Annual
School Report
for year
ending
June
30, 2003
and School Budget
for 2004-2005
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*** School District Officers, Agents and Employees *** *** MARLOW SCHOOL Board ***
*** N.H. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT 29 ADMINISTRATION ***
*** STAFF ***
*** OFFICERS ***
*** ENROLLMENTS *** Elementary:
Middle School:
High School:
TOTAL ALL PUPILS: 118 |
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*** School Compliance Statement *** COMPLIANCE STATEMENT This school district receives federal financial assistance. In order to continue receiving such federal financial assistance, this school district will not discriminate in their educational programs, activities or employment practices on the basis of race, language, sex, age, or handicapping condition, under the provisions of Title IX of the 1972 Educational Amendments; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Complaints regarding compliance with Title IX regulations should be submitted in writing to the Title IX liaison for School Administrative Unit 29, the Personnel Manager, 34 West Street, Keene, New Hampshire. Complaints regarding compliance with Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - Section 504 should be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Education, 34 West Street, Keene, New Hampshire. Phillip G. McCormack, Ed.D. |
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*** School Warrant *** Results of School Meeting 2004 *** MARLOW SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING MINUTES *** MARCH 11,2004 The annual school district meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. on March 11, 2004, in the John D. Perkins, Sr. School by Moderator Joseph N. Feuer. The flag salute was led by Richard Rock and an invocation read by Joe Feuer. Representatives from SAU 29 were introduced: Dr. Philip McCormick, Superintendent of Schools; Wayne Woolridge, Assistant Superintendent of Schools; Timothy Ruehr, Business Manager. Also present: Richard Brewer, Teaching Principal; School Board Members Joseph Scharf, Arthur Andreasen, Kenneth Dassau, Stephanie Tickner, and Denise Davis; Jeanne Kennedy and Carol Despres, Supervisors of the Checklist. The March 9, 2004, election results were announced as follows: Denise Davis and Stephanie Tickner, School Board Members for a three year term; Kenneth Dassau School Board Member, one year term; Joseph N. Feuer, Moderator, one year term; Mary Avery, Clerk, one year term; Deborah Washburn, Treasurer, one year term. Approximately forty people were present to act upon the warrant read by the Moderator. ARTICLE 1 - Elections - To choose all necessary school district officers:
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Results of School Election 2004 ***
*** Results of School Meeting *** ARTICLE 1 - To hear the reports of agents, auditors, committees or officers chosen, and to pass any vote relating thereto.
ARTICLE 2 - To see what sum of money the District will vote to raise and appropriate for the support of schools, for the salaries for school district officials and agents, and for the statutory obligations of the District, or to take any other action in relation thereto. (The Marlow School Board recommends approval of the sum of $1,419,080.)
ARTICLE 3 - To see if the District will vote to appropriate and authorize the school board to transfer up to $25,000 of its unencumbered funds, if any, remaining on hand at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2004 the sum of $25,000 to be deposited in the Capital Reserve Fund established by voters at the March, 2002 district meeting for the purpose of major renovation/reconstruction of the school buildings and grounds and related costs, or to take any other action in relation thereto. (The Marlow School Board supports favorable action on this warrant article.)
ARTICLE 4 - To see if the District will vote to appropriate and authorize the school board to transfer up to $25,000 of its unencumbered funds, if any, remaining on hand at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2004 the sum of $25,000 to be deposited in the Tuition Trust Fund established by the voters at the 1993 district meeting for the purpose of paying future year regular/special education tuition, or to take any other action in relation thereto. If there is an insufficient undesignated fund balance as of June 30, 2004 to fund this appropriation and the appropriation in Article 3 (Capital Reserve Fund), Article 3 will be funded first, with any additional surplus to be applied to this warrant article. (The Marlow School Board supports favorable action on this warrant article.)
ARTICLE 5 - To transact any other business that may legally come before this meeting.
Motion made, seconded and passed to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Following the adjournment Denise Davis, Stephanie Tickner, Kenneth Dassau, Deborah Washburn, Joseph N. Feuer, and Mary Avery received the oath of office. Respectfully submitted, Mary Avery Marlow School District Clerk A True Copy Attest: |
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School 2004/2005
Proposed Budget
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*** Independent Auditor's Report *** PLODZIK & SANDERSON To the Members of the School Board We have audited the accompanying general purpose financial statements of the Marlow School District as of and for the year ended June 30, 2003 as listed in the table of contents. These general purpose financial statements are the responsibility of the School District's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these general purpose financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted the Untied States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the general purpose financial statement are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. The general purpose financial statements referred to above do not include the general fixed assets account group which should be included in order to conform with, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. As is the case with most municipal entities in the State of New Hampshire, the Marlow School District has not maintained historical cost records of it's fixed asset. The amount that should be recorded in the general fixed assets account group is not known. In our opinion, except for the effect on the financial statements of the omission described in the preceding paragraph, the general purpose financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Marlow School District as of June 30, 2003, and the results of its operations for the year then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Our audit was made for the purpose of forming an opinion on the general purpose financial statements of the Marlow School District taken as a whole. The combining and individual fund financial statements listed as schedules in the table of contents are presented for purposes of additional analysis and are not a required part of the general purpose financial statements of the Marlow School District. Such information has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the general purpose financial statements and, in our opinion, is fairly presented in all material respects in relation to the general purpose financial statements taken as a whole. |
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*** School Treasurer's Report *** REPORT OF SCHOOL DISTRICT TREASURER SUMMARY
District Treasurer: Deborah Washburn AUDITORS' CERTIFICATE This is to certify that we have examined the books, vouchers, bank statements, and other financial records of the treasurer of the School District of _____________ of which the above is a true summary for the fiscal year ending June 30, ______ ,and find them correct in all respects. Auditors: Date: |
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*** Minutes of 2003 Marlow School District Meeting *** MARCH 13, 2003 Joseph N. Feuer, Moderator, called the annual school district meeting at the John D. Perkins, Sr. Elementary School to order at 7:04 p.m. The flag was saluted. School Board members present included Arthur Andreasen, Kenneth Dassau, William Rescsanski, Joseph Scharf, and Stephanie Tickner. Representing SAU 29 were Dr. Phillip McCormack, Superintendent of Schools; Wayne Woolridge, Assistant Superintendent of Schools; Timothy Ruehr, Business Manager; Melissa Lemnah, Recording Secretary. Richard Brewer, Teaching Principal, was also present. Jeanne Kennedy and Nancy Vesco represented the Supervisors of the Checklist. The March 11, 2003, election results were announced as follows: Arthur Andreasen, School Board Member for a three-year term; Joseph N. Feuer, Moderator, one-year term; Mary Avery, Clerk, one-year term; Deborah Washburn, Treasurer, one-year term. Approximately twenty-five people were present to act upon the warrant read by the Moderator. ARTICLE 1 - Motion made and seconded that the District accept the reports of agents, auditors, committees and officers chosen as printed in the annual report.
ARTICLE 2 - Motion made and seconded that the District raise and appropriate the sum of $1,490,370.00 for the support of schools, for the salaries for school district officials and agents, and for the statutory obligations of the District.
ARTICLE 3 - Motion made and seconded that the District authorize and empower the school board to borrow up to $83,695 representing the State of New Hampshire share of special education costs for the 2003-2004 school year pursuant to R.S.A. 198:20-D upon such terms and conditions as the school board determines in the best interests of the District; said sum, together with the costs of borrowing, to be repaid by the State of New Hampshire, pursuant to R.S.A. 186:C-18.
ARTICLE 4 - To see if the District will vote to appropriate and authorize the School Board to transfer up to $25,000 of its unencumbered funds, if any, remaining on hand at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2003, the sum of $25,000 to be deposited in the Tuition Trust Fund established by the voters at the 1993 District Meeting for the purpose of paying future year regular/special education tuition, or to take any other action in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 5 - Motion made and seconded that the District approve the following statement and alert state and federal lawmakers to the concerns expressed in the statement regarding unfunded and under funded mandates.
ARTICLE 6 - To transact any other business that may legally come before this meeting. The resignation of Barbara Briggs was noted. The Board and District expressed appreciation for the many contributions made by Barbara during the 25 plus years that she served as clerk.
Following the adjournment at 8:23 p.m., Arthur Andreasen, Joseph N. Feuer, Mary Avery, and Deborah Washburn received the oath of office. Respectfully submitted, ***
Marlow School District Election Results ***
*** MARLOW SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTION RESULTS
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*** School Administrative Report *** The staff at John D. Perkins Elementary School, like staff in other schools in SAU 29, has placed considerable emphasis on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. This piece of federal legislation is very significant with regard to its impact on what and how we do what we do in schools, the manner in which students are assessed and schools are held accountable, and the sanctions for those schools which do not comply with, or meet federal expectations. NCLB has influenced the work of the staff, especially with regard to curriculum review and revision and teaching. The teachers have been actively involved in training in both analyses of test results and curriculum mapping. Analysis of test results helps teachers identify trends in student performance that are impacted by the content of the curriculum presented and the teaching strategies used to present the material. Curriculum mapping is a method by which teachers can work to develop a more coordinated curriculum that is better aligned with the state standards upon which the state testing program (NHEIAP) is based. Teachers have greatly expanded their knowledge of technology as a teaching tool, i.e., they are making greater use of technology to assist in classroom instruction. Much of this training and related technology equipment has been funded through a grant written by Keene School District personnel to establish the Southwest Learning Center which services school districts throughout southwestern New Hampshire. Review of this year’s test results on the state testing program shows Marlow’s students performing well in comparison to other schools across the state. The New Hampshire Department of Education comparatively reports schools’ scores as the percentage of students scoring at the "Basic or better level". The Department of Education equates this with performance "at grade level or better". Due to the small class sizes in Marlow, results are reported in three-year averages. At the third grade level, scores show 81 percent of Marlow’s students performing higher than the average for the state (75 percent) in English language arts. In mathematics (the only other area tested in grade three), Marlow’s average score of 70 percent is slightly below the state average (72 percent). At the sixth grade level, with the exception of mathematics, Marlow’s average scores exceed the state average scores in subject areas tested (English language arts, science and social studies). Again this year, the difference between Marlow’s average scores and the state’s is substantial -- 13 percent better than the state. In mathematics, Marlow’s average score is one percent less than the state average score (72 percent). Although not a measure used by NCLB, student performance in their classes is important and is a measure used to report on at Keene High School. There were 44 students from Marlow in attendance at the high school last year. Again this year, a relative area of strength for Marlow students was in English where 60 percent of the students taking an English class received a grade of "B" or better. Science was another area of strength in which 57 percent of those taking a science class earned a grade of "B" or better. Approximately 25 percent of the students taking a science class were enrolled in either an honors or Advanced Placement level class. It is interesting to note that 81 percent of the students enrolled in an honors or Advanced Placement class in the core subject areas (English, mathematics, science, social studies, or world language) earned a grade of "B" or better. Marlow students also continue to take advantage of co-curricular -- athletic as well as non-athletic -- opportunities. Teachers have continued to work hard to provide the children with challenging and productive learning activities. They have done this in the face of several significant obstacles. Funding is one of these. The NCLB legislation contains several under funded or unfunded mandates. Combined with the continuation of under funding related to special education and changes to the state’s funding scheme, it is increasingly more difficult to find the funds needed to meet the needs of all students. Unfortunately, John D. Perkins School lost its Title I funding this year. Eligibility for these federal funds is based on poverty level as defined by the federal census bureau. I compliment the staff on its resourcefulness in looking to other outside funds to help provide students with enrichment, as well as remedial programs. Community support for the school has been tremendous and greatly helps with projects that would otherwise not be completed. The P.T.A. has been active and generous in its financial support of various activities. As the staff and school board work through the full implementation of NCLB and try to deal with the funding problems plaguing many school districts in the state, it is very important that the community be involved and informed. I encourage you to visit and observe what occurs at the school. Please attend a school board meeting to hear about and discuss school-related matters in a timely fashion. Also, please plan to attend this year’s annual district meeting on Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. Phillip G. McCormack, Ed.D. |
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*** Principal's Report *** Our current population is as follows: kindergarten - 7, grade one - 11, grade two - 1, grade three - 12, grade four - 9, grade five - 10, grade six - 7. Total population - 57. We have had few changes in the staff at the school since last March. Our new music teacher is Ms. Vicky Moore. Mrs. Sandra Cunningham, our kindergarten teacher, is now our Title II teacher in the afternoon. Last year she was the Title I teacher. We continue to use federal funds to support student learning. Unfortunately, we have lost our Title I funding. We do have some funding left over from previous years and are planning how to use those funds to purchase equipment and materials to support basic skills in our identified Title I students. Title II funds are being used to provide a class size reduction teacher in the afternoon. As mentioned above, Mrs. Cunningham has accepted that position. Title II is also providing funding for teacher training. Title V funds (last year called Title VI) are being used to provide a pre-school resource center in the school. Mrs. JoEllen Manning has accepted the position of coordinator of that program. REAP funding has been used to replace antiquated computers with new systems in two classrooms, as well as providing three classrooms with new LCD projectors. The PTA continues to be very active, even with a small membership. They have used much of the proceeds of their fundraisers to make the school safer and a better place to learn. For example, they donated $200 to each specials teacher to enable the students in those classes to have some unique project or entertainment. The Spanish teacher was able to invite a drummer, Michael Wingfield, to demonstrate different musical cultures. Music stands were provided for students in music class. Concerns about student safety prompted the purchase of helmets, which were sold to students at a much-reduced rate. A donation was made to the Yearbook Committee for the graduates, who were also given atlases. A fold-up cot was purchased and is kept in the office for students feeling under the weather. Teacher appreciation was shown by purchasing a much-needed refrigerator for the teachers' room and providing a great noontime meal for the staff. Food was provided at Field Day and Discovery Night. The PTA also sponsored the Read-a-Thon; a fundraiser that provides students with incentives to read. Proceeds went to local organizations. The PTA also arranged a number of activities. Game night continues to be a student favorite. Thanksgiving dinner was served to all our students and some of their families; approximately 120 people. Many students also attended the Christmas Craft Day Workshop. We continued to make improvements to the property this last year. The hill that was planted with conservation mix in the fall was replanted in the spring and should be ready for mowing this spring. The PTA provided bird feeders for the garden and regular upkeep has been performed by PTA members, staff and students. We added an addition to the covered walkway to divert falling snow and ice away from the sidewalk. The PTA provided the school with a bike rack for students, which is now located adjacent to the walkway. Other volunteers continue to be assets to the school. Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Dave Elliott, and Mrs. Mike Elliott contributed many hours to produce the school yearbook last spring. This year Mrs. Andreasen and Mrs. Reynolds continue that tradition. Many thanks to Dave Stewart who is still maintaining our school website. The site continues to be a conduit linking the community with the school. Respectfully Submitted, |
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*** Chairman's Report *** To begin, I would like to thank Bill Rescsanski for his years of service to the district. I would also like to thank Denise Dennis for coming forward to fill Bill’s unexpired term. As of this writing, the Board has yet to finalize the budget. However, we are looking at a reduction in the budget. The bad news is that the conditions that have driven our budget so high have not changed. Special education costs are on the rise and federal reimbursement is still inadequate. In addition, unfunded mandates associated with the No Child Left Behind legislation have further reduced our adequacy funding and grant monies. As we head into an election year, I would urge everyone to make special education funding a priority when voting. Elizabeth Scharf was this year’s recipient of the Marlow School Board Scholar-ship. Elizabeth is attending UNH and majoring in Chemistry. As always, I would like to thank the staff at John D. Perkins School for their hard work and dedication. I also wish to thank the administrative and support staff of SAU 29. It is not an easy task for the Board to balance the needs of the students with our responsibility to the taxpayer, given the lack of control we have over much of the budget. I can state that the budget we will present to you, the voters, is a no-frills budget and I ask for your support. I closing I would like to say how much I appreciate the efforts of my fellow board members -- Art Andreasen, Ken Dassau, and Stephanie Tickner. Joseph Scharf, Chair |