October 1, 2008
A meeting of the Berlin Board of Education was held in the Berlin High School library beginning at 6:00 p.m. Present for the meeting were Mitch Couture, Martha Laflamme, Nathan Morin, Nicole Plourde, John Moulis, Marion Huntley, Georgia Caron, Beverly Dupont, Dan Record, Gary Bisson, Tim Forestall, Corinne Cascadden, Jane Provencher, Ken Proulx, Jan Millis, Jim Lucy, Cathy McDowell, and members of the press.
MINUTES On a motion by Nicole Plourde, seconded by Martha Laflamme, the Board voted to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2008 meeting, public and non public sessions. The motion passed unanimously.
FINANCIAL REPORT Marion Huntley reviewed the latest financials and answered various questions asked by the Board.
WARRANTS A motion was made by Martha Laflamme, seconded by Nathan Morin, to approve the warrants dated September 22, and October 6, 2008 for the amounts of $1,262.97, $767.62, and $269,143.95 respectively. Discussion ensued regarding Munce's service calls, cafeteria start up costs, and USDA Commodities shipping costs. On a roll call vote, Martha Laflamme, Nathan Morin, and Nicole Plourde voted in the affirmative with Mitch Couture abstaining.
COMMENTS None
HONEYWELL Jim Lucy spoke to the Board about energy conservation. He gave the Board history of the three energy projects Honeywell has done with the Berlin Public Schools beginning in the mid 1980"s, then again in 1995 and again in July of 2006 for the latest ten year project. Other future options the Board may want to consider were presented briefly, including the use of biomass technology. He mentioned wood chips are currently ¼ the cost of oil. Questions were answered. The Board thanked Jim for his information.
AFTER SCHOOL Cathy McDowell and Jan Millis gave an update on the After School Program. This is the fourth year of operations in our schools. They have served 936 students over that period of time. They will come back later this fall to discuss the next five year cycle of grant funding and specifics they are looking at. Jan Millis gave an overview of successes in the 2007-2008 program and plans for 2008-2009. They also informed the Board of the Lights on After School celebration being held on October 16, 2008 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at Veteran's Park.
GORHAM BUS John Moulis gave the Board information on the process used prior to entering into an agreement with Gorham on Bus repairs. The Board discussed future options, and trying to keep options open for rates charged in the future.
SUPER REPORT The Superintendent gave the Board an update on the meeting with the City Council on the purchasing of two buses and a pickup truck.
The Superintendent reminded the Board of the October 6, 2008 meeting with Dummer on the Tuition Agreement issue. Since there is a Council meeting on that same evening, the Board and Administration will split so both meetings will have Board and Administration representation.
The Superintendent informed the Board that BHS was awarded second place in the NHIAA Sportsmanship Banner Award. Congratulations to BHS athletes.
Discussion ensued on whether the Board would have a quorum for their October 15th Board meeting. The Board decided to have the meeting at 6:30 a.m. for paying bills and staffing only. A quorum was available for the earlier time on October 15, 2008.
COMMENTS Jane Provencher stated Kudo's to BHS efforts to encourage students to do their best in NECAP's.
NEW BUSINESS The Board was reminded that they need to be ready to answer questions previously submitted by the Dummer Board at the October 6, 2008 Dummer meeting.
NON PUBLIC On a motion by Martha Laflamme, seconded by Nicole Plourde, the Board voted to go into nonpublic session at 7:30 p.m. in accordance with RSA 91-A3II (a), (b), (c). On a roll call vote, all members voted in the affirmative.
On a motion by Nathan Morin, seconded by Martha Laflamme, the Board voted to come out of nonpublic session at 8:15 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. No additional votes were taken in nonpublic session.
STAFFING On a motion by Nicole Plourde, seconded by Martha Laflamme, the Board voted to accept the following staffing changes:
NOMINATIONS:
Brynna Kelley - School to Career - BHS
Heidi Glines - Title I Tutor - Hillside School
Tom Sweeny - Outing Club - BHS
RE-NOMINATIONS:
Don Picard - Math Club Advisor - BJHS
Nicole Arguin - Student Council - BJHS
Ben Murphy - Yearbook Advisor - BJHS
Danielle Service - Honor Society - BJHS
All nominations are contingent on the applicant passing a criminal record check. The motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURN On a motion by Nathan Morin, seconded by Nicole Plourde, the Board voted to adjourn it's meeting at 8:17 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Secretary, Berlin Board of Education
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