NORWICH BOARD OF SCHOOL DIRECTORS
PUBLIC MEETING and BUDGET ADOPTION
THURSDAY JANUARY 19, 2006
7:00 P.M., MARION CROSS SCHOOL LIBRARY
Approved Minutes
Present: Board members Cheney, Gray, Kaplan, Vitt; Administrators Gersen, Aubin, Edson; and 3 members of the public. Recorded by R. Lohr
1. Call to order – Deb Kaplan called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m.
2. Executive Session
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to go into Executive Session in accordance with Title 1, Section 313 for discussion of negotiations and personnel matters. The motion passed unanimously. The Board went into Executive Session at 7:04 p.m. The Board closed Executive Session at 7:15 p.m. and re-entered public session at 7:15 p.m.
3. Report of Chair
Deb Kaplan announced that the next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 7:00 p.m., at the Marion Cross School Library.
Two Board seats are open in March, Deb Kaplan’s (a two year term and a non voting term on the Dresden Board) and Mary Sachsse’s (a three year term). Filings take place any time from now until January 23, 2006. Candidates must present a petition with 35 signatures to the Norwich Town Clerk.
The Dresden School District has filing dates from Tuesday, January 17 through 5:00 p.m., to Monday, February 6. Filing for School District Officers can be done with either the School District Clerk, Deborah Carter, or at the SAU Office, 45 Lyme Road, Room 27 in Hanover. Open positions include Moderator – one year; Clerk- one year; Treasurer-one year; Auditor – three years.
There was mention of the Marion Cross School presentation of past Olympic competitors and a short video was shown about Hannah Kearney in a regional competition where she earned an Olympic team birth.
4. Public Hearing on proposed 2006-07 Budget
Assistant Superintendent John Aubin announced that there was an agreement on a new teacher contract in Norwich that included a modest wage package and an increase in employee co-pay amounts for health care. He also announced that the HEA agreed to use Harvard Pilgrim as the health care provider, which will save the Dresden school district $200,000, which, in turn, reduces the Norwich assessment to Dresden by $60,000. With the revised budget, Norwich will be within the excess spending provision (124.5 percent above threshold, which is under the 125 percent statewide spending average). The Board expressed its appreciation to the administration for the accomplishment on the budget. The public also thanked the Board and the administration for a job well done.
5. Business Requiring Action
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to approve the contract with the New Hampshire Education Association as presented. The motion passed unanimously.
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to approve the 2006-07 budget in the amount of $4,183,748, to be placed on the Warning and voted on at the March 7 Australian Balloting by Norwich voters. The motion passed unanimously.
The Board reviewed the changes to the warrant articles and mentioned adding the energy efficiency project and withdrawing the article regarding the maintenance reserve fund. A few typographical errors in the articles were corrected.
Linda Gray moved and Margaret Cheney seconded a motion to approve the Norwich School District Warning Articles for the March 6 and 7 Annual School District Meeting, as attached to the original meeting minutes, and further to authorize the Administration to make whatever technical changes are necessary in order to ensure that the Warning is legal and that the intent of the Norwich Board of School Directors is conveyed. The motion passed unanimously.
9. Adjournment
Linda Gray moved and Geoffrey Vitt seconded a motion to adjourn at 7:40 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. |
