MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF October 3, 2024
Current Board Members-
North Berwick- Lauren Janousek, Kate Whalen, Joshua Tabor
Berwick- Alison Herlihy, Elva Lovejoy, Peg Wheeler
Lebanon- Nancy Sewell, Jeridene Basko, Nancy Neubert
(For a full account of this meeting please review the video here… School Board Meeting 10-3-2024 you can choose to view the transcript in progress by clicking CC for subtitles.)
Mr. Archambault, principal of Noble Middle School, gave a tour of Noble Middle School.
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held in person on October 3, 2024 at 7:00 pm with all members attending.
Pledge of Allegiance
There were 12 in the audience.
Ms. Whalen read the public input statement.
Public Input:
None at this time.
Minutes:
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to accept the minutes of August 29, 2024 meeting as amended. All members voted in favor except Ms. Basko who abstained and the motion passed.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to accept the minutes of September 5, 2024 meeting. There was board discussion regarding the accuracy of the minutes.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded to retract the motion to accept the minutes and would table them until the next meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Basko to table the minutes of September 19th. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Noble Middle School Bleachers:
The board then reviewed the Authorization Lease Purchase of New Bleachers. Ms Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to:
October 3, 2024
Motion: I move that the Resolution entitled, “Resolution to Authorize Lease Purchase of New Bleachers in the Principal Amount of $152,000” be adopted in the form presented to this meeting.
RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE LEASE PURCHASE OF NEW BLEACHERS IN THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF $152,000
The School Board of Maine School Administrative District No. 60 (the “District”) hereby resolves as follows:
That Superintendent of Schools (the “Superintendent”) and the Business Manager, acting singly, are authorized to accept the proposal of Gorham Savings Leasing Group LLC (the “Lessor”), to provide tax-exempt lease purchase financing for new bleachers with related accessories and equipment (the “Equipment”) in the principal amount of $152,000 at an interest rate of 4.45% payable in seven (7) annual installments and any prior such action is hereby ratified and confirmed;
That under and pursuant to the provisions of Title 20-A M.R.S. sections 1001 and 1055, and all other applicable law, the Superintendent is authorized to execute and deliver a lease purchase agreement with Lessor, or its nominee, in the name and on behalf of Maine School Administrative District No. 60 for the Equipment, with an aggregate lease purchase price not to exceed $152,000, in such form and on such terms not inconsistent herewith as the Superintendent may approve (the “Lease”);
That to the extent not inconsistent with this Resolution, the Superintendent is hereby authorized to select such date(s), maturity(ies), denomination(s), interest rate(s), place(s) of payment, form(s), and other details of the Lease, as the Superintendent may approve, said approval to be conclusively evidenced by the execution and delivery thereof;
That the Superintendent is authorized, as applicable, to designate the Lease issued pursuant hereto as a qualified tax-exempt obligation within the meaning of Section 265(b)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”);
That the Superintendent is authorized to covenant on behalf of the Lessee that no part of the proceeds of the Lease or the Equipment shall be used, directly or indirectly, in a manner that would cause the Lease to be an “arbitrage bond” or a “private activity bond” within the meaning of Sections 141 and 148 of the Code;
That the Superintendent is authorized to execute and deliver such tax certificates, arbitrage and use of proceeds certificates, and other documents and certificates as may, in the Superintendent's opinion, be necessary or convenient to effect the transactions herein authorized, to be in such form not inconsistent with this Resolution as the Superintendent may approve, said approval to be conclusively evidenced by the execution and delivery thereof;
That the Superintendent and other appropriate officials of the District, acting singly, are authorized and empowered in its name and on its behalf to do or cause to do all such other acts and things as may be necessary or desirable in order to effect the sale and delivery of the Lease in accordance herewith, and any such prior action by them is hereby ratified and confirmed;
That if the Superintendent or any other District officer or official is for any reason unavailable to, as applicable, approve, execute or attest the Lease, or any related financing documents, the person or persons acting in any such capacity, whether as an assistant, a deputy or otherwise, is authorized to act for such official with the same force and effect as if such official had herself/himself performed such act, and any such prior action by them is hereby ratified and confirmed;
That the Treasurer of the District, in consultation with Bond Counsel, is authorized to implement written procedures with respect to the Lease for the purpose of (i) ensuring timely “remedial action” for any portion of the Lease that may become “non-qualified bonds,” as those terms are defined in the Code and regulations thereunder; and (ii) monitoring the District’s compliance following execution of the Lease with the arbitrage, yield restriction, and rebate requirements of the Code and regulations thereunder;
That the Superintendent is authorized to covenant on behalf of the District to file any information report and pay any rebate due to the United States in connection with the issuance of the Lease, and to take all other lawful actions necessary to ensure the interest portion of the rental payments under and pursuant to the Lease will be excludable from the gross income of the owners thereof for purposes of federal income taxation and to refrain from taking any action which would cause such interest portion of the rental payments to become includable in the gross income of the owners thereof; and
That an attested copy of this Resolution be filed with the minutes of this meeting.
A true copy, attest:
_________________________________
Audra Beauvais, Secretary
Maine School Administrative District No. 60
All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Lebanon Leach Field Discussion:
Ms. Denise Vancampen reviewed again with the board the overview of the Lebanon Leach Field and the necessity in regards to the financing of the Lebanon Leach Field. She gave an overview of the Maine Bond Bank and the complications that come with a Bond. She proposed that rather than financing this project that we utilize savings that she identified to cover the cost locally.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Lovejoy to move forward with the leach field replacement at Lebanon Elementary School. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
District Goals: High Quality Resources
The board then discussed the district goals centered around high quality resources. Board members had varying opinions regarding the idea of district goals, who should be developing them and how they should be presented. The Superintendent asked the board for specific direction. Assessment was also discussed and board members stated opinions about different assessments and what the district should be utilizing. Dr. Shannon Swiger will present to the board on October 17th. Our current goal work regarding High Quality Resources is represented here: High Quality Resources
Maine School Board Assembly:
Ms. Neubert shared with the board that the Maine School Board Assembly is coming up and she encouraged members to attend and/or attend the Maine School board fall conference. The link to the information regarding the conference is:
Employment:
Paula Hughs, Excel teacher. Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to approve the appointment of Ms. Hughs. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Superintendent Update:
This is homecoming week and all K-12 schools are participating in the spirit week themes. This is a nice way to unify the district. The Noble football team is currently 4-0 and feeling positive going into the homecoming game. Currently we have over 300 athletes participating in fall sports.
Knowlton School Behavior Interventionist, Missy Royce will be presenting at the National Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Leadership forum next week. Her topics include school level coaching and keeping teams implementing the PBIS System with fidelity. The goals of the conference are to provide evidence based and effective behavioral supports to schools. Our district has been involved, at the elementary level for 2-3 years (depending on the school). This bring consistency in our K-5 classrooms and bus system.
The Superintendent noted that there had been an audit of the Maine Public Employee Retirement System. This does not happen often, and the look back is up to 20 years. Ms. Maryellen Bourbon, our Payroll Manager, over saw the audit and we had a very successful outcome. All requirements were met.
Update on Committee Work: The Code of Conduct Meeting is set for it’s initial meeting on October 17th at 5:30 pm.
We have Negotiations with three different organizations this year. We had our initial meeting with the Teamsters and transportation representatives this week. It went well and our next meeting is scheduled in two weeks.
Teacher Negotiations: We have received a letter of intent to negotiate and are looking forward to setting up the initial meeting dates.
Support Staff Negotiations: We have not yet received a letter of intent but expect to see one shortly.
Policy Committee: Title IX will be the first policy to review as there are changes at the Federal level that must be addressed. The process includes a first reading with changes/revisions and then a second reading and action. The committee will meet prior to make revisions that will be presented at the board level. The superintendent will contact those on the committee to set up a time to meet.
Board Tours:
Email the Assistant Superintendent to set up building tours. She is happy to do a building or multiple buildings in a day based on schedules. If that doesn’t work, please email the Central Office to facilitate a visit to individual schools. It is important to note that notice is necessary to set up these visits.
Other:
Mr. Dones noted that there is a new button on the front page of the district website to get to the videos of the board meetings.
Public Input:
No public input.
Adjournment:
Ms. Janousek made a motion and it was seconded by Ms. Lovejoy to adjourn the meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Adjourned at 8:19 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Audra Beauvais