Kensington School Board Meeting Minutes
March 11, 2004
The Kensington School Board met on Thursday, March 11, 2004. In attendance were Cheryl McDonough, Dana Donovan, Alice Mower, School Board members; Paul Flynn, Associate Superintendent of Schools; Barbara Switzer, Principal.
Mr. Paul Flynn called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Monthly manifests were signed and the financial report was reviewed by the board.
Dana Donovan nominated Cheryl McDonough as Chairman of the Kensington School Board. Alice Mower seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous in favor of the motion.
The minutes of the February 7, 2004 School Board meeting were unanimously accepted by the board.
Sue Lalime, PTO President, gave the board a brief update on the PTO activities noting that the Valentine’s Day dance raised $700.00 of which $350.00 will be donated to the American Legion Post and $350.00 will be used for the multipurpose room.
Mrs. Switzer gave the principal’s report as follows:
Mrs. Switzer congratulated Mrs. Mower on her victory at the polls, and welcomed her to the board. Mrs. Switzer also thanked the community of Kensington for passing the operating budget for the 2004-2005 school year.
The March Calendar and the monthly publication, “KES Times”, were reviewed by Mrs. Switzer. Mrs. Switzer reported that an informational night on Every Day Math was held on Monday, March 7th with approximately 30 parents in attendance. It was noted that an EDM Games Night will be scheduled for an evening in March.
Mrs. Switzer informed the board that Chris Culver, KES representative to the Literacy Committee, reported that the committee is in the process of developing Writing Prompts and Rubrics in Grades K-12 for the entire SAU. Expected completion date of committee’s work is Spring, 2005.
Mrs. Switzer stated that the software program Winebago has been installed on the library computers and parents will be entering data into the program over the next couple of weeks.
The KES staff will have personal ID Badges made over the next month.
Mrs. Switzer noted that the 5th grade students will be at Sargent Camp from April 5th – 9th.
Mrs. Switzer reported that Invention Convention and the Passport to Kenya
Program were both very well organized, great fun and were very much enjoyed by both staff and students.
The wall mural, created by the staff and students of KES, under the direction of Artist in Residence Rob Rossel, will be installed on March 13th and 20th. Mrs. Switzer stated that everyone at KES is looking forward to it and hopes that the 2nd AIR Grant will be awarded and that an Artist In Residence landscaper will be on board for the 2004-2005 school year.
On March 26th, Tom Whaley, from Techsploration, will be at KES for a school-wide assembly and to present workshops on electricity for students in grades 4 and 5.
Mrs. Switzer reported that KES would be participating in the NWEA Tests, a computerized Assessment Test for fourth grade students.
Mrs. Switzer provided the board with a detailed list of how the multipurpose room has been used this year.
Mr. Flynn gave his report as follows:
Mr. Flynn informed the board that the district is in the process of ordering 16 laptop computers which will be used in the NWEA Testing program. The expenditure will come from the building fund.
The KES Building Use Form appears to be working well and the required insurance certificates are in order for those groups using the building.
Fire Chief Simpson has asked that the district purchase a new lock box for the school.
Mr. Flynn noted that the article on the Brentwood Warrant, which would have made Brentwood a SB2 Town, was defeated.
A Joint Board Meeting is scheduled for May 17th. The boards will review/discuss the Superintendent’s evaluation and the proposed dress code for the SAU #16 staff.
The Blue Ribbon Awards Program is scheduled for March 16th.
Mr. Flynn provided the board with an overview of the results of recent voting in all area towns.
The Great Bay Charter School has been approved by the state of New Hampshire and will service students with a c+ or below average. Mr. Flynn noted that the school is not for at-risk students but is an alternative school program. The school will have 50 students initially and will be housed in the lower level of the Annex building.
An Elementary Charter School has been approved for the area but a site has not been found to house the school.
Mr. Flynn reported that the High School Building Project is moving forward.
Mr. Flynn stated that problems with the KES addition (a leak in the conference room) continue to crop up but are being addressed.
The subject of an Open House/Dedication of the new addition was discussed. A tentative date of Sunday, May 16th was selected. Mrs. Mower will gather input from staff, students and community members and will then finalize the particulars.
A number of contracted KES staff were in attendance and presented the board with a letter signed by the majority of the staff voicing their concerns relative to the proposed dress code guidelines that define specific items as appropriate or inappropriate. Several staff members voiced their opinion that KES staff does dress appropriately and feel that administrators should hold staff members accountable for dressing inappropriately. It was mentioned that there are many reasons for wearing jeans at times to school such as field trips, art projects, special projects etc. Additionally, it was noted that the staff objected to completing the Request for Dress Code Exception form.
Mrs. McDonough stated she feels strongly that it is not inappropriate to have a dress code for staff and said she had done much research relative to any input she had in writing the proposed dress code. Mrs. McDonough noted that she would take KES staff’s concerns back to the joint boards. Mrs. McDonough stated any dress code policy should be a cohesive one throughout the SAU.
Mr. Flynn feels that there is sufficient space for a t-ball playing field and would like to see a group formed to investigate the possibility.
Mr. Flynn noted that the septic system is not ready yet to be dug up and repaired.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Margaret Ruggeri
School Board Secretary