Participants
Everyone the recording shows taking part. Names follow the project's dialogue file and the 2015 to 2023 roster; no minutes exist online to check spellings against. Where the dialogue file says Unidentified, this page does too.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Marjorie Erickson | Chair, SAU 6 Board (Unity) | Presided. Proposed the NHSBA self-evaluation form with an added budget section; argued the SAU board should decide whether it wants a strategic plan; asked members to bring three goals to the retreat; reported the interim search; ruled that a second salary motion could not follow the first. Identification rests on the motion's "provided copy by Marjorie" and her statements on June 28; medium-high confidence. |
| Sara Lowe | SAU 6 Board (Unity; described on June 28 as Unity's chair) | Questioned how the acting-superintendent compensation in the scenarios was calculated; spoke on the burden an interim's evening meetings would place on the assistant superintendent. The dialogue file's lowest-confidence attribution: some remarks it gives her also recognize speakers, which could be the chair. |
| Michael Petrin | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Moved the agenda and minutes; raised emergency certification waivers; preferred option D; floated extending the acting period. Several rows the file gives him read like a staff answer (see method note). |
| Steven Horsky | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Moved the self-evaluation tool and the $120,000 option E motion; argued $130,000 was "very aggressive"; asked about risk if both candidates failed; checked the quorum question before members attended a Newport funding forum. |
| Michelle Pierce | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Asked whether Claremont's strategic plan could become an SAU plan; objected that the interim search was confined to a small group; pressed the acting superintendent for her preference; voted No on the salary motion and tried to move option D. |
| Rebecca Zullo | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Abstained on the June 28 minutes; favored board goals over a strategic plan for now; asked detailed questions on the scenarios, benefits and grant writing. |
| Carolyn Towle | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Seconded the self-evaluation tool; said new members could not yet assess the board; asked for a roll call on the salary motion; urged a delegation to the Newport funding forum. |
| Frank Sprague | SAU 6 Board (Claremont; Claremont chair) | Commented on the self-evaluation wording; asked whether option E was affordable; suggested reframing superintendent goals as board expectations. |
| Jason Benware | SAU 6 Board (Claremont) | Name read at roll and at the vote; no separable response or speech. |
| [Prudence] McCormick; Bob McDevitt; Craig (surname not established) | SAU 6 Board (Unity) | Answer the opening roll ("McCormick here.", "Bob McDevitt right here."). Craig abstained on the minutes. In the roll-call vote their names are transcribed as "Perform it" and "I don't love it. And quick. Shoot." with two affirmative responses. |
| Cory LeClair | Assistant superintendent, SAU 6 (acting superintendent) | Walked the board through the fund balance and six interim-staffing scenarios; described what her own job would lose; said she would be willing to act one day a week (option D); reported the Newport forum invitation, the new SAU 6 website, the McGoodwin farewell and the retreat location. |
| Michael O'Neill | Business Administrator, SAU 6 (surname from roster) | Recommended "somewhere between D and F"; recalculated the savings at a $120,000 base during the motion. |
| Nate | Human resources, SAU 6 (surname not spoken) | Reported additional applications and alternative certification pathways. |
| Mary Woodman | Clerk | Called the roll and the roll-call vote. |
| Unidentified | Members and others | The roll responses, seconds and short remarks. 105 of 876 rows (12.0%) are Unidentified. |
| Citizens' comments | None | Chair at 0:03:11: "There are no citizens, so I guess we don't need to worry about citizens comments." |
| Named, not speaking | Others | Middleton [McGoodwin], the departing superintendent; Mark Chase, police captain; Cindy Gallagher (Newport), Andrew Valencia and John Tobin, organizers of a school funding forum; Brianna (a departing administrative assistant); Josh [Malloy]. |
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. A written agenda and packet existed ("You all have a copy of the agenda."). Hover over (or Tab to) a clipped entry for the full text.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 0:00:17 | Pledge, roll call | See Board composition. |
| 0:01:31 | Agenda | Petrin moved "We accept the agenda as presented"; seconded; voice vote at 0:01:51. |
| 0:01:51 | Minutes of June 28, 2018 | Petrin moved; approved by voice with two abstentions, "Craig and Rebecca" (0:02:59). |
| 0:03:11 | Citizens' comments | None present. |
| 0:03:11 | Action: school board self-evaluation tool | Horsky moved (0:12:47), Towle seconded (0:13:02); voice vote at 0:13:49. Forms due back by the 26th. |
| 0:14:21 | SAU priorities for development of a strategic plan | Discussion only; members to bring three goals each to the July 29 retreat (0:34:48). No motion ("I don't think we need a motion for that."). |
| 0:36:38 | Status of the interim superintendent search | Report: 11 online and 1 mailed applications before July 5; two certified candidates to be interviewed the next day. Informational. |
| 0:48:05 | Interim superintendent: full time or part time, and salary | Horsky moved to reduce the base salary from $130,000 to $120,000 and "Move forward with option eat" [E] (1:50:10); seconded by an unidentified member (1:50:27); roll call at Towle's request (1:53:25): Pierce No, all other audible responses Yes; "The motion passes." (1:54:24). Pierce's follow-on motion for option D ruled out of order (1:54:39). |
| 1:55:53 | Superintendent evaluation process | Straw man circulated for markup; discussion deferred to the next meeting. |
| 2:00:02 | Other business | Police security presentation to go to the Claremont board; August 14 Newport funding forum; SAU 6 website launch; McGoodwin farewell July 27; retreat at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center. |
| 2:09:07 | Future meetings | Next agenda: superintendent evaluation straw man and the interim nomination or search update; the Newport forum added at Sprague's request. |
| 2:11:50 | Adjournment | Moved by a member not identified; Steve [Horsky] seconded (2:11:59); voice vote. |
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 |
|---|
| 0:02:33 | Minutes of June 28 | "All those in favor of accepting the minutes from June 28th as written?" A member: "They were very well done." At 0:02:59: "We have two abstentions. Craig and Rebecca." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:03:46 | Self-evaluation tool | Chair: "we should be doing this annually to to evaluate how well we're doing as a group". At 0:06:24: "this one was off the New Hampshire School Board Association site. I just added the last part of it." Towle at 0:09:21: "I've only been here for a few months back on this board." Horsky moved at 0:12:47 to approve "the provided copy by Marjorie with the additional areas of the budget, establishment and oversight". | |
| 0:14:53 | Strategic plan or goals? | Chair: "we don't have a strategic plan." Pierce at 0:20:16: "instead of just a Claremont five years city plan a SSA you six strategic plan." Lowe at 0:21:59: "unity is a separate district from Claremont". LeClair at 0:28:17: "I don't think it's just a plug and play document that accommodates both entities." Chair at 0:33:16: "It's my fourth year and we have not had a strategic plan." | |
| 0:36:38 | Interim search status | Chair: "there were 11 online applicants that we received and one that we received by mail"; at 0:37:05: "we met on July 5th and reviewed all of the applications, and we chose two that are moving forward to interview". Committee makeup at 0:37:58: the two district chairs, "Mike and myself, and then three from the s a year." Nate at 0:38:32: "For more online and one more paper." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:38:56 | Certification | Petrin: "The emergency waivers for the certification." Chair at 0:39:24: "I thought this board agreed on that. We wanted them to be certified." Lowe at 0:41:34: hiring an uncertified person "includes an additional cost". | |
| 0:46:40 | Who does the search | Pierce: "I felt like it should be all of us together working on this, because all of us together, the ones that are making the changes in the effects, not just the select you." Chair at 0:47:26: "The decision was made at the previous meeting not to move forward in that way." | OBSERVATION |
| 0:49:45 | Fund balance | LeClair: after the leadership change the FY19 SAU budget projection was "$24,155 in the hole in the red". At 0:53:01, with summer vacancies: "about $318 in in the red". At 0:53:31: "$111,000 not committed" of salary; total compensation available "$143,000" (0:54:59). | OBSERVATION |
| 0:56:06 | Scenarios A to F | A (interim three days): "you end up with $70,000 in fund balance" (0:57:00); B (three days plus acting two): "approximately 57,000" (0:57:13); C (four days, benefits): "22,000 and change" (1:00:31); D (four days plus acting one): "approximately 15,000"; E (five days at the prorated $111,000): "A deficit of $14,000." (1:01:30); F, break-even: "It would be $98,000" (1:02:04). | OBSERVATION POSITIVE |
| 0:58:07 | The acting superintendent's own pay | LeClair: the figure is "the difference between my salary as an assistant superintendent and the salary of the superintendent for two days". At 0:58:23: "Since we're talking about me." Lowe: "We are talking about you." | POSITIVE |
| 1:04:01 | Is $130,000 too much? | Horsky: "we're being very aggressive at $130,000, in my opinion, for a superintendent." At 1:05:53: "consider a salary closer to the to the, the F model." | |
| 1:21:02 | Can E be afforded? | Sprague: "can we afford option E is that is that do we have the money to take a $14,555?" LeClair at 1:21:17: "All of the rest of the money is spoken for." Towle at 1:36:46: heat and electricity lines are "kind of really look at those as fixed line items". | OBSERVATION |
| 1:23:12 | What falls to the assistant superintendent | LeClair: "It's going to fall to me, let's just be honest." At 1:29:41: budget preparation across "37, $38 million across the three entities"; "seven new administrators. I only have three of those positions filled." At 1:33:49: grant work "will be almost non-existent". | |
| 1:43:38 | Staff recommendations | O'Neill: "Somewhere between D and F would be where you want to be." LeClair at 1:44:39: "I'd be willing to do DDI would be willing to do d." | |
| 1:50:10 | Motion: $120,000 and option E | Horsky: "Do a motion to take the base salary of 130 and reduce it to 120,000. And for the interim salary, I would like to add that rate. Move forward with option eat." O'Neill at 1:51:04: savings on E "$10,075 to $0.38". A voice at 1:51:47: "Still technically puts you in the hole for about four grand." O'Neill at 1:52:15: the actual pay "would be 102 $0 under scenario E" (as transcribed). | OBSERVATION |
| 1:53:25 | Roll-call vote | Towle: "Would you want to do a roll call." Pierce at 1:53:52: No. Every other name read is followed by Yes.; the first response follows both "Jason. Benoit. Steven." and the last follows two Unity names. At 1:54:24: "Okay. The motion passes." Pierce at 1:54:31: "Beg to make a motion to do D instead with the same financial change." Chair: "we've made a decision already". | POSITIVE |
| 1:55:53 | Superintendent evaluation | Chair: "you all have the straw man in your package." Sprague at 1:57:48: it "might work better if we said, See you board expectations of the superintendent." | |
| 2:01:08 | Newport funding forum | LeClair: Tobin and Valencia "are hosting presentations around the state on the school funding issue"; Newport proposed August 14, "a regularly scheduled unity School board meeting that night" (2:01:40). Horsky at 2:04:50: "Just want to make sure that we don't go as a forum." then "Wanted to make sure we didn't get in trouble." Towle: "Discussion only." | POSITIVE |
| 2:05:58 | Website, farewell, retreat | "launching a new website on Monday"; a farewell for Dr. [McGoodwin] "Scheduled for July 27th at Trinity Episcopal Church" (2:06:54); retreat "at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center" (2:08:16). | |
| 2:09:46 | Next agenda | LeClair: "I am on vacation next week, so I will send out the first draft." Edits may not "meet that seven day ahead reporting requirement." | |
Items flagged for review
Flags are a reviewer's aid generated by comparing the meeting against the law in force on July 12, 2018, cited 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. 5 flags follow, ordered by severity.
OBSERVATION The interim search committee met on July 5 and was to interview on July 13; nothing on the record shows either session was noticed or minuted
The chair reported that the committee "met on July 5th and reviewed all of the applications" and chose two candidates for interviews "tomorrow" (0:37:05). The committee was created by this board on June 28 (the SAU 6 chair and vice chair, the Unity and Claremont chairs, and three administrators). Under RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) a "public body" includes "any committee, subcommittee, or subordinate body thereof", so the committee carries its own notice and minutes duties under RSA 91-A:2, II as it read in 2018, measured against its own membership, not the full SAU board's. Reviewing applications and interviewing could lawfully be done in nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3, II(b) ("The hiring of any person as a public employee."), but only on a motion stating the exemption and a roll-call vote. The recording neither confirms nor rules out that this was done. On June 28, members said the committee might not need to be warned because it lacked a board quorum (graded MEDIUM on that page for the misstatement on tape); here the evidence is only that the sessions occurred, so the grade is OBSERVATION. Pierce's objection that the work was left to "the select you" (0:46:40) is on the record.
Sources: RSA 91-A:1-a, VI(d) (source note ends 2008, 354:1; in force throughout 2018); RSA 91-A:2, I-II (2017 codification, in force throughout 2018); RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and II(b) (2017 codification).
OBSERVATION The board chose the costliest staffing option, projected on the record to leave the SAU budget about $4,000 short
Option E at the budgeted $130,000 showed "A deficit of $14,000." (1:01:30), and the acting superintendent said "All of the rest of the money is spoken for" unless utilities or supplies came in under budget (1:21:17). Cutting the base to $120,000 saved about $10,075 on O'Neill's recalculation (1:51:04), and a voice at 1:51:47 summed up: "Still technically puts you in the hole for about four grand." The administration expected $3,000 to $5,000 more from restructuring a vacant assistant position (1:24:54). This page verified no statute limiting an SAU board's spending against its own adopted budget in these terms, so it records the projection as an observation: the board voted knowingly for an option its staff showed as unfunded by a small margin.
Sources: the recording at the times cited.
OBSERVATION No agenda, packet or minutes are online
MAP.md section 74 records that neither district Drive share holds anything older than 2022 (checked 9/26/26). That is a limit of what the district posts online, not by itself evidence that records were never made: this meeting approved the June 28 minutes and a member praised them (0:02:33). RSA 91-A:2, II as it read in 2018 required minutes naming members and "persons appearing before the public bodies", open to inspection "not more than 5 business days after the meeting"; the mover and seconder requirement began only on January 1, 2019. Because the salary vote was by roll call, the recording itself preserves most individual votes, though three names are garbled. The project's missing-records rule is applied on its online-availability limb.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (2017 codification, in force throughout 2018).
POSITIVE The interim superintendent's pay was set in open session, on a written costing of six scenarios, by roll call
The administration handed members a fund-balance projection, a scenario costing and a statewide superintendent salary survey, and walked through each option with its net effect on fund balance (0:49:45, 0:56:06). The acting superintendent's own compensation for extra duty was discussed openly (0:58:07), and the board took the final vote by roll call at a member's request (1:53:25), so each member's position is on the record. No statute required a roll call here, and a compensation discussion of this kind can be taken into nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3, II(a); the board chose not to.
Sources: RSA 91-A:3, II(a) (2017 codification: employee compensation may be taken nonpublic).
POSITIVE Members checked the quorum question before agreeing to attend an outside funding forum together
When several members offered to attend the Newport school funding forum, Horsky said "Just want to make sure that we don't go as a forum" [quorum] and "Wanted to make sure we didn't get in trouble", and Towle answered "Discussion only." (2:04:50, 2:05:00). Under RSA 91-A:2, I as it read in 2018, "the convening of a quorum of the membership of a public body" to discuss or act on its business is a meeting, while "a chance, social, or other encounter" not convened for that purpose is not one "if no decisions are made". Raising the point before the event is the right instinct.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, I (2017 codification, in force throughout 2018).
Appendix: source files
Official and public sources
- Cablecast show 9906, "SAU 6 SCHOOL BOARD 7-12": Claremont Community Television. 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, scenario costing or minutes for this meeting were located.
- Related meetings in the corpus (pages named by recording): SAU 6 Board, June 28, 2018 (show 9876; the committee and criteria were set there; its minutes approved here); Claremont School Board, July 18, 2018 (show 9907); SAU 6 Board, July 26, 2018 (show 9928).
Project files
Working files this page was built from. The dialogue file is linked; the others are not published with the page.
Dialogue/9906 SAU6071218.mp4.CSV (876 attributed rows; the basis of this page)Input/Videos/9906 SAU6071218.mp4Input/Transcripts/9906 SAU6071218.mp4.jsonScripts/attribution_reports_2015_2023/9906 SAU6071218.mp4.mdInput/SupportingDocuments/MAP.md, section 74
Laws and rules cited on this page