Lyme School District
School Board Special Meeting
Wednesday, December 4, 2008
Lyme Elementary School
Meeting Minutes
Approved w/changes 12/18/08

Board Members Present: Peter Glenshaw, Audrey Brown, Emily Dentzer, Tom Goodrich, Kevin Kerin, Dan Parish, Mark Schiffman. Administrators Present: Gordon Schnare, Jeff Valence., and Judy Barker, Meg Franks (faculty members). Recorder: Roger Lohr

1. Call to Order
The Lyme School Board special meeting was called to order at 7:08 PM by Board Chair Peter Glenshaw.

2. Business Requiring Action
Superintendent Schnare reported information about the 403 (b) retirement plan, and for it to become official the Board needs to pass a resolution prior to December 31.

A motion was made and seconded (Brown, Schiffman) to resolve that effective January 1, 2009, the Board adopt the Lyme School District 403 (b) Plan (“Plan”) for the exclusive benefit of its employees in compliance with final IRC Section 403 (b) Regulations.

Further resolved that Superintendent Gordon Schnare is authorized to execute said Plan on behalf of the Board and to take such further action as is necessary to implement said Plan and to communicate the Plan to all employees. The motion was dated and signed by Board Secretary Audrey Brown and passed unanimously.

3. Business Requiring Discussion
2009-10 Budget
Chair Peter Glenshaw suggested that the Board focus on the big budget issues and then provide personal Board member views of possible budget considerations.

The high school tuition, special education, and salaries/benefits represent 75 percent of the budget and they are outside of the Board’s ability to influence. Without salary/benefit increases the present budget would be about 4.8 percent above last year. This budget includes a math enrichment teacher, a certified librarian, $25,000 of new computers, and a $10,000 curriculum coach.

The Board discussed the possibility of more Lyme students choosing to go to lower priced high schools such as St. Johnsbury, which is about $5,000 less compared to Hanover High School tuition. It was recognized though that there is a very small increase in high school tuition for the 10 additional students that will enter next year.

The Board discussed special education costs and the Superintendent was asked to bring the details about the special education legal services line item in the budget. It was also stated that the Lyme School District must cover costs for psychological services tests that are conducted at Crossroads Academy because it is located in Lyme.

The math enrichment position was discussed as necessary to help students in need but also those that can benefit from more advanced math attention. The Board discussed the continuation of the improvement of instruction coach and it was commented that the intention last year was that this coach was needed for one year. The cost of substitute teachers that are used to cover for teachers that are out of class for professional development is not categorized as such, but the costs are charged to the regular substitute account.

The Board discussed the librarian certification and it was felt that the Library Trustees should be given input into a final decision on the matter. The Board wants to retain good relations with the Trustees and it would like to go ahead with a certified librarian in the future when it is easier to do within the budget.

Board Member Considerations
The Board should try to learn about how the town perceives the school budget this year and if it should be level funded or limited to about a 1-2 percent increase. Can Lyme ask the Dresden School District for a volume discount for high school tuition students? Should Lyme encourage or provide an incentive to students to consider lower priced high schools? Should Lyme continue with both assessments?

What does the fine arts enrichment entail? Textbooks are outdated but is there a way to cover the costs over a longer time period? Should building renovations be done this year or can the end-of-the year fund balance be applied to them if it is available?

The Board recorder has requested a small increase in fees as the next budget would be a third year since the last increase in 2006. The Budget Committee thinks the budgets should be lower than the original budget guidelines because of the economy deflation. Residents look at the budget bottom line and the tax impact and are less concerned that there are budget items that are out of the school board’s control. The residents will also vote on the teacher contract. Staffing levels may be effected by a budget that increases by 2 percent.

The Board would like to see a prioritized list of budget line items that would be affected by lower budget scenarios.
Is the consultant for the school play necessary? There was additional interest in seeing why two assessments are needed, whether the textbooks could be acquired for less, was furniture and the building renovations needed this year, and if the school district can negotiate on the parent transportation.

What are the risks to the school if the infrastructure and technology is not budgeted this year?

Should the Board put a smaller amount into the high school reserve fund this year? What is the effect of the state retirement debacle? Should reimbursements for travel be lowered compared to the outdated IRS amount? Can the fuel budget be lowered?

The Superintendent said he will bring a list of revenue line items to the next meeting. The Board requested that the administrators develop budget scenarios and ways to attain a zero based budget and another budget that incorporated a low level of increased spending (about 4 percent) above last year. These scenarios would recommend various budget items that could be cut or trimmed to reach the targets.

4. Non Public Session
A motion was made and seconded (Brown, Schiffman) to enter nonpublic session in accordance with RSA 91-A3 ll (c) for discussion of matters relating to personnel and pupils. The motion passed unanimously. The Board roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic session at 9:25 PM.

Non Public Session Minutes

Public session was reopened at 9:55 PM.

5. Adjournment: There was a motion made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:57 PM. (Brown, Kerin). The motion passed unanimously.

Another Special Meeting was scheduled for 6:00 PM on December 16 and there is a Regular Board Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 7:00 PM.