The Kensington School Board met on Thursday, January 16, 2003.
In attendance were: Mrs. Cheryl McDonough, Chairperson; Mrs. Susan Belanger, School Board member; Mrs. Dana Donovan, School Board member; Mr. Paul Flynn, Associate Superintendent of Schools; Barbara Guth Switzer, Principal.
Mrs. McDonough called the meeting to order at 7:20 PM.
The monthly manifests were signed and the financial report was reviewed.
The board unanimously approved the minutes of the December 12, 2002 and January 2, 2003 School Board meetings.
Sue Lalime, PTO President, gave an overview of recent PTO activities. Mrs. Lalime stated that the PTO sponsored a question/answer session regarding the proposed new High School plans on January 15th.
Alice Mower, Chairperson of the School Needs Committee, presented the board with a list of contractors who will be bidding on the addition. Mr. Marinace will open and read the bids in a public session scheduled for Thursday, February 6th at 3:30 PM. Mrs. Mower reported that Patrick Soper has spent many hours reviewing the plans and looking for ways to save money. He has offered his help in the future as well. Mrs. Mower stated that the contractors will be made aware of Mr. Kimball’s offer regarding gravel/fill for the addition. Mr. Flynn will send thank you letters to both gentlemen thanking them, on behalf of the School Board, for their time, effort and offerings of help.
Mrs. Mower stated that the Kensington Education Foundation continues to move forward with their goals. Mrs. Susan Varn will be joining the committee.
Mrs. Switzer gave her report as follows:
Mrs. Switzer reported that the children and teachers are working very hard on the Celebrating Tolerance and Diversity Project, held in conjunction with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, scheduled for the week of January 20th. Several Native American presenters will be at school on January 20th to speak to the students about Indian culture.
Mrs. Switzer stated that the Holiday Concert, held again this year at East Kingston, was well attended and enjoyed by all.
Mrs. Switzer reported that Morgan Rand is the Kensington Elementary School’s Geography Bee champion for the school year. Eva Wilson received 2nd place recognition.
Mrs. Switzer gave an overview of the following curriculum initiatives at KES:
· In conjunction with the social curriculum KES will be implementing Responsive Classroom in all classes in September, 2004. Five classrooms teachers will be participating in a Responsive Classroom Conference in March.
· All staff will be participating in an Everyday Math Workshop in East Kingston on Wednesday, February 5th.
· The Tech Team will focus on the SAU #16 expectations for each grade level.
· The SAU Literacy Committee is finalizing its curriculum for grades 3-5.
· The Enrichment Committee is in the process of securing various activities for both the primary and intermediate grades. The PTO has been generous in donating $2,000 for these activities.
A letter was given to the board from the Fire Chief asking that KES parents not park at the Fire Station while dropping off or picking up their children. Mrs. Switzer will communicate the Fire Department’s concerns to the parents via a letter.
Mrs. Donovan moved to accept the amount of $1,958,674.00 (one million, nine hundred fifty-eight thousand, six hundred seventy-four dollars as the operating budget for the 2003-2004 school year. Mrs. Belanger seconded the motion. The vote was taken and was in the affirmative.
Mr. Flynn gave his report as follows:
Mr. Flynn stated that there is a SAU Chairs Committee meeting scheduled for January 22nd.
Mr. Flynn noted that information nights are being held throughout the SAU relative to the proposed new high school.
Mr. Flynn stated that the COOP did receive two Warrant Articles. One was to see if the District would approve a budget committee and the other to ensure that the district comply with all legal issues relative to the bid process for any additions/renovations.
Mr. Flynn provided the board with the current enrollment figures at KES.
Mr. Flynn stated that he hopes the community attends the February 8th Deliberative Session as it is at this meeting that the warrant articles can be amended and the amount of the money articles could be increased or decreased.
Mr. Flynn noted that the filing period for School District Officers begins January 22nd and will end at 5:00 PM on January 31, 2003. The positions to be filled are: a 3-year term for School Board Member, and a 1-year term for Auditor.
It was asked if the board was considering purchasing the modular classrooms. Mrs. McDonough answered that there were no plans to keep them.
Mr. Flynn offered congratulations to Amanda Roffman who will be having a baby in June.
Under Building and Grounds, Mr. Flynn thanked both Mr. Wiggin and Dick Wendell for all of their recent hard work.
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 PM
Respectfully submitted,
Margaret Ruggeri
School Board Secretary