PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MINUTES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FINAL UNTIL THE RPC HAS APPROVED THEM AT ITS NEXT MEETING.

LISBON/M.S.A.D. NO. 75

REORGANIZATION PLANNING COMMITTEE (RPC)

November 7, 2007

The Lisbon/M.S.A.D. No. 75 Reorganization Planning Committee met at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2007, at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham, Maine.

Committee members present were: (from Bowdoin) Leroy Letourneau, Tim Lavan and Kim Totten; (from Bowdoinham) Kim Benjamin, Daniel Billings and Joanne Reinhart; (from Harpswell) James Henderson, Elinor “Ellie” Multer and Joanne Rogers; (from Topsham) Stephen Harris, Robert W. Hill and James Trusiani; and (from Lisbon) Prudence “Prudy” Grant, Gina Mason, Martha Poliquin and Charles Smith.

Also present was Superintendent J. Michael Wilhelm (M.S.A.D. No. 75). Shannon Welsh (Union 30) was not present, as she was representing Durham in one of its consolidation meetings.

Student representatives Cam Bubar (Lisbon High School) and Sam Prindall (Mt. Ararat High School) were not present.

Donna Frisoli of Harpswell Channel 14 TV was present to record this evening’s meeting.

The meeting was moderated and facilitated by Jay Bartner.

A. Call to order

The meeting was called to order by Co-chair Bob Hill at 6:30 p.m.

B. Approval of minutes of the October 24, 2007, RPC meeting

The following changes were noted. The changes will be made to the minutes, and the corrected version will be distributed and posted appropriately.

“D” on Page 2 – change “re-elected” to “elected”

1^st paragraph on Page 3 – delete the word “in” following “within”

3^rd paragraph from bottom on Page 3 – insert “Wilhelm” following “Superintendent” in the next-to-the-last line

It was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded by Mr. Harris, and VOTED (unanimously, with Mr. Smith and Ms. Mason exercising the one-seat/one-vote provision of sharing one position) to accept as corrected the minutes of the October 24, 2007, RPC meeting.

M.S.A.D. No. 75 Business Manager Ron Lavender felt it important to make the distinction that in the minutes of the Employee & Bargaining “break-out” meeting, he was present for only about five minutes of the meeting – not the majority of the meeting.

C. Public Comment

No public comment was heard.

D. Employee & bargaining report and RPC vote on recommendations

As Chair of this Committee, Mr. Harris made the recommendation to negotiate agreements for support staff and administrators with an expiration of 2009 and a 2010 expiration for the teachers bargaining unit.

Superintendent Wilhelm noted that RSU’s will be facing negotiating contracts prior to the actual creation of the RSU’s . He suggested that, with the tasks to be performed by the RSU, and in an effort to more seamlessly start up, perhaps contracts should be intact for next year and the RSU could live with it as such for a year. He posed the question of what the situation would be like if the RSU were started up and negotiations were incomplete.

Mr. Harris stated that if it were agreed to a continuation of expiring contracts, it would be imperative to have some continuity.

Superintendent Wilhelm stated that the Law anticipates going into an RSU with two contracts, knowing what the situation is.

Ms. Multer assumes that they would have the same expiration.

Ms. Grant has been working on a side-by-side comparison of the two contracts and is half-way through the support staff contract.

At 7:34 p.m. Mr. Henderson left the meeting due to a prior commitment.

Ms. Grant asked whether her continued work on the comparison would be helpful.

Superintendent Wilhelm agreed that whoever is doing negotiations should find it easier to pick out the areas needing to be negotiated by viewing a side-by-side comparison.

Mr. Billings questioned whether it would make sense for the administrators’ agreement to be negotiated in the first year.

Superintendent Wilhelm stated that the only administrators’ agreement is with the principals and that it is not time consuming.

Interest was expressed in achieving a common expiration date, so as not to overburden new administrative staff.

Mr. Harris asked Superintendent Wilhelm if his suggestion is to have the support staff and teachers’ agreement expire the same year. Superintendent Wilhelm stated it might be premature to negotiate the teachers’ agreement the first year.

M.S.A.D. No. 75 Business Manager Ron Lavender pointed out that, from the time the RSU selects a Superintendent, the unit has a compressed time period within which many tasks must be accomplished and to add one more task to the RSU’s load will complicate the issue, coupled with the difficulty of the “old” unit closing and hiring for the “new” one. He anticipates a considerable administrative burden if the RSU starts up with no contracts in place. He added that it makes sense to have different expiring dates on the agreements and suggests negotiating two-year agreements.

Mr. Hill is willing to have this decision go back to the Committee. He read from his notes that the suggestion has been made to negotiate a one-year support staff agreement to expire in 2010, a two-year administrators’ agreement to expire in 2010 and a teachers’ agreement to expire in 2011.

Mr. Billings suggested pushing the support staff agreement to expire either in 2010 or 2011.

Mr. Lavender believes this arrangement would be too long to ask staff to work without a new RSU contract, feeling they would be tolerant of being asked to do so for one year, but that two years is too long.

Mrs. Rogers would like to see them all expire in 2010, then re-negotiate them all, believing it is possible to do so. While Ms. Multer pointed out that you three contracts would all have to be negotiated in the same year, Mrs. Rogers felt it could be done.

Superintendent Wilhelm feels it is important to negotiate the “new” agreements and that it would not be problematic to do so the first operative year of the RSU.

Mr. Harris cautioned there might be a significant change in staffing. He also is concerned about issues of “co-mingling” the existing contracts in the RSU.

Mr. Billings suggested that one could be for two years and another for three years.

Ms. Benjamin suggested taking this back to the Committee for further study. Mr. Harris agreed.

E. Sub-committee breakout – The committees broke out from 7:00-8:15.

F. Sub-committee reports:

- Governance – Mrs. Rogers reported that the Governance Committee will be making recommendations on required policies. Student attendance at Region Ten was discussed, and she noted that Lisbon students have the ability to attend a program in Lewiston. She stated that M.S.A.D. No. 75 students will continue to have an opportunity to attend Vocational Region Ten.

Superintendent Wilhelm added that the RPC is looking to the State for guidance on the issue of the differences in vocational programming.

- The Financial and Employees & Bargaining met jointly. Mr. Harris stated that the question remains on the process of identifying cost savings. Superintendent Wilhelm was asked to provide the levels of data needed, to help determine where savings can be derived.

G. Wrap-up and schedule of meetings

Ms. Benjamin asked when the tabled item can be picked up again. Mr. Hill said it could be addressed at the December 5^th meeting.

At the next meeting, Ms. Multer would like a table of organization to consider.

Superintendent Wilhelm noted that a progress report must be submitted to the State by December 1^st.

Ms. Grant requested that the December 19^th meeting be held in Lisbon, probably at the Community School. Mrs. Rogers prefers meeting in Topsham, as it is the “middle” of the RSU, noting that she drives from Harpswell. Ms. Poliquin suggested that perhaps Lisbon citizens might be more inclined to attend a meeting in Lisbon.

Mr. Hill restated that the December 5^th meeting will be held at Mt. Ararat Middle School, and the location of the December 19^th meeting will be announced.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Rebecca A. Brillant

Recorder

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