Approved minutes
Board Meeting Minutes
Monadnock Regional
Middle/High School Library,
Present: Colline Dreyfuss, Jonathan Kenyon, Gene White, Karen Cota, Susan Oerman, Phyllis Peterson, Gerald Mazza, Tim Aho and James Carnie. Absent: Charles Johnson, William Felton, Tim Peloquin, Kenneth Colby and Jason Hill.
Budget Members Present: R. Smith, E. Stanley, J. Fortson, R. Bauries, N. Moriarty, J. Ells, T. Parker, J. Tommila, D. Arguin, S. Russell and N. Dion.
Also present: K. Dassau, Superintendent, Attorney Paul Apple and K. Chambers, Business Manager. Principals: B. Tatro, K. Craig and S. Rashid.
Presentation to the Budget Committee of the proposed MRSD
Board and Support Staff agreement 2007-2009: P.
Apple explained that he was representing the Board during the negotiations for
the support staff agreement. He reviewed the information passed out to the
Budget Committee and the Board on the cost increases and the language for the
agreement. He explained it is a 4.4% increase and that the staff would be
contributing 2% more than the 10% they pay now for their health insurance. The
second year is a 6% increase and the support staff would be paying 3% more on
their health insurance contribution, which would make it 15%. The negotiating
team felt that they made good progress with the health insurance. J. Fortson
asked for the wage increase. P. Apple explained that he was not prepared
tonight. K. Chambers explained that it was about a 7.7%-8% increase. R. Bauries
asked the amount the employee would pay extra each week for the health
contribution. P. Apple explained that it would vary from the employees. He
explained that the Blue Choice 2 Tier is the driver. He pointed out that the
article shows a reduction in the health care. T. Aho passed out a handout that
was prepared by the Sullivan Selectmen and himself. C. Dreyfuss asked where T.
Aho got the figures. T. Aho said they came from K. Chambers. He said that the
selectmen are saying that there was not enough health care sharing. His opinion
is that there would have been a positive pass if they had gone with the Matthew
Thornton driver. N. Moriarty asked about paying the employees for early release
days. K. Dassau explained that they consist of snow days, bomb scare and such.
He explained that there are not many of those days. T. Parker calculated and in
his opinion the increase for the first year is 9.7% and the second year is
9.6%. R. Bauries asked how many people would be affected on the early dismissal
days. R. Bauries said that he would use 170 staff members as a figure.
K. Chambers presented a modified and an old format for Article Three for the Board to decide on. She explained that the DRA is comfortable with the Modified Format but it is the discretion of the Board. MOTION: S. Oerman MOVED to accept the Modified Format for Article Three. SECOND: P. Peterson. DISCUSSION: T. Aho commented that he would not like to change the format because of the teacher’s contracts. The Board reviewed the warrant and made the changes for the 2007-2008 contract, which are in bold. Blue Choice Driver would be added to the Health insurance line. Retirement benefits would be added to the Other Contract Benefits line. Instead of the $1,006.00 amount for the Other Contract Benefits it would now read $11,006.00. The new total would read $317,430.00. In the second year of the proposed contract the following in bold are the corrections: Blue Choice Driver would be added to the Health insurance line, the Other Contract Benefits Line would be deleted and the raised and appropriated amount would change to $317,430.00. K. Chambers explained that she would contact the DRA for their approval on the Modified Article. VOTE: 8.995/0/0/6.005. Motion passes.
K. Chambers asked if the
Board would like the Article, which allows the Board to call a special meeting
in the event that the Support Staff Agreement does not pass. N. Moriarty
commented that the voters do not like a second bite of the apple. MOTION:
J. Carnie MOVED to remove Article Four from the ballot. SECOND: P. Peterson. DISCUSSION: P. Apple commented that a second bite of the apple
may be a benefit to consider. It would be better for the Board and the
2. Legal Opinion-Early Retirement (Teacher Contract
Article 13.2)-P. Apple explained that the
request for a legal opinion came to P. Apple from The Superintendent who was
asked by N. Moriarty. P. Apple explained that his legal opinion is that the early
retirement was properly warned at inception. He believed that it was properly
warned by the following events: He looked at the contracts back to 1996 and
found that in the 2000-2001 agreement the early retirement was added. He said
that the article increased in the amount of $198,000.00, which would lead him
to believe that the early retirement benefit was likely, included. DRA
approving the article would lead him to believe that it was correct. He said
that there was discussion at the Deliberative Session on retirement and the
agreement is available to the public to view. He said that the evidence is
confusing and he believes that reasonable people could conclude that it was not
properly notified. In the following year the contract was voted down that is
when the
3. Public Comments: A.
Garrapy commented that both sides worked long, hard and honestly on the
agreement. This is for the children she said they need to be educated.
S. Rashid commented that
there is such a spectrum of students that have problems. We need to take care
of our aides. He really wants the support staff to go back to work with
contracts.
N. Moriarty commented on
the students being bumped to the next grade.
J. Leclerc commented that
it is hard to hear from the audience. She commented that the needs are huge at
the schools, the aides are spread thin and she would hope that the committee
would support the agreement.
K. Dassau explained that
the Board ratified the contract and the Support Staff and the Board has agreed.
L. Fisk suggested that
the committee take the average salary not the percentage. She commented that
early dismissal does not mean everyone leaves.
B. Tatro would echo S.
Rashid’s comments. The support staff is
the glue that keeps the school together.
P. Marrinock explained
that medicaid is billed and received as a revenue.
The President of the
Support Staff commented that the agreement on the early dismissal was agreed on
both sides.
C. Dreyfuss read the
positions that are open for the upcoming election.
K. Chambers informed the
Board that she had received 3 petitioned articles and has copies.
MOTION: J. Carnie MOVED
to adjourn at
Respectfully submitted,
Laura L. Aivaliotis
MRSD Recording Secretary
.
.