MINUTES OF MEETING
JACKSON SCHOOL BOARD
Jackson Grammar School
October 15, 2012
1. Call to Order: The Oct. 15th meeting of the Jackson School Board was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Present were Genn Anzaldi, Keith Bradley, Fred Nemeth, Lauren Synnott, William White, Dr. Carl Nelson, and Principal, Gayle Dembowski.
2. Approve Minutes (9-17-12) – Motion by Mr. Nemeth, second by Ms. Synnott, to approve the Minutes of the Sept. 17th meeting as circulated. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
3. Citizen Comments: None.
4. Presentation of School Programs/FYI Items:
The Board was joined by members of the Unified Arts Team, Steven Cooney, Physical Education Teacher; Lauren Houlihan, Music Teacher; Meredith Piotrow, Media Specialist, for a presentation of the UA Report Card used for grading. Ms. Houlihan said they decided the old rubric was not working and is outdated and wanted it very clear and concise why students are getting the grade they are getting. She said in discussing what they would like to see, Ms. Dembowski suggested asking the parents – comments were received from parents, guardians and students – parents would like personal feedback about their student and description of what is going on in class, student’s effort and interest.
Ms. Houlihan said they tried to change the language, there were three main topics – responsibility, participation, attitude/behavior. They will count each one of the three equally then average the grade. They are proposing still providing comments about what’s happening in class.
Ms. Anzaldi questioned whether other schools in the district are using a similar model. Ms. Houlihan stated Bartlett does not – it is different in each class. Mr. Cooney said at John Fuller School for Physical Education they are using a rubric that is similar. Ms. Anzaldi said she likes that they show each area as opposed to being lumped together, but there seems to be a disparity if they, for instance, often do something bad. Ms. Dembowski said we had a 4 point scale before; if thinking about it in terms of the rubric used in the State, we may have to tweak that language a little.
Ms. Anzaldi stated she likes it, but it looks like there is no middle road - she suggested shifting the curve over. She said she appreciates where the team is going and, as a parent and School Board member, she likes it. Ms. Dembowski stated the majority of schools do not write any comment at all. Ms. Houlihan said we see these kids for a very short amount of time and if more personal comment is required they would end up with something more generic. Ms. Anzaldi stated the whole UA Team is great and her kids come home excited all the time.
Dr. White said you have responsibility and behavior under responsibility, but it seems like you are talking about more organizational skills. He said there is behavior and there is poor organizational skills – he feels those could be redundant – “What are they bringing into class?, how are they acting?” He encouraged looking at that and consider changing the language – “How do I act with my teachers?, how do I relate to the class?” Ms. Houlihan said the reason it says respect for materials and equipment is it is a behavior, but it is their own responsibility. Ms. Anzaldi suggested they might use “comes prepared for class.” It was suggested it read “Students consistently bring appropriate materials, or are poorly
prepared for class” because it is not an intentionality of lack of respect. Ms. Houlihan said the reason the responsibility one was worded that way was because for a lot of classes it is too much to ask; there was some concern also about the way that they treated materials. .
Ms. Anzaldi expressed appreciation that they are moving in the right direction, noting we do not always hear what the kids are doing. Ms. Houlihan said they try to give an overview of what we studied in the quarter. Mr. Bradley suggested also letting parents know what will be coming up in the next quarter.
A. SAU – Other School Board Reports – Dr. Nelson reported the SAU Executive Board meeting will be held on Nov. 1st at 6:30 p.m., with a regular SAU Board meeting to be held on Nov. 8th at 6:30 p.m., both at the Conway Professional Development Center.
5. Old Business: None.
6. Instructional Issues: None.
7. Consider Personnel Actions:
A. Consider Approval of One Year Leave of Absence for Dexter Harding – Motion was made by Mr. Bradley, second by Ms. Synnott, that the Board consider request by Dexter Harding for a one year leave of absence and benefits as stipulated in his request, contingent upon finding a certified and qualified replacement by March 30, 2013. Mr. Harding has stated that he would pay his own health insurance from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, at which point the District would begin paying its share of his premiums for the 2014-15 school year. Ms. Dembowski said she will want a new person coming in to spend some time with Mr. Harding to get used to the routine. Ms. Anzaldi suggested if they find someone, they should
bring them in in June. Motion carried by unanimous vote. Ms. Anzaldi stated Mr. Harding will be missed.
8. Business Affairs:
A. FYI – 2012-13 Budget Status Report – Dr. Nelson said they are in good shape. There were no questions or comments.
B. Consider Recommendation of SAU #9 Board Regarding Energy Consumption – Dr. Nelson said the Board is recommending that Jackson look at its energy consumption and energy policy, and that it be forwarded to the Policy Committee. Motion by Mr. Bradley, second by Ms. Synnott, that the Board follow the recommendation of the SAU Board and the proposal be forwarded to the Policy Committee. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
C. Consider Declaring Bus Surplus – Motion by Mr. Bradley, second by Ms. Synnott, that the Board declare the 2000 and 2004 full sized buses surplus and authorize sale of same. Mr. Bradley said he hates selling them and questioned whether there is someone we could donate them to, stating if we sell them both we will no longer have a “parts” bus. He questioned whether it is wise to keep one for a parts bus, and whether SAU 9 people are sure we should not keep one. Dr. Nelson said they would not be on this proposal if that were the case. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
9. Administrator’s Reports:
- SAU #9 Target Goals for 2012-17 - Dr. Nelson provided copies of
SAU #9 Target Goals. Ms. Anzaldi said she likes the target goals and is pleased with the new additions.
Dr. Nelson announced there will be a Jackson School Board budget meeting on Nov. 7th at 10:00 a.m.
- Dumpster - Ms. Dembowski provided quotes from two sources for
bear proof dumpsters [one quote was provided by Black Mountain at $88.00, but was not for a bear proof dumpster]: Waste Management - $151 per mo., with various options; North Conway Incinerator Services - $276. per mo. with various options. There was some discussion as to whether the quote by Waste Management is a fixed price and whether there are penalties for canceling; and separate charges assessed by North Conway Incinerator Services for recycling, as well as other variables. Mr. Bradley suggested Ms. Dembowski check with the town to see if there is any advantage in working in conjunction with them and their disposal company. Ms. Anzaldi suggested Ms. Dembowski go back to NCIS to double check their figures.
- UA Report Card Update – See Page 1.
3. NECAP Science - Ms. Dembowski noted because the 4th grade is small, we do not get the same breakdown that Mr. Voci gets for Bartlett. She reported 85% of our kids are within the 3 & 4 level [proficient or proficient with distinction]. We are significantly above State level.
Ms. Dembowski said she has spoken about pulling a task force together and would like to explore using someone from outside to facilitate the group to look at our enrollment and generate some marketing strategies, making new businesses and new families aware of JGS and welcoming them into town. She said some thought has been given to inviting a real estate person, a Selectman, and a Board member, so she could participate as the Principal instead of as facilitator. Dr. White said we went through this once and the town voted to continue on – it is not the first time there has been discussion of closing the school. He said he feels the dialogue is important, but is not sure about investing money at this point. Ms. Anzaldi stated we have gone down to 18 students and still kept a
school. Ms. Dembowski said she has three incoming Kindergarteners for next year, this year there were seven.
Mr. Bradley questioned whether there is an exercise we could do to show people we are not really saving any money by closing this school? Ms. Dembowski stated Waterville Valley is one of the top per student cost in the State. When people tuition into their school they ask for $9,000, but because of their location they get a lot of people wanting to come there. They had 60 children last year. She feels we could do the same with JGS – it would be a great marketing tool to promote and invite families to this area. Dr. Nelson suggested getting a group together first and brainstorming. Ms. Anzaldi said November/early December, is a good time to gather local people and suggested sending it out in eNews would help.
Ms. Dembowski said she has received a report from Family Support Liaison, Vicki Garland. Ms. Garland was at Freshman orientation, meets the school bus, goes into the lunch room. She has already helped three of our students and their parents. There have been no discipline referrals. Last quarter 71% of Jackson students were on the honor roll and at the end of the year 86% of Jackson students were on the honor roll.
FYI – Adjustment to Contract of Steven Cooney – Dr. Nelson advised the Board of a need to revise Mr. Cooney’s contract due to the fact that he has received his Master’s degree.
10. Citizen Comments: None.
11. Board Member Issues:
- Set Date for Next Meeting – November 19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
- NHSBA Resolutions were distributed.
12. Signing of Manifest: Manifests were duly signed.
13. Nonpublic Session: None.
14. Adjourn: Motion by Ms. Synnott second by Mr. Nemeth, that the meeting be adjourned at 6:55 p.m. Motion carried by unanimous vote.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail T. Currier, Recording Secretary
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