Minutes of February 26, 2026

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF February 26, 2026

Current Board Members- 

        North Berwick-  Lauren Janousek, Kate Whalen, Joshua Tabor

                           Berwick- Alison Herlihy, Marissa Tasker, Peg Wheeler

                           Lebanon- Nancy Sewell, Jeridene Basko, Melissa Cyr 

Executive Session Pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(A) Employment of Employee 

Ms. Janousek made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Herlihy to go into an executive session pursuant to  1M.R.S.A§405(6)(A) Employment of Employee. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 5:59. Out at 6:51 pm. 

Mr. Tabor  made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Herlihy to go into an executive session pursuant to  1M.R.S.A§405(6)(E) Legal. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 6:52. Out at 6:59 pm. 

(For a full account of this meeting please review the video here…Link you can choose to view the transcript in progress by clicking CC for subtitles.)

A meeting of the Board of Directors was held in person at Noble Middle and High School on February 26, 2026 at 7:08 pm with all members attending except Ms. Wheeler.

There were 100 plus in the audience. 

Pledge of Allegiance

Ms. Basko read the public input statement. 

Public Input: 

The following people spoke in public input in the first session:

Kevin Jessel of Berwick

Ryan Michaels of Berwick

Gabrielle Anderson of Berwick (culture and climate survey)

Kristin Hardingham of Berwick York County Special Olympics May 8, 2026

Matthew Leggett, Lebanon

Brigetta Reid parent and teacher in the district

Shannon Lowery, North Berwick

Minutes: 

Ms. Basko  made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Herlihy to accept the minutes of February 12, 2026.  All members voted in favor and the motion passed. 

Business Appreciation Luncheon:

Ms. Jessica Rubera and Mr. Liam Danaher shared an overview of the Business Appreciation Luncheon that occurred on February 4th at Noble High School.  

Business Appreciation Presentation

Sabbatical Proposal:

Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Herlihy to approve Ms. Laine’s  proposed sabbatical leave. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. 

Policy Second Reading 

BEDH- Public Comment at School Board Meetings

Ms. Cyr  made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to approve BEDH as amended. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. 

JLCD- Administering Medication to Students 

Ms. Cyr made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Tasker  to approve JLCD as amended. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. 

Financial Summary January 

Ms. Denise Van Campen, Business Manager, shared with the board the financial summary for the General Fund as of January 31, 2026. 

Employment:

None at this time 

Superintendent Update:

ROBOTICS

Supported by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Noble Middle and High School launched a rookie FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team this year, the Random Robot Revelers. The 12-student roster (grades 7–12) competed in several regional events across Maine and New Hampshire. Notably, our community team—the Blue Potato Lobsters—advanced to the State Championship on February 21, where our seniors received special recognition. Beyond engineering and coding, FTC empowers students through problem-solving, collaboration, and community outreach.  The team is now planning for community outreach opportunities and practicing for friendly competitions with local teams to sharpen their skills. 

Noble Intermediate School is gearing up for the Annual Career Day experience on April 17th.  The school is looking for volunteers to present their careers to fifth and sixth grade students during the morning.  Please contact the school counseling office for more information or to sign up to volunteer. 698-1320. 

March is National Reading month otherwise known as “I love to Read” month and the district  PK-3 grade schools are at various stages of participating in reading extension activities. North Berwick began a Read-a-thon earlier this week and students have already logged over 5,000 minutes over the last few days.  Hanson School is gearing up for their read-a-thon in March and Hussey school has planned guest readers, reading buddy activities and dedicated whole school reading time and sharing of favorite stories.  

Graduation is fast approaching. If you plan to attend graduation please note that robe orders are due on March 16th.  Jen Flewelling will be in contact with each of you about the robes. 

March 7th is the Budget Workshop.  We will start at 9:00.  Due to several events occurring at Noble Middle and High School the budget workshop will be held in the Cafeteria at Noble Intermediate School.

Other:

Mr. Tabor- Asked about police presence and the board discussed the presence. 

Mr.Tabor- FOAA requests 

Ms. Whalen shared with the board a letter written by the MSAD 60 Teacher’s Association.

Mr. Tabor asked for the vote of the board

Ms. Herlihy shared her support

Public Input:

The following people spoke in the second public input:

Ms. Amanda Turner, North Berwick

Ms. Marina Sampson of Wells, teacher

Mr. Tom Hilfer, North Berwick

Mr. Shawn Works, North Berwick

Marky Digaetano, North Berwick

Mark Rouillard, North Berwick

Adjournment: 

Ms. Basko made a motion and it was seconded by Ms. Janousek to adjourn the meeting. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. 

Adjourned at 8:11 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Audra Beauvais