Participants
Everyone the recording shows taking part. Names follow the project's dialogue file; no minutes exist online to check spellings against, so non-member spellings are as the transcription heard them and are marked where unverified. Members are listed first, then staff, presenters and citizens' comment speakers. Student speakers are named only as they named themselves.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Brian Rapp | Chair | Presided; asked about the YRBS opt-out numbers; took part in the robotics project at Maple Avenue; argued that the data showed the 4x4 "was failing our students miserably" (3:12:17). |
| Chris Irish | Vice Chair | Urged the board to let the A/B schedule run long enough to produce data; dismissed state test results as "absolutely irrelevant" for judging teachers (3:18:48); supported the administration's calendar. The attribution report rates his identification medium to high. |
| Frank Sprague | Board member | Questioned the students and the principal; recalled a former English teacher's experience of block scheduling and the dropout rate under the old seven-period day; moved the school calendar (3:30:33). |
| Michelle Pierce | Board member | Asked why homeschool and private-school students are outside the YRBS; urged outreach beyond email to residents without internet; praised the robotics team; volunteered, with an experienced colleague, for administrators' bargaining. |
| Patrick Adrian | Board member | Questioned the student speakers and the principal; asked how the YRBS committee invited the public; moved the strategic plan proposal (3:41:07) and asked for a board seat on its committee. |
| Rebecca (Becky) Ferland | Board member; SAU 6 chair | Seconded the calendar (3:30:44); said no Claremont teacher would refuse a parent's request to meet; noted the calendar still carried the dates of an April 20 meeting that was not held (3:19:43); asked which budget line would fund the strategic plan. |
| Brent Ferland | Board member | Moved the April 6 minutes; challenged the internal consistency of the YRBS data; asked about algebra scheduling; proposed turning the second conference into an instructional day (3:33:06); seconded the strategic plan. Identification rated medium (see footer). |
| Middleton McGoodwin | Superintendent, SAU 6 | Superintendent's report (school water tests, a student's SkillsUSA honor, a $25,000 literacy grant at Maple Avenue); a long presentation on the history of the A/B schedule and the union's arbitration; recommended calendar option 1 and the strategic plan consultant. |
| Cory LeClair | Assistant Superintendent, SAU 6 | Explained the curriculum approval route (Curriculum Council, cabinet, board); gave a homeschool estimate of about 120; explained the switch from counting days to counting hours; said the existing teachers' agreement provides for one parent-teacher conference. |
| Patricia Barry | Principal, Stevens High School | Presented comparison data from eight schools with A/B schedules and the changes planned for 2016-17; answered questions on credits, math sequencing and extended learning opportunities. |
| Marian Lovett | Student representative | Read the student representatives' report; later gave her own view of the A/B schedule (2:59:23). Spelling of her name unverified. |
| Lisa Draper | Youth Risk Behavior Study Group; TLC Family Resource Center | Presented the study group's review of 2015 survey results and its recommendation of a K-5 health curriculum. |
| Dennis McNichol | Study group member; regional Public Health Network | Answered questions on how the survey screens for dishonest answers. Surname spelling unverified. |
| Pam (surname not stated) | Leader, Rogue Robots 4-H SeaPerch program | Introduced the high school team competing at the national SeaPerch event. |
| Stephen, Allison, Matt, Andrew | Students, Rogue Robots SeaPerch team | Presented their underwater vehicle's design, the principles of buoyancy and stability, and the teamwork skills involved. First names only; the dialogue file places Stephen by elimination. |
| Nate (first name only) | Citizens' comments; Stevens junior | Spoke against the A/B schedule: "The stress of having six classes at once was just incredible." (0:15:46) |
| Sarah Deline | Citizens' comments; parent | Identified herself as Nate's mother; said he had been denied courses he requested early because "they're full" (0:20:43). Spelling as transcribed, unverified. |
| Andy (first name only) | Citizens' comments; Stevens senior | Gave a balanced account of the A/B schedule's costs and benefits and answered members' questions. |
| Richard Seaman | Citizens' comments; Ward 3, former board member | Asked for data on the flex period and on teacher training for the new schedule (3:12:46). |
Order of business (reconstructed)
No agenda for this meeting is posted in any district share, so this list is reconstructed from the chair's transitions on the recording. The superintendent refers to "the Roman numeral seven" and to a packet, so a written agenda existed. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped entry for the full text.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:11 | Call to order, pledge, roll call | Roll call answered only as Present. and Here.; no names audible. |
| 0:01:10 | Agenda | Moved and seconded (voices not identified); approved by voice vote at 0:01:37. |
| 0:01:41 | Minutes of April 6 | Brent Ferland moved; second not audible; approved by voice vote. |
| 0:02:14 | Student representatives' report | Read by Marian Lovett. |
| 0:08:45 | Superintendent's report | Informational. |
| 0:15:29 | Citizens' comments | Four speakers, all on the Stevens schedule. |
| 0:30:53 | Discussion: Youth Risk Behavior Study Group presentation | Informational; curriculum recommendation to go through the Curriculum Council. |
| 1:20:59 | Rogue Robots presentation | Deferred because the team had not arrived; heard at 2:00:07. |
| 1:21:28 | Scheduled presentation: Stevens High School schedule | Superintendent's presentation, interrupted for the robotics team, then the principal's data at 2:17:18 and board discussion. No vote. |
| 3:19:15 | FYI items and policies | Summer professional development calendar as information; policies on advanced coursework, promotion and retention and high school credit held back for faculty input ("So we're going to skip policies" at 3:22:02). |
| 3:22:09 | Action: 2016-17 school calendar | Sprague moved "calendar marked number one"; Rebecca Ferland seconded; approved by voice vote at 3:37:52. No opposing vote is audible. |
| 3:37:57 | Action: district strategic plan proposal | Adrian moved; Brent Ferland seconded; approved by voice vote at 3:41:11. Consultant fee $8,000, budget line 310 contracted services. |
| 3:41:46 | Board member for administrators' bargaining; close | Pierce volunteered to serve with an experienced member; the final motion and voice vote at 3:42:33 are not clearly audible. No adjournment motion is identifiable. |
Discussion timeline
Chronological, from the dialogue CSV. Times are the start of the cited exchange, taken from the CSV's own second count. Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped cell for the full entry.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:00:11 | Call to order; agenda; minutes | "Called the school board. Start with the Pledge of Allegiance." Roll call not named. Superintendent confirmed the calendar was "under actions". April 6 minutes approved with no edits. | OBSERVATION |
| 0:02:19 | Student representatives' report | School news, including a Stevens senior and technical center student who "is a skills USA champion" and will receive "a $5,000 scholarship from the Community College System of NH", and who is fundraising for the national conference. | |
| 0:08:45 | Superintendent's report | After a resident's concern about lead, the Department of Public Works tested every school: lead "was below the particular level"; one bubbler showed high copper, to be rechecked. A "$25,000 Cliff Grant for literacy" at Maple Avenue. Asked why only one school benefits: "The grant was written for Maple Avenue Elementary School." (0:14:43) | |
| 0:15:45 | Citizens' comments: a junior | Nate: "The stress of having six classes at once was just incredible."; "I wasn't able to take any arts classes this year"; "it's calculus or AP chemistry, it's French three or AP lit." Members asked about his course load. | POSITIVE |
| 0:18:37 | Citizens' comments: a parent | Sarah Deline: her son asked for his courses in the fall, "but they're full"; "it's unfortunate that we're putting a block schedule. This a be schedule in place to pick up all of the stragglers. But at the same time, we're hurting these stellar students." The chair: "We're going to be having a conversation later." | POSITIVE |
| 0:22:00 | Citizens' comments: a senior | Andy: "It is a lot to process eight classes at one time." He saw benefits too: starting as a freshman "I would have been able to figure out how do I manage this." Answered Adrian's and Sprague's questions on AP timing and math sequencing. | POSITIVE |
| 0:31:02 | Youth Risk Behavior Study Group | Draper: the group "was assembled at the request of the superintendent" and approved by the board in September. The survey is "completely anonymous" and needs parental consent; 417 of about 574 Stevens students took it in 2015. Local rates of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, dating violence and bullying were compared with state and national figures. Recommendation: the Great Body Shop K-5 health curriculum, "pending the approval from the Curriculum Council and the cabinet". | |
| 0:55:27 | How curriculum reaches the board | LeClair: "the school board actually approves all curriculum based on recommendation", after internal vetting by the Curriculum Council and the cabinet. | |
| 0:59:00 | Who the survey misses; data reliability | Pierce asked about homeschool students; LeClair: "I think we're around 120 right now." Brent Ferland questioned whether cohorts' answers were consistent across years (1:04:52); Draper and McNichol explained that each year's sample is a different group. Superintendent at 1:10:58: the state had complimented the district because "Most districts don't go into this because the data is unpleasant". | |
| 1:14:19 | Community participation | Superintendent: "we are not a closed shop"; "I sent out around 1900 invitations electronically to our parents". Pierce: "I don't have internet at home." and asked for other outreach. | |
| 1:22:16 | Superintendent's history of the A/B schedule | A response to the Sugar River Education Association's April 11 press release. Failure rates from 2011-12; teachers' 2013 vote against an intervention block ("they voted by majority not to do it"); the scheduling committee's findings; student exit surveys going back to 2003. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:43:41 | Arbitration, mediation and the PELRB | "there was an arbitration hearing in April 2015 between the union and the school board. And the arbitrator clearly said the school board violated the collective bargaining agreement. But the school board did not accept this ruling." Mediation; a union request equal to "$325,000 for 33 teachers"; unfair labor practice filings; a second arbitration in February 2016. At 1:52:40: "the 8% increase represents $153,000"; at 1:53:08: "The board is not returning to the form of 4x4 block schedule". At 1:53:21: "We may end up in the Public Employee Labor Relations Board." | OBSERVATION |
| 1:44:07 | The statute the superintendent relied on | Read as: "Elected school board shall be responsible for establishing the structure, accountability, efficacy, and delivery of instruction in each school operated and governed in its district." He called it "The RSA 1891 A" at 1:51:29, meaning RSA 189:1-a. The statute reads "advocacy" where the transcript has "efficacy". | OBSERVATION |
| 2:00:07 | Rogue Robots SeaPerch team | A high school team bound for a national competition with "175 other teams"; students explained buoyancy, stability and soldering; the team practices at the community center pool. Rapp: "This project was brought to Maple Ave." | |
| 2:17:18 | Principal's data on the schedule | Barry compared Stevens with eight A/B schools: grade 11 reading "we are at the bottom at 61%"; math "18%"; "our graduation rate 69.3 lowest in that column". Changes for 2016-17: band and chorus back to 45-minute daily periods; "algebra one every day, all year long for two credits". | |
| 2:39:36 | Board questions | Sprague read the math requirement as "it is not four years, it's four credits"; Barry: "the word credit is nowhere used in the RSA". Sprague on the old seven-period day: "it was 19.9%, 37 dropouts". Barry: "The state minimum requirement is 20 credits to graduate", Stevens requires 23, and "You can't accomplish that number of credits on a seven period day." | |
| 2:59:23 | Student representative's view | Lovett: the schedule restricts college classes "because I'm an athlete"; "it's a decision that us students are the ones that become responsible for." | |
| 3:09:53 | Members' positions | Irish: "There's no data that says this is working and there's no data that says it isn't working. So we need to give it the time". Rapp: "I think we had plenty of data." Seaman (Ward 3) asked for data on the flex period and teacher training (3:12:46). Irish at 3:18:48 on state tests: "they are absolutely irrelevant". | POSITIVE |
| 3:19:00 | Time check; items deferred | Superintendent: "It's it's nine minutes of ten." Policies sent back for faculty and community input. Rebecca Ferland noted the dates still listed "the April 20th" meeting as the first reading, a meeting she described as not held; the superintendent agreed (3:19:50). He asked for bargaining dates and said the union was having trouble agreeing to them. | OBSERVATION |
| 3:22:09 | 2016-17 calendar | Superintendent: the union's executive board replied that for two parent-teacher conferences "they want to be compensated $54,000"; he said he had "edited or altered" a union officer's email "by adding footnotes. Those were not there." Option 1: "175 instructional days, three professional development days, two teacher workdays and a fall in spring conference", 1209 hours, matching the contract's 186 days. LeClair at 3:29:42: "We we switched from counting days to counting. Hours for the current school year." | OBSERVATION |
| 3:30:33 | Calendar motion and debate | Sprague moved option one; Rebecca Ferland seconded. LeClair at 3:31:30: the agreement "does specifically outline that there would be one parent teacher conference". Brent Ferland proposed giving the union the day as instruction instead; Irish: "I wholeheartedly support administration is proposing because that's what I pay them to do." Approved by voice vote at 3:37:52. | OBSERVATION |
| 3:37:57 | Strategic plan | Consultant recommended by the New Hampshire School Boards Association, who worked with the district about 12 years earlier; "The fee is $8,000." (3:21:01). LeClair: the district plan will be coordinated with the city's master plan. Adrian asked for "at least one seat on that committee for a school board member". Funded from "310 contracted services". Approved at 3:41:11. | |
| 3:41:46 | Administrators' bargaining; close | "we neglected to include the administrators under the collective bargaining. So we need we need a board member." Pierce: "I would like to be with someone that had experience." A final voice vote at 3:42:39 is not intelligible. | |
Items flagged for review
Flags are a reviewer's aid generated by comparing the meeting against the law in force on May 4, 2016. Several provisions cited below were later amended, and each flag cites the text as it then read. They are not findings of violation, and nothing here is legal advice. Where no verified rule applies, the flag says so and is recorded as an observation. 4 flags follow, ordered by severity.
OBSERVATION The superintendent announced that the board would not comply with the arbitrator's order to restore the 4x4 schedule, citing RSA 189:1-a
At 1:43:41 the superintendent said an April 2015 arbitration found that "the school board violated the collective bargaining agreement. But the school board did not accept this ruling.", and that a second award in April 2016 ordered an 8% payment ("the 8% increase represents $153,000", 1:52:40) and a return to the 4x4 block. He stated at 1:53:08 that "The board is not returning to the form of 4x4 block schedule", and at 1:54:15 that "The arbitrator did not acknowledge state statute." The statute he read is RSA 189:1-a, II, which in 2016 provided that "Elected school boards shall be responsible for establishing the structure, accountability, advocacy, and delivery of instruction in each school operated and governed in its district." (the transcript renders "advocacy" as "efficacy").
Whether that paragraph overrides a bargained agreement and an arbitration award is a contested legal question this page cannot resolve; it depends on the agreement's terms and the awards, none of which is in any available record. What the recording does show: the account was the administration's alone ("the other side of the coin", 1:25:37); no board vote to reject either award is on this recording; and the superintendent expected the dispute to reach the Public Employee Labor Relations Board. Whether the $153,000 was paid, and from which appropriation, is not stated. A reader should treat the history given here as one party's characterization and look for the awards and any PELRB decision.
Sources: RSA 189:1-a, II (2015 codification; source note ends 2013, 243:1, eff. Sept. 22, 2013).
OBSERVATION The board adopted a calendar with a second parent-teacher conference that the union said the contract does not provide for
The superintendent reported at 3:22:45 that the union's executive board wanted $54,000 if a second conference were added, and argued the total of 1209 hours matched the contract. The assistant superintendent confirmed at 3:31:30 that the existing agreement "does specifically outline that there would be one parent teacher conference". Brent Ferland suggested avoiding the dispute by making the day instructional; the board instead approved option 1 by voice vote (3:37:52). Under the 2016 text, "terms and conditions of employment" in RSA 273-A:1, XI means "wages, hours and other conditions of employment other than managerial policy", and refusing to negotiate in good faith is an unfair labor practice under RSA 273-A:5, I(e). Whether a second conference within unchanged total hours is a term of employment or managerial policy is exactly the kind of question the PELRB decides; this page does not. It is flagged because the board acted knowing the union's objection, on the same night the superintendent predicted PELRB litigation over the schedule.
On the other side: the calendar's 175 instructional days rest on the hours alternative that RSA 189:1 then allowed ("180 days in each year, or the equivalent number of hours as required in the rules of the department of education"), and the administration explained the hours arithmetic in public before the vote. The superintendent also disclosed that he had added his own footnotes to the union's email, which let members tell his annotations from the union's text.
Sources: RSA 273-A:1, XI (2014, 13:1, 2; text in force in 2016); RSA 273-A:5, I(e) (1979, 374:4; unamended); RSA 189:1 (2015 codification; source note ends 2011, 42:1).
OBSERVATION No agenda, packet or minutes for this meeting are posted online, and an April 20 meeting appears not to have been held
MAP.md records that neither district Drive share holds anything before July 2022 (checked 9/26/26), so this page rests on the recording alone. That is a limit of what the district posts online, not by itself evidence that records were never made: the board approves its April 6 minutes on this recording (0:01:41). In 2016, RSA 91-A:2, II required minutes to be "open to public inspection not more than 5 business days after the meeting". The roll call is not audible by name, so attendance is inferred. The limb of the project's missing-records rule applied is the online-availability observation.
Separately, the April 6 meeting set a calendar discussion for an April 20 meeting (see the April 6 page), and on this recording a member says the materials still listed that meeting although it "was not held" (3:19:43); the superintendent agreed. Nothing in the available record shows how the cancellation was noticed. No Cablecast recording for April 20, 2016 is listed in MAP.md.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2015 codification, in force until January 1, 2017); Input/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md section 8; April 6, 2016 page.
POSITIVE Two students, a parent and a former member were heard at length before the board's own discussion, and members engaged with them
Citizens' comments ran from 0:15:29 to 0:30:53, about fifteen minutes, with two students and a parent speaking on the Stevens schedule and members asking follow-up questions; a former board member added data questions later (3:12:46). The chair promised that the parent's concerns would be taken up in the scheduled presentation, and the principal undertook to "take a forensic look at Nate schedule next year" (2:48:18). In 2016 no statute required a public comment period at school board meetings; the 30-minute requirement in RSA 189:74 was enacted in 2022. Hearing affected students before a policy discussion, and answering them in public, exceeds the legal minimum.
Sources: RSA 189:74 (2022, 333:1, eff. Sept. 6, 2022; not in force in 2016).
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast show 8380, "SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 5-4-16": Claremont Community TV. Every timestamp on this page links into this recording.
- No Drive material: neither the Claremont nor the SAU 6 share holds a year folder older than 2022, and the Meeting Minutes share starts at 2023 (MAP.md, checked 9/26/26). No agenda, packet, calendar options, union correspondence, arbitration awards, YRBS slides or minutes were located.
- Related pages: April 6, 2016 (the preceding recorded meeting, whose minutes were approved here).
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/8380 SchoolBoard050416.mp4.CSV (971 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/8380 SchoolBoard050416.mp4Input/Transcripts/8380 SchoolBoard050416.mp4.jsonScripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/8380 SchoolBoard050416.mp4.mdInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 8
Laws and rules cited on this page
- New Hampshire statutes, as in force on May 4, 2016. RSA 189:1-a, II (school board responsibility for instruction; 2015 codification). RSA 189:1 (180 days or equivalent hours; 2015 codification). RSA 273-A:1, XI and RSA 273-A:5, I(e) (terms and conditions of employment; unfair labor practice). RSA 91-A:2, II (minutes; 2015 codification).
- Later law, cited only to show it did not apply. RSA 189:74 (public comment; 2022).