Lyme School District
Organizational and Regular School Board Meeting
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Meeting Minutes
Approved as is 12/17/09

Board Members Present: Kate Semple Barta, Audrey Brown, Lou-Anne Conroy, Emily Dentzer, Daniel Parish, Mark Schiffman. Staff Members Present: Gordon Schnare, Jeff Valence; 2 public attendees. Recorded by R. Lohr

1. Call to Order
Chair Schiffman called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. The meeting agenda was reordered so that the Board could discuss Thetford Academy.

2. Business Requiring Discussion
Tom Yurkosky, the Lyme representative who serves on the Thetford Academy Board, discussed pertinent issues to the Lyme School Board related to the academy. He thanked the Board for appointing him as the Lyme representative to Thetford Academy. He commented about the transition of the TA school head and the current construction projects. It was explained that Thetford Academy is dependent upon tuition and there has been an enrollment decline. A marketing campaign to solicit more students has been undertaken but a strategic marketing plan has not yet been developed. The enrollment is currently 320 and the school capacity is 350-375. The TA principal visits Lyme School in January and students decide about their high school selection in March. Yurkosky requested a monthly copy of the Lyme School Board meeting minutes be sent to him.

3. Approval of Minutes
A motion was made and seconded (Parish, Conroy) to approve the Lyme School Board regular meeting minutes for October 22, 2009, as submitted and amended. The motion was passed unanimously. The changes: on item 2 correct the spelling of Shepard Plumbing and on item 4C in the second section correct the spelling of Valence. On item 4A in the first sentence the comment was that the Budget Committee “discussed a preliminary budget that would be a zero increase.”

A motion was made and seconded (Dentzer, Brown) to approve the Lyme School Board non-public meeting minutes for October 22, 2009, as submitted. The motion was passed unanimously.

4. Communications and Reports
A. Chair’s Report:
Chair Schiffman commented about the ongoing budget meetings.

B. Superintendent’s Report:
The Superintendent distributed and discussed the school financial report. The special education account appears that it will be overbudgeted this year. Crossroads Academy has requested that Superintendent Schnare write a Title IIA grant application for teacher training and he will incorporate a similar application for the Lyme School. It was further reported that nothing has been heard from the bus company regarding the ability to turn the bus around on one route and the installation of bus video cameras.

C. Principal’s Report
Principal Valence reported that two families have inquired about new students entering the Lyme School.

D. Committee Reports
The Personnel Committee will meet with the LEA regarding the CPI, to confirm the teacher contract for school budget planning. The Committee also met to continue discussions about the SAU office transition. The Facilities Committee reported that the concerns raised by the neighbor have been or will be addressed. The Library liaison reported that meetings and discussions have taken place.

5. Business Requiring Discussion
2010-11 Budget
Superintendent Schnare distributed the budget books and provided an overview of the preliminary 2010-11 Lyme School Budget. The superintendent invited new Board members to a personalized budget orientation. The budget is projected to increase 5.27 percent without adding any new additional staff. The health insurance costs are expected to increase 10 percent and administrators and aides would not be getting increases. Chair Schiffman explained the budget process for the school and the town of Lyme.

Enrollment Projections and Staffing
The Board discussed options to address the large cohorts in the first and fifth grades. Principal Valence reviewed options and alternatives from a fiscal perspective and it was emphasized that classroom space is a key concern if the enrollment continues to grow. The Board also discussed classroom instruction differentiation. The Board was informed about the fiscal ramifications of an additional FTE, which is about $77,000 affecting the overall 2010-11 budget with an increase of 7 percent and the Lyme School budget with an increase of 10 percent.

6. Business Requiring Action
Two items that were to be considered were deferred to nonpublic session.

7. Non-Public Session
A motion was made and seconded (Parish, Semple Barta) to enter non-public session in accordance with RSA 91-A3 ll (c) for discussion of matters relating to personnel and pupils. The motion was passed unanimously. The roll call was conducted and the Board entered nonpublic session at 9:15 PM. The roll call was conducted.
The board came out of non-public at 9:45 PM.
A motion was made and seconded (Parish, Semple-Barta) to grant a request to extend the waiver of high school tuition through December 17, 2009, for a minor under legal guardianship.
The motion passed unanimously.

8. Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made and seconded (Brown, Parish). The motion was passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:46 PM.
The next Board meeting scheduled is for a Special Budget Meeting on Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 6:00 PM and the next Regular Board Meeting is on December 17, 2009