DURHAM — Representatives from the town recently aired a laundry list of concerns to the Oyster River School District about School Board business at a meeting in Superintendent Howard Colter's office last week.
Among the concerns were communication, credibility, reassessment of educational direction, public perception, and fiscal responsibility.
The Town Council recently passed a resolution asking the School Board to provide adequate documentation regarding the expenditure of surplus funds from the 2009 fiscal year.
Last week's meeting was meant to be an informal meeting between town and school board representatives. It was intended to help the School Board get a handle on what the town was asking and provide them with the answers they were looking for, according to Superintendent Howard Colter.
"The items they brought up certainly exceeded the items listed in their resolution," Colter said.
Colter declined to comment about the discussions the two groups had regarding the extra issues that were brought up.
"We listened," he said.
At last week's meeting were, Todd Selig, Durham town administrator; Gail Jablonski, Durham business manager; Neil Niman, Town Council chair; Doug Clark, town councilor; Jennifer Reif, School Board chair; JoAnn Portalupi, School Board vice chair; Jocelyn O'Quinn, School Board member and Blaine Cox, School Board business administrator.
Selig said the town's contingent brought up the concerns in response to growing public uneasiness about the board.
"We are getting more and more feedback during the public comment portion of council meetings where residents express concerns regarding these issues pertaining to the School District," he said. "In addition residents have contacted council members outside of meetings. Given the circumstances, the council felt it was necessary to convey these concerns to the School Board."
At the School District's deliberative session in February, a bulk of the concern from residents pertained to not being able to track in the budget how the district is spending money. Multiple residents said the budgets provided to the public are impossible to understand.
Residents have also expressed concern about how the budget increases each year, while enrollment continues to decline.
Selig said bringing these issues up at last week's meeting was the town's way of trying to promote more communication between the two bodies.
"At the end of the meeting our final comment was 'How can we help?' " Selig said. "How can the town of Durham help the School District address some of these issues?"
In regards to the resolution asking how the district spent its surplus funds in 2009, Colter said the district used the money on computer file storage hardware, equipment that was rejected by voters last year as part of the technology improvement plan warrant article.
Colter said the district had the right to use the surplus money on that equipment because as things change throughout the years, the board has the right to allocate available money to items that are perceived to be necessary, which he claims the hardware was.
Selig said the town is still seeking additional information about how those funds were spent and will be presenting the town's resolution to the School Board at tonight's meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Oyster River High School.
"The taxes raised to support the School District from Durham represents 70 percent of the local property tax bill and the council feels a responsibility to ensure those tax dollars are being spent wisely," Selig said.
The district's business administrator is expected to issue a formal response to the town resolution and then forward it to Madbury and Lee, Colter said.
The only thing that Durham asked for was
ReplyDelete"NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Durham Town Council, the
governing body of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire, does hereby adopt
Resolution #2010-02 requesting that the ORCSD School Board direct the ORCSD
administration to provide adequate documentation regarding the expenditure of
surplus funds from the 2009 fiscal year. "
Nothing else. They voted tonight to provide this.
The ORIGINAL resolution submitted from Doug Clark to the Town Council - and listed on this blog - was the laundry list that this article suggests. However, there was not a laundry list of requests submitted to the SB from Durham, just the documentation of expenditures. Tell Durham is you want more to be requested, because they did not vote on that.
Typical Sanbourn reporting. He can't seem to get things straight.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the board meeting last night, I have one suggestion. We need to find out who was on Tom Selig's search & hiring committee & use that group when Howard Colter finally retires.
ReplyDeleteTom Selig completely understands what it means to serve the public. He is a part of the community and he cares deeply. And his sincere non-adversarial approach builds confidence.
Are we going to have to listen to JoAnn Portalupi insult the rest of the board members for the rest of her (final) term? During last night's meeting, her repeated references to the "learning curve for understanding your role as a board member" is more of the arrogance and lack of a team mentality that our community clearly no longer wants. Obviously, JoAnn's learning curve with regard to working as a team member is the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe only "learning curve" Joanne really wants is the time to indoctrinate new Board members into doing things HER way...defend the Superintendent and staff no matter what they do, minimize the influence of the public, hide information, confuse the issue at hand with useless posturing, etc. Thank goodness we have more independent-minded Board members who will stand against Joann and her status quo.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of the way that Todd Selig stood up to her efforts to blow off the Town Council resolution. Maybe now she'll get it through her thick head that this whole fiscal mis-managemnt thing isn't something that can be wished away, and she'll stop standing in the way of finding a solution...but somehow I doubt it.
Todd Selig was amazing at the meeting!
ReplyDelete