MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF September 19, 2024
Current Board Members-
North Berwick- Lauren Janousek, Kate Whalen, Joshua Tabor
Berwick- Alison Herlihy, Elva Lovejoy, Peg Wheeler
Lebanon- Nancy Sewell, Jeridene Basko, Nancy Neubert
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held in person on September 19, 2024 at 7:00 pm with all members attending except Ms. Herlihy.
(For a full account of this meeting please review the video here… School Board Meeting 9-19-2024 you can choose to view the transcript in progress by clicking CC for subtitles.)
Prior to the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr Tabor shared a point of order regarding the executive session that was voted in but removed at this time from the agenda by the chairwoman based upon advice of legal counsel. He stated that he appealed the ruling of the chair in dismissing the executive session and was seconded by Ms. Basko. The board then held discussion. Mr. Tabor’s belief is that the chairwoman had no authority to cancel the executive session that was scheduled by unanimous vote of the school board at the previous meeting. He stated that the board should be in an executive session currently. The Chair, Ms. Neubert stated that under the advice of the district’s attorney, she had the authority to cancel the executive session as it would be potentially addressing employee concerns and that/those employee(s) have the right to attend and bring legal counsel. There was a range of conversation from multiple board members on the topic. Varying policies were discussed and a general consensus regarding which specific policy to follow was not agreed upon. Clarification from Mr. Tabor regarding the reason for the executive session: Ms. Stanton Whalen had requested the executive session after Mr. Tabor’s allegation that the administration was not following policy. Ms. Whalen concurred that she had requested the session based on Mr. Tabor’s allegations, but that after speaking with administration felt that it was not appropriate due to the implications for the employees if their names were brought up in that executive session. Other board members weighed in on the situation and expressed concerns about lack of clarity in the requests (dating back to the August 14th board meeting) and lack of clarity in regard to board policy that regulated this situation. Board members expressed the belief that the attorney advice should be followed and Mr. Tabor did share that he had not been given the opportunity to meet with the attorney himself prior to the decision but going forward would only feel comfortable meeting with the attorney in public with all members present.
Ultimately, the board returned to the motion on the floor where Mr. Tabor appealed the ruling of the chair and it was seconded by Ms. Basko that his motion to go into executive session was deemed out of order. He noted that a yes vote upholds the ruling of the chair. All Members voted in favor except Mr. Tabor, Ms. Basko and Ms. Sewell.
Following this, there were further discussions regarding the situation and how to move forward. An offer was extended for Mr. Tabor to meet with the Superintendent, board chair and the district’s attorney to discuss policy and the legal implications of the situation. Mr. Tabor stated that he would only like to meet with the attorney in a public session with all members present. There was concern expressed by Ms. Wheeler about the use of legal counsel in terms of impact on the budget. Ms. Janousek expressed concern about the ramifications of this ongoing concern and the message it is sending to those who might be interested in joining the district who might be watching these meetings. Ms. Basko and Ms. Sewell also expressed concern regarding fully understanding specifically the policy concerns that are being discussed and which policy is actually being cited by the district’s attorney as it seems to be in conflict with their understanding.
Pledge of Allegiance
There were 10 in the audience.
Ms. Whalen read the public input statement.
Public Input
Mr. Carl Tabor of North Berwick noted that he has heard a lot about the policies this evening. He wanted to point out that policies should be followed by the Board and then the administration etc and down to teachers and students to follow the policies. Maine is last in the nation and not following the rules and not being strict enough is to be considered.
Jonathan Hall, North Berwick, shared a board policy that he feels requires a change as it provides some controversy/conflict. GBEB-relationships with students, this policy, while well intended calls into question the reason why we are in education. He noted that he lives in the district and has worked here for over 20 years. He grew up in the district as well. He is concerned regarding the impact of the policy on relationships which are an important aspect of teaching. He urged the board to look at the policy and asked that they revise it to best meet students’ needs. Also, he noted policy BAA- VCA Board Member Code of Ethics which encouraged cooperation, participation by teachers, administrators, and other personnel in developing policies that affect their welfare and that of the children they serve.
Mr. Chris Whitley of North Berwick shared his tax bill that included a $1000 increase due to school taxes. He noted that he has had to go back into the workforce and he is seeing that the students coming into the workforce are not able to read and write and are not being job ready. He urged voters to think about that when they go into the voter booths.
Minutes:
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to table the minutes for both meetings until the October 3 meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Harriman and Associates Facility Study:
Ms. Lisa Sawin and Mr. Jamie Ouellette shared a detailed overview of the Facilities Study that they will be conducting this year for the district.
Lebanon Leach Field Discussion:
The board then held discussion around financing the leach field through the Maine Bond Bank. Ms. Denise VanCampen, Business Manager, shared with the board a potential approach with the Maine Bond Bank… This would include Spring issue and finance over 10 years which would be approximately $15000 per year for ten years. Under this potential plan, FY 25 would incur no extra costs and we would move into FY 26 with it. Mr. Tabor asked about other financing options, for example through the credit unions in our area. Ms. VanCampen stated she would look into those options. She is going to dig deeper into the financing and it will be brought forward at the October 3 meeting where it will be important to make a final decision in order to move forward with replacement of the leach field.
Technology Lease Review/ Questions with Phone lease purchase clarification:
Ms. Brigette Dumont, Technology Director, clarified with the board the purchase of over 245 phones throughout the district and why it was necessary as part of the previously approved technology lease. She noted that the audio was distorted on the recordings coming in and out and that some phones, in guidance for example, weren't able to call out. This was concerning for a variety of reasons, emergency, etc. The team worked with our vendor for six months, trying fixes and phone swaps. The only thing that worked was the phone swap. So, we pushed our phone replacement up to this year. Communication and safety go hand in hand and this was deemed a top priority. Ms. Dumont also discussed replacement cycles for equipment etc. as the board asked questions.
District Goals:
The Superintendent then discussed district goals. There are four parts to our strategic plan, which included community engagement, school safety, high quality resources and pathways to success. We talked about the fact that these overarching pieces of our strategic plan, were developed over a long period of time with staff, with community input, with board input and that's how district goals were developed. When we discussed this at the last meeting, we discussed having each section highlighted with smart goals developed by the administrative team and brought forward to the board for consideration. For this meeting, the focus was pathways to success. The administrative team worked to refine some goals for the board to review. And these are set up as a smart goal. Smart goal: specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and timebound . Pathways to Success Goal
The board discussed the percentages as well as the graduation rate. Ms. Sewell asked questions regarding the assessments that were being utilized and whether they are the best for measuring students' academic achievement. Mr. Tabor also noted his concern regarding the assessments and emphasized the importance of criterion referenced assessments. More discussion will follow as Dr. Shannon Swiger, Director of Teaching and Learning, will join the board for a presentation in the future.
Employment:
None at this time.
Superintendent Update:
Open houses in all of the schools were very well attended in all of the buildings.
District administration met with the drivers to problem solve the absences that will occur periodically throughout the year. The planned absences have been able to be covered. But there is concern about unplanned absences and how that could impact runs.
The Superintendent asked board members about the ability to attend a meeting for two expulsion hearings… October 1st 6:30 pm was noted as doable.
Other:
Ms. VanCampen shared a few more specifics regarding the warrants and the code of numbers:
Number 1’s primary pay
Number 2’s stipends
Number 9’s are grant related funds
An update on the surveys that teachers use at the beginning of the year to get to know students was requested. They are a google survey that goes to the teacher. Questions typically are not mandatory to answer but as was learned last week a few did go out from specific staff that had mandatory replies. We found that Google Survey has a default that goes to “must answer” unless it is toggled off. Administration has noted that this can be problematic and is addressing it with these types of surveys with staff.
Ms. Sewell also asked about a request that was made regarding seeing all of the contracts for our non teaching staff. Ms. Van Campen noted that she would speak to Ms. Sewell at the conclusion of the meeting to get specifics and address the timing of the completion of that request.
There was an issue raised by a parent regarding non school materials. A flyer from Maine Health was put up at the Middle School in the student bathrooms that concerned the parent and we are working through the process of reviewing that document. The parent has sent emails to the Lebanon board reps over the past week or so along with the Superintendent and has recently added in another board member. Not all of the board members have been included, thus there are those who have more information about the concerns than other board members. Bringing everyone up to speed, the parent has been presented the opportunity to file a formal objection to the materials. Once completed we will follow the protocol for that objection.
Public Input:
Ms Joyce Tabor of North Berwick noted that her taxes also did go up and again
Maine is dead last in the nation. She shared her beliefs as to why we are not serving our students and community well with the focus on things other than reading, writing, mathematics as schools are focusing on social emotional learning etc. She also noted her belief that the school policies and rules must be followed from the school board on down to set the precedent. Rules must be followed.
Mr. Jonathan Hall of North Berwick spoke regarding what he believed to be the negative remarks regarding MSAD 60 schools at this meeting and others. He noted that he is proud of being a member of this community, being a teacher and a parent here in the district. He shared concern over the quoting of one source regarding Maine being last in the nation in education as there are multiple other reports that do not place Maine last. He noted that celebrating our successes, our staff, and our students should be a main focus.
Adjournment:
Ms. Janousek made a motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to adjourn the meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Adjourned at 9:05 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Audra Beauvais
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