Thetford School District

Board Minutes

Wednesday April 23 , 2008

Oxbow High School

Carousel Part of Meeting

Andy Boyce convened the School Board meeting at 7:30 PM in the A-5 Room at Oxbow High School. The following were present: Andy Boyce, Karen Kaliski, Jennifer Reining, Elise Tillinghast, School Board. Alice Worth, Principal. Linda Rosa, Director of Business and Finance at OESU. Dennis Wells, Wells, Haug & Leopold PC

Agenda Review – The School Board added an executive session to discuss the annual review of OESU Superintendent Wendy Baker. An additional executive session was added to discuss ESP Contract Negotiations.

7:30pm Motion to enter Executive Session to discuss ESP Contract Negotiations, the premature dissemination of which would clearly place the Board at a significant disadvantage. Andy Boyce moved, Jennifer Reining seconded. Unanimous.

Out of Executive Session at 7:45PM. No action. Dennis Wells left the meeting.

Minutes –Karen Kaliski moved and Jennifer Reining seconded to approve the minutes of the meeting on 4/8/08: Ayes except for Boyce who abstained.

Reports

Financial Report - Expenditure Report/Format - Discussion of the Thetford School District paying Thetford Academy for “Purchased Services” and how these services should be itemized in the Expenditure Report for clarity. Additional discussion of Town of Thetford payments in advance of tuition to Thetford Academy and the notification process of these payments to OESU. Linda Rosa and Alice Worth to discuss “Purchased Services” and the Expenditure Report with Keith Merrick at TA. Linda and Andy Boyce will discuss tuition payments with the School Treasurer, Jill Graff, and TA.

Audit - Linda Rosa explained that the auditors had identified problems with payroll and cash reconciliations. She noted that, going forward, payroll records should tie salary disbursements to 941 quarterlies. Due to a software conversion, OESU now reconciles reimbursements on a monthly basis. This should help to identify discrepancies more quickly in the future.

Principal’s Report - Alice Worth noted that recently, Thetford Elementary School has had several unexpected costs relating to replacement of a water pump and casing. She expects an additional 5-7 thousand dollars in expenses. At this point, however, the Thetford School District budget remains overall in the black therefore the School Board does not think it is necessary to use money from the Capital Reserve fund.

The search committee is currently reviewing applications for both a 4_th grade classroom teacher and guidance counselor position at TES. Interviews of selected applicants will occur on May 7 and 8. If there is a consensus candidate for either

position,the search committee will contact the Superintendent directly to move forward

Thetford School Directors 4/23/08 page 2

Principal’s Report (cont’d)

with the hiring process. Otherwise, the School Board will conduct a second round of interviews.

Other Business

June Town Newsletter Correspondence – The Board reviewed two different versions of a message for the June town newsletter, prepared by Elise Tillinghast. As part of this review, it discussed moving forward with plans for a secondary school options committee, in conjunction with consideration of the annual partnership agreement with TA. The Board will discuss plans for this committee at either the 5/13 or 5/27 meeting, depending on how much time is needed at the 5/13 meeting for TES interviews (see above).

The Board approved the shorter version of the newsletter correspondence, with one correction to June meeting dates.

Red Cross Shelter Request - Alice Worth reported that Jim McGrath has reviewed the documents submitted by Don Fifield, requesting designation of TES as a temporary Red Cross shelter in the event of a local disaster. McGrath found the document language unobjectionable, however, he advises that the Board should seek greater clarity on how the Red Cross defines “disaster” and “temporary.” Andy Boyce will follow up on this issue with Don Fifield.

Thetford Academy Executive Meeting – The Board discussed the inherent difficulty of the Board’s designated TA representative wearing “two hats,” because reporting TA Board matters relevant to the School Board may technically conflict with TA trustee confidentiality requirements. Karen Kaliski, the Board’s representative to TA, will request greater clarity from TA about the special role of school board/TA Board members. She also noted that TA is in the process of restructuring its Board into a smaller body.

Executive Session

Andy Boyce moved and Karen Kaliski seconded to place the Board in Executive Session at 8:30PM for the purposes of discussing the annual performance review of OESU’s Superintendent, the premature dissemination of which would clearly place the Board at a significant disadvantage. Unanimous

Adjourned: Andy Boyce moved and Jennifer Reining seconded to adjourn at 8:45 PM: unanimous.

Elise Tillinghast

These minutes are not official until approved by the School Board.