Minutes

Gorham – Randolph – Shelburne Cooperative School District Planning Board

Thursday, July 15, 2004 – Community Room, Family Resource Center, Gorham, NH

Attendees

Donna Goodrich – Gorham, chairperson

Michael Waddell – Gorham

Charles Brown – Randolph

Carol Gagnon – Randolph

Robert Leclerc – Randolph

David Carlisle – Shelburne

Others

Patrick Low – Superintendent, SAU #20

Pauline Plourde – Business Administrator, SAU #20

Jacqueline Tetreault – Recording Secretary

Members of the press

ITEM I – CALL TO ORDER

Donna Goodrich, chairperson of the Board, called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm.

ITEM II – APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

Corrections to the June 17, 2004 meeting were as follows:

-pg. 2, 1^st paragraph, last sentence - …basing funding on valuation figures….

-pg.2, motion – should read ‘equalized valuation’

-pg. 2, 6^th paragraph, last sentence - ….to use 100% valuation....

Motion by Michael Waddell, second by Charles Brown

Motion: to approve the June 17, 2004 minutes as corrected.

Vote on motion: all were in favor; motion carried.

Corrections to the July 1, 2004 minutes were as follows:

-pg. 1, bottom of page, last sentence – …equalized evaluation…

-pg. 2, second paragraph, last sentence - …strict rules…

Motion by Charles Brown, second by Michael Waddell

Motion: to approve the July 1, 2004 minutes as corrected.

Vote on motion: all were in favor; motion carried.

R. Leclerc entered the meeting at 6:47 pm.

ITEM III – METHODS OF APPROPRIATION

Ms. Plourde presented a packet of information that had been requested by Mr. Carlisle. The Board spent time discussing this information in detail. For the school districts of Randolph and Shelburne, a ‘buy-in’ to the Gorham School District would be an additional cost. Ms. Plourde also provided information regarding the buy-in costs focusing on a 20 year repayment option. The buy-in figures that were presented were based on three-year average ADM.

It was asked how operating capital is shared between Randolph and Shelburne, to which the response was that these districts will be paying a portion of the operating capital that they never were, so the rate would decrease. Ms. Plourde also mentioned that Randolph and Shelburne school districts are paying for expenses that Gorham does not pay for, specifically grant funded expenses.

After discussing the financial information at length, some members of the Board stated that other options besides a cooperative school district may need to be looked in to, such as joint agreements. Members shared that any solution should be looked as efficient and ‘tension-easing’, and the towns should equally share the burden. It would be important that once new funding figures are released to see how the figures compare with current figures.

Some inquiry was still made as to the structure of a budget for the cooperative school district, and Ms. Plourde spent some time explaining how a budget is composed for the various towns. She explained that often times in a budget, fund balances will vary, which means less revenue in a cooperative school district. Ms. Plourde mentioned that the Board may want to consider a combination of ADM and equalized valuation, instead of 100% ADM.

After more discussion by the Board, it was shared that the ‘ideal’ method of appropriation for the Cooperative School District would be one that the school tax rate would stay the same for the towns of Randolph and Shelburne, and decrease for Gorham. Ms. Plourde suggested that the Board may want to see the buy in for a cooperative school district based on 100% equalized valuation over 20 years. This information will be provided at the next meeting. Members of the Board agreed that all districts should be paying the same amount for bonding, and that all would need to pay costs for capital.

It was requested by the Board for Ms. Plourde to formulate figures with the following information: begin with equalized valuation at 0% and go to 75%-25% with 5% incremental increases. The Board stated that it wished to see the figures that would have no impact on Randolph and Shelburne rates, and possibly have Gorham’s rate under what it is currently. It was also requested to keep figures of the buy-in at 100% ADM over a 20-year period. Some members commented that the focus should remain on the cost per student.

ITEM IV – OTHER

Ms. Goodrich stated that in the near future, the Cooperative School District Planning Board should request a joint meeting with the school boards of Gorham, Randolph, and Shelburne. Ms. Goodrich requested permission to send a letter out to the chairpersons of those school boards requesting the meeting, and she also mentioned that she would like to bring in a neutral party, or facilitator, to assist in running the meeting. It was agreed by consensus of the Board for Ms. Goodrich to look further into a facilitator for a joint meeting with the school boards.

ITEM IV – ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT

Ms. Plourde had updated proposed language for articles 11, 12, and 13.

Motion by Charles Brown, second by Michael Waddell

Motion: to adopt Articles 11 and 12 as presented.

Vote on motion: all were in favor; motion carried.

Ms. Gagnon stated that the Randolph School Board was asking for volunteers for a group to study educational opportunities for Randolph students. She stated she would like to have something to present to the Randolph School Board from the Cooperative School District Planning Board in September.

ITEM VII – AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING

The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 28^th at 6:30 pm at the Family Resource Center.

ITEM VIII – ADJOURNMENT

Motion by Charles Brown, second by Carol Gagnon

Motion: to adjourn the July 15^th meeting of the Cooperative School District Planning Board.

Vote on motion: all were in favor; motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:33 pm.

Respectfully submitted

Jacqueline Tetreault

Recording Secretary