Board Members Present: Cheryl McDonough, Sue Belanger, Dana Donovan
Administration Present: Paul Flynn, Barbara Switzer
At 6:45 board members reviewed and then signed the monthly manifest. At 6:57 p.m. Ms. McDonough called the meeting to order.
Approval of the minutes of 8/15/02. Ms Donovan moved to approve the minutes of 8/15/02. Ms. Belanger seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
Visitor: Ms. Robin Scott presented a flyer that she would like to send out announcing the fund raiser the PTO plans to run this fall. The fundraiser will feature the sale of gift wrapping paper.
Ms. Julie Hall asked the board for an update on how students going on field trips should be transported. Ms. McDonough indicated that the board's position is that buses should be used for field trips with only minor exceptions. Ms. Hall also commented that her child was arriving home very late in the afternoon. Ms. Donovan responded that it takes a few weeks for the routes to stabilize but if Ms. Hall was still experiencing trouble near the end of September to please contact her.
Mr. Paul Kimball asked the board to consider hiring a Clerk of the Works for the upcoming building project. Mr. Kimball expressed that he did not feel the building comm. was intending to use a Clerk and that he feels that it would be very beneficial to hire one. Ms. Mower, Chairperson of the building comm., indicated that the comm. has made no decision yet regarding whether to hire a clerk of the works or not.
Ms. Alice Mower updated the Board on the building project. Meetings have taken place with the architects, and staff members have been asked for input to preliminary drawings.
More meetings are scheduled for Monday, 9/16 and Thursday, 9/19. Surveying work has begun and field-testing holes have also been dug. The proceeds from the bond sale arrived on 9/12. Mr. Flynn confirmed the rate at 3.58% on the 10-year bond.
Principal's report. Ms. Switzer reported on opening day and the process used to publish the class lists. Ms. Switzer went over the September calendar and highlighted what took place at the school in recognition of 9-11. Ms. Switzer reviewed the school's current enrollment and staffing for 02-03. Ms. Switzer recognized Sue Ryan for her 25 years of teaching service at KES. She also briefed the Board on the school's emergency response plan as well as a number of curriculum initiatives. Social Communications and Responsive Classrooms were featured as were the Math Journal Groups and the EveryDay Math Program.
The Board approved Field Trips to Strawberry Banke and the Music Hall in Portsmouth .
Associate Superintendent'sReport: Mr. Flynn reminded the Board that there is a Joint SAU 16 Board meeting on Monday, 9/16 at the SST. The calendar for 03-04 is on the agenda as well as a presentation on technology. Mr. Flynn distributed an e-mail retention policy for the Board's review. It is advisable that all district's adopt this type of policy.
Mr. Flynn highlighted what has been happening in other SAU towns. He went on to brief the board on the upcoming Future's Search at the high school. The question of whether to go forward with the original plan for the Linden St. site or to build a new high school will be the featured topic.
Mr. Flynn presented Ms. McDonough with an independent audit report of the District's financial statements. Mr. Flynn indicated that this audit was necessary to allow the sale of the bonds to move forward. As an added feature, the audit also reinforced that fact that the District's financial statements are in excellent shape. Mr. Flynn responded to a few questions and then restated that the District had received the $1,950,000 proceeds from the sale of the bonds.
General Correspondence: A letter from Patricia Williams was discussed. Ms. Williams is concerned that when the school holds events during the daytime parked cars tend to block her and other people's mailboxes. The Board asked the administration to work with the police dept. to make sure that this problem is addressed. Principal Switzer will contact Ms. Williams to let her know that the matter is being worked on.
Employees: Mr. Flynn nominated Ms. Susan Fife to take over the teaching position being vacated by Kate Clark. Ms. Donovan made a motion to accept the resignation of Kate Clark. Ms. Belanger seconded the motion and all voted in favor. Then, Ms. Donovan moved to accept the nomination of Susan Fife. Ms. Belanger seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
Mr. Flynn recognized Art Wiggin for the wonderful job he did on the decking leading to the modular and for the work he did getting the entire school ready for opening day.
New Business: Ms. McDonough reviewed the Board's goals for 01-02 and indicated that much had been accomplished. She asked that the Board continue to work on reviewing its existing Kensington School District policies as well as continuing its work on the building project. Ms. McDonough also added that the Board has as a goal for 02-03 to support Data Driven Decision Making. She hopes that this process can be incorporated into the exploration phase of accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Ms McDonough also indicated that the Board would continue to work on KES meeting the minimum standards for school approval established by the State.
Submitted by: Paul Flynn