MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING OF January 18, 2024
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
Executive Session Pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(B) Readmission of a Student
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to go into executive session pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(B) Readmission of a Student. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 6:18 pm. Out at 6:32 pm.
Mr. Dorion made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to reinstate the student under consideration. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Executive Session Pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(B) Readmission of a Student
Ms. Neubert made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to go into executive session pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(B) Readmission of a Student. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 6:40 pm. Out at 6:54 pm.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Doiron to reinstate the student under consideration. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Executive Session Pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A §405(6)(B) Expulsion of Student
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Doiron to go into executive session pursuant to 1M.R.S.A. §405(6)(B) Expulsion of a Student. All members voted in favor and the motion passed. In at 6:58 pm. Out at 7:15pm.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Neubert to expel the student under consideration for a minimum of one year. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
A meeting of the Board of Directors was held in person in North Berwick, Maine on January 18, 2024 at 7:15 p.m. with all members attending in person except Ms. Janousek who attended remotely.
There were 54 in the audience.
Mr. Doiron made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler to table the executive session at the end of the meeting until February 1, 2024. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Vice Chair Ms. Nancy Neubert of Lebanon read the public input statement.
Public Input: Mr. Ken Dutch, of North Berwick, shared that one of his customers shared that a 17 year old had witnessed a drug transaction in the bathroom at NHS.
Mr. Joe Rafferty, State Senator for District 34, asked to speak. The Chair gave him permission. He wanted to stop in and introduce himself as a potential resource regarding legislation etc. He also wants to commend the board as well as boards are facing many challenges and he encouraged the board to continue working together with all the constituents involved (staff, parents, students, administrators etc). Clearly we will not be successful if you’re not all moving in the same direction. He asked that the board keep him in mind if there’s a need in the future.
Mr. Mark Rouillard, North Berwick, shared that he would like the videos to be live rather than edited before being put out.
Minutes:
Mr. Tabor made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Doiron to accept the minutes of the December 21, 2023 meeting as amended. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Mr. Tabor to accept the minutes of the January 4, 2024 meeting as amended. The board discussed adding in a specific link to the legislation regarding weapons in school. The addition of the reference to the state law was included. All members voted in favor except Ms. Neubert who abstained and the motion passed.
Don Bresnahan Mechanical Services:
The Superintendent invited Mr. Don Bresnehan of Mechanical Services to speak to the board regarding some of the capital improvement projects that have been addressed already in various school buildings and discuss future projects. This presentation is also in reference to the School Revolving Renovation Funds grant application that we made in October and the board will have to make a final decision after Feb. 1st when we are notified if we are grant recipients. The projects are those that have been in our capital plan for a lengthy period of time. Replacing HVAC equipment is a difficult task as we balance the other aspects of our budget. Utilizing the funds that are potentially provided through the state funding process makes the most of taxpayer dollars. LD 705 is a state law that requires all school districts to have ventilation air in all of their buildings as it reduces the spread of contagious disease but also provides improved cognitive learning ability. Also as we put in new equipment we are hoping to reduce the cost of utilities and maintenance with more efficient units. In phase 1 we focused on three buildings NMS, Hussey and NHS: heating systems, ventilation systems and lighting which need to be addressed at 20-25 years (end of useful life). The goal is to take advantage of the state programs that are providing funds for facility improvements. Slide Show Presentation
Financial Summary December 2024:
Denise Van Campen, Business Manager, shared with the board the updated Financial Summary for the end of December 2023. We are half way through the year and have approximately 50%. We are running on track at this time.
SRO Grant Discussion Continuation
The Assistant Superintendent shared with the board an overview of the process and the figures associated with the Lebanon Elementary School Resource Officer (SRO) potential position. The York County Sheriff’s office wrote a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to secure funding for SROs in local schools. They were approved and we are one of the systems that they would like to work with to provide coverage in our Lebanon schools. She shared the overview of the grant as to what it will cover and what the broken down costs for the district would be over the next three years of the grant. The following “overview” is a range of costs for the district. Lebanon SRO Cost share The Assistant Superintendent also shared the results of a parent survey asking if parents support having an SRO in the Lebanon schools. It was a very simple survey. There were 164 responses. 152 answered yes. 10 answered no. And 2 did not respond stating that more information was necessary before responding. The board held a lengthy discussion about the opportunity and determined that they will make a decision by the end of February.
Employment:
Leave Of Absence:
Maria Cannon, Literacy Teacher at Noble High School, is requesting to take a leave of absence beginning March 4, 2024 through the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to approve the leave of absence for Ms. Cannon. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Resignation:
Laela Starz, Science Teacher, Noble High School. Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Mrs. Travers to approve the resignation for Ms. Starz. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Hannah Farley, Special Education Teacher Vivian E Hussey School. Ms. Wheeler made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Travers to approve the resignation for Ms. Farley. All members voted in favor and the motion passed.
Retirement:
Patricia McIntire, Special Education Teacher Lebanon. Ms. McIntire has been a teacher with MSAD 60 for 25 years. Ms. Travers made the motion and it was seconded by Ms. Wheeler with appreciation and the motion passed.
Superintendent Update:
High School is in the middle of their midterms. Band and Chorus festival coming up this weekend. The NightHawks (our Unified Basketball Team that is shared with Marshwood HS) had their first game today and outscored the Biddeford team. It was a great opportunity to see the team in action and there was a large audience cheering both teams on.
Confirmation of the February 8th board workshop, from 6-7pm, with our legal advisor to review board documents.
Other:
None at this time.
Public Input:
Shawn Works of North Berwick shared with the board that he felt that the School Resource Officer for Lebanon would be a benefit for the district. He felt that the presence of an officer might deter negative behavior.
Mr. Mark Rouillard, noted that children’s safety should be put at the top of the priority list. He shared his belief that there are other types of weapons (bean bags, pepper spray etc.) that staff could carry in schools. He also noted that the concerns regarding gun violence are the direct result of mental health concerns. He noted that since there are legislators in the room that perhaps they should address the concerns regarding a lack of funding etc.
Adjournment:
Mr. Tabor 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 8:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Audra Beauvais