MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF August 24, 2023
Current Board Members-
North Berwick- Lauren Janousek, Kate Whalen, Joshua Tabor
Berwick- Travis Doiron, Elva Lovejoy, Peg Wheeler
Lebanon- Victoria Travers, Jeridene Basko, Nancy Neubert
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held in person in North Berwick, Maine on August 24, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. with all members attending except Ms. Wheeler and Mr. Doiron.
There were 4 in the audience.
The vice chair read the public input statement.
Public Input:
None at this time.
Minutes:
Ms. Whalen made the motion and it was seconded to add the minutes of August 3, 2023 for review/acceptance. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to accept the minutes of June 8, 2023. All members voted in favor except Ms. Basko and Mr. Tabor who abstained and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Whalen to accept the minutes of July 18, 2023. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to accept the minutes of August 3, 2023. All members voted in favor except Ms. Travers and Ms. Basko who abstained and the motion passed.
ESEA Application Follow Up with Shannon Swiger
Dr. Shannon Swiger, Director of Teaching and Learning shared information with the board about the assessments and standards used to determine if we met growth measures for our identified Title 1 students towards the ESEA goals. She gave an overview of the North West Education Assessment (NWEA) and the Benchmark Assessments. She answered questions form board members about alignment with state standards, etc.
MSAD 60 Web Page Update and Board Meeting Set Up with Eustaquio Dones
Mr. Eustaquio Dones shared with the board an overview of how to best speak to have all in the audience clearly able to hear the board conversation. He then shared with the board the updates of the work that is being done to update the district websites. The board thanked Eustaquio for his hard work on the communications portion of our district. They also noted the positive feedback received regarding the budget/annual report in the spring of 2023.
Draft Budget Timeline
The superintendent shared with the board for discussion a proposed budget timeline. She reviewed the document and the board discussed how to best work through the budget process with as much input and understanding as possible. A more detailed budget timeline will be distributed.
Copier Lease Approval
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to approve the MSAD 60 Copier Lease. The board held a discussion regarding the many nuances of copier costs etc. Denise Van Campen, Business Manager, addressed specific questions. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Policy First Reading/Approval
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to approve the changes to KF-E1 Facilities Use Form. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Employment:
New Hire:
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Whalen to accept the nomination of Alaina Betts as NHS Math Teacher. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Basko to accept the nomination of Emma Gagne- NHS Biology Teacher. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Whalen to accept the nomination of Bridget DeBenedetto- NHS Speech and Language. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to accept the nomination of Colin Benham- NHS Social Studies. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to accept the nomination of Lindsay Libby- NMS Gr 7 Math. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms.Whalen to accept the nomination of Kella Psillas-NMS Health Teacher,. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to accept the nomination of Sarah Spaulding- NMS Excel Teacher. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to accept the nomination of Crystal Childress- NBES Gr K. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to accept the nomination of Wendy Smit-NBES Gr 4. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the nomination of Megan Talbot- VEH Gr 2. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to accept the nomination of Julia Carr- VEH Gr K . All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the nomination of Kerri Fleming- VEH Nurse . All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Travers made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Whalen to accept the nomination of Shannon Smith- Hanson Special Education Teacher . All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the nomination of Lexie Dalton-LES Gr 4 . All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Whalen made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the nomination of Aisha Naimey- MHA Transition Coordinator. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to accept the nomination of Heather Laviolette- Lebanon part time EXCEL teacher. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to accept the nomination of Mr. William Hahn- MHA math teacher. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Resignation:
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers-to accept the resignation of Chris Sacoco. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
The Superintendent shared the resignations of the following support staff:
Sandra Hewitt- NMS Ed Tech
Abby Williams- Levasseur- VEH Ed Tech
Lisa Dube- MHA Ed Tech
Cindy Marshall-VEH Ed Tech
Mandy Matthews- NHS Ed Tech
No motion needed.
Superintendent Update:
Athletics:
Fall sports are underway and ⅓ of our 9-12 student population are involved with our athletic teams. The athletic department also has developed a Hall of Fame which will be introduced this year. The induction ceremony will be held in March. Mr. Tabor also asked about other options for “Halls of Fame,” such as academics, etc. We will pursue those options as well, noting the time that it has taken to get the sports Hall of Fame up and running.
Transportation: We are just short one flex driver, which is very encouraging going into the school year. The runs have been completed and posted for a few days and we are set to roll on the first day.
Our three days of new teacher orientation were successful and covered the areas of Special Education, Literacy, 504, technology and professionalism. Very positive group of new staff. Approximately 30 new teachers which is much smaller than last year.
We will be sharing monthly calendars with the board to keep them apprised of upcoming events.
Other:
Ms. Basko asked about specifics regarding the acronyms and open houses. The following dates were shared:
North Berwick Elementary School had a “Pops with the Principal” event on August 23 to meet the new principal, Liz Jolly. The event was well attended by the school community.
Public Input:
None at this time.
Executive Session Pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(A) Employment of Officials/ Appointees/Employees
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to go into executive session 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(A) Employment of Officials/ Appointees/Employees. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
In at 9:01pm. Out at 9:19 pm.
Adjournment:
Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Whalen to adjourn the meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Adjourned at 9:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Audra Beauvais