MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING April 2, 2020
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held virtually on April 2, 2020 at 6:00 pm, with all members present. There were 0 people in the audience.
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Potter to go into executive session for 405 6B Negotiations. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 6:02 pm. Out at 7:10 pm.
The public meeting had 12 in the audience
Ms. Mallett, Berwick Board Member shared the explanatory statements regarding public input.
Public Input: None at this time
Ms. Beal made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the minutes of March 5, 2020. All members voted in favor except Ms. Mallett and Ms. Hopper who abstained and the motion passed.
Ms. Beal made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the minutes of March 19, 2020 as amended. All members voted in favor except Ms. Corliss who abstained and the motion passed.
Student Report: Sam Grant and Caitlyn McCabe shared with the board an update. All of the information from the students who have shared with the student reps feel that it’s been a positive situation and students are feeling that they are getting things that are keeping them involved and that they are feeling like they are learning. Ms. McCabe shared that her sister is in a different grade level and it seems that she is moving along well and that each subject area is trying to keep things going.
The Assistant Superintendent shared with the board an update regarding remote learning:
Our first word with all of our staff, students and parents is “connection.” From the onset of this pandemic, we’ve urged our staff to simply connect - to each other and to their students. We urge staff, students and parents to recognize that this is impacting everyone in a unique way and that our common connection through our schools can be a center of support and caring. We are living in a stressful and historical time. We encourage all within our community to lean on each other.
Currently, MSAD 60 can be proud of the fact that:
We have 1:1 technology for all students
K-1 students have ipads.
2-12 have Chromebooks.
We have 60 Hot Spots delivered to families who did not have access to the internet. We are hopeful that the MLTI team’s work to secure additional access points for students is successful. We still have a small number of students without access.
Kindergarten through 3rd Grade Teachers are using Seesaw as their digital learning platform.
4th through 12th Grade Teachers are using Google Classroom as their learning platform.
Assignments are given each day to students, including:
Virtual class discussions using “Hangouts” at scheduled times
Independent and collaborative work through Classroom / Seesaw.
K-5 Students are continuing Literacy work through the LEXIA Core 5 Reading application. This app allows teachers to track student progress and provide interventions as necessary.
We are in the process of implementing ZEARN to support our math curriculum for K-5
Staff professional development had been occurring prior to COVID-19 closures, but we have stepped up the opportunities and support exponentially. We have been holding daily Google Hangouts to support staff in using the digital tools that the district provides. We have had 100’s of teachers participate in these sessions each day. All of the sessions are Live and recorded and posted on our Remote Learning Hub link here...tech.rsu60.org
The Board then discussed what the final budget will be looking like at this point. Originally we had a 4.99% increase to the taxpayers but we are looking to reduce that into the lower 3% area given the current economic picture that seems to be in front of us.
Mr. Doiron left the meeting at 7:58pm.
Adult Education Budget. Ms. Denise Van Campen, business manager, shared with the board the Adult education budget. Ms. Brenda Gagne, Adult Education Director, gave an overview to the board on the budget.
School Nutrition Budget. Denise Van Campen, business manager, shared with the board the School Nutrition budget. Ms. Abbey Pelletier, Food Service Director, gave an overview to the board of the upcoming budget. She highlighted increases in equipment, food costs, marketing and highlighted a decrease in paper products etc.
The Superintendent then updated the board regarding the school calendar for the remainder of the year in terms of the clarification of how the rest of the year will be played out due to the ongoing changes.
The superintendent was hoping to have an update regarding procedures for town meetings. Thus far we have had no guidance yet. Stay tuned for adventure.
The Assistant Superintendent gave an overview of the next steps for the Superintendent search. We will be interviewing next Thursday evening, April 9, after the conclusion of the board budget meeting. The online recording of the public night in Lebanon is still available on the BCTV. We will take feedback up until Monday night at 7 pm.
Second Public Input: None at this time.
Ms. Potter made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Beal to adjourn. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Adjourned at 8:37 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Steve Connolly
Secretary of the Board