EXTENDED!!! OYSTER RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNITY SURVEY

***NOTE: THE SURVEY HAS BEEN EXTENDED BY ONE WEEK TO JUNE 8***

The ORCSD Strategic Planning Oversight Committee is conducting a community survey to gather input from community members regarding our school district. Please click on the following link to participate in this survey: http://www.unh.edu/survey-center/orcsd510.html.

This survey will end on June 8, 2010. Your input is greatly appreciated, and all responses will be confidential. The results of the survey will be made public upon completion of the report. The Strategic Planning Oversight Committee thanks you in advance for your time.

ORCSD School Board Discussion with Auditor - May 5th , 2010

Below is an hour long video from the May 5th school board meeting.  It covers the Q&A with the auditor as well as the discussion on forming an audit committee.

As you will be able to tell, the discussion quickly unravels to become multiple amended motions confusing even the minute taker.

ORCSD School Board Audit Committee Discussion - May 5, 2010 from Oyster River Community on Vimeo.

Safe Prom and Graduation Season

The Oyster River High School Prom is this Friday, May 14^th.

We want to wish all the attendees a fun and safe Prom night.

Below is some information that is important for any parent who may have a child enjoying this exciting night out.

I know we all have our own fond memories of the prom, despite the hair styles, fluffy dresses and ill fitting tuxes.

Much has changed, particularly in the law. It is very important that we are all aware of how much things really have changed.

Please forward this message along so we can all be aware of how to keep our kids safe.

It does indeed take a village to raise a child.

Thank you, Kim Clark

A SAFE PROM AND GRADUATION SEASON

Each weekend during prom/graduation season, nearly 50 teens are killed in car crashes (U.S. Dept. of Transportation). Many teens consider alcohol/drug use as normal adolescent rites of passage. Now is the time to encourage our teens to celebrate safely without alcohol or drugs.

Facilitating a Drug or Underage Alcohol Party (RSA 644:18)

· Defined as 5+ persons under the age of 21, not related to the host

· Must only prove that one person possessed or consumed alcohol or a controlled drug

· All guests are taken into protective custody and parents are called

Host penalties…

· 17+ age – tried as an adult

· Class A or B misdemeanor depending on circumstances -- penalty of up to one year in jail

· Up to a $2000 fine

Notes of warning…

· If an underage drinker leaves a party and gets into an accident, the host of the party is liable both criminally and civilly. They can be charged with both Prohibited Sales and Facilitating an Underage Party (combined fines of up to $4000 and up to 2 years in jail).

· If a hotel room is rented by or for students for the purpose of an underage drinking party, the person whose name is registered on the room is responsible & can be held criminally liable.

· “Purchasing alcohol for minors is a crime, no matter what the circumstances. There are significant consequences that face adults who give alcohol to underage drinkers.” –Eddie Edwards, Chief of

Enforcement for the NH Liquor Commission

Suggestions:

· Let’s help our kids make the right decisions to avoid putting themselves at risk. Keep prom/graduation activities safe by asking questions about our teens’ plans and having conversations with them about how to say “no” to alcohol/drugs, while still having fun.

· Tell your teen, or any young person you care about, that you do not want him getting into a car with someone who has had even one drink or who has been using illegal drugs.

· Remind your teen to wear a seatbelt, even if it will wrinkle a lovely evening gown.

· Tell your teen that you want her to call you if she can’t get a safe ride home. Emphasize that you want her to call even if she herself has been drinking or using drugs (reassure her that, while you do not support this behavior, her safety is your first concern).

· If you host parties for teens, do not allow them to drink alcohol or use drugs. Check on them regularly to be sure that no one is sneaking alcohol or other illegal substances into your home. The consequences of allowing underage drinking and the use of drugs in your home is severe, especially if a guest is injured or killed during the party or after leaving your home.

· Be a good role model. If you have been drinking, don’t drive. We all know that young people learn by example – don’t send mixed messages.

· Be creative & take advantage of the way that teens prefer to communicate. Remind teens not to drink by sending text messages as simple as “Have fun 2night. B safe. Don’t drink. We care.” Text

messaging allows us to reinforce with our kids how serious this issue is & how much we care. A survey commissioned by the Century Council showed that 65% of teens cite parents as their leading i influence for them not to drink.

Keeping our kids healthy is one of our primary jobs as a parent. Most of us willingly support our teens in a positive activity (e.g., cheering at her soccer game, clapping at his concert performance, or applauding at the play). However, we sometimes forget about our powerful positive impact when we are limiting our children’s activities by drawing boundaries. Successful parenting combines both the w warmth of boosting & saying “Yes!” with the firmness of limiting and saying “No!”

“ We love our kids, but we aren’t their friends, we are their parents.”

- Durham Deputy Chief Renee Kelly

“Conversation starters for parents” http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/conversations-for-parents.asp

“Hazards and risks of teen alcohol use” http://www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/drug_info_alcohol.asp

What is fiscal misfeasance?

Often, I have contemplated what fiscal misfeasance is, exactly. I do believe employees in our District's Central Office are working hard and doing their best. However, sometimes a system is broken, organizationally or sound processes are not in place. As a result, fiscal misfeasance may occur.

Recently, our Board was presented with audit findings. Significant deficiencies (pretty serious) were found related to the internal audit and material findings (more serious) were found related to federal fund expenditures (spent on Special Ed and School Lunch). Moreover, if one digs a little, one will find that our District has had deficiencies for as far back as the ORCSD web site allows, about seven years. Yikes!

So, what's going on? Poor filing? Ill-defined checks and balances related to payments? These are easily remedied, but will the solutions stay in place? I hope so, for our children's sake.

The discussion is pertinent because, for every dollar misplaced or not spent wisely, monies could be spent elsewhere. How much extra is our District paying auditors because we are not a "low risk" District when it comes to audits?

In economics, such costs are referred to as "opportunity costs." What are the foregone opportunities? A new running track? Hiring a Spanish teacher for Mast Way/Moharimet? New services for children with special needs? Bringing in an artist in residence to our schools? The list is hypothetical, yet pertinent.

With all this, I look to our Central Office Administrators and School Board to pursue, in earnest, establishing an effective audit committee or budget committee to ensure disbursements and bids are handled with the upmost propriety, and, without fiscal misfeasance.

We need an iron-clad plan to ensure there is no question that operations are sound and disbursements are made in the best interest of our children.

Thank you for reading my post and Happy Mother's Day to all the fellow moms!