| 0:00:19 | Call to order and roll | Pledge, then a run-together roll: "Like a patron here. The shell Pierce here. Frank Sprague here. Rebecca Zullo here. Brian, here." (0:01:00). | |
| 0:01:29 | Agenda and November 15 minutes | Agenda accepted as presented; the chair: "We have our minutes from November 15th." Minutes approved by voice vote; the chair abstains, "I missed that meeting." (0:02:01). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:02:11 | Student report | Lexi on the Stevens talent show ("over ten abs"), a college application day, concerts, the regional career pathway fair, peer outreach, and Bluff School's new sensory room; students met the principal "to discuss the budget and their concerns surrounding it" (0:05:12). | |
| 0:11:40 | Superintendent: substitutes, failure rates, forums | Substitute pay raised to increase coverage "while reducing the overall cost of teacher substitution"; a "ten year analysis of the Stephens High School failure ratings from 2007 to 2017" (0:12:54); about 80 staff and parents at the Claremont Middle School forum (0:13:52); a proposed public forum with school nurses on the head-lice policy (0:15:35). | |
| 0:16:33 | Superintendent: budget overview | Staff affected by the list meeting "your expectations of a $1.2 million reduction below fiscal year 18 will be discussed tonight. They were approached privately." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:18:02 | Donated choir acoustical panels | A resident offered to buy four acoustical panels for the Stevens choir: "The cost is $7,000." (0:18:33); "we still need an additional $1,200 to cover shipping and handling" (0:18:46); "We did not budget $1,200 for shipping and handling for this wonderful donation, but I would like to explore what our options are" (0:19:20). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:19:45 | SB 193 (education savings accounts) | Superintendent on a Reaching Higher New Hampshire analysis: SB 193 "allows eligible families to receive 95% of the state funding that would normally go to public education, about $3,600 per student" (0:20:20); "this voucher program could be very detrimental for the communities like Claremont" (0:23:03); "Unless there is quite a bit of lobbying" and "I would like to put this document on our website just to inform our community" (0:23:32). These figures are the speaker's characterization of a pending bill. | OBSERVATION |
| 0:24:06 | Questions: tutoring, substitutes | Pierce asks how tutoring fits the SB 193 uses; Sprague asks about the enhanced substitute pay (0:25:30); Nathan: "the new rate starts immediately" once a substitute meets the commitment level (0:26:00). | |
| 0:26:46 | SB 193: party lines | Sprague: "I would hope that those that represent us in Claremont would perhaps put the party aside and support their community" and "make sure that, we are putting pressure on our representatives" (0:27:17). Superintendent: the President, governor, federal secretary and state commissioner "are all in support of school choice"; "I believe that parents have the right and should have the right to decide how their child will be educated" (0:27:31); "we have to be able to express our, our voice on this matter in Concord" (0:28:57). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:29:13 | ASAP substitute software | Zullo traces the ASAP program's history; an Unidentified staff voice: "So now we only pay one person a $3,000 stipend for a sub coordinator" (0:30:58). Nathan: "there's about 3300 days per year that are teacher absent days" (0:33:06); "the premium on that was about $60,000 that we could have saved had we used teacher substitutes" (0:34:22). | |
| 0:41:22 | Specialist substitutes | Herzog asks whether the model allows a physics or chemistry substitute; Nathan: "I'm going to say yes because we have done it in the past." (0:42:01). | |
| 0:42:32 | Teacher-absence days | Pierce on 180 school days against 3,300 absence days; the chair suggests making it "an agenda item, because it seems that there's a lot of discussion" (0:44:16); Pierce asks Nathan to come back and present it. | |
| 0:45:00 | Citizens' comments: music director | "We've had 12 band students and 12 choir students selected for the Valley Honors Music Festival"; four students in the all-state festival (0:45:45). | POSITIVE |
| 0:47:40 | Citizens' comments: the Harrells | Bluff School parents: on a field trip a teacher took their daughter's drink as "too sugary" (0:48:52); the principal assured them lunches would not be searched. Superintendent: "I'd like to talk with the administration and come back and have a public discussion so we can resolve this the best we can." (0:52:38). | POSITIVE |
| 0:54:26 | Citizens' comments: Tom Rock, Ward 2 | "I sent you all, I think, except for Alex, email describing my thoughts." "Let's not say we're going to cut." (0:56:18); the proposed cut is "a 171 cut in the tax rate for $127,000, average assessed home in Claremont. It's two bucks a week." (0:57:52). | |
| 0:58:59 | Citizens' comments: Steve, Francis Street | "To have my eight year old daughter be asked to spray her classroom with a mixture of tea tree oil and water" (0:59:26); asked for results of any review; then on the value of the trades. | |
| 1:02:33 | Citizens' comments: Andy, Ward 3 | As vice president of the Claremont Development Authority, reminded the board "the critical nature of the schools when it comes to the economic development of the community"; praised "the thoughtful nature" of the board's work at "the interim board meeting last week" (1:03:36). | |
| 1:05:26 | Citizens' comments: Larissa Cahill, Ward 2 | "How many cuts, how many years of cuts do we keep making until we're decimated?" (1:07:02); "there are positions in human beings and people attached to these cuts" (1:08:03). | |
| 1:10:11 | Citizens' comments: Ron Perry, Ward 3 | On SB 193: "what if 20% of your enrollment is gone overnight?" (1:10:41); on building costs: "But we turned down that $17 million and maybe worth going back to the state" (1:12:41). | |
| 1:14:30 | Citizens' comments: David, Ward 2 | "I found myself $2 million to cut out of this budget without impacting a single thing at any school." (1:15:04); questioned administrative positions and contracted services, suggesting a local IT firm (1:16:23). | |
| 1:17:48 | Citizens' comments: Michelle Pierce | "Michelle Pierce, Ward one. As a community member, as a parent of a first grader, as a board member here tonight"; thanked the audience for coming and urged people to call members with questions. Comments closed at 1:20:31. | |
| 1:20:47 | City Manager Ryan McNutt | "I'm not really here to offer my opinion on your budget process." Pledged, with "my friend David Putnam and I will donate this $100." (1:22:01), toward the choir panels' shipping. FY18 city budget "$16.4 million. That was a reduction of approximately $560,000" (1:23:38). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:25:19 | City budget cuts | Zullo: "When you made your budget cuts, how much hate mail did you get?" McNutt: "I did not receive any hate mail." (1:25:25); his approach of matching department needs to "variables" that "get a vote". | |
| 1:29:31 | Tax rate and valuations | Sprague cites an Eagle Times headline, "Claremont Tax Rate Still highest in New Hampshire", and a "death spiral" of high taxes and falling values (1:30:04). McNutt: "I actually think the trend is inverse" (1:30:51); a move to a 24-month valuation cycle (1:34:31). | |
| 1:40:29 | Irish on the school share of the rate | "In 2008, the property tax rate was 3259. Of that $19.66 was the school." "The school portion is now 2782. It's a 42% increase since 2008." (1:40:55). The rates are in dollars per thousand as read from the city's chart; the transcript drops the decimal points. | |
| 1:54:13 | Schools and economic development | McNutt: "I can't emphasize enough how important the schools are to economic development"; the chair thanks him at 1:55:28; he closes by praising the condition of the school buildings he has toured (1:55:33). | |
| 1:57:42 | Donation from Joe's Jewelers | LeClair: the store's ladies' night "raised $1,600 for the one for all space" at 169 Main Street (1:58:10); "ask that the board be willing to accept their donation of $1,600" (1:58:38). Motion Pierce, second Irish, voice vote (1:59:06). | POSITIVE |
| 2:00:20 | FY19 budget: the reconciliation list | Superintendent: a list "that represents our compliance with your request to provide a budget that will represent $1.2 million below fiscal year 18. In order to do that, the reduction would equate to $2.6 million from the budget you saw on the November 15th." (2:01:25); "Every single item represents an impact on student" (2:02:57); a five-district administration comparison (Claremont, Kearsarge, Lebanon, Fall Mountain, Newport) (2:03:23). | |
| 2:04:10 | Dispute over the November 15 draft | Pierce asks about the directive's timing; superintendent: "The directive was to come forth with a budget that was $1.2 million below fiscal year 18" and "that budget wasn't developed and finalized until the afternoon of November 15th." (2:05:00). Board members say that "was not communicated" at the time (2:28:50). | |
| 2:07:17 | Line-by-line review agreed | Irish: "considering we've been through 1200 lines, this isn't a lot of lines"; asks administrators to "go line by line". O'Neill reconciles the FY18 approved budget with warrant-article items (2:07:55); a grant reclassification "for 172,865" (2:09:05). | |
| 2:09:53 | Technology equipment and contracted IT | Malloy: the cut means "Don't do any Chromebooks. Don't do any projector bulbs." (2:11:21); "The contracted services. 48,000." (2:11:53); "nobody on my staff makes $96 an hour" and a plan to hire in-house at $25 an hour (2:14:08). Irish asks for local vendors (2:16:49). | |
| 2:18:51 | Curriculum work and textbooks | LeClair: curriculum days paid to teachers; "So the 33, five, 25, which is what I would recommend putting back in, would accomplish a proximately 225 curriculum days" (2:21:17); the textbook line was high because fund balance let the district buy materials ahead (2:22:17); "I don't need 164 two" (2:25:26). | |
| 2:29:24 | Buses, software, roofs, energy | O'Neill: two-bus five-year lease cycle; $25,000 spent on the two oldest buses (2:29:45); deferring room and roof work saves "another $43,000 in total" (2:33:02); the vacant energy education specialist removed (2:33:42). | |
| 2:34:22 | Assessment coordinator stipend | Superintendent: without it "our students will have to travel to another high school" for the SAT; Sprague: "I actually developed that position when I was the principal." (2:34:44); Barry: the work would fall to school counselors (2:37:22). | |
| 2:38:53 | Middle school social worker | Fitzgerald: the social worker supports homeless students, attendance and families (2:40:43). Irish: "I'm not questioning the need or the position. I'm questioning the funding." (2:45:45); LeClair: the position predates the system-of-care grant, so the grant cannot supplant it (2:44:31). Pierce: "because this is a sensitive, situation right here" (2:54:41). | OBSERVATION |
| 2:53:21 | SAU versus district budgets | LeClair explains that the grant writer sits in the SAU budget, adopted by the SAU board, and paid largely from grant indirect costs (2:51:45); Zullo asks for a public explainer. | |
| 2:57:52 | Athletic trainer | Barry: a contracted Valley Regional Hospital trainer "for $46,000"; the list's "27,000 is a midpoint" from other schools' arrangements (2:58:37). Irish later: "I've seen firsthand what that athletic trainer position has done" (3:16:12). | OBSERVATION |
| 2:59:40 | Crisis counselors | Barry: two contracted counselors from Mountain View making one full-time position; Ms. Rhines on why counselors rely on them (3:03:43); Pierce presses for outside and state resources; Barry: "Can we give them the help they need within our staffing or rely on systems that are underfunded and understaffed" (3:12:17). | OBSERVATION |
| 3:17:01 | Adult education | Superintendent: "We are not eliminating the adult education"; the proposal is "to reassign that responsibility to another administrator." Amy: 118 students enrolled (3:23:22); O'Neill: "The net cost of that program, which has been about $55,000." (3:22:34). | |
| 3:27:18 | Middle school athletics; Stevens assistant | Assistant athletic director duties shifted; Stevens administrative assistant (3:28:07); O'Neill: listed figures are "wages plus all benefit costs" (3:28:35). | |
| 3:28:55 | Curriculum specialists | LeClair: "one misconception is that these are new positions" (3:29:52); "we had 115% growth in math" (3:34:51); proposes staying at three (3:38:56); explains Title I interventionists versus reading specialists (3:39:47). | |
| 3:41:15 | School resource officer and CopSync | Superintendent recommends reinstating the position; Pierce asks whether a technology security system could do more (3:42:07); an elementary administrator and Barry describe the officer's role (3:43:01, 3:43:50); Irish: cameras are "for forensics. It's not prevention." (3:50:41); Malloy: the CopSync line is "an $8,000 cut" (3:54:16) and a state fund "will cover 80% of any school improvements" identified in the emergency program (3:56:28). The file ends here, mid-discussion, at 3:56:58. | OBSERVATION |