Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mrs. Conner, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. McGinn, Principal Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Brophy, Spectators and Press

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. Mrs. Grazio was absent. The majority vote was 5.5.

Pledge of Allegiance: Chairman Atwood led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add a discussion on the superintendent’s search subcommittee, to add a brief update on the Melanson and Heath audit, to add a discussion on School Committee policies, and to add a discussion on FY07 budget meetings. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Carter and Mr. O’Leary came to the meeting with several fifth grade students. They did a brief presentation on an interdisciplinary project on tessellations. This project included math, language arts, art and technology skills. The students showed samples of their work, discussed the history on tessellations and shared poetry selections.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of November 29, 2005. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of December 6, 2005. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Buell, Conner, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Corradino, Levine, Atwood)(for: 7.9)(abstained: 3.0)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the minutes of December 13, 2005. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Atwood, Moran, Buell, Conner, Littlefield, Carradino, Baker)(abstained: Levine, Dube Carpenter)(for: 8.7)(abstained: 2.2)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of December 20, 2005 as amended. They were amended to add to the discussion of the Chief Financial Officer: Ms. Blades expressed concern of corrupting the process and not getting the best candidate. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Atwood, Moran, Conner, Littlefield, Carradino, Baker, Levine, Dube Carpenter)(abstained: Buell)(for: 9.8)(abstained: 1.1)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Conner to accept the donation from the PTO to the Page School in the amount of $15,324 for school supplies. Motion carried.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept the donation of two overhead projectors from a Page School parent. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

The School Committee invited Mr. Case to the meeting to discuss a position for him as a part time consultant to the District’s business office. Mr. Case has 35 years of experience in the field of education, including his service as assistant superintendent and acting superintendent for the Newburyport school system. He has served on the Newbury Finance Board and has worked as a financial consultant for the Amesbury school system. Members would like to see Mr. Case navigate the district through the upcoming budget process as well as oversee day to day operations in the business office.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Dr. Littlefield to direct Dr. Compton to meet with Mr. Case to develop a contract to bring Mr. Case on board. There was a friendly amendment to have this done as soon as possible. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Trembowicz reviewed the proposal of providing the District with a website. Members asked questions regarding the cost to the District. Mr. Trembowicz said that there should be no financial obligation to the District. Mr. Levine questioned the cost of the staff’s time. Mr. Trembowicz said that there has to be a District person appointed and a person appointed in each of the schools that would responsible for giving the information to EdNets.

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mr. Levine to have an analysis provided to the School Committee of the requirements to get the site up and running. Once the information is received the Committee will review it and make a decision. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades, Conner, Baker)(8.2)(opposed: 2.7)

Mrs. Conner wanted this discussion tabled so that the Committee could move on to other business. Some members said that this was not the time to have this discussion due to the time constraints with the budget..

Mrs. Perry and Mrs. Adams reviewed the Page School Improvement Plan with members. They discussed the following strategic goals:

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept and file the Page School Improvement Plan. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve for a second reading the policies on Promoting Civil Rights and Prohibiting Harassment, Bullying, Discrimination, and Hate Crimes and the Emergency Operations Plan. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mrs. Moran to table any action on the School Security Policy and to bring it back to the next meeting after the Superintendent and Mrs. Brophy review it and implement the changes recommended by Attorney Finnegan. There was an amendment to review the policy with principals to see what additional costs would be necessary. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Dube Carpenter wanted it stated in the record that Mrs. Brophy has been working diligently on these policies for month. Mrs. Dube Carpenter is very concerned that there is no school security policy in place.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Conner, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Dube Carpenter, Piccolomini)(for: 8.7)(opposed: 2.2)

Mr. Buell said to strike the discussion on School Committee policies under new business.

Mr. Warren would like to meet with the Superintendent’s Search Subcommittee on January 11^th or January 18^th. Mrs. Moran said that the School Committee members of the subcommittee have to meet before to form the rest of the subcommittee. Mrs. Moran would like the full subcommittee to meet with Mr. Warren on January 18^th. Mr. Buell resigned from the subcommittee.

Chairman Atwood updated the Committee on the audit being done by Melanson and Heath. He said they are still working on it. Mr. Baker would like to have a completion date.

Some members would like to hold a budget workshop on January 21^st. It is not clear that there will be a quorum.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the assistance offered at no cost from MASS and MASC. Motion carried. (for: Atwood, Conner, Littlefield, Buell, Levine, Moran, Corradino, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Piccolomini)(abstained: Baker)(for: 10.1)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Atwood, Conner, Littlefield, Buell, Levine, Moran, Corradino, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Baker)(opposed: Piccolomini)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

Mr. Buell left the meeting at 10:20 due to a conflict of interest with contract negotiations. The majority vote changed to 5.0.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to adjourn the meeting at 10:45 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. Mrs. Conner was absent. The majority vote was 5.5. Mrs. Dube Carpenter arrived at 7:55 p.m. The majority vote changed to 5.7.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add a discussion on Ed Nets and to add the flyer from the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and Chairman Atwood’s email to the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Atwood gave members information that he received from the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce inviting members to hear David Driscoll speak on February 16^th at the Merrimac Library.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to accept and file the correspondence.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of January 3, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Atwood, Baker, Littlefield, Buell, Levine, Moran, Corradino)(abstained: Grazio)(for: 9.0)(abstained: 1.1)

It was moved Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the first reading to accept the school security policy. There was a friendly amendment to have the first reading include the first five paragraphs. There was a second amendment to have all doors locked or monitored by a school employee or an agent at all times. Motion failed. (for: Buell)(opposed: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 1.1)(opposed: 9.0)

There was a third amendment to edit the following statement: If the name is not on the emergency card or no picture I.D. is shown the child will not be released unless approved by parent either orally or in writing. The amendment was to remove the word orally. Mr. Buell did not accept the amendment.

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mrs. Moran to receive a policy statement that the Committee may adopt that will not include procedures. There was an amendment to have the definitions included. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Buell)(for: 9.0)(abstained: 1.1)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Buell to support Chief Dennis in providing school security officers if funding becomes available. There was a friendly amendment to get information regarding school security officer’s grant and what it would entail. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Grazio said that the District has received six applications and the deadline for applications is January 26^th. Ms. Blais resigned from the Committee. Mrs. Grazio said that the subcommittee would be meeting to review the applications and set up the interviews.

Dr. Compton informed the Committee that he has hired a full time accountant for the business office. Kathleen McWilliams will start on January 30^th with a salary of $60,000. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Massachusetts .

Dr. Compton informed the Committee that the District has been in compliance with net school spending both in FY05 and FY06.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the warrant report of December 20, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve the warrant report of January 3, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Dr. Compton informed the Committee that the FY06 budget number needs to be voted again since the District received additional money from the towns. He will have that information for the next meeting.

Chairman Atwood has received no further updates from Melanson and Heath on the operations audit.

Dr. Compton gave members a FY07 budget analysis with recommendations on what a level services budget would cost. It will cost $32,035,974. This is a 16% increase over last year. The level services option also means a 31.71% increase in assessments to the towns. This includes contractual agreements, increases in fixed costs in utilities and health insurance. This analysis does not restore staffing cuts, eliminate user fees or offer full day kindergarten. Food service operations and the tech plan budget are not included. The Committee will review this analysis along with the proposed FY07 budget that they received in November of 39.9 million dollars. The 39.9 million represents restoring the staffing cuts and other reductions that have been made over the last three years. It also eliminated fees to parents, full day kindergarten, revolving accounts and grants.

Mrs. Grazio commented that the level services budget is not enough and in her opinion the Committee should endorse a budget that will bring Pentucket back to a level of excellence. She said that voters should be given the opportunity to fully fund the schools. Ms. Blades said that current staffing levels throughout the District are unacceptable. The Committee scheduled a meeting on January 21^st to go over these proposals with the administrators. Members requested a choice analysis and details on the utility costs.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to have PRSD put a warrant on Groveland to go through the SBA to get a feasibility study for the Bagnall School . There was an amendment to ask all three towns to do a feasibility study. Motion withdrawn.

Dr. McGinn gave the Committee an update on the search for a new Special Education Director.

The subcommittee will consist of three special education parents, three staff members, one School Committee person and the Assistant Superintendent. Dr. McGinn asked for a recommendation on the salary scale.

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to set the top salary at $95,000. There was a friendly amendment to have the range be $80,000 to $95,000. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Ms. Blades to direct the administration to review the Director of Pupil Services job description and to have the School Committee make recommendations. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

The Budget Open Hearing Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7^th. There will be a business meeting on Tuesday, February 28^th.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations and potential litigation. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 10.1)(opposed: 1.1)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Baker to adjourn the meeting at 10:03 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. Compton, Dr. McGinn, Principals, Ms. O’Brien, Spectators and Press

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. Mrs. Conner and Mr. Levine were absent. The majority vote was 5.1.

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members received a proposed FY07 budget in November. The cost of that budget was $39,788,403. They received a FY07 budget analysis on January 17^th. The cost of that analysis was $32,035,974. Members requested this meeting with principals to discuss the budget for FY07.

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to have the Technology Plan be a separate warrant. There was an amendment to have a warrant for the three towns and to have the district wide cost be place on a separate warrant for the elementary schools. Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Buell)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Atwood)(for: 4.4)(opposed: 4.9)(abstained: .8)

Dr. McGinn reported that the cost for this long term plan would be $375,000. It is a three year plan. The plan is in the proposed budget of $39,788,403. It is not in the budget analysis representing $32,035,974.

Mr. Atwood suggested the plan be on a separate warrant. Mr. Buell was concerned about having the staffing to implement the plan. Dr. Littlefield would like to see the plan in the budget. His comment was that it is an exceptional piece of work.

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Buell to include the Technology Plan in the operating budget. Motion withdrawn.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to start the budget deliberations using the figure of $39,788,403 put forth by administration on November 27, 2005. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Buell, Littlefield)(opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Atwood, Baker)((for: 5.2)(opposed: 4.9)

Mrs. Grazio reminded members that the base budget is the budget that was voted last year ($27,500,652). The supplemental is the amount over appropriation from last year which causes the budget and the assessments to increase.

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Ms. Blades to appropriate money in the budget for full time kindergarten scholarships. Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio)(opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 2.2)(opposed: 7.9)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to keep the kindergarten program the way it is – part time free, fee based option for full day. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Taking the full day kindergarten program out of the schools reduced the proposed budget by $1,200,000. Modular classrooms will still be needed at the Bagnall and the Donaghue School . It was noted that the Bagnall School did not have any funds available for scholarships.

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to remove all revolving accounts and grants from the proposed budget. That reduced the proposed budget $2,940,000. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 7.9)(opposed: 2.2)

Mrs. Champion said that if the Committee is looking at equitable class sizes across the district that the Bagnall will need three modular classrooms. Many members would like to see the class sizes equitable district wide. Mrs. Corradino suggested that the district start with the Department of Educations recommendations.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to bring forward to the School Committee the Department of Educations recommendations. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Grazio, Littlefield)

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Moran to have the relocation of preschool from the Bagnall be part of the strategic plan as opposed to fiscal year 2007. Motion carried. (Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio)(abstained: Buell)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 2.2)(abstained: 1.1)

Removing the modular classrooms from the proposed budget offered a deduction of $1,250,000.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Buell to look at specific dollars in the proposed budget that can be pushed off to the towns for capital improvements. Motion withdrawn.

Mr. Bakers offered an amendment to do a Groveland warrant for $114,000 to do renovations to the heating system and to renovate the gym floor. The amendment was not accepted.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to have the middle school, high school, and district wide capital improvements stay in the FY07 budget and to have all the elementary capital improvements go to the towns. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Removing the elementary capital improvements from the proposed budget reduced the number an additional $296,000.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to remove the camera security system from the high school capital improvement plan. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Littlefield)(for:9.3)(opposed: .8)

Removing the security cameras from the high school reduced the propose budget $49,995.

Members had a brief discussion on user fees. Mr. Baker commented that he was in favor of the fees. Ms. Blades said that some people cannot afford them and she does not want to be a community of the “haves and the have nots”. Mr. Difelice said that the enrollment has dropped this winter in athletics.

It was moved by Mr. Buell to have any student who does not live in the district pay a per pupil fee to participate in activities. There was no second to the motion.

Mr. Buell asked Mr. DiFelice to do a report on the cost, contract and how many students participate in activities that do not live in the district.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades to eliminate user fees (athletic, academic, and transportation). Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Buell, Littlefield)(opposed: Moran, Atwood, Baker)(abstained: Dube Carpenter)(for: 6.3)(opposed: 2.7)(abstained: 1.1)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Buell to have an analysis done on whether or not it was cost effective to have choice students in the district. This analysis should include information on class size, MCAS performance and whether or not it affects AYP. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Baker to have a report done on how many students we pay for in vocational schools, what are the community assessments, how many apply, and do we have any vacant spots. There was a friendly amendment to include the criteria for admission. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

The Committee agreed to continue this budget discussion on Tuesday, January 24, 2006.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to adjourn the meeting at 12:00 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

January 24, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

January 24, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. Compton, Dr. McGinn, Principals, Ms. O’Brien, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.7. Mr. Baker arrived at 7:45 p.m. The majority vote changed to 6.1.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add the letter from the students and the email from Mr. Buell and Mr. Henrick to correspondence. There was an amendment to introduce Ms. McWilliams the district’s accountant. The full day kindergarten grant was added to the agenda as well as the request to have the FY06 budget revoted. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Buell wanted his email response to Mr. Henrick put in the record. It read:

Dear Mr. Hendrick:

Thank you for your communication. I will be sure to contact Ms. Bennett immediately, to tell her how highly I and my constituents think of Dr. Littlefield. Pentucket would be lucky to have as good a superintendent as Dr. Littlefield, and I will be sure to tell Ms. Bennett that in my six years on the Pentucket School Committee, Dr. Littlefield has displayed the utmost character and leadership. I would certainly hope that Dr. Littlefield would pursue whatever career or position that was best for him and his family. I am sure you would do the same. I for one would walk away from my current job if a new and better opportunity or challenge presented itself.

In closing, I find your email to be completely inappropriate, and repugnant. Its content has no substantive value to the Pentucket School Committee, and is transparently a personal attack on my colleague. If you choose to communicate your sentiments to me again, please do so only if they are pertinent to official business of the School Committee. Otherwise, please leave me out of your petty attacks on Dr. Littlefield, and find something else to do with your time.

/s/ Guillaume Buell

Mrs. Grazio suggested that it may be helpful to spectators to have Chairman Atwood give a brief synopsis of each item in correspondence section of the packet.

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept and file the correspondence as amended. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Buell removed the Ed Nets document from the correspondence for discussion. He wanted to schedule a discussion/decision on Ed Nets. He also would like it sent to Attorney Finnegan for his legal opinion.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to forward Ed Nets proposal to Attorney Finnegan for his legal opinion. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Conner, Atwood)(for: 6.3) (opposed: 4.9)

Mr. Baker arrived at 7:45 p.m.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to reconsider the previous motion. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mrs. Moran to reconsider the agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Baker added a discussion on the School Committee meetings notices and the way in which they are sent to the towns.

Delegation – Glenn Koocher and Tom Scott MASC/MASS Initiative

Mr. Koocher and Mr. Scott reviewed the program with members. They discussed:

Why the program is in existence.
What districts participate.
Why Pentucket was invited to participate.
What Pentucket should anticipate getting from the program.
Examples of high leverage issues during leadership transitions.
How Pentucket can assist other districts.
Overview of the Program.
Operating principles for success.
The roles of the consultants.

Mr. Koocher summarized by informing members that it would be approximately 6 meetings totally 11 hours of commitment. Members seemed very pleased with the presentation and the program.

Chairman Atwood introduced Ms. McWilliams the district’s accountant. She will begin in this new position on January 30, 2006.

Warrant Report

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to approve the warrant reported dated January 17, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of January 17, 2006 as amended. The first amendment was on page two regarding the motion in support of Chief Dennis providing school security officers if funding becomes available. The motion was clarified to say that this is for informational purposes only. The next paragraph was edited to say that Ms. Blais reluctantly was unable to committee to the CFO’s subcommittee. On page 4 the first motion was edited to have the administration make the first recommendation on the Director of Pupil Services job description. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Conner)(for: 11.2)(abstained: .8)

Interim Superintendent’s Extended Contract

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the Interim Superintendent’s Extended Contract. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Revised FY06 School Budget

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the FY06 revised school budget. Motion withdrawn. The percentages will be reviewed by the central office.

Dr. McGinn gave members a copy of the Request for Proposals Transition to Full Day Kindergarten Grant. Dr. McGinn will provide more information next week regarding the sliding scale fee. There was no action taken on the grant.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to direct the administration to give the School Committee a memo with recommendations on the Full Day Kindergarten Grant. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Towns gave members the proposal she received from Instant Signal and Alarm Co., Inc., for the camera, intercom system. The installation and sale of the units are $1000 for each door. The district is looking to have nine systems purchased and installed.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Moran to add $9,000 to the budget for the camera intercom systems for all schools. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Conner)(abstained: Baker)(for: 11.2)(abstained: .8)

Chairman Atwood informed the Committee that the rates from MIAA would be available February 9, 2006. Mr. Greenberg estimated the increase in premiums to be approximately 20%. If the district uses the 11.2% increase (after Mrs. Moran’s discussion with MIAA), the district would save $294,000.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to begin building the supplemental budget. Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Levine)(opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Buell)(for: 3.3)(opposed: 7.6)(abstained: 1.1)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Conner to establish class size guidelines for the FY07 budget as follows: Integrated preschool 10 – 1, half day kindergarten 18 – 1, 20 – 2 with an aide, full day kindergarten 20 – 2 with an aide, grades 1 – 3, 20 – 1, grades 4 – 8, 22 – 1, grades 9 – 12, 25 – 1, writing lab 15 – 1. There was a friendly amendment to have integrated meeting preschool 15 – 1 or 20 – 2. Motion withdrawn.

Dr. McGinn called the Department of Education to inquire on the recommendations of class size. They are only available at the kindergarten level and the recommendation for kindergarten is 25 – 1.

Some members felt that smaller class sizes are not the answer and that it is more important to have updated text material. Some members felt that the class sizes should be consistent district wide at the elementary levels. Mrs. Towns mentioned that increase class sizes are due to increase enrollment at the high school as well as the cuts that have been made over the last three years.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Dr. Littlefield to direct the administrators to work together to propose staffing levels (teachers, aides) that will require no modular classrooms in fiscal year FY07 and that will maintain building and grade appropriate class sizes district wide. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades, Atwood, Baker)(for: 9.3)(opposed: 2.7)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Moran to continue the budget discussion going over the proposed FY07 budget line by line. (starting with page one, line one)(Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Levine, Conner, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Corradino, Buell, Littlefield)(for: 9.0(opposed: 3.0)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Moran to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Baker that for informational purposes only from this day forward that any and all reports filed with NEASC be shared with the School Committee. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

This motion was made due to the concerns of some members that budget cuts may affect the high school accreditation.

Some members agreed that it was their decision what the budget increase should be. It was said again that if the Committee pursued a budget of 32 million, that would result in a 16% increase from last years budget of 27 million and that it would be an increase of 32% to the towns.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Moran to increase the base budget 10%. Motion withdrawn.

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

January 31, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

January 31, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. McGinn, Principals, Ms. O’Brien, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.7. Mrs. Grazio was absent.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the agenda as amended. The following items were added: Grants, House 1 Budget, and update on the Audit. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Moran asked to have MGT of America put on a future agenda for discussion and Ms. Blades asked to have Mr. Baker’s email discuss with the FY07 budget.

Mrs. Moran informed the Committee that there is a meeting Saturday, February 4^th at 10:00 a.m. in the middle school auditorium on the recommended changes from the Regional Agreement Task Force.

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of January 21, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Full Day Kindergarten Grant

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to approve the Full Day Kindergarten Grant for submission. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Dr. McGinn asked members to approve the district’s application for $90,000 for FY06. The district is allowed to apply for up to $15,000 per full day classroom. The grant proposes that the majority of funds be used to buy supplies and materials for our 6 existing full day classrooms. There are no positions funded in this proposal.

Contract Gene Case

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve Eugene E. Case, Business Operations Consultant’s Contract. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

T. Blais/Merrimac PTO Donation

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept Ms. Blais request to accept gifts from the Merrimac PTO. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

FY06 Budget

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the additional FY06 operating assessments (language correction) to the towns for the FY06 budget. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Johnson, Department of Revenue, sent a letter to the Groveland Board of Selectman informing them that the language on two warrant articles was incorrect because it did not state from which available fund source to transfer from. The mistake should not have cash flow implications for the district. The vote will have to be retaken at the April town meeting in Groveland. The district should receive the money in June. Mr. Johnson invited School Committee members, town officials and the administration in to a meeting to discuss the district’s financial problems.

Ms. O’Brien informed the Committee that she received notice from the Department of Education regarding a change in our expected circuit breaker reimbursement for 2006. This change was due to noncompliance with areas of pupil and financial records discovered during our recent audit in December 2005.

In the spring of 2005, this district received an extraordinary relief payment of $295,247. The audited amount of extraordinary reimbursement is $65,402, a difference of $229,845. In July, the amount billed was $520,949 and following the audit in December this amount was reduced to $341,570, a difference of 179,379. The total reduction in anticipated revenue this year is $390,711. The district has also been overpaid $18,512 for a grand total deficit of $409,223.

FY07 Budget

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to support a level services program FY06 to FY07 and to include a clerk and an accountant in the business office and a full time assistant principal at the high school. Motion withdrawn.

Discussion followed:

Mrs. Moran said that she did not want to negate previous votes and that her motion did not include the 43 staff members unless they were needed to provide level services. Mr. Baker said that if the 43 staff members were cut the district would save over a million dollars.
Some members were in favor of a level services program and some were not. Ms. Blades said that a level services budget is unacceptable if it means the high school is in danger of losing its accreditation. She said next year’s budget must address unsafe classroom sizes in science labs, lack of school security and late buses. She said the district needs to ask the towns for what the schools need.
Dr. Littlefield suggested a compromise on the fees charging half the current amount. This would create 175k in revenue.
Each administrator reviewed their budgets line by line. Their decisions were guided by the goal of providing students with the same level of services being provided this year. The administrators defined level service to mean staffing required to provide students with the same services currently offered. Mrs. Townes was not in attendance.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Baker to continue the meeting after 10:00. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

The original proposed FY07 budget was 39.8 million dollars. That figure has been reduced to 34.9 million. Dr. Compton presented the Committee with a budget analysis at the last meeting in the amount of 32 million.

Most members agreed to meet on February 7^th to hear from Mrs. Townes before making any final decision on the FY07 budget. The open hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to continue the meeting after 10:30 p.m. Ms. Blades left the meeting. Meeting was dissolved due to a lack of quorum.

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

February 7, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

February 7, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. McGinn, Mr. Case, Principals, Ms. O’Brien, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.6. Ms. Blades and Dr. Littlefield were absent. Mr. Levine arrived at 6:50 p.m. The majority vote changed to 5.1.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept the agenda as amended. The following items were added: Introduce Gene Case, and Elementary Lease Subcommittee. The executive session was amended to add pending litigation. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to approve the minutes of January 24, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Donation Fine and Performing Arts Foundation

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the donation from the Fine and Performing Arts Foundation. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Elementary Lease Subcommittee

Mrs. Grazio informed Chairman Atwood that she would be unable to continue to be on the Elementary Lease Subcommittee due to other commitments and time constraints. Mr. Buell offered to take her place.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Corradino and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to appoint Mr. Baker to Chairman of the Elementary Lease Subcommittee. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

FY07 Budget

The Committee asked Mrs. Townes to go through her budget line by line highlighting her recommendations for a level service budget. The total reductions in category 1 were ($304,125), category 2 ($96,504), category 3 ($81, 200) for a total of ($481,829).

Mrs. Townes said that 10.4 teachers have been cut over the last three years. This has resulted in larger class sizes and fewer class selections. Mrs. Townes continues to reduce psychology classes, journalism, creative writing, consumer science and an additional tech ed class. The high school had been cited by the state for not offering enough Learn to Work and off campus learning opportunities. Mrs. Townes did advocate for additional custodial positions and a second full time assistant principal.

Budget Open Hearing Public Forum

Mrs. Grazio would like to put back everything that is needed to restore the programming, staffing, supplies, etc. to what it was three years ago with no fees, and let the voters decide what they will pay for.

Discussion followed:

Mrs. Dube Carpenter mentioned that a 39.8 million dollar budget would result in a 60% increase for the average taxpayer.
Mr. Buell said that there is a lack of leadership from Representative Stanley, Senators Badour and Tarr, and Governor Romney and he urged everyone to contact their state representatives and demand more money for the schools.
Mrs. Scott, Foreign Language Teacher at the high school, said that her textbooks are over 10 years old and she is spending 10% of her net salary on school supplies.
Again some people were in favor of fees, perhaps lowering them and some were not.
Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Brophy are concerned that the district is not adequately providing hands on curriculum for the students that need it. They said that this is adding to the issues of depression, suicide, and self mutilation.
There was a court ruling on February 2, 2006 that mandated the district to adopt a two-thirds town budget approval requirement. This is in effect immediately. This ruling came from the Essex County Superior Court in favor of the Pentucket Association of Teachers. The teachers sued the district for not applying state law in its budget process. Members requested that Attorney Finnegan be invited to the February 21^st meeting to discuss this issue.
Mr. Stasiuk suggested that members review the immediate needs of the district this year.

Chairman Atwood said the budget discussion will continue on February 28^th and a vote will be taken. The budget can not be voted until 10 days after the public hearing and there needs to be a two-thirds vote of the full Committee, regardless of how many are present and voting.

Executive Session, Chapter 39, Section 23 B.3

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Buell to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations and pending litigation. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Conner, Buell, Piccolomini)(for: 7.1)(opposed: 3.0)

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 p.m.

Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

February 21, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

February 21, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mr. Buell, Ms. Blades, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Mr. Case, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:36 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.6. Dr. Littlefield, Mrs. Dube Carpenter and Mrs. Conner were absent.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the agenda as amended. The amendment was to add a brief update on the Chief Financial Officer’s search. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of January 31, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Piccolomini, Atwood, Baker, Blades)(abstained: Grazio)(for: 8.2)(abstained: 1.1)

It was moved Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of February 7, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Piccolomini, Atwood, Baker, Grazio)(abstained: Blades)(for: 8.2)(abstained: 1.1)

Sweetsir School Field Trip

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the field trip to the Seacoast Science Center in Rye , New Hampshire . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Donations Northern Essex Community College

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the donations from Northern Essex Community College . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Warrant Report – February 7, 2006

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the warrant report of February 7, 2005. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Delegation – Attorney Finnegan

The Essex Supreme Court ruled against the Pentucket School District in favor of the Pentucket Association of Teachers that the school board was now legally required to apply the two out of three approval clause in the upcoming budget cycle. Attorney Finnegan was invited into the meeting to discuss the ruling. Attorney Finnegan choose not to discuss the Pentucket ruling in the public session and instead review the Town of Holden v. Wachusett Regional School District Committee Case. Attorney Finnegan recommended that the District contact Jeff Wulfson and Jim Johnson to clarify the District’s obligations.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to have the District contact Jeff Wulson and Jim Johnson to clarify the District’s obligation. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Blades)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

Executive Session, Chapter 39, Section B.3.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Buell to enter into executive session for the purposes of discussing pending litigation and collective bargaining. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

Delegation – Selectman and Finance Directors

Ms. Blais, Finance Director West Newbury, presented the Committee with “Clean Slate”, a community plan to reorganize business operations at the Pentucket Regional School District . Discussion followed:

Ms. Blais said that this plan was an “all or nothing” deal for the District and it targets 100% of new growth revenues from the three district towns toward the schools with a collective assessment increase of 1.1 million dollars for fiscal year 2007.
Ms. Blais said that a bond to cover all deficits through this fiscal year would be subject to a debt exclusion override this spring and all current user fees would remain in place.

This plan would require special legislation from the state.

If the Clean Slate proposal were adopted, a local financial advisory board would be established consisting of the three finance directors and Pentucket’s business manager and accountant. Their goals would be to ensure that internal controls are established in an effort to end the long term culture of overspending.
Ms. Blais said that if the school budget were voted down by the towns, then the towns’ assessments would reduce to a 3.5% increase over the previous year.
Some members were concerned with providing a less than level service budgets if this plan were to be put in place. Ms. Blades was concerned with the accreditation of the high school.
Mr. Baker said that the town officials were looking to restrict the school budget and not their own. He also stated that there is continuous spending on the towns’ side.
Mr. Case said that it was his understanding from the meeting with the DOE and the DOR that they would like to see the towns and District resolve the problem without state intervention. Mr. Case said that the credibility of the District was at stake. He said that the District has been under funded over the past several years, anticipated revenues were exaggerated and cost were under estimated in an attempt to preserve valued programs. He said it was not deliberate, it was done out of the compassion for the students.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to ask Mr. Case and Ms. McWilliams to review and evaluate the “Clean Slate: proposal and to report back to members with recommendations and opinions on February 27^th. There was an amendment to include an administrator in this review. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Levine)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

The Committee agreed to continue this meeting on Monday, February 27^th at 7:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

February 27, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

February 27, 2006

Members Present: Vice Chairman Buell, Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baker,

Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Conner, Ms. Blades, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. McGinn, Mr. Case, Spectators and Press

Majority Vote. The majority vote was set at 3.6. Chairman Atwood, Mr. Levine, and Mrs. Dube Carpenter were absent. Dr. Littlefield arrived at 8:35. The majority vote changed to 4.0.

Call to Order: Vice Chairman Buell called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m.

This meeting was a continuation from February 21, 2006.

Delegation – Selectmen and Finance Directors

Mr. Buell and Mr. Baker gave members a proposal, “Moving Pentucket Forward,” to restore the financial credibility and business operations of the Pentucket Regional School District .

Dr. McGinn reported to the Committee that he has spoken with Mr. Johnson from the Department of Revenue. The next schedule meeting is March 7^th at 1:00. Dr. McGinn said that Mr. Johnson reviewed both plans (Clean Slate and Moving Pentucket Forward) and the purpose of the meeting on March 7^th was to report their progress or lack thereof.

Mr. Johnson said that there were elements in each that he liked and other areas in each that he found to be incomplete.

Mr. Case gave a review for the purposes of clarification on the proposal, “Clean Slate,” presented by Ms. Blais. Before Mr. Case reviewed the proposal, “Moving Pentucket Forward”, Selectman Traynor told the Committee that the Board of Selectmen in Merrimac voted unanimously to request state intervention. Selectman Gorski said that Groveland had done the same earlier that evening. Selectman O’Sullivan said that her board had also met earlier that evening and waited to vote until they heard both proposals. She asked her members to vote at that time and they voted unanimously to seek state intervention.

Several town officials commented that this was a very difficult decision but felt that it was time to do it and get on the right track.

Representative Stanley was at the meeting and she said that she would begin working on the language for the legislation. Stanley reminded members that if the budget fails in the spring the state oversight board will step in and impose a budget that must be accepted by the towns.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Corradino and seconded by Mrs. Moran to support the Selectmen in asking to have the state create a financial oversight board. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades. Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Conner, Littlefield)(opposed: Baker)(for: 8.2)(opposed: .8)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Ms. Blades to have the town officials and the Committee members (that have previously gone to the DOR) meet before the March 7^th meeting to come up with some consensus to present to the Department of Revenue. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades. Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Conner, Baker)(opposed: Littlefield)(for: 8.2)(opposed: .8)

Mrs. Grazio reminded the Committee that there was a vote on record to put out a proposal for an audit firm after the FY05 audit was complete.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Baker to request an update (in person or in writing) from Melanson and Heath on the status of the audit and the expected date of completion and what we have been billed to date. There was an amendment that if they are still looking for information that they submit a list of data that they need to the Committee by Thursday, March 2. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Baker reviewed “Moving Pentucket Forward” for purposes of clarification. It was decided that the people going to the Department of Revenue would work from both proposals. Mr. Baker requested a Delegation of Authority from the administration in June and reminded them that the Committee has not yet received it.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Ms. Blades to request that the Chairman, the Superintendent, and the Business Manager or their designee be part of that committee. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Buell, Conner)(opposed: Moran, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 6.3)(opposed: 2.7)

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Ms. Blades to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades. Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Conner, Littlefield)(opposed: Baker)(for: 8.2)(opposed: .8)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

February 28, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

February 28, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Grazio, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. McGinn, Mr. Case, Principals, Ms. O’Brien, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 6.1.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the agenda as amended. The amendment was to add Mr. Stasiuk’s email to correspondence. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Department of Revenue Update

Dr. McGinn, Mr. Case and Mr. Buell had a conference call with Mr. Johnson at the Department of Revenue today. They scheduled their next meeting for March 7^th at 1:00.

Mr. Johnson asked if the District would be able to pay their bills through June 30^th. The administration responded that they had the cash flow to cover everything through June 30^th. Mr. Johnson said that the legislation would have two questions for the District. The first question was is what the District is proposing now similar to what has been done previously? The second question is are there are enough internal controls in place to prevent this from happening again? The District estimates that they will be looking for 1.1 – 1.3 million dollars to cover the deficit. At 4 ½ % annual principal and interest the cost would be approximately $200,000 a year. There will be a debt amortization line added to the FY07 budget.

Dr. McGinn spoke with Mr. Wulfson from the Department of Education today. Mr. Wulfson said that the oversight board typically meets once a month. There would be no cost to the District and the Board does not make programmatic decisions.

Mr. Case said that he spoke with Melanson and Heath today. They are still looking for information to complete the audit. The information was put together in the Business Office today and will be faxed to them tomorrow.

FY07 Budget

Mr. Case recommended that the Committee come up with a number that represents their best judgment and that is feasible to present to the three communities. He gave members an analysis on the impact of the towns operating budget based on a 31, 32, or 33 million dollar operating budget, with estimated revenue and the amount assessed to the towns. He used a per pupil methodology.

The Committee spent a great deal of time discussing whether to adopt a budget that reflects the needs of the District or a budget number that is likely to be approved by the three communities. Some members said that the Committee should not adopt a budget this is less than what the principals identified as bare minimum. Other members were concerned that a decision to enter into financial oversight by the state meant they had to choose a lower number or run the risk that a state controlled financial advisory board would mandate a budget that is much lower.

Ms. Blades said that she could not support a level services budget. Mr. Buell said that the communities should be given the opportunity to fund the schools. Mrs. Grazio said that the base budget should represent level services and the supplemental should include what needs to be added back into the budget. She said that this would make it very clear to the voters on what they were voting on.

Mrs. Moran said that she was concerned that if the budget did not pass the Department of Revenue may only give them 27.5 million as a budget. She also said that when she went to the meeting that the DOR recommended that the District not ask for more than a 5% increase and/or to consider cutting the present budget.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mrs. Moran to begin discussions with the number that represents level services and then begin to build the supplemental adding back necessary staff and services ($34,482,000). Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Conner)(opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 6.8)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Buell to put forth a budget for $34,230,000. With this budget the Committee authorizes the administration to come back to them by March 14^th to report to them what that number would represent. Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Conner)(opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 6.8)

Ms. Blades said that this figure ($34,230,000) assumes no user fees, increased costs in special education, adjustment on circuit breaker funds, and the debt amortization.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Baker to adopt the FY07 budget for $32,500,000 and to have any necessary adjustments be made to include the debt amortization and the E & D reserve. There was an amendment to increase the budget amount to $32,781,250. Motion failed because it did not receive a two thirds majority vote. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Conner)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 5.2)

Mr. Binaghi said that the $32,500,000 would not include math books. Mrs. Townes said that it would not include a full time assistant principal nor an adjustment counselor.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Conner to put forth an FY07 budget for $33,583,250. The expense side is subjected to district wide review for reductions with the assumption that athletic fees and transportation fees would reduce the community assessments. Any reductions in the district wide category would reduce the assessments. Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Buell, Conner)(opposed: Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 6.8)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Ms. Blades to put forth an FY07 budget for $33,583,250. Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Conner) (opposed: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 6.8)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Buell to rescind the vote and reinstate the user fees at the FY06 level. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Levine)(for: 8.7)(opposed: 3.3)

There was an amendment to have this motion include transportation, parking and athletic fees only. Amendment was not accepted. Mrs. Grazio suggested that the administration look into a student activity fee verses the individual fees.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Conner to have the parking fee set at $180 per year, the transportation fee is within the current radius at the $180 per school year rate and that athletics is set at 75% of the cost. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Levine, Buell)(7.6)(opposed: 3.3)

Mrs. Grazio was not in the room for the previous vote.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Motion/Vote/Amendment

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Moran to have the extra curricular fees be set at 75% of the cost. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Littlefield)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 5.2)

Mr. Buell said that he felt it was an abuse of the democratic process and that his vote to rescind was conditional on not having extracurricular fees.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Conner and seconded by Mrs. Moran to put forth the FY07 budget for $33,300,000. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Littlefield)(opposed: Piccolomini, Moran, Atwood, Baker)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 3.8)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to have the administration work with the principals to review the budget and report to the Committee on what the 33.3 million dollars would represent at the March 21^st meeting. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades)(for: 10.1)(opposed: 1.1)

Mr. Baker was not in the room for the previous vote.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to reconsider getting the information from Melanson and Heath for the March 7^th packet and to have it for the March 14^th packet. Motion failed. (for: Conner, Baker)(opposed: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Littlefield)(abstained: Atwood, Dube Carpenter)(for: 1.6)(opposed: 8.5)(abstained: 1.9)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to table the rest of the items on the agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades to adjourn the meeting at 10:38 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

March 7, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

March 7, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Grazio, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. Compton, Dr. McGinn, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 6.1.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add a discussion on the Carol White Grant, update the Committee on the today’s meeting with the DOR, and update the Committee on the Special Education Director’s search. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept and file the correspondence as amended. The letters from the towns of Groveland and West Newbury were added along with the information from Mr. Labreque on Chapter 647, Acts of 1989 An Act Relative to Improving the Internal Controls within State Agencies. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the minutes of February 21, 2006 as amended. The amendment was on the third page, fourth bullet, editing Blais to Blades. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Conner, Dube Carpenter)(for: 10.1)(opposed: 1.9)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to accept the minutes of February 27, 2006 as amended. The amendment was to correct the spelling of Representative Stanley’s name on the first page. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Atwood, Dube Carpenter)(for: 10.1)(abstained: 1.0)

District Wellness Policy and Grant Proposal Requests

Mrs. Brophy requested time at an April School Committee meeting to review the District Wellness Policy with all Committee members. This policy must be submitted to the Department of Education by June 30, 2006. This policy is in response to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, when the U.S. Congress established a new requirement that all school districts with a federally funded school meals program must develop and implement wellness policies that address nutrition and physical activity by the start of the 2006 – 2007 school year.

Additionally, Mrs. Brophy requested the Committee’s approval with three grants: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Grant, the New England Dairy and Food Council Grant and the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports Grant. These grants will award a total of $22,500 to the District and be used to promote the selection of healthy foods during lunch with emphasis on fruits and vegetables, educate students on the importance of having three servings of dairy a day, and promote physical fitness with before, during and after school activities.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Corradino to approve the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Grant, the New England Dairy and Food Council Grant and the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports Grant. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Brophy spoke briefly about the Carol White Grant. She said that the District could receive funds in the $250,000 range. The District would have to match 10% of the funds awarded. With the District’s current financial situation, the Committee agreed to revisit this in a year. Mrs. Dube Carpenter mentioned getting the matching funds from the PTO’s as a possibility.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mr. Buell to have Mrs. Brophy look into whether or not the District could apply as a collaborative with other schools. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Conner, Atwood, Littlefield)(opposed: Baker)(for: 11.2)(opposed: .8)

Delegation Chief Financial Officer Candidate

Mrs. Grazio gave the Committee an overview of the charge and the process that the Chief Financial Officer’s Search Subcommittee used. The resume of George Collins, current Business Manager in the City of Lawrence was given to members for their review. Mrs. Grazio said that she believes Mr. Collins has the necessary skills and attributes to be a very positive and successful addition to Pentucket. She said he uses a “by the books approach” and she highly recommended him.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the subcommittee’s recommendation to appoint George Collins as the Chief Financial Officer to the Pentucket Regional School District .

Mr. Collins reviewed his experience. He said that he had an extensive background in business management including positions as the Director of Finance, Capital and Special Projects and as an Auditor/Director of Finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . Mr. Collins said that he was currently working for the Lawrence Public School System overseeing a 110 million dollar building project. He said that he is seeking the position at Pentucket because he looks forward to the challenge.

All members had an opportunity to ask Mr. Collins questions and he responded to their inquires. Members decided to direct the Superintendent to do a site visit of the Lawrence Public Schools and report back to the Committee at the March 14^th business meeting.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Baker to table the appointment and to allow another step in the process whereas the Superintendent and some School Committee members and District staff would do a site visit to the Lawrence Public Schools. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Conner)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 5.2)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Baker to have the Superintendent bring a report and a recommendation to the Committee on March 14^th. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Buell, Levine, Moran, Corradino, Atwood, Conner, Baker, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

Mrs. Grazio stepped out of the room for the previous two votes. The majority vote was 5.5.

Melanson and Heath Audit Update

Mr. Sullivan reported to the Committee that Melanson and Heath have completed the field work and that they are in the process of drafting field statements. Mr. Johnson said that they would like to review the draft with the administration and the Committee members first.

Mr. Sullivan said that they did not find any misappropriation of funds or any drastic attempts to hide deficits or inappropriate transfer of funds. Mr. Sullivan said they have found several errors: new positions not but in the budget, salary adjustments not put in the budget, positions not budgeted for, items under funded, and supplies and expenses under funded for years. It was also mentioned that the Committee has not been getting information on new hires and the monthly budget reports were not accurate. When the draft is available the Superintendent will be notified and he will schedule a meeting with Melanson and Health, the School Committee and himself.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to form a subcommittee to meet with Melanson and Heath with no more than five School Committee members. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Update on Meeting with Department of Revenue

Dr. Compton and Mr. Case met with the Department of Revenue today with several town officials and School Committee members. The bond issued will not exceed 2.5 million dollars and will be spread over a 7 – 10 year period.

Superintendent’s Search Update

Mrs. Moran informed the Committee that at the next business meeting (March 14^th )Mr. Warren would be in attendance to work with the Committee on a list of questions for the finalists. There are three finalists that the subcommittee would like to bring forward to the Committee.

FY07 Budget – Clarifying Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Baker to table the discussion on the FY07 Budget – Clarifying Motion/Vote and put the information in the next packet. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Executive Session, Chapter 39, 23B.3

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Dube Carpenter, Piccolomini, Levine, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Baker, Conner, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades, Grazio)(9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to adjourn the meeting at 10:48 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

March 14, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

March 14, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Grazio, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. Compton, Dr. McGinn, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:38 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.2. Mrs. Conner and Mr. Buell were absent.

Pledge of Allegiance: Dr. Compton led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to change the order of the agenda items. The CFO site visit report was first, the FY07 budget clarifying vote/motion was second and the delegation of Mr. Warren was third. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Ms. Blades commented on the outstanding performance of the high school students in the performance of Guys and Dolls. Dr. Compton said that he would send a letter to the staff and students.

There was a request to have next week’s agenda include an update on the water main break at the high school including the District’s cost.

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the minutes of February 28, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Warrant Report

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to accept and file the warrant report dated March 7, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Out of State Field Trip Request – Donaghue School

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the out of state field trip request. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

CFO Site Visit Report

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to appoint Mr. George Collins to the position of CFO at Pentucket pending contract negotiations. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Dube Carpenter and Chairman Atwood said that after their site visit at the Lawrence Public Schools they felt very confident in Mr. Collins as the CFO for Pentucket. Dr. Compton was in favor of the recommendation and said that he heard several times during the site visit that Mr. Collins was a trustworthy individual. Ms. Blades commented that in her opinion Mr. Collins was a man of integrity. Mrs. Corradino said that in her opinion he had his priorities in order and she liked his comment about not cutting teachers and programs in an effort to cut back.

FY07 Budget – Clarifying Vote/Motion

The Committee voted a budget of 33.3 million dollars on February 28, 2006. Chairman Atwood said that it was brought to his attention that the wording of the motion was not specific enough, people questioned whether it was operating versus overall budget. It was Chairman Atwood’s interpretation that it was the operating budget. Mrs. Grazio said that whenever the Committee votes a number, it has always been just the bottom line number and the fees and revolving accounts are recorded as revenue and then they are offset by various expenditures. Mrs. Grazio said that the Committee should be voting a budget not a number. Town officials are also looking for clarity on what the 33.3 represents. Mr. Case is currently working on trying to show the Committee what is added in from the 27.5 to the 33.3 million dollars. The administration will bring that information to the next business meeting. Dr. Littlefield said that the issue should be tabled until the Committee is clear on what the 33.3 represents.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to table the rest of the agenda except the executive session. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Delegation Richard Warren Future Management Systems

Mr. Warren gave members a packet of information for the superintendent’s search. It had information on the process to date, the focus group report, review of the leadership profile, next steps in the process, candidates visit to Pentucket, dates of the visits, format for the visit, and sample questions. Ms. Blades stated the packet of questions were not the quality that she expected.

There was a brief discussion on the overall process and the site visit schedule. Many members were disappointed that there were no administrators and only one teacher on the subcommittee. Members would like administrators involved in the site visit whether it be part of the school tour or to have dinner with the finalist. Members would also like members to complete evaluation forms. Dr. Littlefield said that the evaluation should be done in the public meeting. Mr. Warren agreed. Mr. Warren advised that the site visits be scheduled before April vacation.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Ms. Blades to have Chairman Atwood send invitations to attend interviews and fill out evaluation forms. There was an amendment to have a forum to include some administration/staff and to have them complete forms and report back to the full Committee. Motion withdrawn.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Moran seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to have a small subcommittee work on the agenda for the candidates site visit to the District and to bring this forward to the March 21^st meeting. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Levine, Moran, Corradino, Littlefield, Atwood, Baker)(abstained: Grazio)(for: 9.0)(abstained: 1.1)

Members then separated into small groups and brought their questions forward to Mr. Warren for consideration. Mr. Warren will compile a list and send it out to members by the end of this week. He suggested a total of 10 – 12 questions be asked.

Executive Session, Chapter 39, Section 23.B

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mrs. Dube Carpenter and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Blades, Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Atwood, Littlefield, Levine, Corradino, Moran, Baker)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 9.0)(opposed: 1.1)

Adjournment

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

March 21, 2006

PENTUCKET REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE

High School

March 21, 2006

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Dr. C.P. Littlefield, Mrs. Moran, Ms. Blades,

Mr. Baker, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Dube Carpenter,

Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Also Present: Dr. Compton, Dr. McGinn, Mrs. Townes, Mr. Binaghi, Mrs. Champion, Mrs. Jervey, Mrs. Page, Mr. Harrison, Ms. O’Brien, Ms. Teeters, Spectators and Press

Call to Order: Vice Chairman Buell called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. Chairman Atwood arrived at 7:32 p.m.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.6. Mr. Baker arrived at 7:38 p.m. The majority vote changed to 5.1. Mrs. Grazio was absent.

Pledge of Allegiance: Mr. Buell led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Agenda

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add a statement from Heather Conner, to add the Special Education Director’s Search update, special recognition to Lila Teeters, and update on the Superintendent’s Search, and to move Secondary Mathematics Update to the first item on the agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Conner informed the Committee that she has made the decision to resign after much thought due to the responsibilities she now has working full time.

Correspondence

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the minutes of March 7, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the minutes as amended. The first amendment was on page 2, to move the motion to table the rest of the agenda to after the discussion on FY07 Budget – Clarifying Vote/Motion. The seconded amendment was also on page two. Ms. Blades wanted a statement added under Delegation Richard Warren Future Management Systems that the packet of questions were not the quality she expected. The last amendment was that Mr. Baker voted (for) to go into executive session. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Corradino, Moran, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Baker)(abstained: Conner)(for: 10.1)(.8)

Secondary Mathematics Update

Dr. McGinn gave members a memorandum with accompanying maps from Mr. Binaghi explaining progress in two areas. The first addressed alignment with the district’s elementary mathematics program. The middle school’s enrolling seventh graders are differently-abled from their predecessors as elementary school test scores and teachers attest. A new text for grades 7 and 8 has been selected and the critical teacher professional development will occur this summer. Secondly, Mr. Binaghi and his math teachers have worked with Mrs. Townes to insure a coherent math “bridge” to the high school.

Mrs. Townes has articulated the various pathways available to students entering the high school. Members received a copy of the high school’s Program of Studies.

Superintendent’s Candidates Visits

Mrs. Moran presented the Committee with an itinerary for the candidates’ visits to the District.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the calendar of events for each candidates visit and interview. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Piccolomini agreed to be on the greeting committee.

Mrs. Moran also gave members the compiled list of questions from Mr. Warren. Mr. Levine’s question was corrected and edited. Mrs. Grazio and Ms. Blades questions were added and Mrs. Corradino’s question regarding special education was corrected.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to move to accept the interview questions. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Finance Operations

Mr. Case gave the Committee two documents: PRSD FY07 General Fund Budget – March 6^th and PRSD FY07 Budget Summaries. The FY07 General Fund Budget includes the details of the $33,300,000 budget figure voted by the Committee on February 28, 2006. It does not include grants or revolving fund budgets. Mr. Case met with each of the administrators and reviewed their budgets line by line making the adjustments necessary to reflect the changes recommended by them. Adjustments included both additions and reductions to the line items.

The central office administration reviewed the central office and the district wide budget and made necessary reductions to meet the $33,300,000 budget figure. A budget line for $350,000 was added to meet the FY07 borrowing costs related to addressing the deficits.

Dr. Compton informed the Committee that the first page of the general fund budget includes the anticipated revenues. It is anticipated that State Aid will increase and if approved by the legislature Pentucket will get an additional $600,000. Mr. Case also included $300,000 in anticipated revenue from the fees.

The second budget document is a summary by cost center of the more detailed document. Dr. Compton called the Committee’s attention to the FY07 Budget Drivers. These identify some of the major areas of increase in the FY07 budget. These “budget drivers” are in excess of 4 million dollars. They do not reflect any changes in programs or staffing. The overall general fund budget is up by approximately 5.8 million dollars.

Mrs. Conner left the meeting at 9:00. The majority vote changed to 5.1.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker that the 33.3 million dollars includes grants and revolving accounts as a bottom line number. There was no second to the motion. Mr. Baker made this motion as a clarification on an error made two weeks ago.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades that the 33.3 million dollars as voted on February 28^th as the general fund amount exclusive of grants and revolving funds. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield)(opposed: Moran, Baker)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.9)

Mrs. Dube Carpenter asked what the percentage increase to the towns would be on a 33.3 million dollar budget. Based on the per pupil expenditure, method the increase would be approximately 41%. Based on the two step method, Groveland and West Newbury would be 48% and Merrimac would be 29%.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept and file as information only; the Budget to Actual Report February 28, 2006, the Town Assessment Letters and the new MIIA Health Insurance Rates. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Littlefield)(for: 9.3)(opposed: .8)

Water Main Break at High School

Dr. Compton gave the Committee a report on the water main break on March 9^th at the high school. After Bob Janes from the West Newbury Water Department inspected the leak, it was determined that it would be the District’s expense. On Friday, March 10^th Unit Construction and Safe Dig marked all of the utilities. Upon completion of that, Unit Construction found the crack and resolved the problem. The cost of the repairs to the District is $9,479.68.

School Calendar 2006/2007

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Dube Carpenter to accept the school calendar 2006/2007. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

School Committee Meeting Notice/Town Hall

Mr. Baker requested that Dr. Compton send a letter to the Boards of Selectmen and to the Finance Directors requesting meeting notices be faxed to town offices.

Elementary Leases

Mr. Baker said that the subcommittee members agreed to set up a meeting to continue the discussions on the elementary leases. Mr. Baker commented that the draft leases have been reviewed by legal council.

Special Education Director’s Update

The screening committee has interviewed six candidates. After completing the interviews the screening committee identified three individuals to Dr. Compton as finalists. All three have been invited in for a second interview. Dr. Compton invited a PAC representative, an elementary school principal, a secretary from the special education office, and Dr. McGinn to join him for those interviews. All candidates have the appropriate Department of Education certification. Reference checks and CORI reviews are in process. The finalists are Lauren Fain, Suzanne Shaw, and Maureen Dart Szymczak.

Executive Session, Chapter 39, Section 23.B.

Motion/Vote

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Atwood continued the meeting until March 28, 2006.

Respectfully submitted,

Marianne Naffah

Recording Secretary

Mr. Baker, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Grazio and Mrs. Piccolomini

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. as a continuation from the March 21^st meeting.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.0. Mrs. Conner, Mr. Buell and Mr. Levine

Pledge of Allegiance: Chairman Atwood led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. LaRoach was present for his interview as a finalist for the Superintendent’s position.

The interview began with Mr. LaRoach reviewing his experience. Members were all given an

opportunity to ask Mr. LaRoach questions. Several of the questions and answers were as follows:

Chairman Atwood thanked Mr. LaRoach for his interest in the district and for investing his time as a candidate for the position. Chairman Atwood anticipates a decision would be made by April 25, 2006.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to continue the meeting until Thursday, March 30, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Dube Carpenter, Piccolomini, Grazio, Moran, Corradino, Littlefield, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Blades)(for: 7.9)(opposed: 1.1)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mr. Buell, Mr. Baker, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Grazio, Mrs. Conner, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. as a continuation from the March 21^st meeting.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.0. Dr. Littlefield, Mr. Levine and Ms. Blades were absent. Mr. Buell arrived at 7:23. The majority vote changed to 4.6.

Pledge of Allegiance: Chairman Atwood led the Committee in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Dr. Livingston was present for his interview as a finalist for the Superintendent’s position.

The interview began with Dr. Livingston reviewing his experience. Members were all given an

opportunity to ask Dr. Livingston questions. Several of the questions and answers were as follows:

Chairman Atwood thanked Dr. Livingston for his interest in the district and for investing his time as a candidate for the position. Chairman Atwood anticipates a decision would be made by April 25, 2006.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mr. Buell, Mrs. Corradino, Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mr. Levine, Dr. Littlefield, Ms. Blades, Mr. Baker and Mrs. Piccolomini

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.5. Mr. Levine arrived at 8:15. The majority vote changed to 5.0. Mrs. Conner and Mrs. Grazio were absent.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add an announcement on a scholarship award, an update on the MASS/MASC initiative, an update on elementary school leases, and an announcement about Day on the Hill on April 26, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept and file the correspondence. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Thomas Beaton, class of 2006 has been selected as one of the twenty-two secondary school Scholar-Athletes to be honored at the 31^st Annual Banquet of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of March 21, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to approve the minutes of March 28, 2006. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to approve the minutes of March 30, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(abstained: Blades, Littlefield)(for: 7.1)(abstained: 1.9)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to accept the home school request. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to accept the donation of the Hewlett Packard Printer for the Page School from the PTO. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Baker to accept the extension of Dr. Compton’s contract. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept Dr. Compton recommendation of Lauren Fain as the Director of Pupil Services for Pentucket Regional School District . Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Atwood, Blades, Littlefield)(abstained: Baker)(for: 7.1)(abstained: .8)

Dr. Littlefield stated for the record that the Director of Pupil Services position should not be voted by the School Committee it should be the Superintendent’s choice.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Ms. Blades to approve the 8.6% rate increase for the health insurance. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Baker, Atwood, Blades, Littlefield)(abstained: Buell)(for: 7.9)(abstained: 1.1)

Mrs. Dube Carpenter, Mrs. Piccolomini, and Mr. Buell went to a site visit on Monday, April 10^th to Connecticut to visit Dr. Serio’s district. Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Piccolomini are planning on going to Littleton on Thursday, April 13^th to visit Dr. Livingston’s district.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to hold a School Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 18^th at 7:30 p.m. in the middle school conference room with the only agenda item being the superintendent’s search. There will be a telephone with a speaker available. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve Dr. Compton’s recommendation to have 92.5 choice slots in FY07.

Dr. Littlefield requested some reports relating to school choice and he said that he had not received the information. Dr. McGinn referred the Committee to his memorandum dated February 2, 2006 which references the reports the Committee received. Dr. Littlefield asked that the minutes be check.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to table the discussion. Motion carried.

(for: Piccolomini, Dube Carpenter, Moran, Corradino, Baker, Atwood, Blades, Buell)(opposed: Littlefield)(for: 8.2)(opposed: .8)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the high school trip to Paris , France in 2007. Motion withdrawn.

Dr. Compton was not requesting a vote he was just informing the Committee of this trip. Mr. William Buell was present and he stated that this was not a school sponsored trip. The chaperones would be teachers and there was one parent who was also a nurse. Mr. Buell gave the Committee copies of the draft of the terms of the agreement with EF Tours , memorandum of understanding draft, a copy of EF Tours ’ Release and Agreement Policy, and a proposed itinerary.

Mr. Baker met with the Merrimac and West Newbury selectmen. He reported West Newbury ’s attorney proposed some changes and if the towns manage their building projects they will put out the RFP and they will not get SBA funds. Mr. Baker said that the regional agreement supersedes the lease document where there is a conflict.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of discussing contract negations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Moran to adjourn the meeting at 9:08 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mr. Buell, Mrs. Corradino, Mr. Levine,

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.1. Mrs. Conner and Mrs. Dube Carpenter were absent.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the agenda as amended. The amendment was to add an update on the audit. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Atwood announced Mr. George Collins has signed a contract (members received a copy) and he would begin working in the District on May 1^st.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to approve the minutes of April 4, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Blades, Moran, Corradino, Buell, Levine, Littlefield, Atwood)(abstained: Baker)(for: 9.3)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the donation from the Page School PTO. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the out of state field trip for the Sweetsir School . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

A few months ago Melanson and Health said they would have a draft for the Committee. Chairman Atwood said that he would follow up on it.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Buell to solicit proposals for auditing firms as soon as possible with Mr. Collins involvement. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Atwood informed the Committee that Dr. Serio took the position of Superintendent in Billerica . Chairman Atwood said that he was pleased with the site visit in Littleton . Although Livingston had impressed staff, students and parents during his tour of the District, some members were not impressed with his interview. After a lengthy discussion members agreed to ask the two remaining finalists – Dr. Livingston and Mr. LaRoach to come to the Committee for a second interview on May 2^nd. Members also agreed to do a site visit to Mr. LaRoach’s district in South Paris , Maine .

Some members were not in favor of Mr. LaRoach because he is not a Superintendent and they thought the learning curve would be too much. It was noted that Dr. Livingston would like to stay at Pentucket for many years and that he has no grievances in his District since he has been the Superintendent. Mrs. Corradino said that he was the most charismatic during the day with the staff and students. It was also commented that Dr. Livingston’s budget currently is 18 million and that his weakness is finances.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to go back out and readvertise the position and go through the process again.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to table Ms. Blades’ motion to later in the evening. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Buell to allow Future Management to spend up to $1500 if extending the search involves funding. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Levine to have members do a site visit to Maine to Mr. LaRoach’s district. There was an amendment to have Dr. Livingston and Mr. LaRoach come back to the Committee for a seconded interview. There was a second amendment to ask Future Management to invite interested applicants to apply by May 5, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Moran, Littlefield)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.9)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Buell to have the Committee meet on April 25^th to discuss the criteria for the second interview. Motion withdrawn.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baker to do the site visit to Maine next week and to have the second interviews on May 2^nd. The additional applications will be reviewed on May 16^th as well as the results of the site visit. There was an amendment to have the interviews be one and a half hours each or less per candidate. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Baker)(opposed: Piccolomini, Moran, Corradino, Littlefield)(for: 6.0)(opposed: 4.1)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Ms. Blades to not vote on the Superintendents on May 2^nd. The Committee as a whole will become the search subcommittee and the applications be reviewed in executive session. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Grazio, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Moran, Littlefield)(opposed: Baker)(for: 9.3)(opposed: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mr. Buell, Mrs. Corradino, Mr. Levine,

Dr. Littlefield, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Deveau, Mr. Fournier, and

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.0. Mr. Buell arrived at 7:52 p.m. Mrs. Piccolomini arrived at 7:45 p.m. Ms. Blades arrived at 8:10 p.m. The majority vote at 8:10 p.m. was 6.1.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the agenda as amended. The amendment was to add an audit update. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to reconsider the agenda to add the FY07 budget. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was requested to have the administration give the update on the House version of the Chapter 70 funding at the Thursday meeting.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to accept the correspondence as amended. The amendments were to add the Professional Development and the District Wide Calendars for May, PRSC Members List, and the letter from the Town of West Newbury . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Minutes

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of April 11, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield)(abstained: Grazio, Albert, Fournier, Deveau)(for: 8.2)(abstained: 3.8)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the minutes of April 18, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Blades, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Grazio)(abstained: Albert, Fournier, Deveau)(for: 9.3)(abstained: 2.7)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to approve the out of state field trip for the middle school. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. LaRoach and Dr. Livingston were invited to the meeting for a second interview. Members were given an opportunity to ask questions. Questions were asked regarding leadership style, career plans, curriculum, negotiations, and finances. Members debated for two hours. Chairman Atwood was in favor of Dr. Livingston due to his response on how to improve student leadership. Mr. Buell commented that Dr. Livingston was not a good match for Pentucket although he was a good superintendent. Mrs. Grazio said that Dr. Livingston gave “stock answers”. She said Mr. LaRoach appeared more honest and sincere. She said he had “passion”. Dr. Littlefield and Ms. Blades agreed with Mrs. Grazio. Mrs. Corradino commented that she liked Dr. Livingston’s response to providing a year’s education for every child by utilizing the resources that the District has and that the district needs to find a way to meet the needs of all student learners within the confines of our current situation.

Mr. Kirkman, from Future Management, said that coming to a decision is part of leadership. He said that the Committee has two excellent choices.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Dr. Littlefield to rescind the vote last week not to take a vote tonight. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Littlefield, Grazio)(opposed: Blades)(abstained: Fournier, Deveau, Albert)(for:8.2)(opposed: 1.1)(abstained: 2.7)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Moran to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to continue the meeting after 10:30 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to move forward to engage in contract negotiations with Dr. Paul Livingston. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Buell, Littlefield)(for: 7.9)(opposed: 4.1)

Members plan to go into executive session at the next meeting for purposes of contract negotiations with Dr. Livingston’s contract.

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mrs. Corradino to continue the meeting Thursday, May 04, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Blades, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Blades)(for: 10.9)(opposed: 1.1)

Members Present: Chairman Atwood, Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Corradino, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Albert,

Dr. Littlefield, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Deveau, Mr. Fournier, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Call to Order: Chairman Atwood called the meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. This meeting was a continuation from Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.5. Mr. Buell was absent.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to reconsider the agenda from May 2, 2006. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine,
Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 8.7)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to add an Executive Session, Chapter 39, Section 23.B. for the purposes of discussing contract negotiations for Dr. Livingston. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield,
Albert)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 8.7)(opposed: 2.2)

Chairman Atwood emailed Sarah Flynn from Melanson and Heath. She has not responded to date.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to have a representative from Melanson and Health accompany the report at the May 16, 2006 meeting. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members mentioned to Mr. Collins that they would like him to solicit proposals for the FY06 audits.

Groveland and West Newbury voters rejected the override to support a 33.3 million dollar budget for the schools. Dr. Compton has met with his administrators and is in the process of sending out 65 non renewal letters. Dr. Compton has also been in touch with Jeff Wulfson from the Department of Education and he explained that there purpose is to help the district with fiscal solvency not its budgetary process. If there is no budget in place by July, the Commissioner of Education will step in and give the District a budget for a few months.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to give the administration a range of 29 to 31 million dollars for the FY07 budget with the staff and programming set at a high priority. Motion withdrawn.

Dr. Compton said he does not want to fool with the fix costs of 4 million dollars. The 1.7 million is comprised of additional personnel and is the area where reductions would be made.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Levine to get a list from the administration prioritizing the 1.7 million dollar costs. Ms. Blades offered an amendment that the list include the entire supplemental and not just the 1.7 million. Ms. Blades said that if the Districts goes back to the 27.5, the administration will have to identify what would be cut. Motion was not voted.

Mr. Case said that the board has 30 days to reconsider, amend and resubmit a budget according to the terms of the regional agreement. The state allows for the Commissioner of Education to extend the deadline by 15 days. Once the budget is adopted the towns have 45 days to vote on their assessments.

Mr. Collins said that the way he would prepare a budget is to take the actuals for FY06 and then project out FY07 at a level fund. He said that the number is likely to be about 2 million higher than the 27.5 million the Committee had budgeted for last spring. Mr. Collins said that the number would be less than 33.3 million but it would still represent a level service budget. All three town Finance Directors were in agreement. Members asked the administration to prioritize the items removed from the 33.3 million dollars prior to adopting a new budget on May 16^th.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Deveau to enter in executive session for the purposes of contract negations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Corradino, Levine, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Blades, Albert)
(opposed: Grazio)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

Mrs. Grazio was opposed to the executive session because there was no prior notice nor was there information in the packet.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Baumgardner, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Albert,

Also Present: Principals, Mrs. Townes, Mr. Binaghi, Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Champion, Mrs. Jervey, Mr. Harrison, and Mrs. Brophy, Spectators and Press

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 4.7. Ms. Blades, Mr. Deveau, and Dr. Littlefield were absent.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Atwood to approve the agenda as amended. The amendments were to add a comment on the audit from Melanson and Health, the grounds of the District and a discussion/vote on school choice. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the FY07 budget in the amount of 31.7 million dollars. Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Fournier, Moran, Baumgardner)(for: 6.0)(opposed: 3.3)

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve the FY07 budget in the amount of 30.9 million dollars. Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Baumgardner, Levine, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Grazio, Buell)(for: 7.1)(opposed: 2.2)

Members debated on whether to support a 30.9 million dollar budget that Mr. Collins said would give the administrators the flexibility to maintain level services or a 31.7 million dollar budget that includes items that administrators said were essential. Mr. Collins said that the 30.9 represented level services with the same resources in school, and no reductions in staff. Mr. Collins reviewed what specifically was in the 31.7 million dollar budget that was not part of the 30.9 million dollar budget.

Mrs. Townes commented that the high school has lost 10.5 teaching positions over the last three years. Mrs. Townes said that the psychologist position is tied to a special education corrective action plan that is state mandated. Mrs. Townes also commented that the library materials do not meet the National Library Standards and that she needs more custodial help.

Mr. Binaghi said new math books were a must and if necessary he would cut an existing program in order to buy them.

Mr. Collins gave members the fee schedule they requested. There was a request to have the transportation coordinator’s job description in the next packet.

Mr. Buell wanted it stated in the record that the middle school and high school cannot be cleaned adequately with the present custodial staff.

Mr. Collins gave members the assessments for both the 30.9 and the 31.7 million dollar budgets.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve a budget of $31,417,054. Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Moran, Levine, Buell, Albert)(opposed: Baumgardner, Fournier)(abstained: Atwood)(for: 7.4)(opposed: 2.2)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to reconsider the motion on 31.7 million dollar budget. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Baumgardner)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

Mr. Collins suggested that the Committee approved the budget for 30.9 and give the voters a separate warrant for the items that the principals requested.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve a budget of $30,903,750 (base and supplemental). Motion carried. (unanimous approved)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve an additional warrant for $625,320 for the schools (per pupil assessment). This warrant must pass in all three towns and must be reviewed by the District’s legal counsel. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Grazio, Moran, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Fournier, Baumgardner)(for: 7.1)(opposed: 2.2)

The $625,320 came from subtracting the $188,000 in efficiencies from the original $813,320 more in the 31.7 million dollar proposal.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to have 92 slots for school choice next year. The choice slots will not exceed 92 total. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve the Wellness Policy for a second reading. There was an amendment that the action plan was not included in the approval. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 8.2)(opposed: 1.1)

Mrs. Brophy gave members a copy of the Wellness Policy that she is proposing. The source she is working from is NANA (National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity). At the 5/31/06 meeting, Mrs. Brophy stated that the deadline to pass the policy was June 30, 2006. Mrs. Brophy has been informed by the DOE those repercussions for not passing and implementing the policy may result in a loss of Federal funds. For Pentucket that would be more than $100,000. This policy will be implemented over a five year period.

Some members said that some of the language was confining and should be “cleaned up” to allow some flexibility and discretion on the part of the food service staff and administration. Mrs. Brophy agreed and will submit an edited copy to the Committee for a third reading at the June 20^th meeting.

It was moved by Mr. Fournier and seconded by Mr. Buell to have Mr. Collins submit a written report to the Committee for the June 20^th meeting after reviewing the Melanson and Heath forensic audit. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Atwood to have acting Superintendent Dr. McGinn discuss with the principals the grounds at the schools and have a report submitted to the Committee by the first meeting in July. There was an amendment to add the job description of the grounds employees. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Piccolomini, Grazio, Fournier)(for: 6.0)(opposed: 3.3)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negations. Motion carried by roll call vote. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mr. Atwood to adjourn the meeting at 10:15. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Dr. Littlefield, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Fournier, Mr. Buell, and Mrs. Piccolomini

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.2. Mr. Deveau and Mr. Levine

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Ms. Blades to approve the agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Grazio that $2,500,000 be appropriated in order to maintain and operate the District while it adjusts the level of its expenses and revenues so as to achieve balanced budgets and fiscal stability; that this appropriation be raised by incurring debt by the issuance of bonds or notes under Chapter 108 of the Acts of 2006; and that the District Treasurer be authorized to file an application with the Municipal Finance Oversight Board to qualify under Chapter 44A of the General Laws any or all of the bonds and notes and to provide such information and execute such documents as the Municipal Finance Oversight Board may require for these purposes. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Dr. Littlefield and seconded by Mr. Baumgardner to adjourn the meeting at 7:38 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.5. Mrs. Piccolomini was absent.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to approve the agenda as amended. The amendments were to move the Two Step Assessment under Old Business, add Grounds and Facilities, add an update on the Financial Control Board and a comment on the vacancy on the Whittier Regional Vocational School Committee. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept with regret Dr. Littlefield resignation from the Committee. Motion carried. (for: Albert, Atwood, Baumgardner, Blades, Deveau, Fournier, Grazio, Levine, Littlefield, Moran)(opposed: Buell)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

Although members wished Dr. Littlefield well, they expressed his leaving would be a great loss to the Committee.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the correspondence as amended. The amendment was to add Dr. Littlefield’s resignation. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Buell to add Proposed Regional District Budget Regulations to the August 1^st agenda. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the minutes of June 20, 2006 as amended. The first amendment was on page 3 with the first motion/vote. The first sentence was rewritten to read, “It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to have members forward any additional information that would be useful to the Melanson and Heath audit to the Chair.” The second amendment was in the next paragraph. Mr. Atwood clarified that he would like to go forward with a plan from Mr. Collins (within 30 – 60 days) to have the timeline that Mr. Collins needs to have the checks and balances in the Business Office. Motion carried. (for: Albert, Atwood, Baumgardner, Blades, Deveau, Fournier, Grazio, Littlefield, Moran, Buell)(abstained: Levine)(for: 9.8)(abatained: 1.1)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the donation from the Middle School PTO. There was an amendment to have a thank you note sent. Motion carried. (unanimous approval).

Please note that anything changing the budget and or assessments needs a 2/3 majority vote.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Buell to rescind the original motion (voted on June 20, 2006) and to have both methods (per pupil and two step) sent to the towns. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Littlefield)(opposed: Baumgardner, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(for: 6.3)(opposed: 4.6)

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Atwood to rescind the amendment that was just voted. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve sending the assessments to the towns using the state recommended method. Motion failed. (for: Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Littlefield)(opposed: Blades, Baumgardner, Grazio, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 5.7)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Buell to send the assessments to the towns both ways (per pupil and two step). Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Littlefield)(opposed: Baumgardner, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(for: 7.4)(opposed: 3.5)

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to have the 30.9 million dollar budget assessed to the towns by the per pupil method only as stated in the regional agreement. Motion failed. Motion failed. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier)(opposed: Moran, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(for: 3.3)(opposed: 7.6)

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mr. Levine to send the 30.9 million dollar budget to the towns with both methods(per pupil and two step) and to specifically state in the letter that the towns need to specify which assessment method that will be voting at the town meeting. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members had a lengthy discussion with opposing points of view on which method of assessment to use. The regional agreement specifies the per pupil method and the state recommended method is the two step. Merrimac portion of the school budget using that two step method has already been approved by voters at their town meeting. Mrs. Grazio asked whether or not the per pupil was voted on by Merrimac. Selectmen responded by saying that they made that decision and that the per pupil assessment was not put to the voters for action.

Presently Chairman Moran, Mr. Atwood and Ms. Blades are on the Negotiations Subcommittee.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to appoint Mrs. Albert, Mr. Baumgardner, and Mr. Deveau to the Negotiations Subcommittee. There was an amendment to ask if anyone else was interested in participating. This motion was not necessary.

The Committee agreed that they needed to appoint a Policy Subcommittee. The District currently has approximately 25 policies. Mrs. Grazio recommended that a separate subcommittee be established for Bylaws. Members were asked to email Mrs. Moran if they are interested in being on either subcommittee.

Chairman Moran spoke with Dr. Darke, Groveland Selectman, and he requested that the School Committee automatically send to the towns copies of all memos and letters that go to our legal council that are budget related.

Chairman Moran informed the Committee that Attorney Finnegan said it would be very costly to pursue legal action against former administrators responsible for the budget deficit, but he will check into it and report back to the Committee. Several members of the Committee said they would prefer to wait until after the audit is complete.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Baumgardner to direct Attorney Finnegan to forward a copy of the audit to the District Attorney’s Office and notify him that the Committee is forwarding it in case he deems it possible that a criminal investigation be launched. Motion withdrawn and Mr. Buell asked for it to be reconsidered when the Committee receives the final report.

The Control Board met and authorized the district to spend 2.2 million dollars based on the needs of the administration to open school in the fall. They also voted to rehire or replace 21 teachers that were given pink slips. The Board will meet again in mid July.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Atwood to approve the Administrators and the Chief Financial Officer’s requests for line item transfers for the FY07 budget. There was an amendment to have Dr. Livingston provide a summary of what these transfers represent at the August 1^st meeting. Motion carried. (for: Fournier, Moran, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Blades)(abstained: Grazio)(for: 8.7)(opposed: 1.1)(abstained: 1.1)

Dr. McGinn explained that these transfers were just a realignment of funds that resulted in no net changes to the budget.

Mr. Collins recommended that the Committee reduce the FY07 budget by approximately $400,000. The state has approved a plan for the district to borrow up to 2.5 million dollars. Mr. Collins explained that no principal and interest payments will be due on that borrowing until FY08. Mrs. Moran said that the Mr. Hinchey, Chairman of the Financial Control Board, did not agree and would like to keep the numbers as is for the time being.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades to get written comment from Mr. Hinchey regarding Mr. Collins recommendation. Motion withdrawn.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine accept Mr. Collins recommendation to reduce the budget to $30,558,500. Motion failed. (for: Grazio, Fournier, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Blades, Moran, Deveau)(abstained: .Atwood)(for: 7.1)(opposed: 3.0)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Deveau to authorize Dr. Livingston to begin to look into alternative methods of providing outsourcing district services for the purposes of cost savings and to have this information presented to the Committee in October as part of the FY08 budget proposal. Motion failed. (for: Baumgardner, Buell)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Deveau, Littlefield, Albert)(abstained: Atwood)(for: 2.2)(opposed: 7.9)(abstained: .8)

Mrs. Grazio said she may have a candidate to represent Groveland on the Whittier Vocational School Committee.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to enter into executive session for the purposes of contract negotiations. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Fournier, Moran, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Atwood, Littlefield, Albert)(opposed: Grazio)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

Mrs. Grazio was opposed because there was no information in the packet regarding executive session. Mr. Buell and Mr. Deveau left due to a conflict of interest. The majority vote changed to 4.6.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to adjourn the meeting at 9:38 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Baumgardner, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine,

Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Fournier, Mr. Buell, Mrs. Piccolomini, and Mr. Deveau

Members observed a moment of silence in honor of Mary Datro. Ms. Datro passed away on July 8^th. She was an English teacher for 23 years at Pentucket High School . She will be sadly missed by all.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the agenda as amended. The amended agenda was passed out at the meeting with a revised format. Additional amendments were to add comments on transportation and the Internal Finance Board Minutes. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mrs. Grazio requested that a discussion on the FY08 budget format be added to an August agenda.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept and file the correspondence.

Motion carried. (for: Grazio, Blades, Fournier, Atwood, Deveau, Levine, Moran, Baumgardner, Buell)(abstained: Albert, Piccolomini)(for: 9.3)(abstained: 1.9)

Mr. Buell asked the administration to research when Attorney Finnegan’s contract expires.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the donation from the Recine family for the Dr. Frederick N. Sweetsir School. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the minutes of July 6, 2006 as amended. The amendments were to correct the typo on page 3, Blade was changed to Blades. On page 2 Ms. Blades voted opposed on the fourth motion. Motion carried. (for: Grazio, Blades, Fournier, Atwood, Deveau, Levine, Moran, Baumgardner, Albert, Buell)(abstained: Piccolomini)(for: 10.1)(abstained: 1.1)

Mr. Buell would like a discussion on the format of the minutes at the next meeting. Members will receive a copy of the current policy.

Dr. Livingston gave members his entry plan. There was a brief discussion on the Committee retreat process. Dr. Livingston is looking forward to a retreat/workshop with all members. He plans on inviting a representative from the MASC and the MASS to assist in facilitating the workshop. It will be an opportunity for members to discuss goals, and roles and responsibilities. Mrs. Grazio suggested that it be as soon as possible. Mr. Buell asked Dr. Livingston to share his previous evaluation. Dr. Livingston agreed. Mrs. Naffah will contact members to arrange a date in August or September for the workshop.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine that a workshop be scheduled as soon as possible. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members discussed the format of the financial statement in the packet. They would like to see it summarized, easier to read and with definitions of the terms.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to request that the administration provide the Committee with three formats for monthly financial statements. These statements will be clear and easily understood. Anything outstanding will have an accompanying report. There was an amendment to have these documents generated from the finance system and not be excel spreadsheets. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Collins reported that there are currently no consultants in house employed by Giusti and Hingston at the present time and that Giusti and Hingston will be back to do the audit.

Members received information on the District transportation. There was a clarification that Mrs. Grazio would like to see what was sent to the state in terms of reimbursement. Were the students that live between 1.5 and 2 miles deducted from that reimbursement? Mr. Collins will look into it.

West Newbury Selectmen Richard Cushing and Glenn Kemper brought to the Committee’s attention that there was an error in the ballot question voted on July 18^th, 2006. The ballot question read: “Shall the town of West Newbury be allowed to assess an additional $568,482.00 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purpose of paying its full assessed share of the Pentucket Regional School District budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2007.” It should have said July 1, 2006. The error was brought to their attention during the election. They conferred with the Massachusetts election officials and they were told to continue the election to protect the integrity of the vote. There were 426 votes in favor and 215 opposed. There will be a meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. They will discuss whether or not they will appeal to the state legislature or whether another special election will take place in late August.

Chairman Moran appointed the following people to the Policy Subcommittee: Mrs. Grazio as Chairman,

Mr. Fournier, Mr. Buell and Mr. Deveau. Chairman Moran asked the subcommittee to update the full Committee at the August 15^th meeting.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Deveau to appoint Mary Clisbee as the Groveland representative to the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Buell did not vote on the previous motion. He had stepped out of the room momentarily.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve the transfers from the Bagnall School . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

The Committee had asked Dr. McGinn to discuss with the principals the grounds of the schools and prepare a report for them. The high school and middle school’s principals were content with the current maintenance of their school grounds. The elementary principals are frustrated and feel that their grounds need attention and they would like a regular schedule. Mr. Grover, Grounds Supervisor, said that the staffing has been reduced and there is no overtime available. He said that 50% of his time and 30% of his budget are dedicated to the athletic fields in the fall and the spring. Mr. Grover reported that in addition to the fields located on the middle and high school campus he maintains and prepares the fields located at Pipestave Hill in West Newbury , the Pines in Groveland and occasionally Shanahan Field in Groveland. Several non school sponsored summer clinics used the field which prevents Mr. Grover from conducting the proper nutrient, pest management, and revitalization that should be occurring during the summer.

· Mr. Atwood commented that the use of facilities should be planned better and that fees should be charged according to the events and the costs to maintain them.

· Dr. Livingston suggested looking into getting some help through community service.

· Mr. Buell said that this report has made him realize how much time spent on athletic fields and not enough on the rest of the grounds. He suggested charging the athletic department for the maintenance.

· Mrs. Grazio suggested that the administration review the Use of Facilities Policy.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to have the administration come back to the Committee at the November 21^st meeting with a plan of the district’s gounds maintenance. This motion also includes and analysis of having one staff member maintain the athletic fields.

It was moved by Mrs. Albert and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to table the discussion on grounds maintenance. Motion carried. (for: Grazio, Blades, Fournier, Atwood, Deveau, Piccolomini, Moran, Baumgardner, Albert,)(opposed: Buell, Levine)(for: 9.0)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing contract negotiation strategies. Motion carried. (for: Buell, Levine, Fournier, Atwood, Deveau, Piccolomini, Moran, Baumgardner, Albert,)(opposed: Grazio, Blades)(for: 9.0)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Baumgardner, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine,

Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Fournier, Mr. Buell, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, and Mr. Deveau

Roll Call: Roll call was taken. The majority vote was 5.5. Mr. Buell arrived at 7:50 p.m. The majority vote changed to 6.1.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the agenda as amended. The amendments were to move declassify executive session minutes to the executive session. An additional budget transfer was added, a discussion on the tritown meeting was added, and a comment from Mr. Baker on subcommittee assignments was added. The final amendment was to separate adjournment and executive session and to add the reason for the executive session which was contract negotiations and a complaint against an employee. Motion carried. (for Moran, Atwood, Baumgardner, Albert, Levine, Grazio, Fournier, Piccolomini, Baker, Deveau)(opposed: Blades)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 1.1)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept and file the correspondence as amended. The amendment was to add the three letters regarding contract negotiations from the executive session. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mr. Deveau in the future to have all assessment and budget correspondence to the town sent by certified mail. Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Moran, Levine, Deveau, Atwood, Baker, Albert)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Baumgardner)(for: 5.5)(opposed: 4.4)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Atwood to have the Committee get an updated copy of the Regional Agreement. This updated agreement will also be sent to the town officials. (possibly the first week in September) Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the minutes of July 18, 2006 as amended. Ms. Blades want the following language added to page two: “Mr. Collins reported that there are currently no consultants in house employed by Giusti and Hingston that Giusti and Hingston would be back to do the audit.” Motion carried. (for Moran, Atwood, Baumgardner, Albert, Levine, Grazio, Fournier, Piccolomini, Blades, Deveau)(abstained: Baker)(for: 10.1)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to authorize Dr. Livingston to send out the rehire letters as recommended by Attorney Finnegan. Motion carried. (for Moran, Atwood, Baumgardner, Albert, Levine, Buell, Fournier, Piccolomini, Blades, Deveau)(opposed: Grazio, Baker)(for: 10.1)(opposed: 1.9)

Mrs. Moran recommended that the letter be amended to add Groveland’s election date. Members were concerned that the budget has not been finalized and that 57 positions would have to be funded elsewhere if it fails. It was also noted that if the budget does not pass, lay offs are possible and the budget will have to be reviewed.

Mr. Buell would like the Committee to review the School Committee Policy. Mr. Buell commented that perhaps the minutes should have more detail and more substance on what people say. Mr. Atwood and Mr. Baker did not agree. Ms. Blades has other suggestions she would like to share with the Committee.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to refer the School Committee Minutes Policy to the Policy Subcommittee. There was an amendment that the current policy would remain in place until that time. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Deveau)(opposed: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Atwood, Baker, Albert)(7.4)(opposed: 4.6)

There was a miscommunication. This was not the article the Committee wanted to discuss. The article referring to the “DOE Firming up Policies on Regional Agreements” will be discussed at the August 15^th meeting.

Mr. Atwood requested that a future meeting the Committee discuss the SBA review.

Chairman Moran appointed Ms. Blades to be the Chair of the Bylaws Subcommittee with Mr. Baumgardner, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Grazio, and Mr. Atwood. There will be an update on from the Bylaws Subcommittee at the September 19^th meeting. There will be an update from the Policy Subcommittee at the September 5^th meeting.

Mr. Buell commented that Article 2, Section 10 has not been amended and the Superintendent should be following that agenda format.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Atwood to accept the Allergies in School Policy for the first reading. Mr. Levine accepted an amendment from Mrs. Albert to have the following sentence rewritten as follows: It is the responsibility of the parent to notify their child’s school of their child’s allergies prior to the beginning of the school year.” Mr. Levine accepted an amendment from Mrs. Grazio to strike the last sentence which read: “No student will be excluded from school activities based solely on his/her allergies.” Mr. Levine accepted an amendment from Mr. Baker to remove the following sentence: “The presence of food in all classrooms with the exception of classrooms that teach cooking as part of the curriculum is discouraged. “ Motion carried. (for: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Atwood, Baker, Albert)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Baumgardner, Buell)(abstained: Deveau)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 4.4)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mr. Levine to remove the following sentence: “The student’s physician must be involved in the diagnosis and treatment plan that the school will follow for students with allergy intolerance while in the school or at any school-sponsored event.” Motion failed.

(for: Blades, Grazio, Levine, Buell)(opposed: Piccolomini, Fournier, Moran, Baumgardner, Atwood, Baker, Albert)(abstained: Deveau)(for: 4.4)(opposed: 6.8)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Baker to have the procedures be reviewed for grammar and clarity by the Superintendent and brought back to the Committee “with an eye for what kind of risk the District will be at”. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

· Chairman Moran reminded members that they were only voting on the first page.

· Mr. Buell said that the proposed procedure put forth is a risk to the District and the Committee. Mr. Baker agreed and would have preferred to have the Committee legal counsel draft the wording for the policy. Mr. Buell made an amended to have the procedure brought to the Committee for review. The amendment was not accepted. Mr. Buell also suggested that the policy be tabled and referred to the Policy Subcommittee.

· Mrs. Grazio commented that the language was too strong and too absolute and could present a liability problem for the district.

· Mrs. Grazio would like to see the policy and the procedures to rewritten to correct grammatical errors and rewritten for clarity. Mr. Levine said that the policy/procedures should be clearer and should have been written in a more professional manner.

Mr. Collins was asked to provide an explanation concerning the transfer of funds request by the principals. The Committee directed Mr. Collins to provide a level service budget for FY07 based on actual costs incurred during FY06. The FY06 costs were a result of a budget freeze and changing needs of the schools. The principals’ transfer request reflects the original budget line item amounts submitted and approved by the Committee. The original budget line item amounts reflect the needs of the schools as submitted by the principals.

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Buell to put forth an amendment to delete the high school transfer (from the salary English teacher to the salary principal and assistant principal high school). Motion failed. (for: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Baker)(opposed: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(for: 5.2)(opposed: 6.8)

Mr. Buell asked if Mr. Baker would accept an amendment to request contracts on the principals and the assistant principals. Motion withdrawn.

Dr. Livingston explained that this transfer was necessary to meet contractual obligations made in the spring.

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mr. Buell to accept the transfers. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Deveau, Atwood, Albert)(opposed: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Levine, Buell, Baker)(for: 6.8)(opposed: 5.2)

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Buell to have the Committee receive a copy of all contracts on assistant principals including upper level administration. There was an amendment to have all letters of contractual commitments. There was a second amendment to include all contracts listed on the spreadsheet that the Committee received. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was noted that sending the contracts would be more efficient than creating a spreadsheet with salaries, benefits, etc.

Mr. Collins informed the Committee that this document represents the difference between this year’s 30.9 million dollar budget and last year’s 27.5 million dollar budget. He said it does not change the assessments to the towns.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Buell to vote to accept the budget (format) including both the operating and supplemental and to forward it to the Board of Selectman and the Finance Directors. Motion carried. (for: Grazio, Blades, Piccolomini, Fournier, Buell, Levine, Baumgardner, Moran, Atwood, Deveau, Albert)(abstained: Baker)(for: 11.2)(abstained: .8)

Dr. Livingston gave members a sample evaluation tool as requested by them. Mr. Buell suggested tabling the discussion until October.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Buell to gather 6 different sample evaluations for the Committee to review and to determine which type of tool they would like to use and then to form a subcommittee. Motion carried. (for: Grazio, Piccolomini, Fournier, Buell, Levine, Baumgardner, Moran, Atwood, Deveau, Albert)(abstained: Baker)(for: 10.1)(abstained: .8)

Mrs. Grazio will gather the samples and bring them to the first meeting in September.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to approve the home school requests for the school year 2006 – 2007. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Dr. Livingston reported that he would like to move forward with as much of the document as possible. He said it is a working document for principals over the next school year. Mrs. Grazio questioned, “Where are we now and where are we going?” Mr. Buell thought the language was too strong. Mr. Deveau suggested the document be dated and also to insert dates of implementation.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to have the administration take into account the Committee concerns and suggestions and to bring it back to the full committee for awareness in a month. This should include a revised action plan with measurement standards, responsible parties and milestones for future action. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Grazio, Fournier, Moran, Levine, Buell, Deveau, Albert)(abstained: Piccolomini, Baumgardner, Atwood, Baker)(8.2)(abstained: 3.8)

There is a tritown meeting scheduled for August 2^nd at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school conference room .

The town of Groveland has requested this meeting per section 10, number 8 of the Regional Agreement.

Mr. Baker said that he would like to be put back on the subcommittees that he was on last year. Chairman Moran will get back to him once she reviews the lists.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to enter into executive session for the purposes of discussing contract negotiations and a complaint against an employee. Motion carried. (for: Blades, Fournier, Levine, Buell, Moran, Baumgardner, Atwood, Deveau, Albert, Baker)(opposed: Grazio, Piccolomini)(for: 9.8)(opposed: 2.2)

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Atwood that before any new employee is hired, or any money expended must be signed off by the Chief Financial Officer confirming that there is money in that line item. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Buell and Mr. Deveau did not vote on the previous motion. They left the meeting at 11:00 p.m. due to a conflict of interest. The majority vote changed to 5.1.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Baker to adjourn the meeting at 11:10 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell (arrived at 7:45)

Also present: Supt. Paul Livingston, Assist. Supt. Peter McGinn, CFO George Collins , public and press.

Agenda was amended to include under new business: School Committee packets requested by Mr. Baumgardner and consideration of a request for Home Schooling by Dr. McGinn.

Carol Grazio moved that the amended agenda be approved and seconded by Mr. Levine. Unanimous approval SC members. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Jed Levine moved that the committee accept and file the correspondence seconded by Mrs. Grazio. Unanimous approval by SC members. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Maria Piccolomini moved that the committee accept the Minutes of August 9, 2006 seconded by Mrs. Grazio. Unanimous approval by the members. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Page School Lease: Mrs. Grazio moved to send the lease to Atty. Finnegan and the Groveland and Merrimac Boards of Selectman for their review. Mr. Levine seconded the motion. Specific areas that Mrs. Grazio and Ms. Blades requested to be gone over by Atty. Finnegan are:

In addition Mrs. Grazio would like the Children’s Castle lease to be reviewed by Atty. Finnegan.

Mrs. Grazio moved that a copy of the Children’s Castle lease be distributed to SC and Steve Finnegan. Motion seconded by Rich Baker. She felt that the square footage needs to be included in the Lease

Monthly Financial Statement: Mr. Deveau would like to have function lines and page breaks in the format that is chosen. Chairman Moran would like the detail to remain. Mr. Deveau made a motion to accept a format with function lines, page breaks and detail seconded by Mr. Levine. Motion passed with a unanimous vote. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Athletic Fees: Supt. Livingston explained to the Committee the proposed increase in athletic fees. Previously the Committee voted to keep the athletic fees at 75% of the cost of each individual sport. Principal Arlene Townes explained that three years of experience and data allow a more accurate projection of the cost of the athletics programming at the high school. The Committee was presented with these increases. The superintendent recommended that rather than passing the full increase along to the students/parents that fees be increased by 70% of the increase for the 2006/07 school year. Supt. Livingston felt that the Committee may wish to “ease into” the increases by choosing 70%.

Motion: Mr. Baumgardner moved to have the Athletic Director provide full disclosure of charges and gate receipts seconded by Mr. Buell. Motioned passed with a unanimous vote. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Hiring Policy: Mr. Buell motioned to have the Policy sub-committee review the hiring policy seconded by Mr. Grazio. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Athletic Fees: The Committee returned to the Athletic Fee Structure. Mrs. Townes provided the members with spread sheets detailing current fees, actual costs, amounts of proposed increases, etc.

Motion: Mr. Levine motioned to have Mr. DeFilice and Mr. Collins get together to provide a better understanding for the Committee as to how the “cap” may effect the District seconded by Mr. Baumgardner.

Mrs. Albert and Mr. Fournier opposed the motion, all others in favor. (In favor: Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Motion: Ms. Bladesmade a motion to increase the costs of the milk; seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini. Guillaume and Carol opposed. All others in favor. (In favor: Chairman Moran, , Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mr. Levine,Mrs. Albert, Mr.Fournier) Motion passed.

A request by Ms. Blades for information as to recycling in the District was made and will be available at the first meeting in October.

Motion: Mr. Buell made a motion to rescind the previous vote by the Committee to approve 92.5 slots for school choice. Mrs. Piccolomini seconded the motion.

Motion: Mr. Buell motioned that comments be forwarded to Mrs. Naffah by August 30, 2006 for the Sept. 5^th meeting. Mr. Levine seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Allergies: Mr. Buell was concerned about the language and putting the District at risk for lawsuits. Mr. Baker asked if this policy has been reviewed by the legal department. Supt. Livingston informed the Committee that the policy as written was reviewed by an attorney. Voting against was Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, and Mr. Buell. All others in favor of the motion. (In favor: Chairman Moran, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine) The motion passed.

Contracts: Contracts were requested by the Committee and included in the packets. Mrs. Deveau asked if stipends were a normal part of the contract. Supt. Livingston informed the Committee that for the services listed in these contracts that this was not inappropriate.

Committee Packets: Mr. Baumgardner moved to have the administration check into the possibility of sending packets electronically to members who wished to receive the information in that manner. Seconded by Mr. Baker. Discussion took place as to copyright laws, members who may not have access to computers or zip files. Mrs. Grazio informed the Committee the at the next MASC meeting this topic will be discussed. Vote: Ms. Blades and Mrs. Grazio opposed. All other members in favor of the motion. The motion passed. (In favor: Chairman Moran, Mr. Baumgardner, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Home School : Dr. McGinn presented a request from a family to home school their child. Motion made by Mr. Levine to accepted the request to home school, seconded by Ms. Blades. All were in favor of the motion. Motion passed. (Chairman Moran, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Baumgardner, Ms. Blades, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Deveau, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, & Mr. Buell)

Executive Session: A motion to enter into executive session was made by Mr. Baker, seconded by Mr. Baumgardner. A roll call vote was taken. Mrs. Grazio opposed, all others in favor. The motion passed. A motion to go past 10:00 was made by Mr. Baker, seconded by Mrs. Albert. Mrs. Grazio opposed, all others in favor of the motion.

Adjournment: A motion was made by Ms. Blades to come out of executive session and adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mrs. Grazio. All were in favor. Meeting adjourned at 10:20 P.M.

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, Ms. Blades, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Fournier, Mrs. Piccolomini, Mr. Baker, Mr. Buell, and Mr. Deveau

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the agenda as amended. Motion carried. The amendments were to add a discussion on the elementary school leases and to have the Bagnall Grade 4 Class Size discussed first under New Business. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept and file the minutes of September 19, 2006 as amended. The amendments were as follows: Ms. Blades wanted it stated in the record that the reason she did not approve the transfer of Tuition Private School was because she said it was not a true reflection of special education tuition. Ms. Blades also wanted it stated in the record that she did not approve the transfer from Salary Human Resources to Salary Assistant Superintendent Administration because there was no information on the staff reorganization. It has also been corrected in that motion that Mr. Deveau voted opposed. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Baker, Albert, Deveau)(abstained: Grazio, Atwood, Buell)(for: 7.9)(abstained: 3.0)

Several parents with students in the fourth grade at Bagnall School were in attendance. They expressed concern over the number of students in the classrooms at the fourth grade level. They requested the School Committee add an additional teacher and classroom.

James Freitas, and Luke West (Middle School students) were invited in to the meeting to be recognize for their outstanding work in the District’s community service program. It was also noted that Lila Teeters and Erin Flynn currently are the top community services students at the high school.

Dr. Livingston met with several parents with students in the fourth grade at the Bagnall School along with Mrs. Champion today to discuss the class sizes at the fourth grade level. Dr. Livingston’s recommendation to the Committee was to add an additional classroom and teacher. He suggested posting the position while researching the availability of the funding. Currently Mrs. Champion has $37,000 available. Mrs. Champion plans to send a letter home with fourth grade parents to update them on the situation and ask them if they are interested in moving their child. Mrs. Champion said that they will strive for balanced classrooms.

It was moved by Mrs. Moran and seconded by Mr. Atwood to allow the administration to go ahead and start advertising for the fourth grade teaching position at the Bagnall School . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Several Committee members expressed concern with the class sizes at the Donaghue School . The class sizes average 24 – 26 students.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Levine to direct the Superintendent and other appropriate administration to investigate the class sizes at the Donaghue School . Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Grazio, Buell, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Baker, Albert, Deveau)(opposed: Baker)(for: 10.1)(opposed: .8)

Chairman Moran asked the Committee for a formal vote on two items from the School Committee workshop held on September 12, 2006.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Deveau to develop a single mission statement for the District. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mr. Buell to have the Committee decide the Superintendent’s evaluation format and categories and to have a subcommittee develop the detail for the evaluation following the Committee’s direction. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Grazio, Buell, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Baker, Albert, Deveau)(opposed: Baker)(for: 10.1)(opposed: .8)

The intent of this motion is to develop a subcommittee and to have that subcommittee take direction from the full Committee. The subcommittee will bring a draft to the full Committee.

It was moved by Mr. Buell and seconded by Ms. Blades to accept the Draft List Baseline Data with a second page that would include financial accountability measures. Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Buell, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Baker, Deveau)(opposed: Albert)(abstained: Grazio)(for: 9.0)(opposed: .8)(abstained: 1.1)

Mr. Baker commented that the data did not include management measures, financial indicators, assessments to the towns, and the management report from the auditors. Mr. Levine requested the timeline on the financial data.

Dr. Livingston gave the Committee background information on how values can lead the District. Members were asked to write their “values” on posted notes and put them on the wall. They were then sorted into categories. The Committee agreed on the following values: respect, integrity, accountability both educationally and financially, equal opportunity/opportunity for students, and leadership and citizenship with community involvement. There will be a memo with an outline of the procedure in the next packet.

Mrs. Grazio provided draft formats to be considered and approved by the Committee.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the Triton format. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Buell favored the format done by Masconomet. He said it was simple, allowed one to give numeric value and a space for comment. Mrs. Grazio suggested the Committee use the format done by Triton and melt it together with MASCO. Mrs. Grazio would also like a detailed cover sheet like the one referenced on PRSD.

Dr. McGinn asked Dr. Gately to do a report on the District’s Special Education Program as a result of the district’s middle school being identified as a school in need of improvement. The middle school’s special education students and special education students district wide had not met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria. Dr. Gately was asked to identify those programmatic areas that could lead to improved student performance for all students.

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mrs. Grazio to have a reported given to the Committee on correcting each one of the issues in the report before the budget process. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Collins gave members the FY06 and FY07 Budget Reports. Mr. Hingston from Giusti and Hingston was in the office last week and he reported that as of today the projected deficit for FY06 is $200,000.

Mr. Collins gave the Committee the FY07 budget transfers needed to allocate funds in the budget line item appropriation. This would properly reflect funds needed to balance line item appropriation with sufficient funding.

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the transfers in their entirety accept for Sweetsir School . There was no second to the motion.

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to approve the transfer:

From: Salary Medical Therapist Service (101.2320.19.0110.000.00.1.00000) $312,136.33

The reason for the above transfer is to properly allocate funds for services district wide.

From: Salary Grounds Maintenance Workers (101.4210.00.0313.000.00.1.00005) $26,901.66

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund the Salary Principal Secretary and Salary Principal line Bagnall School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Grazio (abstained: Albert, Baker)(for: 8.2) (abstained: 1.6)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund the music teacher line. Reduce encumbrances by $10,000.00 Bagnall School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Grazio, Albert) (opposed: Baker)(for: 9.0) (opposed: .8)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund the Salary Art Teacher at Bagnall School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Buell, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Grazio, Albert) (abstained: Baker)(for: 9.0) (abstained: .8)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Music Teachers appropriation. Reduce encumbrance by $5,000.00 Donaghue School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Buell, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier) (opposed: Grazio, Albert, Deveau, Baker)(for: 6.3) (opposed: 3.5)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Music Teachers appropriation. Reduce encumbrance by $5,000.00 Donaghue School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Baker, Albert) (abstained: Grazio)(for: 8.7) (abstained: 1.1)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Salary Media Professional Line item Donaghue School .

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Salary Principal Secretary Line item Sweetsir School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Baker, Albert) (abstained: Grazio)(for: 8.7) (abstained: 1.1)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Principal Secretary line item Page School .

Motion carried. (for: Moran, Levine, Atwood, Piccolomini, Blades, Fournier, Deveau, Albert) (abstained: Baker, Grazio)(for: 7.9) (abstained: 1.9)

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Principal appropriation Middle School .

It was moved by Ms. Blades and seconded by Mr. Levine to approve the amended transfer:

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Computer Teacher and Salary Media Professional line items Middle School .

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Principal and Guidance/Adjustment Counselor line items High School.

The reason for the above transfer is to fully fund Salary Sped Teacher line item High School .

The reason for the above transfer is to properly allocate expense to Supt. Office/OT Stipend appropriation Central Office.

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Baker to table the transfer:

It was moved by Mrs. Albert and seconded by Mr. Deveau to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m. Motion failed. (for: Baker, Moran, Deveau)(opposed: Levine, Grazio, Fournier, Piccolomini, Atwood, Blades)(abstained: Albert)(for: 2.7)(opposed: 6.3)(abstained: .8)

It was moved by Mrs. Grazio and seconded by Mr. Atwood to adjourn the meeting at 10:08 p.m. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Members Present: Chairman Moran, Mrs. Albert, Mr. Levine, Mrs. Grazio, Mr. Atwood,

It was moved by Mr. Baker and seconded by Mr. Levine to accept the agenda as amended. The amendment was to have the Bagnall Grade 4 Class Size discussed first under New Business. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Mr. Levine asked to have a prioritization of district needs for surplus funds if applicable at the October 17^th meeting.

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept and file the minutes of September 19, 2006 as amended. The amendment was to correct the second motion on page two: Mr. Atwood voted for the motion and Mr. Baker voted opposed. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept and file the correspondence as amended. The amendments were to add the article on North East Mosquito Control District, the letter from Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, and the memo on the High School Remediation Rooms 92, 93, and 94. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Dr. McGinn commended the 60 Pentucket Regional High School students who have been recognized for their outstanding MCAS performance by being awarded Abigail Adams Scholarships. This scholarship award is for tuition to attend any state college or university within Massachusetts . Students were invited into the meeting and awarded their letters.

Dr. Livingston updated the Committee on the fourth grade class size issue at the Bagnall School . As directed by the Committee, the position has been advertised, the funding is available as well as a classroom. The District has received 32 applications and there are enough parents interested in reassigning their children to have an additional classroom of 21 students. Dr. Livingston recommended hiring an additional fourth grade teacher. Dr. Livingston and Mrs. Champion planned to have the teacher and the classroom in place by November 1, 2006.

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mr. Levine to direct the Superintendent to hire a fourth grade teacher for the Bagnall School . Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

Chairman Moran introduced Lila Teeters and Cecily Bigham as the student representatives for the School Committee for FY07.

Mr. Rene Guilmet gave the Committee a handout on PRHS Athletic User Fees and did a presentation on the history, the current state of user fees, financial assumptions, and solutions. In summary, he recommended possible solutions may be cost containment, increase revenues, separate transportation from the user fees, increase the cap, or eliminate certain athletic programs.

Mr. Collins informed the Committee that the beginning balance in the athletic revolving account of $19,616.67 and savings from changes in personnel at the high school is sufficient to cover the additional funds needed in the athletic revolving account during FY07. Therefore, the current family cap of $800 with the inclusion of transportation should continue during FY07.

Mrs. Townes had concerns with money being transferred out of personnel and put into the athletic accounts. Mrs. Grazio said that any transfers should be based on the principal and the Superintendent’s recommendation.

It was moved by Mr. Atwood and seconded by Mr. Baker to see extensive details on the athletic fees when the FY08 budget is presented. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mrs. Piccolomini and seconded by Mr. Atwood to have more information on where the money is coming from to cover athletics and a recommendation from the Superintendent and Mrs. Townes. Mrs. Grazio made a friendly amendment to have the administration investigate removing the transportation fee from the family cap. Motion carried. (unanimous approval)

It was moved by Mr. Levine and seconded by Mrs. Piccolomini to accept the transfer to Tuition Collaborative Tuition (101.9400.19.0400.000.00.2.00000) for $352,677.06 and Private School (101.9300.19.0400.000.00.2.00000) for $70,683.90. The increase of $423,360.96 to Tuition Collaborative and Tuition Private School line item appropriation is due to the FY06 supplemental budget increase received from the three towns in the amount of $423,360.96. This entry has been recommended by Giusti and Hingston, Company during the course of their audit.

May 2, 2006	May 4, 2006	June 6, 2006
June 14, 2006	July 6 2006	July 18, 2006
August 1, 2006	August 15, 2006	September 19, 2006
October 3, 2006	October 17, 2006	October 24, 2006
November 21, 2006	December 5, 2006	December 13, 2006
December 19, 2006

Pentucket Regional School District School Committee Minutes 2006
January 3, 2006
January 17, 2006	January 21, 2006	January 24, 2006
January 31, 2006	February 7, 2006	February 21, 2006
February 27, 2006	February 28, 2006	March 7, 2006
March 14, 2006	March 21, 2006	March 28, 2006