November 5, 2015
A meeting of the Berlin Board of Education was held in the Berlin High School library at 6:00 p.m. Present for the meeting were Nicole Plourde, Donald Labrecque, Denise Valerino, Louise Valliere, Bryan Lamirande, Julie King, Amy Huter, Dan Record, Martha Miller, Kevin Carpenter, Roland & Cheryl Pinette, Debora Payeur, Scott Losier and a member of the press.
MINUTES On a motion by Louise Valliere, seconded by Donald Labrecque, the Board voted to approve the minutes of the October 15, 2015 meeting, public and nonpublic sessions. The motion passed unanimously.
WARRANTS On a motion by Donald Labrecque, seconded by Louise Valliere, the Board voted to approve the warrants dated, November 2, November 9, and November 10, 2015 for the amounts of $1,501.29, $267,222.40 and $4236.00 respectively. On a roll call vote, all members voted in the affirmative.
FINANCIAL REPORT The Board reviewed and approved the financial report.
Bryan Lamirande also informed the Board of the new cost effective Medicare Supplement Plan the District would like to offer its retirees. The Board agreed that we should offer the new PDP plan.
COMMENTS Roland Pinette congratulated the Board members on their re-election and stated that Donnie Labrecque will be missed.
FY 17 TUITION On a motion by Donald Labrecque, seconded by Louise Valliere, the Board voted to approve the FY17 Tuition rates as follows:
Elementary: $15,661
Middle: $14,271
High School: $15,525
On a roll call vote, all members voted in the affirmative.
POLICIES EFA, EFAA On a motion by Louise Valliere, seconded by Denise Valerino, the Board voted to approve the first reading of Policies, EFA – Availability and Distribution of Healthy Foods, and EFAA – School Meal Charging and Payment, along with a revision to Policy JICC-R – Student Conduct on School Buses as presented. Discussion ensued. The motion passed unanimously.
SMARTER BALANCED Bryan Lamirande informed the Board that the preliminary results of the Smarter Balanced Assessment could not be released until they were final. The Department of Education will have a press release on December 9 and December 10, 2015.The District will be passing out student results in early December.
EDies The Board will get back to the Superintendent if anyone is available to attend the EDies Wall of Fame Plaque Ceremony on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. in Concord NH.
COMMENTS None
MEMBER BUSINESS Nicole Plourde congratulated the re-elected Board members and welcomed Scott Losier.
Nicole asked for an explanation of the new Competency Based (1234) grading system that is used for grades K-5. She is concerned how this grading is going to be looked at by colleges. The principals explained the concept of competency based grading. Julie King commented that the goal is to have all students make progress. Roland Pinette explained the difference between having content knowledge and owning a skill. The Board asked if this practice will be implemented in grades 6-12. They were informed that it is being looked at, but not ready to be implemented at this time.
Denise Valerino asked Bryan Lamirande how many hours an employee had to work to be eligible for health insurance and how being paid by a stipend was factored in the equation. He explained the number of hours was 30 per week and that the amount of hours needed to complete the stipend activity need to be included. Therefore, an extracurricular activity could cause an employee to become eligible for health insurance even if they work less than 30 hours per week.
STAFFING On a motion by Louise Valliere, seconded by Denise Valerino the Board voted to approve the following staffing changes:
NOMINATIONS:
Andy Rancloes – BHS Yearbook Advisor
Peter Peare – BMS Girls Basketball Coach
Anthony Mullins – Hillside Basketball Coach
Alexys Ficek – Hillside Basketball Coach
Devin Atkinson – Hillside Basketball Coach
Nicole Arguin- Hillside Basketball Coach
Megan Corrigan – Hillside Basketball Coach
Lindsay Demers – Hillside Yearbook Advisor
Kayla Lavoie – Hillside Yearbook Advisor
RE-NOMINATIONS:
Anthony Mullins – BMS Boys Basketball Coach
Michael Smith – BMS Boys Basketball Coach
Mandy Woods – BMS Girls Basketball Coach
The motion passed unanimously.
All nominations are contingent on the applicant passing a background check.
ADJOURN On a motion by Donald Labrecque, seconded by Louise Valliere, the Board voted to adjourn it’s meeting at 6:55 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Secretary, Berlin Board of Education
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