PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MINUTES WILL NOT BE FINAL UNTIL

THE BOARD HAS APPROVED THEM AT ITS NEXT MEETING.

 

April 27, 2006

 

The Board of Directors of Maine School Administrative District No. 75 held a regular meeting at Mt. Ararat High School on Thursday, April 27, 2006.

 

The following Directors were present:  Joanne Rogers, Chair; Maryane Burns; Dorothy “Dee” Carrier; Marie Dickson; Caroline Eliot; Robert W. Hill; David A. Johnson; Jane Meisenbach; Andrea Najarian; Kim Totten; and Roland Tufts.

 

Not present were Dorothy Gardner, Jeffrey Rowe and Jeffrey Steinert.

 

Also absent were  Tasha Cornish and Sara Todd, student representatives to the Board of Directors.

 

1.         Call to order

 

            The meeting was called to order by Chairman Rogers at 6:35 p.m.

 

2.         Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

 

            The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was recited by those present.

 

3.         To consider action relative to additions or adjustments to the agenda and to ask for comments from the audience

 

            Agenda adjustments were noted as follows:

 

            (add)

6.6              To consider and approve warrant articles for the June 13, 2006 budget referendum

 

(add)

7.3              Policy Committee report

 

√          Chairman Rogers deferred Item 6.2 (executive session) until after the Superintendent’s Report.

 

3.1       RECOGNITIONS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 

►        Wes Pelletier, Mt. Ararat High School sophomore – To attend the Young Writers Conference at Breadloaf

 

►        Darren and Derek Brawn, Mt. Ararat High School seniors – Accepted into the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy

 

►        Seniors:  Jordan McGuire, Will Perry & Rosa Spaeth;

Juniors:  Tim Baker, Reuben Fischer-Baum, Joshua Lalonde, Noah Lumsden & Kate Reichert;

Sophomores:  Connor Fitzsimmons & Dylan Pinette) – Mt. Ararat High School Math Team members qualifying for the State Meet

 

►        Dennis Edmondson, Mt. Ararat High School History teacher – invited by the Gilder Lehrman Association to contribute to a book on the 12 most teachable sites in Maine

 

►        Grades 7-9 students performing with the John Philip Sousa National Regional Junior Honors Band –

 

Kaela Miller & Brittany Getch (flute)

Clarissa Dickinson, Laura Hill & Jan Bessey (9th grade) (clarinet)

Deborah Gary (9th grade)(bass clarinet)

Ben Grotton & James Martin (alto sax)

Evelyn Dickinson (trumpet)

Nick Burich (euphonium)

 

  1. To take action relative to accepting as printed the minutes of the April 13, 2006, regular meeting of the Board of Directors

 

It was noted that in the motion to enter executive session (Item 6.8) Ms. Burns’ name was recorded as having voted “nay.”  She actually voted in the affirmative.  The recorded weighted votes correctly indicates that she voted “yea.”  Her name should have been recorded in the listing of those voting affirmatively to enter executive session.

 

It was moved by Mr. Johnson, seconded, and VOTED (713 yeas, 0 nays, 67 abstentions, and 220 absent) to accept as corrected the minutes of the April 13, 2006, regular meeting of the Board of Directors.

 

Voting yea were Ms. Burns, Mrs. Dickson, Ms. Eliot, Mr. Hill, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Meisenbach, Ms. Najarian, Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Totten, and Mr. Tufts.

 

There were no nay votes.

 

Abstaining from voting was Mrs. Carrier.

 

Absent were Mrs. Gardner, Mr. Rowe and Mr. Steinert.

 

5.         OLD BUSINESS:

                                               

5.1              To take action relative to a second reading and approval of the Return to Work and Light-Duty Assignments Policy GBGE

 

It was moved by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Tufts, and VOTED (unanimously) to accept the second reading of and approve the Return to Work and Light-Duty Assignments Policy GBGE.

 

6.         NEW BUSINESS:

 

6.1       To accept the resignation of Mara McCarthy, Functional Life Skills teacher at Woodside Elementary School

 

It was moved by Mrs. Carrier, seconded by Mr. Hill, and VOTED (unanimously) to accept the resignation of Mara McCarthy, Functional Life Skills teacher at Woodside Elementary School.

 

6.2       To enter executive session to consider The Highlands’ interest in District property as allowed under 1 M.R.S.A. Section 405 (6) (C), the disposition of property

 

                        This item had been deferred by Chairman Rogers to end of the agenda.

 

6.3       To approve a school calendar for the 2006-2007 school year

 

This is considered the second of two required “considerations” of the proposed school calendar for the 2006-2007 school year.

 

It was moved by Mrs. Carrier, seconded by Ms. Najarian, and VOTED (unanimously) to approve a school calendar for the 2006-2007 school year.

 

6.4              To consider a request from Seth Berry for a leave of absence without pay during the 2006-2007 school year if he wins a seat in the 123rd Legislature

 

Superintendent Wilhelm noted that this is a formality, as a State Law provides for public employees the ability to take such leave.

 

Mrs. Dickson asked whether a replacement would be hired.  The Superintendent assured the Board that the same services will continue to be provided by that program.

 

It was moved by Mrs. Carrier, seconded by Ms. Najarian, and VOTED (unanimously) to approve a request from Seth Berry for a leave of absence without pay during the 2006-2007 school year if he wins a seat in the 123rd Legislature.

 

6.5       To consider a request from the Town of Topsham to assess the budget impact from closing West Harpswell School

 

Superintendent Wilhelm has provided the Town of Topsham information generated two years ago when the Palesky tax cap loomed as a possibility.  Dr. Wilhelm questioned whether the Board wants the research done to generate this information.  He noted that on Wednesday, April 26 he had received the same request for information on closing Harpswell Islands School (the original request was for cost savings if West Harpswell School were to be closed).  He stated that the information requested may appear as a matter of course  during the Harpswell Withdrawal negotiations.

 

Ms. Najarian wondered whether the Board couldn’t hand over materials to allow the Town to do its own research.  It was noted that the process needed to gather the information would not be as simple as turning over, for instance, a budget booklet.  Dr. Wilhelm reiterated that the District Office is likely to be doing the calculations as part of the negotiations process.

 

Mr. Hill asked whether the Topsham Selectmen have availed themselves of the Superintendent’s offer to meet with them regarding the budget and/or the Harpswell Withdrawal initiative.  Dr. Wilhelm noted they had not.  Mr. Hill shares Mrs. Rogers’ sentiment, in that this information is likely to become available during the course of the withdrawal negotiations.

 

Mrs. Rogers doesn’t understand the rationale for Topsham’s request for information on cost savings of closing Harpswell Islands School and said she would like a great deal more information on the reasons for the question.

 

Ms. Burns would be comfortable waiting until the requested figures become apparent in the process of negotiations, stating that if they don’t appear during the process, they could then be generated.

 

Ms. Eliot feels that the Board has a clearly delineated process in place for looking at this situation (in considering closure of schools).  She expressed her opinion that the budget process is the appropriate forum to ask such questions, and that the withdrawal negotiations process is also appropriate.

 

Mr. Tufts would like to know the rationale for the request.

 

Ms. Eliot suggested that perhaps the Superintendent could offer to meet with the Selectmen of the Town of Topsham regarding this request, and Dr. Wilhelm readily agreed to do so.

 

Superintendent Wilhelm recapped what he believes the Board’s sentiment is relative to this request, in that the Board wishes to communicate to the Town of Topsham that it believes the requested information will evolve in the process of withdrawal negotiations and that it if doesn’t, the Board would wait before taking on the new assignment, and that the Board would ask for an opportunity to discuss the request and ask the motivation for said request.

 

6.5              To consider and approve warrant articles for the June 13, 2006 budget referendum

 

Business Manager Ron Lavender had provided Board members with a copy of the warrant articles, wherein the Board’s suggestions had been incorporated.

 

It was moved by Mr. Hill, seconded by Mr. Johnson, and VOTED (unanimously) to approve warrant articles for the June 13, 2006 budget referendum.

 

7.         COMMITTEE REPORTS:

 

7.1       MVR 10 Cooperative Board – Superintendent Wilhelm reported on the April 26th meeting.

 

7.2              Withdrawal Committee – Ms. Najarian reported that the Board’s Withdrawal Negotiations Committee will meet on May 3rd.  Both Mr. Tufts and Mrs. Totten indicated that the joint meeting on April 24th had evidenced that more figures needed to be obtained.

 

7.3              Policy Committee – Ms. Burns reported on this evening’s Policy Committee meeting, at which the Learning Results policy was discussed.  At least another meeting will be held relative to this.

 

8.         SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT:

 

8.1              Correspondence – Board members had been sent a copy of a letter from a District resident regarding the Harpswell Withdrawal initiative.

 

8.2              Probationary teacher contract renewal – Board members are invited to review evaluations of probationary teachers before the May 11th Board meeting.  Reappointment of first-year and second-year probationary teachers will appear on the May 11th Board meeting agenda.  The evaluations are available in the District Office for review beginning May 1st for a two-week period

 

6.2              To enter executive session to consider The Highlands’ interest in District property as allowed under 1 M.R.S.A. Section 405 (6) (C), the disposition of property

 

At 7:05 p.m. it was moved by Mrs. Rogers, seconded by Mrs. Carrier, and VOTED (unanimously) to enter executive session to consider The Highlands’ interest in District property as allowed under 1 M.R.S.A. Section 405 (6) (C), the disposition of property.  (Ron Lavender, Doug Stevens, and Debbie Fisk remained.)

The executive session ended at 7:55 p.m., and the following action was taken.

 

It was moved by Mr. Tufts, seconded by Mr. Hill, and VOTED (unanimously) to communicate to The Highlands that M.S.A.D. No. 75 is willing to offer its property to the east of Perkins Street (.7 acres, Map U-4, Lot 1) in exchange for the 1.95 acres owned by The Highlands that abuts the north boundary of the Williams-Cone lot, no liability to be incurred by the school system if sewer improvements arise from The Highlands’ development to the south of Williams-Cone property, the continued use of The Highlands’ golf course by the Mt. Ararat High School Golf Team, and a donation of $100,000.

 

9.         ADJOURNMENT:

 

            At 7:58  p.m. the meeting was declared adjourned.

 

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