TOWN OF CHARLESTOWN
SELECTBOARD MEETING
FEBRUARY 1, 2006
Selectboard Present: Brenda Ferland, Jon LeClair, Steven Neill
Staff Present: David Edkins, Administrative Assistant
Edward Smith, Police Chief
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: In the absence of Brenda Ferland, Jon LeClair called the meeting to order at 7:15 P.M. and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
SCHOOL BUDGET DISCUSSION – John Murray & Bob Jackson: Jon LeClair advised that John Murray and Bob Jackson asked to be put on the Selectboard Agenda for a school budget discussion. The Selectboard was not aware that this was going to turn into a public forum. John Murray explained that the purpose for meeting tonight is to share his concerns relative to the Fall Mountain Regional School District budgeting practices. He recently resigned his position as a School Board member because he believes they are in a financial crisis. This will worsen if the School Board does not change their spending practices. Historically the school district budgets have been growing about 7.99% annual average over the last forty years. They have gone from $1,236,000 in 1966-67 to a
proposed $23,408,000 this year. If the School Board had held their budget increases to the cost-of-living indexes it would have been $8,735,000 for the 2006-07 school year; this is a huge difference. It would be difficult for a school district to hold the budget to the cost-of-living year-after-year but the school board could have done a lot better than they have; they are financially irresponsible. His specific concerns are that the school board continues to expand their budget at an unsustainable rate; the school board states that this year it is a 4.1% operating budget increase but they have two contracts still in negotiations and no money in the budget for either one. The contracts, when settled, will cost an additional estimated $2,000,000 that will increase the operating budget to 8%+. The State Legislature has capped the growth of state aid by the CPI index. This results in the FMRSD towns assuming more of the burden. The Fact
Finders Report states that if the teachers’ contract is approved it will cost $1,908,415 or an additional 16% and nothing has been set-aside. The School District is proposing an all-day kindergarten at a cost of $195,000. Free dental coverage, free health insurance, longevity pay, sick leave, sick leave buy-back, sabbatical leave, summer pay, workshops and staff development pay are additional benefits. The District contributes to teachers’ retirement funds. Class sizes are less than 20 students but that could be increased to 23-or-24. It is time for the voters to advise that they will not continue to sign the school board’s blank checks.
Brenda Ferland arrived at the meeting.
Cheryl Cavanaugh, Charlestown’s representative to the School Board, understands John Murray’s concerns on some levels but just imagine what the schools would be like on an $8,000,000 budget; the students would suffer. She supports the budget. They are working toward agreements on the teacher and support staff contracts. Health insurance and fuel costs are a big part of the budget. She would like to see the teachers and support staff pay a fair share of their health insurance similar to the private sector. In the end, the taxpayers make the decisions.
Bob Jackson was a member of the Charlestown School Study Committee that was active for a few years. His greatest concern is to have people go to the polls to vote and not understand what the whole thing is all about. Over the years a lot of their study was on the cost per pupil. Class size is important; he believes it is the composition of the class. Two important factors are the curriculum and the instructor. Providing transportation is mandated. Not all the money goes toward educating your children because a good part of it goes toward health insurance. One cannot say that the more money spent provides a better education for our kids.
John Murray responded to Cheryl Cavanaugh. He wanted to clarify that he was not encouraging the school board to only spend to the cost-of-living but the budget could have been done better than what they did. During his tenure he was quite often opposed and was in the minority. Reference was made to page 5, Fall Mountain Performance Report 2005, State Testing Results, which appear in the FMRSD 2006 Annual Report. More evaluations should be done in looking at our programs. This district still scores lower than the State of NH and the US in most areas.
Tom Minickiello, resident and member of the Finance Committee, noted that in the State of NH the students go to school 172 days a year (actually it is 175 days). Teachers put in a 7-1/2 to 8 hour day; about 1,290 hours a year. The average layman works 2,080 hours a year. Teaching is a seasonal job but not everybody has the ability to go to college to become a teacher. Teachers’ pays are compounded. The Town tries to hold their budget to 1%-to-3% increase a year. The Town pays in many ways to keep the kids off the street and that includes recreation activities. We have to compromise and stop this locomotive; it has to stop someplace.
Bob Howland, Staff representative to the School Board, said there is a lot of misunderstanding tonight. He distributed copies of a sheet providing information by the Fall Mountain Teachers’ Association and the salary recommendations of the Fact Finder.
Jon LeClair used to go to school board meetings but if you stood up in opposition to anything you were jeered out of the auditorium. From personal experiences, when speaking in opposition to the budget, it was not only him but his family and kids paid a price for his speaking up. The attendance is poor at these meetings because of that reason. People have spoken up and been heckled. The Finance Committee looks at the Town budget and we cannot afford to do what we would like to because we have to add on the school budget. Benefits should be cut and shared like everybody out in the real world. He commended John Murray for expressing his concerns.
Robert Beaudry, Chairman of the School Board Budget Committee, spoke about maintenance costs. It had dropped down to $70,000-to-$80,000. In a budget but when the District owns $28,000,000 worth of real estate and has $125,000 to keep the buildings up, it is a concern. They included $160,000-to-$170,000 in the budget this year because of projects that just have to be done. Fuel costs are projected at $208,000; health insurance is $460,000. The Budget Committee had to deal with reality. They looked at what they could live with.
John Murray said about 80% of the costs are personnel, benefits and the fact that we are over-staffed especially at the secondary level.
Jerry Pavao, a Charlestown resident and teacher for 18 years with the FMRSD, talked about the on-going negotiations on the teachers contract; retirement plan and health insurance. The teachers’ purpose is to educate the youth and you need qualified people; the government is increasing their standards. The history of the Matthew Thornton policy vs. the other health insurance policy was explained. He discussed salaries in the surrounding area and the fact that if the contract is not signed the teachers will fall behind; it will be the third year without a contract and difficult to maintain a quality staff.
Cheryl Cavanaugh is a taxpayer in Charlestown and appreciates what the teachers and support staff do; it is frustrating to not have a contract. We need to look at health insurance more closely as a part of total compensation. She agrees with the concept of an all-day kindergarten but feels we should settle the teachers’ contract first. If just the budget passes it will increase about 10% but if the teachers’ contract passes it will increase 16.3%. Charlestown has the swing vote.
David Sussman noted that in the past ten years the school budget has increased approximately 70%. The cost-of-living has been about one-half of that figure. The students have decreased and will continue to do so over the next ten years so why hire new teachers. Let’s be honest, we should probably discharge teachers. He agrees that teachers should be well compensated.
Richard Cavanaugh talked about measuring his performance by the performance of his sales people. In the schools he sees the teachers’ report card through decreasing student scores and the SAT scores and he feels this is a means of evaluating the teachers. There is a way to have a scorecard for the teachers.
Bob Jackson thanked everybody for coming to this meeting and thanked the Selectboard for hosting this discussion.
The regular meeting began at 8:15 P.M.
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING(S):
Jon LeClair moved to approve the Minutes of the Annual Warrant & Budget meeting of January 16, 2006, as printed. Steve Neill seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion carried.
Steve Neill moved to approve the Minutes of the regular Selectboard meeting of January 18, 2006, as printed. Jon LeClair seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion carried.
Steve Neill moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard meeting of January 18, 2006, as printed. Jon LeClair seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion carried.
DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS:
Police Department: Police Chief Ed Smith reported that Todd Lyles would be in Technical Training next week. He will pick-up some work when Aaron Reichert is not available. For the next five Thursdays Chief Smith will be taking training courses in Unity; the first course is on Conflict Resolution. Todd Lyles will attend the upcoming Risk Management meeting with the insurance company in his place. They have been working on accidents in the past few weeks and working with the Claremont Police on the area burglaries. The electronic door to the Police Department is malfunctioning. The Selectboard approved having Chief Smith contact a professional to look at it; possibly Claremont Lock & Key.
Highway Department: Steve Neill reported for Keith Weed. The Highway Department had some minor problems with equipment. Keith Weed still does not have a figure from L & B Freightliner on the truck repairs but it will not be a total loss.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
There was no Public Comment made at this meeting.
SELECTBOARD COMMENT:
There was no Selectboard Comment made at this meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
There was no Old Business to come before this meeting.
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION – Payroll, Purchase Orders, Vouchers, Warrants, Abatements, Etc.: The Payroll and Check Vouchers were approved and signed.
Purchase Orders: The Selectboard approved and signed the following Purchase Orders: 1)
Fire Department – NH Division of Fire Training – Fee to the Fire Academy $550.00; 2) Transfer Station – Routhier & Sons – Removal of 180 tires $377.50; 3) Water Department – Pioneer Research $1,599.00; and 4) Highway – Charlestown Cornerstone $565.00.
APPOINTMENTS, PERMITS, LICENSES, & RESOLUTIONS:
There were no Appointments, Permits, Licenses or Resolutions to come before this meeting.
CORRESPONDENCE:
There was no correspondence to come before this meeting.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT:
Selectboard Annual Report: Dave Edkins distributed draft copies of the Selectboard Annual Report for the Town Report based on material put together by Brenda Ferland. Pat Royce would like to have everything submitted to her on or before Friday.
Town Report: Pat Royce has been working on a photo for the front cover of the Town Report. A decision was made to use the photo of a horse-drawn sleigh in North Charlestown.
Antioch College: Antioch College hand-delivered flyers for a bus field trip that they are sponsoring to the Chittenden County Recycling Center in Burlington. The Town has received an application to apply for a recycling grant for up to $5,000 through Antioch College. A copy will be given to the Solid Waste Committee to look at.
Electric Bills: Dave Edkins advised that one of the electric companies is offering a plan to round off the monthly electric bill to the next whole dollar to assist with the low-income users. The Town can opt out of the plan if the Selectboard chooses to do so.
Silsby Library: The Silsby Library will be holding their Open House on Sunday, February 12th, 2006, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.
Insurance: The Town changed insurance companies this year. There will be a meeting tomorrow at 1:00 pm for their representative to explain the Risk Management Program; what can we do to minimize our losses. Department Heads and Selectboard have been invited to attend.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Conservation Commission – Steve Neill: Steve Neill has not attended a Conservation Commission meeting this month.
CEDA – Steve Neill: CEDA has not yet met this month.
Solid Waste Committee – Jon LeClair: There has not been a Solid Waste Committee meeting since his last report.
Ambulance Department–Jon LeClair: The Ambulance Department has not yet met this month.
Heritage Commission–Brenda Ferland: The Heritage Commission has not yet met this month.
Planning Board–Brenda Ferland: The Planning Board will not meet until Tuesday, February 21st.
NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
Jon LeClair moved to enter into a Nonpublic Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a) Personnel. Steve Neill seconded the motion and, on a roll call with all in favor, the motion carried. The time was 8:42 P.M.
The regular meeting resumed at 9:02 P.M.
Deliberative Session: Dave Edkins advised that the Deliberative Session is scheduled for next Wednesday, February 8th at 7:00 pm in the Charlestown Middle School gymnasium. The Selectboard will present the nine Articles as follows:
Article 1: To elect Town Officers: will be taken care of on March 14th.
Article 2: Floodplain Development Ordinance: Steve Neill will make the motion and Brenda Ferland will second it. Dave Edkins will provide an explanation.
Article 3: To accept the reports of the various Town Officers: Steve Neill will make the motion and Jon LeClair will second it.
Article 4: To appropriate an operating budget: Jon LeClair will make the motion and Steve Neill will second it. Dave Richardson, as Chair of the Finance Committee, will address the proposed budget.
Article 5: To raise and appropriate $65,000 for necessary repairs and improvements at the Municipal Building complex: Brenda Ferland will make the motion and Steve Neill will second it. Brenda Ferland will explain the proposed necessary repairs and improvements to preserve the Town’s municipal facilities investment.
Article 6: To appropriate the sum of $50,000 for the rehabilitation of the so-called “Dry Bridge” connecting Main Street to Bridge Street: Jon LeClair will make the motion and Steve Neill will second it. Brenda Ferland will look into whether or not the bridge might need to be higher in the future to accommodate the higher trains. Keith Weed will be asked to speak on this issue.
Article 7: To appropriate the sum of $1,000 to be placed in the Capital Reserve Fund for the purpose of compiling an updated Town History. Brenda Ferland will make the motion and Jon LeClair will second it.
Article 8: To appropriate the sum of $5,000 to support CEDA. Steve Neill will make the motion and Jon LeClair will second it. CEDA will be asked to have a member present.
Article 9: To permanently discontinue the northernmost 925 feet of CEDA Road including the existing turnaround. Steve Neill will make the motion and Jon LeClair will second it.
Ambulance: Steve Neill mentioned that the ambulance was involved in an accident while responding to a call. It went off the road, hit guardrails and did front end damage. The Police were not called to the scene. He noted that Dave Duquette had previously suggested putting disposable cameras in all Town vehicles to be used to take pictures when deemed necessary for the Town’s information.
Safe Driving Seminars: Steve Neill suggested that when an employee is involved in an accident that they be required to attend a Safe Driving seminar. Dave Edkins advised that the insurance companies offer these courses and he will address this tomorrow afternoon with the insurance company representative.
Jon LeClair moved to adjourn this meeting. Steve Neill seconded the motion and, on a roll call with all in favor, the motion carried. The time was 9:16 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary Approved,
Brenda L. Ferland, Chair Jon B. LeClair Steven A. Neill
(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections, if necessary, may be found in the Minutes of the February 15th, 2006, Selectboard meeting.)
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