Dec.2007
School Board Minutes of Regular Meeting December 2007

December 12, 2007 Minutes of Regular Meeting / Marlow School Board / John D. Perkins School, 7:30 p.m.

Present: 
Joseph Scharf, Chair
Stephanie Tickner, Board Member
Nancy Tomasko, Board Member
Ken Dassau, Board Member
Phyllis Peterson, Principal
Wayne Woolridge, Co-Superintendent of Schools
Timothy Ruehr, Business Administrator for Towns
Jill Wdowiak, Recording Secretary

Also Present: 
Dorothy Frazier, Keene Middle School Principal (left 7:50)
Marcia Levesque
Donna Chase
Paula Ceranowicz
Dawn Miller
Mike Miller

1. Call to Order:

Mr. Scharf called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m.

2. Approval of Minutes:

A motion was made by Ms. Tickner to approve the board minutes of November
14, 2007 (R). Ms. Tomasko seconded the motion. A unanimous vote in favor
was taken.

3. Hearings of Individuals and/or Groups:

Ms. Levesque asked Ms. Peterson if a new PE teacher had been hired. Ms. Peterson replied that the former PE teacher's last day was November 29th and that she is working on filling that position. Ms. Levesque asked if we (Marlow) have a vote in the Keene Middle School Building project. Mr. Woolridge replied no, you must be a Keene resident to vote on that.

4. Bills and Manifests:

A motion was made by Mr. Scharf to approve the bills and manifests (cks # 5001195-5001196) in the amount of $658.38 and (cks #5001197-5001213) in the amount of $24,009.18. Ms. Tickner seconded the motion. A unanimous vote in favor was taken.

5. Financial Report:

Mr. Ruehr presented his financial report showing a net available balance of $190,952.00 as of December 12, 2007. He explained that the only change was in regular education tuition.

Middle School Discussion - Mr. Ruehr distributed Marlow's Projected Cost to send 6th grade students to KMS. He explained that Marlow's 6th grade is very small therefore we won't be saving money, in fact it will cost more to send them to KMS as opposed to keeping them in Marlow. Mr. Ruehr added that we will be cutting a teaching position if students are sent to KMS as 6th graders. Mr. Scharf asked Mr. Woolridge to make an overture to the superintendent of Keene to nail down a tuition cost and to also look into busing costs as well. Mr. Woolridge will report back to the Board with his findings. 

Ms. Tickner asked that if our sixth graders remain in Marlow, how could we be sure that our kids are prepared when they get to the middle school. Mr. Scharf replied, we need to look at what Keene has to offer as 6th graders. Mr. Woolridge suggested that Marlow teachers pursue professional development in Landmark College's Master Notebook. Ms. Ceranowicz asked what would it take to integrate this organizational training program in this school. Ms. Peterson felt that the Master Notebook Program should be looked at and built on as a staff. She suggested that the Marlow should contact Keene Middle School in order to dovetail with their program so that our students have an easier transition. Mr. Ruehr encouraged Ms. Peterson to look into the cost associated with the Master Notebook Program. Ms. Ceranowicz would like to know if Marlow is covering the same social studies and science units as Keene. She would like a copy of the units covered in Marlow in order to compare them to Keene's units. Ms. Ceranowicz shared her concerns that there has been  no discussion in Marlow as to what curriculum is being covered here. Ms. Levesque states that social studies and science is a hands-on learning experience and feels that what is being covered in Marlow is being read and not hands-on. She further added that at Keene Middle School, every class has a list of curriculum that will be covered; therefore there is no question.

Budget Overview - Mr. Ruehr distributed and explained Marlow's 2008-2009

Budget Overview, which shows a decrease of 19.68%.

The board directed Mr. Ruehr to add a line item to reimburse mileage for Board members. 

A motion was made by Mr. Scharf that the vacant stipend of the absent school board member be divided between the four current school board members. Ms. Tomasko seconded the motion. A unanimous vote in favor was taken.

Mr. Scharf stated the following upcoming important dates:

Jan. 23 - Feb. 1, 2008 Filing Period

February 11, 2008 Last day for presenting a warrant article petition

6. Reports:

  1. Principal:

Ms. Peterson presented her principal's report. She updated the Board on the vacant PE position and that she hopes to have the position filled over the Holiday break.

  1. Co-Superintendent

Mr. Woolridge informed the Board that a 10th grader was absent from Keene High School for five or more days due to an illness/discipline. He also updated the Board on Keene Middle School who is currently looking into building a new school vs. renovating the current one. He shared that the cost to renovate is higher than building a new school. Mr. Woolridge informed the Board that Keene High School is looking into the possibility of modifying block scheduling and would like to move to a more flexible schedule. He also updated the Board on the recent renovations that were done at 34 West Street in order to make it ADA compliant, as well as the possible installation of voice mail for next year.

  1. School Board Members

None

  1. S.A.U. 29 Committees

None

7. Old Business:

  1. Other

None

8. New Business:

  1. Review Board Member Candidates

This item should be removed from future agendas.

  1. 7th & 8th Grade KMS Report

Dorothy Frazier, Principal of Keene Middle School, distributed her report stating that Marlow students represent 2.5% of the middle school and are doing very well. She shared the 6th grade program with the Board explaining that it does  differ from the 7th & 8th grade program. Mr. Scharf asked if she perceives any difference in the integration of 6th grade students as opposed to 7th grade students. She replied that there is not one answer but when it comes to initiatives and study skills, kids coming in as 7th graders miss a year of the sequence. Ms. Levesque asked what the core subjects are. Ms. Frazier replied that Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies and English are the core subjects and all must equal the same amount of time in a 6-day cycle.

  1. Other

None

9. Future Agenda/s:

January - Approve School Calendar for 2008-2009

January - Approve School Budget for 2008-2009

10. Non-Public Session - R.S.A. 91-A:3:

A motion was made by Mr. Scharf that the Board move into non-public session at 9:20 p.m. under the provisions of R.S.A. 91-A:3 to discuss staff personnel. The motion was seconded by Ms. Tomasko. A unanimous vote in favor was taken. Accompanying the Board was Mr. Woolridge, Mr. Ruehr and Ms. Peterson.

11. Adjournment

Mr. Scharf adjourned the board meeting at 10:05 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jill Wdowiak
Recording Secretary

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