PLAINFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT

Plainfield School Board Meeting

Monday, June 6, 2005

Plainfield Elementary School

APPROVED MINUTES

The meeting was called to order at 6:33 pm. Present were Board members Houde Hardy, Ferguson, Bucklin and Reynolds. Also present were Superintendent Collins, Finance Director Moorman and Principal Mellow and four members of the community.

Public Comments

Steve Halloran wanted the Board to know that the Selectboard is interested in continuing the discussion they started with the Board last fall over combining a school athletic director and a town recreation director position. Board Chair Reynolds replied that the Board is willing to continue that discussion next year.

Announcements, Communications

Board member Houde Hardy reported that a parent asked her when the new health curriculum will be finished. Principal Mellow said he is in the process of putting a curriculum revision cycle together, but he thinks it will be a year or two before that curriculum is fully revised.

Superintendent Collins informed the Board that the grant from the National Resource Conservation Service was denied. If additional funds are received later this summer, the application will be reconsidered or held over for funding during fiscal year 2006.

Board member Ferguson asked the Board for help with the enrollment projection. She passed around a list of families and asked if the Board knew if they had preschool aged children.

Board Chair Reynolds told the Board that Grantham school district is interested in discussing a joint business manager.

Consent Agenda

A. Minutes May 16, 2005

Upon motion made and seconded, the School Board voted unanimously to accept the public and non-public minutes of May 16, 2005.

B. Nominations for Music Teacher, Athletic Coordinator and Assistant Principal will be discussed during non-public session later in the evening.

Reports

A. Finance Director’s Report

Bill Moorman reported that he will be talking to Irving Oil and Johnson and Dix oil companies to get fuel oil quotes. He has heard that other schools are getting quotes of $1.70 to $1.75 and they budgeted for $1.52 so it looks like the budget will be short in that area.

For this year’s budget it still looks like the surplus will be around $70,000. With $30,000 earmarked to be turned over to the reserve funds, the Board needs to think about what to do with the remaining $40,000.

Moorman reminded the Board that next year the district is facing a large decrease in adequacy aid. The Board discussed how they could put the surplus towards lessening the impact of that decrease.

B. Principal’s Report

Principal Mellow reported the Best School’s work is coming to an end. He said the next step is to combine the three tracks with the Professional Development Plan that has been established and approved. He went on to say that at the next Professional Development meeting they will discuss the new Chair position and make plans for next year’s professional development days.

Mellow reported on the following:

• The Parent Survey went home on Friday, June 3.
• The school garden has been planted by volunteers and students from grades 2 and 7.
• Peg Meyette, who has been a volunteer in the first grades for 30 years, is retiring
• The preliminary fall soccer sign-up indicates that several teams will need to be split into multiple teams due to the large number of students expressing an interest in playing.
• The PTA BBQ was successful and well attended.
• All but two students attended the first grade sleepover. Betty Ann Heistad runs this every year.
• Tori Constantine and Sarah Berman (both in grade 4) tied for first place in the Lower Grade Spelling Bee.
• Eighth Grade Spanish students took the National Spanish Exam this year. 22,000 students took it nationwide and Hilary Lynd place fourth overall with others from Plainfield placing in the 10^th, 11^th and 12^th places. From the 306 students that took the exam in the state, Hilary placed first.
• Five teams participated in the Jr. Solar Sprint this year. Two teams made it into the semi-finals.
• The sixth grade class cleaned up Willow Brook Road and donated the $75 they earned (paid by a Plainfield resident) to the Upper Valley Humane Society.
• The seventh grade class helped with the Cory Taber Field annual clean up.
• A large number of people are responding to the ad for the grade 5 teacher position.
• The scholar-leader dinner held in Manchester was wonderful.
• The eighth grade class trip to Montreal was very successful.
• The seventh grade had a field trip on the Floating Lab, which was a great activity.

C. Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Collins asked the Board to look at the draft of the board meeting calendar for 2005-2006. He would like to talk about it again at the next meeting, focusing on when the Board would like to schedule a retreat. Board member Houde Hardy would like to have the retreat in the summer.

Collins told the Board that he will meet with the Principal Search Committee on Wednesday, June 8 to take a look at resumes received, to set up a meeting schedule and to establish a list of questions to ask candidates during the interviews. The Board indicated they would like the Committee to narrow down the candidates to 2 or 3 applicants and the Board will do the final interview and make the final decision. Board members Houde Hardy and Ferguson are on the Search Committee.

Collins spoke about the lunch contract which will be spoken about later under Other Action.

Principal Mellow’s last contract day is June 30. Superintendent Collins told the Board that Mellow has agreed to work a few days in July if necessary.

D. Committee Reports

Facilities Committee – Board Chair Reynolds notified the Board that Doug Heaton has volunteered to do a complete light audit of the school. Reynolds also noted that KUA will donate the money required to build the bridge on the trail connecting the school property to KUA property but it will require a public meeting to spend the donation. She also noted that the bridge could be completed this summer.

Nutrition Committee – Board member Ferguson attended the last meeting on June 2. She reported that the committee is planning on having Harvest Day on the library day in August and that Karen Heaton has found recipes using the produce from the garden for the students to taste test in the fall.

Insurance Committee – Board member Bucklin reported that they have narrowed down the search to several options from School Care which may have potential savings, but nothing substantial. The committee is still looking for less traditional options.

Business for Discussion and/or Action

A. Policy Review Process

Superintendent Collins met with his assistant Joan Nierenberg and Board member Ferguson to discuss the policy review process. Ferguson explained that they plan to have Board members read policies this summer and make change recommendations by September 1. Board members will read for grammar and content. Policy sections were split among Board members as follows: Reynolds reads sections C, F and G; Houde Hardy reads sections J and L; Cogan reads sections I and K; Bucklin reads sections D and E. Board member Ferguson has already done sections A and B.

B. Policy BDDH, Public Participation at Board Meetings (Second Reading)

The Board suggested a few changes. Upon motion made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to adopt Policy BDDH as amended.

Policy BDDC, Agenda Preparation and Dissemination (First Reading)

The Board made a few changes to this policy. They will have a second reading at the June 20 meeting.

C. Athletic Committee Selection

The Board determined the desired composition of the athletic committee to include a Board member, the Athletic Coordinator, one teacher, two parents (one each of a girls and boy), two coaches (one each of a boys team and girls team), and two students (one girl and one boy). Volunteers within each sub-category were chosen by a drawing and are as follows: Judy Houde Hardy (Board representative), Brandon Feid (Athletic Coordinator), Mindy Taber (teacher representative), Mherdad Didehbani (Boys Coach representative), Leslie MacGregor (Girls Coach representative), Susan Plummer (parent of a girl), Shirley MacLean-DeFoe (parent of a boy), and the Principal and two students from PES and the possibility of a high school student, to be determined. Houde Hardy will Chair the committee at the beginning and will initiate the first meeting. The School Board charged the Committee to review athletic related issues and policies and to make recommendations to the Board as appropriate.

Other Action

Upon motion made and seconded, the Board voted unanimously to extend the lunch contract with the present lunch provider with no increase in the price of lunches but an increase in the contract for the delivery of the lunches.

Non-public Session

Upon motion made and seconded, the School Board voted unanimously to go into non-public session pursuant to NH RSA 91-A:3, II(a,b) at 8:12 pm. Discussion on nominations of the Music Teacher, Athletic Coordinator and Assistant Principal took place.

Upon motion made and seconded, the School Board voted unanimously to go back into public session at 8:50 pm.

Upon motion made and seconded, the School Board approved unanimously to offer contracts for the 2005-2006 school year to the following, as recommended by the Superintendent and Principal:

Music Teacher Jeanne McNeil

Athletic Coordinator Brandon Feid

Assistant Principal Steve Beaupre

There being no further business to come before the School Board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:52 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Annette Moore

Recording Clerk