June 6, 2013 Minutes

APPROVED BY THE PITTSFIELD SCHOOL BOARD

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT #51
PITTSFIELD SCHOOL BOARD

MINUTES

Pittsfield School Board Meeting
5:30 p.m.; Thursday, June 6, 2013
Pittsfield Middle High School

I. CALL TO ORDER

Members Present: Michael Wolfe, Chairperson
Nicole Manteau, Vice-Chairperson
Bea Douglas
Gary Mullen
Ray Ramsey

Others Present: John Freeman, Superintendent
Tobi Gray Chassie, District Administrator
Lois Stevens, Director of Student Services
Doug Kilmister, Principal, PES
Bob Bickford, Principal, PMHS
Ross Morse, Community Liaison
Members of the public
Members of the PMHS staff

Chairperson Wolfe called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

II. AGENDA REVIEW

The following items were added:
• Awards Night / Graduation (Mr. Bickford)
• May 29 and June 1 Minutes (Dr. Freeman)
• Transportation Contracts (Dr. Freeman)
• Non-Public: Employee Matters and Possible Litigation (Dr. Freeman)

III. ACTION ON AGENDA

On a motion made by Mr. Mullen and seconded by Ms. Manteau, the Board voted unanimously to approve the agenda as amended.

IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

A motion was made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Mullen to approve the minutes of the May 23, 2013, meeting. On page 3, paragraph 5, change to “Kyle Hamel.” On page 5, paragraph 6, omit the period after “Ms. Douglas.” On page 5, paragraph 7, change to “in relationship to the food and the Booster Club.” On page 5, paragraph 9, change to “On a motion made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Ramsey, the Board voted unanimously to approve Policy KB.”

A motion was made by Mr. Mullen and seconded by Mr. Ramsey to approve the minutes of May 29 and June 1, 2013. Regarding the May 29 minutes, paragraph 1, change to “faux-brick siding.” The Board approved the minutes of May 29 as corrected and the minutes of June 1 as written.

V. PUBLIC INPUT

Mr. Ross Morse stated that he observed that email has been set up for each School Board member on the website. He asked if the addresses were consistent with the pattern used by district personnel. Mr. Wolfe explained that the emails follow the district’s pattern. (firstinitialandlastname@pittsfieldnhschools.org ).

Mr. Morse stated the schedule that is being proposed offers more support throughout the school day. For that reason he supports the schedule, including the flexible Wednesday schedule. He stated his appreciation for the components that encourage a higher level of engagement by the students.

Ms. Leah Adams asked if the Board will be discussing the head concussion forms. She expressed her concern about confidential information being shared. Mr. Bickford reported that the Athletic Director is working on a waiver, which would omit students from the baseline assessment. Ms. Stevens reported that she has had discussions with the nurses, who are investigating alternatives to the program that requires sending confidential information to another institution.

Ms. Ammy Ramsey requested that the Dean of Instruction and Dean of Operations be put in contact with the PTO. She stated that Principal Kilmister attended all meetings and the organization would like the invitation to the deans to continue. Dr. Freeman stated that he will arrange for contact to be made with the PTO by the Deans of Instruction and Operations.

VI. PMHS ADMINISTRATION

A. MASTER SCHEDULE

Mr. Bickford explained that a committee has been working since last fall on a schedule that would allow more flexibility for students. The schedule proposal focuses on juniors and seniors having their elective options in the morning and their four core courses in the afternoon in a rotating pattern.

Derek Hamilton, high school social studies teacher, summarized the proposal that will be submitted to the Site Council for consideration. Dr. Freeman asked what student outcomes would result if the schedule was adopted. Mr. Hamilton responded by stating the time would be used to support students and to expand advisory activities. Alexandra Briggs, middle school social studies teacher, stated the middle school will use the time to promote adult connections, participate in real-world projects, and work in a more meaningful way within the community. Brian Pinto, middle school math teacher, provided an example. Jessica Bickford, middle school special education teacher, provided another example involving authentic community service.

Ms. Manteau asked if competencies were tied into the projects or if it was work over and above the competencies. It was stated that there would be competencies, especially 21st Century learning skill competencies. Dr. Freeman asked for examples of 21st Century skills; response included the skill of presentation, time management, and technology integration. Dr. Freeman asked if students can “opt out” of school on Wednesday, to which Mr. Hamilton responded that this would not be allowed. Anne Banks, high school special education teacher, stated that in light of the planned activities, students would likely not want to “opt out” if that was even allowed.

Discussion ensued regarding the way in which the schedule will promote students’ ability to focus on areas of individual interest. Also discussed was the scheduling of student meetings, such as IMPACT Team or Site Council, at the end of the day on Wednesday, which will decrease the amount of lost instructional time. Ms. Wellington, high school English teacher, stated that some of the work, such as the planning for restorative justice, could become a credit-bearing extended learning opportunity.

Discussion ensued regarding the issue of competency recovery being accomplished during the learning studios on Wednesdays.

Mr. Hamilton asked what might help the Board to more deeply understand the schedule proposal. It was suggested that sample schedules would be useful in helping people understand the proposal and offered to return to a future School Board meeting with additional information.

Dr. Freeman asked if the team has developed an evaluation tool that will help the Board measure the intended outcomes that have been identified. The intent of the teachers, according to Ms. Bickford, is to have exhibitions of work every eight weeks. Rubrics have been developed that will also measure progress. Student scores in content areas and attendance on Wednesdays are also data points that could be kept.

The School Board thanked the teachers present for their hard work and enthusiasm.

B. BOYS BASKETBALL

Mr. Bickford, on behalf of Coach Jay Darrah, requested the Board’s permission to take the boys basketball team on an overnight excursion to Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He explained that this is an annual trip to a basketball camp.

A motion was made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Mullen to approve an excursion to Colby College by the boy’s basketball team. The motion passed unanimously, after a brief discussion.

C. AWARDS NIGHT / GRADUATION

Mr. Bickford explained the awards that are typically presented by School Board members. These awards include the 1) Valedictorian Award; 2) Salutatorian Award; 3) Moody Kent Award; 4) Richard Brooks Award; and the 5) Linden Sheehan Memorial. On graduation the following tasks must be completed: 1) Distribution of diplomas and 2) an address to the class. Determinations of assignments were made.

VII. PES ADMINISTRATION

A. RESIDENCY WAIVER

Mr. Kilmister presented a request from a parent to waive the district’s residency requirement until the end of the school year as the family had recently moved out of town. On a motion made by Mr. Mullen and seconded by Mr. Ramsey, the Board unanimously approved the waiver request through the end of the school year with the provision that transportation be provided by the parent.

B. INSTRUCTIONAL SWEEP

Mr. Kilmister reported that on May 20, WestEd Consultants Susan Villani and Kathy Dunne conducted an “instructional sweep” of all PES classrooms. The sweep is a validated tool that provides feedback on research-based instructional practices present in a school on a given day. The faculty reviewed the data gathered throughout the sweep. It was noted that the use of formative assessment and the practice of monitoring of students’ learning in class has increased and more questions at a higher cognitive level are being asked.

C. iPAD ROLLOUT

According to Mr. Kilmister, the iPad rollout with fifth and sixth grade students is going well. All five classrooms are using the iPads daily.

D. PSNH AND ROCKINGHAM ELECTRIC

Mr. Kilmister explained that a representative from PSNH visited PES on May 29 to determine rebates for proposed lighting upgrades inside and outside of the building. More detailed information will be provided to the Board at a future meeting.

E. YEAR OF THE BOOK FINAL EVENT

Mr. Kilmister reported that Duncan MacDougal, Children’s Literacy Foundation President and CEO, and story teller Simon Brooks will be at PES on Friday, June 7 for the final giveaway of books to PES students. At the end of the grant, all PES students will have received seven or more high-quality books for their personal libraries. Teachers will have received $2,000 in mini-grants. Students will have attended four high quality author / storyteller presentations. The PES library and Carpenter Library will each have received $1,000 each for library requisitions. Mr.Kilmister extended an invitation to the Board to attend the final book giveaway on July 7 at 12:45 p.m. for grades 1-3 and at 1:45 p.m. for grades 4-6.

F. CALENDAR

Mr. Kilmister provided the Board with a June calendar of events.

VIII. PMHS ADMINISTRATION (Continued)

A. SITE COUNCIL

Noah Manteau, a representative from the Site Council, reported recent activity at Site Council meetings.

IX. STUDENT SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

A. NEW HAMPSHIRE ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENTS (NH ALP)

The NH ALPs are an assessment designed to use video evidence collection to document student performance on academic standards in reading, wiring, mathematics, and science. Six elementary and one middle school student participated in NH ALPs.

B. INDICATOR 11

Ms. Stevens reported that she has received preliminary notification of 100% compliance on Indicator 11. Indicator 11 is the evaluation of the timeliness of evaluations, which is based on the completion of evaluations within 45 days of a parent’s consent to evaluate.

C. INDICATOR 14

Post School Outcome Surveys are required to be sent to graduates who were identified as having a disability. The purpose of this survey is to determine percent of youth who are no longer in secondary school, had IPES in effect at the time they left school, and were 1) enrolled in higher education; 2) competitively employed; or 3) postsecondary training program.
According to Ms. Stevens, none of the eight students from the 2010-2011 school year returned their surveys. Although this does not equate to non-compliance, measures will be taken to increase participation in the survey in the future.

X. DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

A. POSITION ANALYSIS

Ms. Chassie distributed the position analyses (proposed job descriptions) for the positions of 1) student; 2) superintendent; 3) dean of instruction; 4) dean of operations; 5) PES teacher; 6) PMHS teacher; and 7) advisory teacher. She provided an explanation of the position analyses and asked the Board to review these documents and be prepared to act on them at the next meeting.

B. PROVIDER MEETINGS

The technical assistant providers have been meeting periodically throughout the year. The plan for next year is to continue meeting, but only three times during the year.

C. GOOD TO GREAT TEAM

The Good to Great Team continues to meet and has created sub-teams. The next meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2013, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

D. COMMUNICATION TEAM

Ms. Chassie reported that a longitudinal documentary has started to be produced. Also, an “explainer” document is in the design stages, after many rewrites of the original draft.

E. NMEF VISIT

Lynn D’Ambrose and Delia Arellano-Weddleton, officials of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, visited during the recent Exhibition Night, as well as the following day. They observed classes, interviewed students, faculty, and administrators.

F. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER (EDC)

It was reported by Ms. Chassie, that Aubrey Scheopner Torres from the EDC visited during Exhibition Night.

G. LOGIC MODEL

It has been determined, according to Ms. Chassie that the Logic Model is in need of revision and updating. She invited the members of the School Board to participate in vetting opportunities, similar to the ones that were made available during the original Logic Model development.

H. STUDENT CENTERED LEARNING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLC)

Ms. Chassie explained that there are four student centered learning PLCs organized by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation for the four school districts funded through its District Level Systems Change grant program, which include 1) Change Leadership; 2) Flexible Use of Time; 3) Community Assets; 4) Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. However, the planned summer institute for the PLCs has been cancelled by the Foundation.

XI. SAU ADMINISTRATION

A. POLICY APPROVAL

Dr. Freeman provided the Board with several policies for consideration.

Policy EFA – Availability and Distribution of Healthy Foods. On a motion made by Ms. Douglas and seconded by Mr. Ramsey, the Board unanimously approved the policy.

Policy KDA – Public Information Program. On a motion made by Mr. Mullen and seconded by Ms. Douglas, the Board unanimously approved the policy.

Policy BDDH – Ground Rules for Public Input and BEDH – Public Participation at Board Members. On a motion made by Ms. Douglas and seconded by Mr. Mullen, the Board voted unanimously to rescind Policy BDDH and replace it with Policy BEDH.

B. FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT UPGRADE PROJECTS

Dr. Freeman explained that the current fund balance is approximately $430,000, due to unanticipated savings in special education costs and frugal budget management by administrators and Sally Blanchette, the district’s financial manager. However, this amount does not include the transfer of $100,000 in the capital reserve fund voted at the district meeting in March or an estimated $66,000 shortfall in estimated Medicaid revenues. This results in an effective fund balance estimate of approximately $264,000.

Dr. Freeman recommended a portion of the fund balance be utilized for several facility and equipment upgrade projects: 1) Replacement of Drake Field swings; 2) Paving at multiple locations on the school site; 3) PES carpet replacement in two rooms; 4) PES preschool swing installation.

Dr. Freeman recommended a strategy for expenditure of funds to manage the proposed projects.

Discussion ensued regarding the benefits of the projects proposed as opposed to the possibility of returning monies to the town.

On a motion made by Mr. Ramsey and seconded by Mr. Mullen, the Board voted unanimously to approve paving by Clairmont for $38,750.

A motion was made by Ms. Douglas and seconded by Mr. Wolfe to approve the carpeting project by Holmes Carpet. Discussion ensued. The motion passed with Ms. Douglas, Mr. Mullen, and Mr. Wolfe voting in the affirmative and Ms. Manteau and Mr. Ramsey voting against the motion.

C. TRANSPORTATION

Dr. Freeman reported the on the bid received by the Marston Transportation Company. On a motion made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Ms. Douglas, the Board voted to approve the transportation contract with Marston’s. Ms. Douglas, Mr. Manteau, Mr. Mullen, and Mr. Wolfe voted in the affirmative; Mr. Ramsey abstained from the vote.

XII. COMMITTEES

A. DRAKE FIELD & FACILITIES – None

B. NEGOTIATIONS – None

C. BUDGET COMMITTEE – None

D. FOSS FOUNDATION – None

XIII. PUBLIC INPUT – 2nd SESSION

Mr. Morse stated that as much as he would like to have his taxes lowered, he supports using money that is saved in other areas to make improvements to facilities.

Mr. Morse added to the explanation of the position analysis by saying that this work is what elevates this district in the work that is being done to support student centered learning.

Mr. Morse stated that the master schedule lends itself to more opportunities for students to be ready for life after high school, which was the original goal of the proposed changes.

XIV. NEXT MEETING

The next School Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 20, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. in the PMHS Media Center. Agenda will include position analyses, scheduling, and oil bids.

XV. NON PUBLIC SESSION

At 8:00 p.m., a motion was made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Mullen to enter into non-public session to discuss employee compensation, a personnel matter, and potential litigation pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (a), (c) and (e). The Board was polled and voted unanimously (Ms. Douglas – yes; Ms. Manteau – yes; Mr. Mullen – yes; Mr. Ramsey – yes; Mr. Wolfe – yes) to enter into a non-public session.

A. EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION

Dr. Freeman distributed compensation information regarding employees who are impacted by the redefinition of the bargaining unit in the new collective bargaining agreement between the Board and the Education Association of Pittsfield.

B. STAFFING

Dr. Freeman shared information on confirmed and potential staffing changes.

C. POTENTIAL LITIGATION

The Board discussed potential litigation threatened by a contractor. Dr. Freeman communicated the recommendation of the school district’s attorney.

At 8:15 p.m., a motion was made by Mr. Mullen and seconded by Mr. Ramsey to exit the non-public session and to re-enter into open session. The Board was polled and voted unanimously (Ms. Douglas – yes; Ms. Manteau – yes; Mr. Mullen – yes; Mr. Ramsey – yes; Mr. Wolfe – yes) to exit the non-public session and to re-enter into open session.

XVI. OPEN SESSION

A. PES SIDING AND WINDOW REPLACEMENT PROJECT

The Board discussed the bid process for the PES siding and window replacement project.

On a motion made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Mullen, the Board unanimously voted to reject all bids submitted in the PES siding and window replacement project pursuant to the notice provided to contractors.

XVII. ADJOURNMENT

On a motion made by Ms. Manteau and seconded by Mr. Mullen, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 8:17 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Tobi Gray Chassie
Recording Secretary