School Board meeting, then what is it? She stated she has reservations with
how
it works with the
School Board agenda. Mr. Brandon added that the Board wants to make sure there
isn’t a belief that
the parents set the School Board agenda. Votes held at a meeting like the
parent one
don’t have standing
power. The Board wants participation at the School Board meetings.
(180:50 elapsed)
Mr. Brandon said:
“What we want to make sure is that there
isn’t a belief that a subset, and again I applaud the interest, but a subset of
parents that are going to set the Board agenda.
The School Board (inaudible). We want participation. What is dysfunctional is to create extra
coordinating groups that actually hold votes.
Those votes don’t have any standing, honestly. What has standing, though, is a room full of
parents who are going to speak to the Board, where we don’t have to respond
actually, Scott’s made that abundantly clear in the past…”
School Board members are parents too, Mr.
Brandon said, so they have parallel interest in many issues. He added
that many comments made at the parents meeting were inaccurate. For people that
have not been consistently coming to
School Board meetings, it would not be
possible to backfill everyone on what has occurred thus far.
The best thing that can occur is to have
more parents at school board meetings. Ms. Tsetsilas responded
that the intention
was not to run up against the School Board. Parents want to know if they are
investing
enough
in our schools. We don’t have dedicated social studies teachers. She added that
she is not
intending
to continue with the meetings but was excited to engage parents in the budget
process and
the issue with
declining enrollment. Ms. Honda added that it could be a good idea to get
people that
were in attendance
at the meeting to rotate attendance at School Board meetings. There are ways
for
people
to get the information (Facebook, PTA, etc.)
(186:45 elapsed)
Carol
Ann Mastro (Wallis Road) – Ms. Mastro stated that the most
important piece is getting people
at the School
Board meetings. Parents need to take the initiative to find the information
they want to
know about. They can
email the principals, email the School board. Some of the ownership has to go
back on parents to
get involved. She said that she obtains the
videos and posts them. Editor’s
note: The RCL has been videotaping the
School Board meetings, uploading them to the Internet and providing the link to
Ms. Mastro so that the videos can be accessed even before the monthly Civic
News is published. These videos have
been consistently receiving high numbers of hits.
(188:41 elapsed)
Michelle
Tominsky – Ms. Tominksy thanked Mr. Petralia and Ms.
Honda for the efficient
communication
about the Board meeting. She also thanked Paula Tsetsilas for lighting a fire.
Parents
are busy yet
concerned and it will take team work to solve the issues. Ms. Tominsky asked if
there is
cyclical
data for the town based on people aging out.
She referred to 25-30 years of enrollment data. The Board
responded that there is data but it may not be that detailed or go that far
back. Ms. Tominsky suggested having student council kids at the voting booth to
help improve parent survey results.
(192:13 elapsed)
Joe
Cummins (Washington Road) – Mr. Cummins questioned the Board if the
district was pulling
out of NEASC. There
are resources through New England School Development Council that do
enrollment
projections. Mr. Cummins suggested that Board look into this. Mr. Cummins
complimented
the parent group that met and stated that the Board should give feedback to
them on
what went wrong and
let them meet again. Mr. Cummins stated that he has seen policies be waived,
why not waive them
for Mr. Borne’s request. Mr. Cummins stated that his son would like to use his
own money to invest
in a vending machine at RJH. The Board advised that he submit the request in
writing
but that food service will need to be involved. Mr. Cummins thanked the Board
chair for the
John Dewey references on experiential
education. Mr. Cummins indicated that he acquired and read
some of Dewey’s
writing and was pleased to see that Dewey advocated having students learn
skills
and content and not
solely project-based learning. Dr. Marion responded by saying that he agreed that
Dewey, like many of us, are advocating for
a balanced approach. Mr.
Cummins stated that he disagreed with Mr. Brandon, and believes that it is
wonderful to see democracy in action.
(200:25 elapsed)
Steven
Borne – Responded that the parent meeting
occurred because this stuff is not easy to
understand.
People don’t know what to do to help and it is helpful to have someone
explaining how
things
work. The meeting got momentum going. Mr. Borne questioned how can we become the district
that has to turn
away kids because we are at capacity? Mr. Borne stated that conveying to the
town that
when their taxes go
up because of the school, it’s increasing the value of their home. Mr. Borne
asked
why does RJH have a
bad reputation. Ms. Hillman responded that comments like that are what start
rumors.
She said, “We have a really good school.” Mr. Brandon added that despite all
the changes, the
new plans provide
for full functionality for students. Mr. Brandon then asked, “How does this
information
get lost? People latch on to a negative and are not looking at the big picture.
Whether we
have 200 or 100
students, the complexion of the kids will still be good. There are so many
positives
with the schools.
Ms. Honda is doing a great job communicating.” Mr. Borne responded that
perception
is reality and
perception needs to be explored. Mr. Borne stated that he puts in a huge amount
of effort
in trying to
understand the issues going on and it is still difficult.
(209:15 elapsed)
Paula
Tsetsilas (Rock Orchard Lane) -Ms. Tsetsilas added that being part of the
process is important
and now her trust
is in the administrators moving forward with the decisions. People get nervous
with
change
but if the administrators and Board can tell people that things are going to be
okay. Ms. Honda
stated
that another strategy could be reaching out to the real estate community to get
people to move
here and continue to
convince people that this is a good place to be. Ms. Tsetsilas responded that
there
is a public
relations issue in Rye with the water issues and the cancer cluster.
Ms. Hillman stated that she would love to
see people get as engaged in positive discussions as they are
about the negative.
Once the negative conversations get out, the community festers on them. Dr.
Marion added that the Board welcomes and
is always willing to engage the public.
(214:04 elapsed)
Mr. Cummins asked for forty more seconds.
Dr. Marion stated, for the record and the
benefit of the video, that even though there are rules about public comment,
they welcome the public and engage in dialog even though they don’t have
to. He gave Mr. Cummins the forty
additional seconds, but pointed out that Mr. Cummins was between them and going
home.
Joe
Cummins (Washington Road) – Mr. Cummins stated that he wants to
dissociate from attackers
and agrees with the
School Board that we are not going to change demographics significantly. Mr.
Cummins mentioned a charter school in
Nashua that doubled their waiting list. Mr. Cummins suggested
that if the schools
could tweak up math and science scores it could draw more interest. Dr. Marion
responded
that we are not trying to become a math and science academy but are trying to
be a great
school.
Change is uncomfortable but sometimes necessary.
(216:08 elapsed)
Jeanne Brown (RJH Teacher) – Wanted to
comment that it is not fair to say the library will be open
more. It will be
open more than it is this year, but not more than it has been in the past. This
is because
Mary Coombs has had teaching responsibilities
this year. Dr. Marion agreed.
(159:01 elapsed,
minutes are out of sequence relative to the meeting and video)
ACTION
ITEMS
Editor’s note: The formatting has not carried forward
properly in converting from the PDF file.
Consult the official minutes for a more understandable version of this
table.
Status
When
Who
Action Item
In Progress
January
Jeanne/Kate/Marie
Begin planning for special topics
meeting
related to getting parent
feedback
on social studies model.
Open
January
Sal
Post the school board budget
Open
January
Scott
Resurface idea of student survey this
year.
Open
January
Marie/Kellie
Look at 8th grade science NECAPS to
try to understand
the results we are
getting
and if there are actions we need
to take to improve
scores.
Open
February
Jim Katkin
Provide board with information
necessary
to have a discussion regarding
use of unassigned
fund balance at year
end.
Open
February
Jim Katkin
Create a prioritized summary of facility
and building
maintenance plan with
associated
expense related to plumbing,
electric,
boiler to build long term
infrastructure.
Plan should include some
history
with regard to scope of work that
has been completed
in history and build
in accountability
for vendors
Open
March
Marie/Jeanne
Review plan to amend RJH dress code
policy
for the 17-18 school year
(216:48 elapsed)
NON-PUBLIC
SESSION
On a motion made by Ms. Moynahan, seconded
by Ms. Honda, the board entered non-public session
at 9:55 p.m., in
accordance with RSA 91-A:3, II (c). Vote: 5-0.
RETURN
TO PUBLIC
On a motion by Ms. Honda, seconded by Ms.
Moynahan, the Board return to public session and
sealed
the non-public
minutes at 10:25 p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Ms. Honda, seconded by Ms.
Moynahan, the Board adjourned their meeting at 10:28
p.m.
__________________________
Secretary