Weeding Party at the Moharimet Pumpkin Patch

Principal Harrington invites all to join him in clearing the weeds in the Moharimet Pumpkin Patch [MAP] tomorrow (Friday, July 29th) from 4-7 PM.

Happy Summer! The pumpkin patch is progressing nicely, but unfortunately the weeds love this weather as much as the pumpkins do! I'll be in the garden tomorrow from 4-7 PM and hope some families will join me for a weeding party. Feel free to pack a picnic supper and stay the whole time or come out for an hour or so at any point. The children will enjoy seeing the pumpkins, too. You know what they say, "Many hands make light the work." If enough of us show up, we'll have fun and clear that patch of those pesky weeds in no time at all.

Hope to see you there!
Dennis Harrington

OR School Board asks budget panel to keep them updated, and be fiscally responsible

As reported by Roni Reino in Foster's today, the Advisory Budget Committee held a workshop with the Oyster River school board last night to review the upcoming budget season and goals.  Compared to the past, it seems as if we have strong support from BOTH the administration and the board about being open, informed, and transparent heading into the budget season.  

New superintendent Leon Levesque commented - "If we can tap into resources in the community to help use, we welcome that. It's all about being clear about what we're developing and communicating that."  

It took over three years to develop and approve an Advisory Budget Committee after being dismissed as "too much work" by former board members.  The community will start seeing the benefits this season as the committee has just over one year under its belt and heading into its second budgetary season.

DURHAM — School Board members are asking Advisory Budget Committee members to keep them updated throughout the fiscal year 2013 budget, while remembering to be fiscally responsible.

At the Wednesday workshop session, members of both groups discussed what makes a good budget process and what needs to change.
School Board member Krista Butts asked ABC members to bring forward a potential reductions list throughout the process so that the Board can figure out what will and what won't work in the final budget. Seeing a list of line items can get stressful, she said, adding without explanation along the way, it would be hard to just see an item and not know the reason for the proposed cut.
"It's get a little overwhelming for me to look at a laundry list," she said.

Superintendent Leon Levesque said he wants to keep a conversation going with all three towns.

"My sense is we have a big job ahead of us," he said. "If we can tap into resources in the community to help use, we welcome that. It's all about being clear about what we're developing and communicating that."

Member Ann Wright suggested the ABC work with the administration throughout the process to help keep everyone on track.

Read more....

Oyster River: Searching for truth - any truth

The following community commentary from Calvin Jarvis contains some interesting thoughts as to how and why Jim Kach’s Tweets became a source of controversy.  While not in total agreement with everything he says, I do think he’s right about this: a segment of our community, united under the FORE banner and led by former School Board members, appears to be engaging in an ongoing series of attacks against specific Board members.  The unfortunate result of all this is that instead concentrating on what is truly important, our Board is constantly dealing with distractions that have little to do with education.  

Readers, what do you think?

The stunning revelation made public this week, concerning the Twitter account of Jim Kach, member of the Oyster River School Board, has been another blow to an already volatile tinderbox of emotions throughout the district. On the surface, stark evidence of a man consumed with bigotry, prejudice, sexism, and homophobia, would seem unarguable. If viewed in a vacuum, his tweets, projecting such scurrilous, moral sebum, are reprehensible, unbecoming, and socially unacceptable. I should be advocating his ouster from the board like so many other citizens of my community. 

I'm not.

I have to ask myself, why shouldn't I? Am I guilty of subconsciously agreeing with the content of his grotesque innuendo and slanderous communications? I look at myself in the mirror and state with clear conscious, "absolutely not!" So what gives? What could possibly exonerate this man?

It's because I smell a rat.

Meet Prof. Ruth Sample, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at UNH. Her bio lists her as a, "philosopher specializing in Early Modern Philosophy, Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, and Feminism." Her husband, Dean Rubine, lauded her for bringing forward the information about Kach's tweets, after, "stumbling upon them" when she decided to dig into the backgrounds of the current board. The truth appears to be that she went dredging for dirt, and found some.

Her husband also eluded to the fact that she was motivated after being disappointed about the rejection of Justin Campbell as ORHS principal, and the buyout of superintendent Howard Colter's contract.

A distinct pattern is repeating itself, one which defines the absolute worst in people. It pertains to the recent School Board election at ORCSD. Back in June, another newly elected School Board member came under a defamatory attack. It was an attempt at character assassination by a dissenter. In that case, personal e-mails were used out of context, to paint a picture that the member had lied and carried on a dishonest campaign. Now, a personal, (but publicly available) Twitter account has been compromised and exposed. This was done by Sample, who had reason to try to discredit, defame, and expunge the moral character and reputation of Kach, to effect a change to the makeup of the board. 

Did Kach leave himself open to attack, by being naïve about projecting political barbs, insensitive comments, offensive remarks, and sexual innuendo onto the Internet? Absolutely. Was it poor judgment? Absolutely. Did his tweets, intended as TEE-HEE one-liners for an inner circle of ultra-conservative, Rush Limbaugh types, (while morally repugnant) represent a clear and present danger, or threat, to anyone of gender, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity?

Absolutely NOT. 

Yet Sample seized upon an opportunity. She shrewdly preyed upon the sensibilities of a diverse, and morally sensitive community.

She culled three years worth of tweets to transmute Kach's form of "Saturday Night Live" humor into a weapon, to have him ostracized, then forced off the board. 

Is Sample a saint, for exposing the offensive tweets, or a fiend, for the scandalous reasons behind her actions? Is it not true that if Kach's voting record, since joining the board, more closely aligned with the liberal views of Sample and others, his moral character would have been left unscathed? Are we dealing with, "selective moral outrage?" Shouldn't morality transcend party lines and stand as a pillar of truth and justice for all? For her to expose these tweets to the public now, under what can be argued were false pretenses, says more about the insidious nature of dirty politics than it does about Kach's character.

The moral outrage from the community over this incident was genuine, and is a credit to where we have come as a society. However, those who perpetrated this tragic event have no more moral character than Jim Kach. It is from that starting point that the journey must begin to search for prevailing truth in this district.

Calvin Jarvis
Durham 

Foster's Editor States that Kach Should NOT Resign

In today's Foster's, the editorial commentary claims that Kach should be allowed to remain on the Oyster River school board until the next elections in March.  However, he has been put "on notice".  Several factors were taken into consideration by the editor.  Most notably was the political animosity in the community.

This editorial also cites a community commentary from James Fieseher stating that the rise of electronic communication has left many with the inability to communicate face-to-face.  If civil discourse is truly a goal of our district, then I would encourage those involved to seek out board members and community members for a coffee, tea or just an in person meeting instead of writing to Foster's, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, email chains, etc.  I have done so recently and it has helped overcome friction and misunderstandings of different viewpoints.

Based on the information now available, Foster's Daily Democrat will not be calling for the resignation of Jim Kach from the Oyster River Cooperative District School Board for his tweets which many found offensive. 

In a July 17 editorial Foster's addressed the issued under the headline: "What of Kach's future on the OR School Board." The editorial went on to discuss the information provided by district residents and readers in calling for his resignation. 

Kach's use of Twitter to tell "nightclub" jokes, as he called them, raises many questions about who Jim Kach's is as an individual and who he is as a member of the School Board.
As a member of the board, he needs to be held to a higher standard that he might otherwise as a private citizen.

In looking to join the debate over calls for Kach's resignation, the editorial board here at Foster's decided to wait at least for the subsequent meeting of the Oyster River School Board in addition to more input from readers.

In deciding not to call for Kach's resignation, several factors came into play... 

Read More... 

 

FAQs about ORCSD Costs Part 5 of 5 - Comparing the school tax rate

For the introduction, please click here...

Part 5 - Total School Tax Rate - ORCSD and other 27 other comparable districts

Questions Answered:

1. How does ORCSD rank compared to comparable districts? 
2. How many districts are there in NH that are comparable to ORCSD? 
3. What did you get the data you used for this analysis? 
4. How do you look at this kind of data to understand the differences between districts? 
5. Are school tax rates related to valuation per student? 
6. But aren’t high school tax rates due to high Cost per Pupil? 

The document can be found here...

FAQs about ORCSD Costs Part 4 of 5 - Preliminary Analysis of March 2011 Election

For the introduction, please click here...

Part 4 - A Preliminary Analysis of the March 2011 Election for ORCSD School Board

Questions Answered:

1. What are the voting demographics of the district? 
2. So what happened in the Presidential election of 2008 and the Mid-term election of 2010? 
3. How many people voted in the school elections of 2010 and 2011? 
4. What happens to the electorate if UNH students aren’t voting in a March election? 
5. So how did Ann Lane and Megan Turnbull defeat John Collins? 
6. Is this really what might have happened? Has this ever happened before? 

The document can be found here...

FAQs about ORCSD Costs Part 3 of 5 - The Effect of UNH

For the introduction, please click here...

Part 3 - The Effect of Tax-Exempt UNH on ORCSD Local School Tax Rates

Questions Answered:

1. Isn’t the assessed valuation of all the UNH buildings and land in Durham quite high? 
2. Aren’t our school district taxes high because UNH is exempt from property tax? 
3. If UNH doesn’t “rob” us of assessed value, does UNH “rob” us of land? 
4. What are the demographics of the three towns in the district? 
5. What is the Effect of UNH on the Demographics? 
6. Is having UNH in Durham a good thing for the district? 
7. So why are ORCSD school taxes so high if it’s not because of UNH? 

The document can be found here...

FAQs about ORCSD Costs Part 2 of 5 - Cost per Pupil

For the introduction, please click here...

Part 2 - Cost Per Pupil – Official State of NH Method for Measuring Cost

Questions Answered:

1. What is Cost Per Pupil? 
2. Why is this important? 
3. How can this be used to better understand spending for ORCSD and other districts? 
4. How Is Cost Per Pupil Calculated? 
5. Where Does This Data Come From? 
6. How about the most recent years for ORCSD and the state? 
7. What does this mean? 

The document can be found here...

FAQs about ORCSD Costs Part 1 of 5 - School Taxes

Introduction

There has been too much hearsay and not enough facts circulating throughout the district.  Recently, a community group published educational metrics regarding the student population at ORCSD for the year 2010.  This data was compiled by the Oyster River High School guidance department.  It can be found here.  I encourage everyone to read it.

The following five blog posts will cover the operational, enrollment, and tax effects of the district both today as well as historically.  In addition, there will be comparison data presented from other districts in the state of NH.

This valuable insight was the work of members of the Oyster River Taxpayers Association.  While this blog makes no allegiance to this group, the work, nonetheless, is worth posting.

Part 1 - How the ORCSD Budget Process Leads to the Amount of School Property Taxes

Questions Answered:

1. How much do district taxpayers pay to ORCSD?
2. What Does My Property Tax Bill Mean? 
3. How Do These Tax Rates Get Set? 
4. How Does the District School Budget Process Result in the Local School Tax Rate? 
5. What Are School District Warrant Articles? 
6. What Are “Tax Rate Impacts & Apportionment”? 
7. How Have the Local and State Education Tax Rates Varied In the Past? 
8. How Has the Total District School Tax Changed Over the Years? 
9. How Has the ORCSD Total School Tax Burden Grown Over the Years?  

The document can be found here...

Letters to the Editor - July 24, 2011 Regarding School Board Member Jim Kach

There were four letters to the editor this morning in Foster's.  They all concern Oyster River School Board member Jim Kach and his Twitter account.  A.C.T Now (the group behind this blog) sees fit to publish these letters as they are part of an issue concerning our district.  Choosing not to publish all sides of an argument  or ignoring an issue altogether is not presenting complete truths to our community.

Jeannie Sowers/Ben Chandron - "Hate Speech"

To the editor: This is an open letter to members of the Oyster River School Board. 
We are residents of Madbury with a child in the Moharimet School. We are lucky to have wonderfully dedicated teachers and staff, who strive to model respect for diverse backgrounds and viewpoints and help students to do the same...

Read More...

Nicoletta Gullace - "Unfit"

To the editor:  As a mother with two children in the Oyster River Schools, I would like to join the many voices urging the resignation of board member Jim Kach. His offensive comments on "Twitter" make him unfit to hold a position that directly affects the education of our children. His contempt for women, his disparaging comments about Jews and Muslim, and his vitriolic attacks on President Obama as "a developmentally delayed ADHD president," reflect a belittling attitude toward groups of people who are represented in our school district and whose children attend the schools he purports to guard....

Read More... 

Luge Gould - "Shocked"

To the editor:  I am writing to express my shock and disappointment over Tweets written by Oyster River School Board member Jim Kach in which he makes demeaning comments about women, Muslims, Jews, and African Americans....

Read More...

Patsy Pratt - "Stand Firm"

To the editor:  I am writing in regards to Mr. Kach and the Oyster River Cooperative School District. 
Mr. Kach, Thank you for not resigning and standing firm for free speech....

Read More...

Durham Fire Department 100th Anniversary Celebration

Come join the men and women of our Durham Fire Department in celebration of 100 years of service to the community on Saturday, July 23, 2011 for a fire apparatus parade and muster.

The celebration will begin with the parade lineup at 9:00 AM at UNH's "C" Lot at 10 Mill Road [MAP] and will end at UNH's "H" Lot on Edgewood Road behind New Hampshire Hall around 10:00AM. Muster will begin at the conclusion of the parade and goes until 5:00 PM.

Please see the event flyer [PDF] for full details.

Via the Durham Friday Updates - July 15, 2011 edition

OR Superintendent's Announcements from Board Meeting

At tonight's school board meeting, new interim superintendent Leon Levesque announced some personal initiatives he has been working on and will be putting into action.  This was his first board meeting at Oyster River and was welcomed by a few public commenters.

I am grateful he is here and hopeful that he will be a strong, effective leader for our students, staff, and community.

Here are the announcements he made tonight:

• Publish a monthly letter on the orcsd.org website discussion past month's activities and current month's goals
• Initiate public forums to hear from all stakeholders
• Meet with student senate and students in general over the coming months
• Had already met with teachers and came away with nothing but high praise
• Set up a board work session in August to complete next year's goals during his interim tenure
• Already wrote and hopes to publish soon a community wide educational curriculum survey to get inputs and thoughts on where to lead the education of the district in the future.  Also added that this survey and its progress will be discussed at future board meetings.
• With a perceived knack for following policy, urged all board members to stop using personal email accounts and only use orcsd.org email addresses moving forward to adhere to a new board email policy as well as avoid issues with the Right to Know law
• Allow time to take care of the issues facing the district and community but hopes to channel this energy in the right direction and ultimately get back to the business of schooling

Foster's Letters to the Editor Calling for Resignation of OR Board Member

Published today in Foster's are 4 letters from the community calling for Kach's resignation.  They are from:

Ruth Sample -  "Must Resign"

To the editor: I am a resident of Lee and parent of two children in Oyster River schools. I am writing in regards to the public comments made by School Board member Jim Kach over the social media network "Twitter." 

Mr. Kach makes offensive statements about muslims, gay people, and Jews, but Mr. Kach also publicly and repeatedly attacks the physical characteristics and impugns the sexuality of women with whom he disagrees......

Debbie and Harry Mueller - "Time to Resign"

To the editor: This is an open letter to the members of the Oyster River School Board, and to Jim Kach. 

We are writing to express our outrage and disgust at the comments of Mr. Kach which were published in Foster's Daily Democrat today, and to call for his immediate resignation from the Oyster River School Board.....

Dr. Kenny Rotner, M.D. - "Dismayed"

To the editor: I read with dismay the recent revelation of comments posted by ORCSD Board member Jim Kach on his personal but public twitter account. I fail to understand how comments that express prejudice and bigotry can be taken as "PG humor". These type of opinions are morally repugnant and are not appropriate for any setting; especially given his position on the School Board......

Cathy Frierson - "Nightclub?"

To the editor: ORCSD Madbury representative Jim Kach says he considers his words on Twitter humorous and would say them again in "a nightclub." What nightclub? Where is it safe or prudent to make jokes about blacks, Jews, gays, immigrants, women, and Muslims?......

Foster's Editorial on OR Board Member Kach

An editorial published today in Foster's raises many questions about Oyster River school board member Jim Kach and his Twitter account.  Please consider attending the board meeting tonight (Wednesday July 20) to voice your concerns.

Should Oyster River School Board member Jim Kach of Madbury resign over some of the horrific tweets found on his Twitter account?

As the board gets ready to meet tonight, calls are being made for his resignation over comments some consider sexist, racist and downright mean.

Foster's Daily Democrat prefers not to repeat Kach's tweets for purposes of this editorial. 

Read more... 

 

New Healthy Kids Program to Increase Lunch Prices Slightly

As reported in Foster's today, the board will be discussing and voting on an increase in school lunches taking effect on August 31.  The increase will be from $2.50 to $2.53 on average.  There will be no change for breakfast or any change for families in the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program.

ORCSD Board Member Refuses to Resign....Defends Tweets

As published by Roni Reino in Foster's today, school board member Jim Kach defends his Twitter feed.

DURHAM — Oyster River School Board member Jim Kach of Madbury said he is not resigning and stands by his words, despite the recent request of an Lee resident who said his former Twitter account made "offensive statements about Muslims, gay people and Jews."

Ruth Sample recently submitted a letter to the School Board requesting Kach step down from his position. Read more...

 

ORCSD must move into 21st century

This community commentary was published in Fosters today. If there is any questions to the credibility of the author, please read this.

ORCSD must move into 21st century

The smoke has cleared somewhat at Oyster River and what have we seen so far? We've seen a public interview of what the ORCSD School Board deemed as two strong candidates for the interim superintendent's position. After witnessing the interview, is there anyone who would argue that these weren't qualified candidates? And, with the selection of Leon Levesque for the post, is there anyone who would argue that he does not have the background to serve as our interim?

His description of Lewiston, Maine going from double digits of ELL students to four digits of ELL students within his tenure is a challenge that few school administrators in northern New England have had to deal with. And, every indication is that he rose to the challenge. Does that represent the exact set of skill required in ORCSD at this time? Who knows? Certainly, the ability to adapt in a changing environment is an important skill. Regardless, Leon Lévesque, a solid candidate, asked for us to accept him and our board said, "Yes."

After the public interview, I spoke to Chairman Brackett and board member, Jim Kach. I was struck by the excited optimism shown by both when they stated that if they hadn't rejected the first choice of the former superintendent for the high school principal position, they wouldn't have Todd Allen. I thought, making no judgment on the other candidate, is there anyone in our district who would have preferred the former superintendent's first choice? If not, doesn't this, at least partially, answer the question of "Why" the board took these actions?

The larger question, to me, is the educational direction that the school district takes. There have been numerous letters written about whether or not the board will support the long-standing philosophy of individualizing and differentiating learning. I, for one, hope that there is a change. The traditional OR philosophy, is, in my view, too 20th Century. We need OR to move into the 21st Century with a personalized/customized philosophy. There is a significant difference. OR has traditionally been viewed as a state leader in education. I believe that a case can be made that our status has slipped. With a positive change in philosophy and a virtual all-star team of education professionals, the opportunity to bring our schools to a better place than ever is before us. (For those who want to know more about this direction, go to the New Hampshire Department of Education website and look at the Vision for High School Redesign, or, look at the articles that John Shea wrote for Foster's).

The School Board seems to have a team in place that it obviously didn't feel that it had before. I think that our citizens should give them the space to show us what they're thinking. The board is proposing public forums. I hope that every citizen interested in the future of our schools will attend with an open mind.

Fred Bramante
Durham

July 20th - ORCSD Board Meeting and Superintendent Meet & Greet

The Oyster River School Board is holding its next, regular meeting on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 6:30pm. Public session begins at 7:00pm and will be held in room C-124 of the high school. Official Agenda and supplementary material [PDF] are on the ORCSD web site. The agenda is reprinted below.

Meet and Greet Superintendent Levesque

Prior to the school board meeting, there will be an event held in the Oyster River High School library from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. The Oyster River School Board invites citizens to meet and greet the new Oyster River Cooperative School District superintendent, Leon Levesque. Refreshments will be provided.

July 20, 2011 Regular Meeting Agenda - ORCSD Board (REVISED)

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. CLOSED SESSION @ 6:30 PM
   RSA 91-A:3 II(b)
3. PRELIMINARY ACTION ITEMS
   1. Announcements
      1. District
      2. Board
   2. Correspondence
   3. Commendations
   4. Approval of minutes: SB 06/15/11, 6/20/11, 6/27/11, 6/30/11, 7/5/11, 7/13/11
      SB Non Public: 6/15/11, 6/20/11, 6/27/11, 6/28/11, 7/1/11, 7/5/11, 7/6/11, 7/13/11
   5. Approval of manifests
4. REPORTS
   1. Superintendent's Report
   2. Business Administrator's Report
      • Budget Update
   3. Curriculum/Instruction
      • District Initiatives Update
   4. Student Senate
5. SCHOOL BOARD COMMITTEES
6. PUBLIC COMMENTS
   BOARD COMMENTS
7. DISCUSSION ITEMS
   1. Schedule Board Retreat
8. ACTION ITEMS
   1. Policies 2^nd Read/Adoption
      • BHEA & R &mdash School Board Use of Email
      • DID — Fixed Assets Policy
      • JICD — Student Conduct ...
      • JLC — Student Health Service
      • JLD — School Guidance
      • JLI — Safety Program
      • KA — School, Community ...
   2. Authorization to Increase Meal Charges
   3. Approval of Primex — Contribution Assurance Program (CAP)
9. PUBLIC COMMENTS
10. CLOSING ACTIONS
    1. Agenda Planning - Setting/Review of Future Agenda Item List
    2. Future meeting dates:
       • 7/27/11 Special Workshop Meeting w/ABC — Budget Goals
       • 8/17/11, 9/7/11 — Regular Meetings
11. ADJOURNMENT

Durham Seeking Residents to Serve on Agricultural Commission

The Durham Town Council is seeking residents to serve on the new Agricultural Committee. From the Durham Friday Updates for July 15, 2011:

Citizens Needed to Serve on Newly-Formed Agricultural Commission

At the Town Council meeting on Monday, July 11th, the Council passed a resolution establishing a Durham Agricultural Commission to generally focus on activities that promote and preserve agriculture.

At this time the Council is seeking interested residents of the Town of Durham who have the ability, desire, and time needed to serve on the Agricultural Commission. Interested citizens may contact the Town Administrator's office at 868-5571 or email Jennie Berry at "jberry [at] ci.durham.nh.us" and ask for a board application form or stop in at the Town Clerk's office located on the first floor of the Town Hall, 15 Newmarket Road, and complete an application. Applications are also available on the Town's web site at: http://www.ci.durham.nh.us/generalpdfs/Board_Appt_Application.pdf [PDF]. Completed applications may be mailed to the Town Administrator's office, or submitted via email to Jennie Berry.

To view the resolution establishing the Commission and outlining its charge, click HERE [PDF].

Fosters: Former OR superintendent Colter to lead Barrington School District

As reported by Mike Greear in Fosters today, former ORCSD Superintendent Colter will become interim superintendent of the Barrington School District on Monday:

Former OR superintendent Colter to lead Barrington School District

By MIKE GREEAR
mgreear@fosters.com
Friday, July 15, 2011

BARRINGTON — The School Board announced Thursday that former Oyster River School District Superintendent Howard Colter will serve as interim superintendent in Barrington following the resignation of current superintendent Henry Aliberti.

The decision was made at a special meeting on Wednesday night.

Colter left the Oyster River School District on June 30 when the School Board bought out the remainder of his contract, a move that cost the district $133,400 in salary as well as an additional $17,000 in accrued sick and vacation time, leaving taxpayers dismayed with the board.

Before the contract was bought out, Colter was slotted to stay on as superintendent until June 2012.

According to a press release from the Barrington School District issued Thursday, the Barrington School Board voted unanimously in favor of Colter's hiring after an extensive search and interview process.

Colter will begin as interim superintendent on July 18, which will overlap with the final few weeks of Aliberti's tenure, which ends Aug. 5.

According to the release, Colter started as a teacher in the 1970s and subsequently held various administrative and leadership positions such as alternative school director, elementary school principal and high school principal.

He first served as a superintendent in 1983 in Potter Valley, Calif. He has since served as superintendent in Massachusetts and Maine, as well as the Granite State, most recently working as superintendent for Oyster River School District in Durham.

In the release, Colter said he is impressed by what he has learned about the Barrington School District and is excited to begin his new position.

"My meetings with the school board and the leadership team convinced me that this will be a great professional opportunity," Colter said in the release announcing his hiring. "I accept this job with ardor and appreciation."

Colter was unavailable for further comment Thursday evening.

Barrington School Board Chairman Dave Gibson said Colter's appointment will bring valued leadership to the district as it moves forward.

"We think Howard is going to be a fantastic addition to our district," Gibson said.

Gibson added that any issues that occurred between the Oyster River School Board and Colter were specific to that district, and he does not anticipate them impacting Colter's new position.

"We have no reason to believe that he won't be successful at Barrington," Gibson said.

Aliberti, who has served as the superintendent since 2008, has accepted a job as the superintendent for the town of Turner, Maine.

Fosters: Save Our Schools March

Fosters reporter Danielle Curtis writes about local educators participating in the Save Our Schools March on July 30th in Washington, DC

Local educators want to take back schools: Will march on Washington July 30

By DANIELLE CURTIS
dcurtis@fosters.com
Monday, July 11, 2011

DURHAM — Kathy Collins has seen firsthand the struggles with budget cuts, standardized testing, and lack of local control schools across the country face.

For Collins, a literacy specialist who works in the Portsmouth School District in addition to traveling the nation as a literacy consultant, it was this firsthand knowledge and experience that drew her to the Save Our Schools march on Washington planned for later this month.

"I work in so many schools and the struggles and negativity are shared across schools, both rural and urban," she said.

The Save Our Schools march and rally, scheduled to take place on July 30 in Washington, D.C., aims to bring attention to and fight many of these struggles.

Organized by a group of current and former educators from across the country, the march is expected to attract tens of thousands of teachers, parents, and community members to the nation's capital to protest current educational policy.

Hoping to join that crowd are several teachers and community members from New Hampshire, like Collins, who hope to affect change in the country's educational practices. [Read More]

See also: Education Secretary May Agree to Waivers on ‘No Child’ Law Requirements

Fosters Opinion: To those without disabilities

Letter to the Fosters Editor detailing intolerance in the Market Basket parking lot:

To those without disabilities

To the editor: Please don't look at us as if we were something from out of space! We are people too, and we are actually physically challenged.

The other day I went to Market Basket and there were no handicap parking available. So the next thing for me to do was to take up two parking spaces to be able to lower my scooter out of my van. Upon doing so a gentleman not so happy with what I had done preceded to mumble and complain about this. Not being happy I told him there were no spaces available for me to lower my scooter out of.

Another sore spot is when people park next to a handicapped vehicle and the sign on the door of that vehicle says do not park within 8 feet of this vehicle, and they park as close as they can. That is just pure ignorance!

Sue Bacon
Durham

There is a public parking lot with two handicap spaces below my workplace window. I've observed insensitivity and hostility to physically challenged individuals similar to that described in Ms. Bacon's letter. The popular idiom, "Try walking a mile in their shoes" applies — seek to understand before you criticize.

Fosters Opinion: Why FORE and why now?

Another letter to the Fosters Editor from Oyster River resident, Wallace Mosher:

Why FORE and why now?

As a community member of Oyster River Cooperative School District I had, until recently, little interest in town politics or the intricacies of our school system beyond what was immediately in front of me, the attendance by my two children. As a family, we engaged via field trips, volunteering, PTO, but in general I was content to let things take their course, assuming any meandering would eventually straighten out without my help. I had trust in the community members and elected officials, who were willing to devote their time to ensure folks like myself need not get involved, if that was our wish. However, very public events have transpired under the governance of the latest elected School Board, which has generated a significant amount of controversy, discussion and investigation. My curiosity piqued, I took the time to peripherally understand the issues, and took enough exception to the handling of them to act.

For my part, it began with the ORCSD School Board's rejection of the Search Committee's nomination for High School Principal. Normally I would not have given this a second thought, until I did give it a second thought and gave it a harder look. Dead horse here, but the question remains; how is it that a select group of seven individuals could summarily reject the work of multiple community members, teachers and yes, Board members, who collectively spent hundreds of hours to narrow a field of 44 applicants to one whom they felt had the credentials and ability to lead our High School? It didn't take much work to see the math and logic didn't work, and I found it extraordinarily difficult to believe the School Board had any more expertise in this area than the folks they trusted to do this work. I still do; sorry folks, this action flies in the face of reasonableness. For many who question the direction, goals and aspirations of this current School Board and who are subsequently seeking honest answers to legitimate questions, this is where it began. And for others, it has been years in coming.

Pulling at this thread, it became apparent that I was not alone in my incredulousness. A small group of us endeavored to communicate with the Board and give a voice to many others who shared our concerns, in what we hoped was through an effective means, via petition. At the culmination of our work we presented the perspective of over 400 community members directly to the School Board at a public meeting, and this presentation fell on ears that very clearly indicated they did not want to hear. How? They opened up the meeting to public comment only after they voted and made the decision to move forward with a new principal search, effectively closing the case for further argument by a concerned community. However, we still made our case, the School Board appeared to pay attention, and in the end acknowledged nothing. We indicated during this one-way discussion that their action had awoken a sleeping giant, and perhaps they did not understand, did not believe, or did not care. Either way, their silence was deafening, and incredibly frustrating. I have talked with a variety of people who have written one or more letters to the School Board, and who feel that their voices are being ignored. So how do you communicate with those who refuse to listen? What will get their attention, and get them to listen?

Enter FORE. Make no mistake, this is not a group of small minded, vindictive, petty has-beens who have nothing more to do in their limited spare time than to engage in witch hunts, pester and make life miserable for the current School Board. They consist of a diverse group of intelligent, thoughtful, articulate, concerned parents and community members, who provide a face, presence and action for the 400-plus folks whose collective voices have been ignored. They are dedicated to attending meetings, paying attention, disseminating information and doing the necessary work for the rest of us so that we can obtain what the School Board is unwilling to provide: information, direction, understanding. Like it or not, FORE is exercising their rights under law to ensure as much as possible that this School Board operates within the laws, rules, obligations and oaths its members swore to when they took office. The School Board is composed of elected officials who are duty bound to observe all of these requirements, and they will be held accountable for their mounting transgressions. It is unfortunate that we have ended up here, as the School Board has many faces; elected officials, friends, neighbors, parents. This makes all of this doubly difficult and painful. My heart goes out to the School Board and their friends, family, and neighbors, but it also goes out to the community into which they have injected themselves, at some cost. This is a very difficult time for the Board, and I sincerely hope they and their families can get some peace during this mess. But as elected officials, the transparency that they promised, and the opacity that they have delivered, has triggered a community response that will need to be reckoned with, whether they want to or not. They must speak for their actions, and must do so responsibly and with candor. That is why there is FORE, and why FORE is needed now.

Wallace M. Mosher
Lee

Fosters Opinion: FORE looks to solve ORCSD problems

Opinion letter published in Fosters promoting F.O.R.E in response Calvin Jarvis' recent opinion piece.

FORE looks to solve ORCSD problems

I'm writing to express my disgust at Mr. Jarvis's letter of July 8. This is the type of rhetoric that has been popular on the Oyster River Community Resource blog which has served to polarize our community in the Oyster River Cooperative School District. I am no doubt one of those "has beens" he is referring to, having spent 20 years of my life teaching at Oyster River High School. As a matter of fact, the group is comprised of a wide range of people, some new to the district, some with students in school currently, and some whose children are Oyster River graduates. We are small business people, doctors, full time parents, social workers, artists, and yes, some are past ORCSD faculty and school board members who, like me, have devoted considerable time to education in the district.

I'd like to set some small parts of the record straight. The group Friends of Oyster River Education formed after 400 people signed a petition requesting that the School Board state their reasons for their "no" vote on the principal candidate and asking them to reconsider their vote. At least 400 people attended a board meeting on April 16 in anticipation that there might be an explanation for their vote. None was forthcoming.

So far, in the two months the group has been in operation, in line with our broad mission to restore community, build trust and productive dialogue about complex educational issues, we have done the following:

1. Attended public School Board meetings and public School Board subcommittee meetings, as is our right, indeed our responsibility, as citizens in a democracy.

2. Spoken during public comments at School Board meetings. Again, a right accorded to us as citizens.

3. Written letters to the School Board and Foster's Daily Democrat. See reasons cited above.

4. Opened a website www.forenh.org where we have clearly stated our mission and goals; posted informative articles and answered Frequently Asked Questions, and offered a chance for civil discourse, allowing no anonymous or pseudonymous comments, or comments which are potentially libelous or in violation of copyright.

4. Sponsored an event at the high school to offer the community an opportunity to say good-bye to outgoing principal, Laura Rogers and highlight the good work of the teachers at the high school.

We may be a vocal minority, which I doubt, but we have every right to support the professional educators in our district, to try to understand actions at the School Board level, and to shape their outcome.

The most recent actions by the School Board, including the buy-out of the superintendent, the price tag for which is approaching $200,000, including the cost of extensive consultations with a Portsmouth law firm and very little documentation of the decision-making process either in public or nonpublic meeting minutes, has done nothing to indicate that we should, as Mr. Jarvis suggests, go silent.

Fifty-plus years of quality schools in the Oyster River School District have not vanished overnight, as the current School Board and its supporters would have the community believe. Nor did the ORCSD achieve excellence over the years because people agreed on everything. In previous years, mistakes, missteps and reforms occurred, but usually after debate among participants who trusted that their voices would be heard. In a community which had a common purpose in educating our children, we always found a way forward.

Finally, as to the clever term "school -boarding," I suggest that it is, at best, an inappropriate figure of speech. Torture, sadly, has been all too real in recent years. Using thinly-veiled allusion to compare that nightmare to the desire of a large group of residents to attend meetings, discuss how our taxes are spent, and publish articles on important issues and quandaries facing the school may win snickers and back slaps among political extremists, but has no place in civil discourse. FORE was founded on the premise that solving our schools problems requires a different level of dialogue. We hope our friends and neighbors agree and join us in working together to support Oyster River schools.

@Letters name:Kay Morgan
@Letters town:Durham

Fosters Opinion: Productivity

Another opinion letter published today in the online edition of Fosters Daily Democrat:

Productivity

To the editor: During a recent Oyster River School Board meeting, then superintendent Howard Colter commented that the meetings were too long, often causing a problem for teachers and administrators who needed to be at the meetings but also needed to get home to prepare for the following day's classes. Whereupon the public comments section began and a parade of 15 or so speakers got up to repeat what had already been said over and over again by previous speakers in previous sessions. All of this was prompted simply by a vote of the School Board not to hire Justin Campbell as the high school principal for reason(s) that it is not allowed to divulge.

Now that the board has in place a well-respected teacher as interim high school principal and an experienced administrator as interim superintendent, let us hope that the silliness and animosity will end and the School Board will be allowed to use its time more productively.

Ruth Cunniff
Durham

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Let us add that it is important that all be extended the opportunity to express their opinion to the ORCSD Board. However, as Ms. Cunniff expresses above, the board also must conduct the business of the meeting in a timely fashion for the benefit of all in attendance. Attempting to balance these two goals, the board adopted policy BEDH [PDF] in 2007 which contains the following points regarding public participation at board meetings:

1. Individuals wishing to be heard by the Board will be recognized by the Board Chair.
2. After identifying themselves, speakers may make comments for up to three minutes. A speaker will not be recognized for a second time on a particular topic.
3. Groups wishing to address the Board are requested to designate no more than two persons to speak on their behalf.
4. Speakers must observe rules of common etiquette and be courteous at all times.
5. Public comment is not allowed about specific individuals. Such matters should be referred to the appropriate administrator.
6. Speakers should not expect the Board or the Superintendent to answer questions or respond to comments during the public comment period. Speakers may follow up on questions with the Superintendent as necessary during regular business hours. Except in an emergency, the Board will not take action on an issue before the Superintendent has had an opportunity to research the issue and make a recommendation to the Board.
7. The Board Chair will stop any public comment that is contrary to these rules.
8. Persons who disrupt a Board meeting may be required to leave in order to permit the orderly consideration of the matters for which the meeting was called.

Please feel encouraged to comment at ORCSD Board meetings, but also please be prepared and concise as a courtesy to the board members, district staff, and other residents in attendance.

Fosters Opinion: Is it 1984?

Letter to the Fosters Editor in response to recent opinions published here and at Fosters. The letters referenced in the first paragraph:

• Patsy Pratt, "Praise for the ORCSD Board"
• Tom Bebbington, "Conspiracy Theories Abound"
• Mike McClurken, "ORCSD Numbers" and "A Challenge"
• Calvin Jarvis, "Who is Responsible for the Community 'rift'?"

Is it 1984?

To the editor: Recent letters and commentary in Foster's concerning the Oyster River School Board, particularly by authors Pratt, Bebbington, McClurken, and Jarvis, suggest to me that the district has entered Orwellian territory. I found myself needing a key to the doublespeak:

— When the board makes highly consequential decisions and does not give clear reasons to stakeholders, this is accountability.

— When the board routinely invokes nonpublic rules and schedules meetings at times and with such frequency that they cannot realistically be videotaped or widely attended, this is transparency.

— When supporters shield the board with letters and commentary that are substantiated mainly with conjecture and inflammatory rhetoric, this is communication.

— When these letters are further distributed on the Oyster River Community Resource (blog), apparently out of concern that the discourse so far has been insufficiently antagonistic, this is moving on.

— Being silent about one's legitimate and sincere concerns in between elections is basic to the democratic process.

— If you support the board, names like "inmate in an asylum" and (essentially) "dope smoking hippie" indicate civility. If you question the board, even terms like "arrogant" are disgusting and rude.

— People who want to "engage every learner" are elitist.

— Accusing others of partisanship while being blatantly partisan yourself is nonpartisan.

Readers can keep this decoder handy for future reference.

Apparently, since the authors now feel empowered by agreeable representation on the board, they also feel they have license to make words and concepts mean whatever they want. This is useful for (a) constructing a narrative that affirms their position and (b) signaling to friends that they still agree with them, but it also creates a confusing system of double standards that harms genuine and widespread community progress, which the Board professes to value.

I am open to the idea that the current board deserves my support, and it is unfortunate that the authors have chosen such a belligerent way to convince me I should give it. I therefore wonder if they realize that they've not done the board— or the broader community — any favors.

Jayson Seaman
Durham

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In response to Jayson Seaman's assertion:

When these letters are further distributed on the Oyster River Community Resource (blog), apparently out of concern that the discourse so far has been insufficiently antagonistic, this is moving on.

We object to the implication that our motivation in providing a place for community members to voice their concerns is driven by a desire to foster antagonism and discord in the community. We strive to collect and pass on to the community information, opinions, and views as objectively, transparently, and fairly as possible while providing an environment free from censorship and bias in which to discuss.

These are the voices in your community, this is what they are saying, and we want those voices to be given the opportunity to be heard.

Fosters Opinion: Great Calvin!

Another opinion letter to the Fosters editor today in support of Calvin Jarvis' recent opinion piece published July 8, 2011.

Great Calvin!

To the editor: I was much impressed with the articulate commentary titled "ORCSD invents school-boarding." He obviously has been paying attention over the years and has seen the "elitist" attitude of the disposed former members of the school board. The "FORE" group has been a self-appointed throng set to undo the long awaited overhaul of the board's practices.

For decades the board has abrogated it's responsibilities of being a "check and balances" group who should oversee the conduct of the administration and demand "best business practices". What was once a top school, became an "overfed" athlete that was no longer a star. I hope all parties will set their goals on a community wide effort to restore ORCSD to a top, well managed, well administered school that we can all be proud of and afford.

Roger P. Rice
Lee

Fosters Opinion: Paying attention

Letter to the Fosters editor from current school board member, Ann Wright, welcoming all Oyster River residents to attend school board meetings.

[UPDATE: Letter removed at Ms. Wright's request - read it at Fosters]

Community Commentary - Who is responsible for the community "rift"?

This was published in Foster's today.  It is a letter in support of this school board.  We all want to move forward and this post serves to continue that idea while responding to a vocal group in the community.

The aftermath of the most recent ORCSD School Board election, and subsequent rejection of the nominated candidate for ORHS principal, has spawned waves of accusations, intimidation, bullying, personal attacks, betrayals, and psychotic mayhem not seen since the movie "Airplane." Doomsayers now make apocalyptic warnings of the impending collapse of our "Oyster River culture." These dire consequences come simply because a single candidate, with no alternate choice, was presented to the board by the outgoing superintendent, and the candidate didn't pass muster by a 4-3 vote against. He was, however, the favored choice of a vocal semblance of the faculty. Curiously, even though the school staff was originally adamant against an interim principal, a capable interim, from within the district, was nominated by the superintendent and approved unanimously by the board within days after the faculty decided to relent to the option of an interim after all. 

The newly elected School Board is the target of all the attacks. Maybe the CIA should take note. A new form of psychological warfare has emerged from the fertile and creative minds of a core group of self-ordained "noble characters," a passive-aggressive band of partisans coining the acronym FORE (Friends of Oyster River Education), with the altruistic and self-adoring purpose to, "Restore a culture of civility and respect" to the community. These are the same people who are now attending every school board meeting. They have shamelessly ridiculed and disrespected the board, all the while clucking like hens over every decision, every vote, and every discussion point. They have incessantly badgered and browbeaten the sitting school board members like spoiled adolescents. 

Who are these people? Some are hangers-on, similar to those who were in the trailing duck boats during the Stanley Cup parade for the Bruins. The ring leaders are none other than former School Board members. They take offense at the mandate for change from the voters in our district as a result of the election, because they believed the district was blissfully moving along fine as it was. In their view, only after the election this March did a black cloud descend upon the district, making the new board members at fault for what's been, "ripping apart the very fiber of our community." 

Would former board members stage a vigorous campaign of deception and mockery to evade scrutiny of their own performance in past years? The most telling hints to date have been at a May School Board meeting, when a former chairperson stood at the podium during public comments and stated, "We never got sued for not following these policies." Another former member compared the choice of following an RSA, or a board regulation, with the freedom of choice a woman might exercise to decide between having a natural birth or a water birth. His point was, "you should be more worried about the final product, not the process." In other words, from his perspective, following statutory law ranks similar for consideration to the cavalier attitude one might take toward deciding between taking a shower, or a bath, to achieve the final result of being washed. Is this their idea of, "a culture that produces independent thinkers?" Their philosophy is straight out of an era where people from their generation were wearing bell-bottoms and headbands, and smoking weed during the time of Woodstock. Such notions are so arcane, and so far out into the stratosphere, they border on clinical disorder.

The attacks upon the ORSB can best be described as "school-boarding." Despite losing their seats on the board, the former members have taken it upon themselves to dutifully attend all board meetings, and scheduled venues, to carry the banner for the minority. They don't feel encumbered by our democratic process, and will stop at nothing to protect and preserve their own haughty, elitist viewpoints. They seem impervious to the idea that if they are not part of the solution to return ORCSD to an amenable district for all stakeholders, then they are, in fact, part of the problem. Their purpose has been to disrupt the functioning of the current board, and to strive to make the lives of board members as painful and stressful as possible. Such tactics might be something to be considered by our military and the CIA as a new and sophisticated means to an end. After all, we've never been sued for such immorality as this before.

Calvin Jarvis

Durham 

Press Release: Oyster River Cooperative School District Selects New Interim Superintendent

Press release issued this morning from the Oyster River Cooperative School District covering the selection of Leon Levesque as interim superintendent:

Oyster River Cooperative School District Selects New Interim Superintendent

(Durham, NH 7-6-11) - The Oyster River Cooperative School District (ORCSD) School Board has selected Leon Levesque to serve a one year term as the district's interim superintendent. The board voted 7-0 for Mr. Levesque's selection at a Wednesday, July 6, 2011 special board meeting.

Most recently, Mr. Levesque led the Lewiston, ME School Department as superintendent from 1998 - 2010. Prior to serving in Lewiston, Mr. Levesque served in various administrative roles and as an English teacher throughout the state of Maine.

With respect to taking on the role of ORCSD interim superintendent, Mr. Levesque commented, "I look forward to meeting the Oyster River staff, students, and community members. I am delighted to serve as an interim superintendent and assist in furthering district initiatives in the year ahead."

Board chair Henry Brackett commented, "I am quite pleased that Leon (Levesque) will be working for us. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Oyster River. Also, I was impressed how thoroughly and efficiently the search committee worked to identify and bring forth many high caliber candidates."

A search committee comprised of the ORCSD school board, high school principal Todd Allen, co-director of instruction Danielle Bolduc, and business administrator Sue Caswell, interviewed candidates and presented two finalists, Leon Levesque and Michelle A. Langa. The school board interviewed the finalists in public at the July 5, 2011 special board meeting.

Search committee members contacted the Maine and New Hampshire School Administrators Associations as well as educational leaders such as former New Hampshire Education Commissioner Lionel Tracy for candidate recommendations. Ultimately, fifteen individuals were contacted and six candidates were brought forward to interview with the search committee.

Board member, Krista Butts elaborated further on the search, "We divided and tackled tasks - some contacted associations, others called references, and everyone helped interview. It was a concerted team effort to find the type of exceptional leader we want for Oyster River,"

Contract details are being finalized between the ORCSD and Mr. Levesque. Mr. Levesque will move to the seacoast area in order to serve his term and begin work starting the week of Monday, July 11, 2011. Mr. Levesque's professional bio may be found on the ORCSD web site: http://www.orcsd.org

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The Oyster River Cooperative School District serves the towns of Durham, Lee, and Madbury, New Hampshire. Approximately 2,050 students attend the district's four schools: Mast Way Elementary, Moharimet Elementary, Oyster River Middle School and Oyster River High School. The Oyster River District mission, "Working Together to Engage Every Learner," supports each student to reach his or her potential.

Visit the ORCSD web site: http://www.orcsd.org

ORCSD School Board c/o Wendy DiFruscio, ORCSD SAU District Office, 36 Coe Drive, Durham, NH 03824; Phone # 603.868.5100, wdifruscio@orcsd.org

Note — Mr. Levesque's bio referenced in the press release can be found on the district website at http://www.orcsd.org/images/stories/district_info/Interim_Supt_Bios-leon.pdf [PDF] or on our blog.

Leon Levesque Appointed as ORCSD Interim Superintendent

At yesterday's special meeting, the ORCSD Board voted 7-0 to appoint Leon Levesque as interim superintendent of the Oyster River Cooperative School District. For more information, see Roni Reino's coverage in today's edition of Fosters Daily Democrat.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Superintendent Levesque!

Fosters Opinion: About OR blog

Letter to the Fosters Editor submitted today responding to the July 2, 2011 article by Roni Reino, "Administrators defend blog OR principal said led to her leaving" and offering criticism of ORCSD Board communication:

About OR blog

To the editor: I was intrigued to read your recent article entitled "Administrators defend blog OR principal said led to her leaving." I agree completely that participation in a blog does not indicate agreement with the opinions expressed. Multiple opinions should be expressed in any public discourse. Nonetheless, when the language and discussion turns mean-spirited, it is the job of the blog administrator(s) to step in and remove offending comments. In the case of the online forum Oyster River Community Resource, this did not happen in a timely manner, if at all.

While I agree that many of the offending comments would have been voiced in the community despite the existence of the blog, this fact does not remove responsibility from the blog administrators to maintain a healthy, respectful forum. In a face-to-face public meeting, participants that express inappropriate comments can be stopped by public pressure or, in extreme cases, asked to leave. The same pressure to maintain civility is not felt in a community blog where cowardly comments are posted anonymously, and where blog administrators are hesitant to remove them. I interpret the lack of oversight by the blog administrators to indicate their tacit endorsement of these malicious comments.

Finally, I was somewhere between amused and perplexed when blog administrator Bebbington stated that "the current (school) board has made great strides in openness and communication." Was this a serious comment or an attempt at humor? Like so many others in the Oyster River community, I am of the opposite opinion.

The current school board has made several highly questionable decisions and has offered little in the way of explanation except for a few inconsistent statements and actions. This includes the board's decision not to hire Justin Campbell for permanent high school principal, with some board members stating concerns over school funding, followed quickly by their decision to buy-out Superintendent Howard Colter's contract at a cost of approximately $185,000 to the taxpayers.

Thorough explanations for these decisions have not and likely will not be given to the taxpayers. Do these actions constitute "making great strides in openness and communication"? Not in my book.

Glen Miller
Lee

Just a reminder that commenting anonymously is no longer allowed on this blog. In addition, we do remove and clearly identify that content was removed should a person engage in unfounded personal attack. This has been done as recently as June 28th.

It is our wish that commenters will feel free to participate in discussions here and confident enough in their opinion to attach their name. However, we also wish to provide an avenue for participants to express opinions and ideas that may be contrary to the "accepted" opinion of their social or professional environment and pseudonymous comments facilitate this.

As always, comments are open — what do you think?

Fosters: Vote expected today on interim OR superintendent

Fosters Daily Democrat published an article by reporter Roni Reino detailing the public interviews of the two interim superintendent candidates, Michelle Langa and Leon Levesque. The Board is expected to appoint an interim superintendent at today's meeting.

Vote expected today on interim OR superintendent

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Wednesday, July 6, 2011

DURHAM — The Oyster River School Board is down to two final candidates for the interim superintendent position and is expected to vote this afternoon on a possible selection.

On Tuesday, board members held public interviews with Michelle Langa and Leon Levesque.

Langa was superintendent for SAU 61 in Farmington and Middleton from 2006 to 2010, and also an assistant superintendent for SAU 50 in Greenland, New Castle, Newington and Rye from 1999 to 2004. She has more than 30 years experience in education with many years focused working with special education.

"I have seen a broad spectrum of educational services," she said.

Levesque was the superintendent of the Lewiston School Department in Lewiston, Maine, from 1998 to 2010. Levesque was also a superintendent for Hallowell, Maine, from 1993 to 1998. He said he retired from that district last year to take a "needed break," and after six months said he is recharged and ready to go again as an interim superintendent.

Both were asked similar questions during separate sessions before the School Board. Business Administrator Sue Caswell, Director of Instruction Meredith Nadeau and interim High School Principal Todd Allen were also allowed to ask questions during the interview process as part of the search committee.

When asked the candidates' beliefs on what the role of an interim superintendent should be for the Oyster River School District, Langa quickly replied it would be to support the ongoing movement within the district related to goals and initiatives. She said an interim superintendent should be able to solidify the staff and continue the busy summer work of applying for grants, finishing any remaining reports and prepare for any need of new hires.

"It is not a time to sit back and relax," she said about the summer. "But I do see the interim superintendent would be there to support the community and your ongoing initiatives while nurturing the staff in its transition."

Levesque said an interim superintendent is a "transition person" and needs to make sure initiatives are still maintained, while building good relationships with staff and community members.

While Langa described herself as a facilitator, Levesque said he feels strongly about building leadership within the community.

"I think it's clear schools are about learning, they are for the kids," he said. "The focus is on youth and providing them the best opportunities."

Both candidates were asked how they would approach developing a budget. Langa said she has been trained in "zero-based budgeting" and would approach each line as if they were started fresh each year. She also said she would want to inform the community well in advance what the budget means for the students, staff and taxpayers so residents would know what they are voting on during elections.

"We need to be good stewards of the community's dollars," she said.

Levesque said for past budgets, he has found that presenting a working budget, or rough draft, to the school community often helps to establish guidelines and to see where adjustments should be made.

When School Board members asked how the candidates would each approach keeping district policies in check, Langa said she would suggest bringing policies before the board regularly to encourage everyone be up-to-date.

Levesque admitted that although keeping up with policy may not be the most exciting task, it is necessary and he would look at combing through policies with the board to make sure it was being followed.

When talk turned to promoting community communications, Levesque said he believed each school has the capacity to reach its community members using letters, the local press and an updated website.

Langa said she would be strong with decisions and helping the district and community communicate.

"I use technology to reach people that I can't reach face-to-face," she said, adding she is a frequent user of e-mails and newsletters.

She also said she knows how to write a blog and would use any technological tools available to communicate the message of the district with the community.

When it came time for candidates to ask questions of the board, Langa asked what type of person members were looking for in an interim superintendent.

Member Megan Turnbull said she would hope an interim superintendent would have strong communication skills and be able to work with the board, staff and the community.

Allen said he wanted someone who is visible in the schools, while Board Chair Henry Brackett suggested someone who can motivate the staff.

Levesque asked committee members what they saw as critical initiatives. His response from Brackett indicated he was looking for someone to help move the district forward.

Following the public interviews, board members deliberated on the candidates. However, Brackett said they would have to hold off the vote until today when members could post a meeting in which they could vote.

Former Middle School teacher and Durham resident John Parsons said although he wasn't ready to say which candidate he felt more strongly about, he was glad the School Board held the open session and asked a variety of questions.

"The obvious question is how the new interim superintendent is going to help members of the board work together," he said.

With recent talk surrounding the superintendent's departure, the high school principal's resignation and the process to replace her, Parsons said he hopes the selected interim superintendent will help the public and the board move the community forward.

Durham resident Seth Fiermonti said he was glad the interviews were open to the public and was pleased he was able to hear what the two finalists had to say.

School Board members are expected to meet today at 2 p.m. at the high school in room C-124 to vote on selecting a possible interim superintendent.

ORCSD Special Meeting: Interim Superintendent Appointment

The ORCSD board has posted the agenda [PDF] for a special meeting tomorrow to appoint an interim superintendent. The meeting is to be held on July 6, 2011 at 2:00pm EDT in room C-124 of the high school. The agenda:

1. Call to order
2. Closed Session - RSA 91-A:3 II(b)
3. Appointment of Interim Superintendent
4. Adjournment

Further Details on Superintendent Buyout

As reported in the Union Leader today, further details have emerged regarding Superintendent Colter's buyout.

The school district paid a lump sum of $133,400 plus $17,000 for accrued sick and vacation time.  The district will also pay for one year's worth of health insurance.  The lump sum is the salary Colter was expected to make in 2011-2012.

In exchange for the settlement, Colter agrees to release the district from any future legal claims.

In addition, the agreement states "each party agrees to refrain from any disparagement, defamation, slander or tortuous interference with the contracts or relationships of the other".

Fosters: Public interviews today for OR interim superintendent

Coverage of the interim superintendent search today in Fosters:

Public interviews today for OR interim superintendent

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Tuesday, July 5, 2011

DURHAM — The Oyster River School Board could be selecting an interim superintendent today after holding two public interviews at the high school.

Board members will meet for a special meeting in room C-124 at 2:30 p.m., starting with a closed session. Board members said they have identified two finalists for the interim superintendent position and will be conducting public interviews at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Michelle A. Langa and Leon Levesque will be interviewed for the open position.

Langa was superintendent for SAU 61 in Farmington and Middleton from 2006 to 2010, and also and assistant superintendent in SAU 50 in Greenland, New Castle, Newington and Rye from 1999 to 2004.

Levesque was the superintendent of the Lewiston School Department in Lewiston, Maine from 1998 to 2010. Levesque was also a superintendent for Hallowell, Maine from 1993 to 1998.

Independence Day Celebration

From the July 1, 2011 edition of the Durham Friday Updates:

Annual July 4th Celebration

The Rotary Club of Durham-Great Bay is again proud to hold the annual July 4th Celebration at Cowell Stadium on Monday evening, July 4, starting at 6:00 PM with a rain date of Tuesday, July 5th. This year there are several activities before the fireworks that the Rotary hopes participants will take advantage of:

• Habitat for Humanity will help kids build birdhouses (all materials provided).
• Granite State Zoo will have an educational wild and exotic animal exhibit.
• McGregor Ambulance Corps will have an exhibit and tours of an ambulance.
• An inflatable bouncy house and slide are free for kids entertainment.
• Face decals, fireworks painting on paper plates, hula hoops, and other games.
• Carnival food including pizza, fried dough, sno-cones, dogs, etc.
• Music
• Newmarket Militia
• And, of course, spectacular fireworks!

The Rotary Club of Durham-Great Bay wishes to thank all of its sponsors; in particular the Town of Durham for providing police, fire, and public works support and UNH for providing police support and their spectacular venue.

Come enjoy and celebrate with us the founding of our great nation!

The Friday Updates are published weekly by Durham Town Administrator Todd I. Selig. Sign up to receive the Friday Updates via email on the Town of Durham website.

ORCSD Interim Superintendent Candidates Selected

The ORCSD Board announced Michelle A. Langa and Leon Levesque as the final two candidates for the interim superintendent position.

The Board has called a special meeting for Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 2:30pm at the high school (room C-124). The agenda:

1. Call to Order
2. Closed Session RSA 91-A:3 II(b) (2:30 pm)
3. Public Interviews (3:00 and 3:30pm)
   • Michelle Langa (short bio - reprinted below)
   • Leon Levesque (short bio - reprinted below)
4. Action Item - Vote on Interim Superintendent
5. Adjournment

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Michelle A. Langa

Professional Experience:

Superintendent of Schools, 2006-2010
SAU 61 Farmington-Middleton, NH

Curriculum Coordinator, 2005 – 2006
Farmington School District, Farmington, NH

Assistant Superintendent of Schools/Director of Pupil Personnel Services, 1999-2004
SAU 50 Greenland, New Castle, Newington, Rye, NH

Director of Special Education, 1997-1999
Hampton School District, Hampton, NH

Consultant, 1990-1997
New Hampshire and New York

Adjunct Faculty Member, 1996-1997
St. Joseph's College, Patchogue, NY

Executive Director, 1987-1990
The Early Intervention Network of New Hampshire, Concord, NH

Executive Director, 1984-1987
The Richie McFarland Children's Center, Stratham, NH

Executive Director, 1981-1984
Spring Garden Children's Center, Easton, PA

Program Director, 1976-1979
Carroll County Mental Health, North Conway, NH

Resource Room Teacher, 1973-1976
Kennett High School, Conway, NH

Certifications:

New Hampshire Certifications: Superintendent of Schools, Principal
New York Certification: School District Administrator (Permanent)

Education:

C.A.S. in Educational Administration, Hofstra University, May 1994
Master of Public Administration, Lehigh University, May 1981
Bachelor of Science, Special Education, Bridgewater State College, May 1973

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Leon Levesque

Professional Experience:

Superintendent of Schools, 1998- 2011 (December)
Lewiston School Department, Lewiston, ME

Superintendent of Schools, 1993-1998
MSAD 16, Hallowell, ME

Assistant Superintendent of Schools, 1988-1993
MSAD 52, Turner, ME

Principal, 1982-1988
Mt. Abram High School, Kingfield, ME

Assistant Principal, 1978-1982
Messalonskee High School, MSAD 47, Oakland, ME

Teacher of English, 1973-1978
Messalonskee High School, MSAD 47, Oakland, ME

Teacher of English and French, 1971-1973
Windsor Jr/Sr High Schol, Windsor, CO

Military Service:

United States Army, 1968-1970

Education:

Certificate of Advanced Study in Education, University of Maine, Orono, ME
Masters English, University of Northern Colorado, Greely, CO
Bachelor of Arts, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

Fosters: Administrators defend blog OR principal said led to her leaving

Counterpoint to recent criticism of this blog today in an article by reporter Roni Reino in today's edition of Fosters:

Administrators defend blog OR principal said led to her leaving

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Saturday, July 2, 2011

DURHAM — Administrators for an online blog are saying the former high school principal should not have blamed "a piece of software" for her resignation, while adding the blog's original intent was to encourage community conversation.

Last week, Laura Rogers released the contents of her resignation letter that stated past and present School Board members were supporting "anonymous, vitriolic comments" posted on the online forum Oyster River Community Resource. She also said comments from the community were "hurtful."

Rogers said although board member may have not endorsed such a "bullying" type behavior, they participated in posting content.

One of the blog administrators, Seth Fiermonti, said although he understands how Rogers may have felt attacked, the blog is only a means to allow the public to converse, and comments would have been said in the community despite the existence of the blog.

"I feel there is one specific statement in her characterization that is, somehow anybody who posts on that blog agrees with what was said on the blog," said blog administrator Tom Bebbington. "You can't refuse to agree with people that disagree with you. I thought that the letter got that wrong."

Neither Fiermonti or Bebbington said they know Rogers personally, but said it seemed unreasonable to point at the blog for her leaving the district.

The two began the blog back in 2008 after becoming frustrated with an "unresponsive" School Board that was making decisions about an unfair bidding process that seemed to be going unnoticed. Both said writing letters to the newspaper or directly to the School Board didn't seem to make a difference, and creating an free online forum seemed the best way to get everyone involved.

"We didn't feel that we were reaching out to enough people, and it wasn't a conversation," Bebbington said.

Fiermonti said he has reached out to current School Board members and asked them to contribute to the blog in hopes of keeping everyone on the same page. He said he hopes to continue to keep the community conversation going.

"It's bigger than we first thought it was going to be," Fiermonti said. "But it's definitely serving a purpose. The fact it got so popular just means it is meeting a need that wasn't met elsewhere."

The site has had more than 16,000 unique views [UPDATE: 125,000 unique views - ed.] over the three years it has been running, and administrators admit some may be duplicates, but said it's a testament to how many people read it.

In her last days as high school principal, Rogers said the anonymous comments had gone too far and made negative and hurtful comments toward school officials and staff.

Blog administrators said while the anonymity of comments allowed people to comment freely, they have in the last few months asked commenters to "sign-in" with a username by linking to their Facebook page or an instant messenger profile. People are still allowed to use pseudonyms to post comments.

Both Fiermonti and Bebbington said they believe over the last three years the added community input has helped shaped a better and more open School Board, whether or not people had to put their name to their comments.

"I think the current (school) board has made great strides in openness and communication," Bebbington said. "I think that is a positive development."