A Note from Roger Speidel

This note was sent to me asking to be published on the blog...

During the public comment segment of the June 15 school Board meeting the Board was attacked viciously for their decision to buy out Howard Colter’s contract. This was done by an extremely vocal minority accompanied by energetic clapping and jeering.

We, the majority, can no longer be silent. Our role must be to support the School Board with facts.

When the vocal minority says this Board is going to destroy a great school system, the facts do not support greatness when it’s related to the Oyster River School District.

For example: this year in the NECAP tests Oyster River ranked 18th in a State ranked 28th in the Nation educationally (bottom half). One of Oyster River’s elementary schools ranked 60th. That’s hard to believe. Do you know what that augurs for the future? People tell me that Oyster River was always first or second in the past.

In the AYP testing for the past 2 years, Oyster River failed to achieve the required proficiency in both reading and math. This relegates Oyster River to the status of a DINI system; a District in Need of Improvement. Seventy-five school districts in the State did achieve the required proficiency in the AYP testing.

Each year in the State of New Hampshire 3 schools are selected as “Schools of Excellence”; 1 high school, one middle school, and 1 elementary school. For 2011 the ratio of teacher to students in the 3 Schools of Excellence is 1 to 17.9. The Oyster River Schools; 1 high school 1 middle school, and 2 elementary schools have a teacher/student ratio of 1 teacher to 12.9 students and they are not at the top.

It requires Oyster River 159 teachers to teach its 2050 students. The 3 Schools of Excellence can teach 2050 students with 114 teachers, 45 less than Oyster River and do it with excellence. Our budget is bloated because our staffing is bloated. 73% of the school budget is salary and benefits.

The teacher/student ratio at Oyster River Middle School is 1 teacher to 11 students and the administration wants to add 3 more teachers there.

In the past 10 years Oyster River’s per pupil cost has gone from $374 over the State average to $3472 over the State average, a 1000% increase. And while the school budget was skyrocketing, the number of our seniors going on to 4 year colleges did not increase one single percent. It remained in the low 70’s. At the same time, Bow was sending 85% of it’s seniors on to 4 year colleges and doing it for $3,000 less per student per year.

The last year that the State Department of Revenue broke equalized local school tax out separately, Durham, Madbury, and Lee had 3 of the 4 highest tax rates in the State in towns over 7,000 in population.

In the US News and World Report study of the “100 Best High Schools in America” (none in New Hampshire) the number 2,3, and 4 schools in the Nation have a average teacher/student ratio or 1 teacher to over 20 students and they spend from $3,000 to $6,000 less per student per year than Oyster River.

A massive boondoggle to the taxpayers was the renovation of the High School. It was designed to accommodate 880 students and presently the high school has less than 700 students and the enrollment projections show that the high school enrollment will drop below 600 in the future. To fill up space in the high school, Barrington students are being brought in, each at a $6,000 discount....not a good idea.

All these things occurred under the aegis of the defeated and former board members who are making the most noise now against the present School Board. The last five years were also under Mr. Colter’s watch.

Now, what to do? We must become the vocal majority. The School Board made a wise and courageous decision on June 15 and we have to vigorously support them as they work with the new opportunities that are open to them.

We can do this by attending Board meetings, speaking at Board meetings, (I intend to speak at the July 20 Board meeting), sending letters to Foster’s, doing research, campaigning for the Board candidates (coffees, signs, work the polls) and bringing new people to our meetings.

We can no longer be passive. We must, both vote and act. It’s time to assert our energy and deflate the sour grapes of the defeated and former Board members and their minions.

Remember, our meeting has been postponed to Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Durham Town Hall. Bring someone new with you. And keep in mind there is a School Board meeting the next night, attend if you can, and speak if you wish to add strength to our message.

See you on the 19th.

Respectively Submitted,
Roger Speidel

Fosters Opinion: ORCSD Numbers

Letter to the editor that appeared in Fosters today.

UPDATE: We have been alerted that the numbers posted are not accurate. It should state the following. For 2010, Krista Butts (1,064) and Ann Wright (1,269). For 2011, John Collins (768)

ORSCD Numbers

To the editor: Since early 2010 there've been many changes in the Oyster River Cooperative School District. The 2010 election resulted in Krista Butts (1,269) and Ann Wright (1,064) defeating David Taylor (605). In October the board OK'd creation of an Advisory Budget Committee, and in December Superintendent Colter announced he had "no interest" in renewing his contract, set to expire in June 2012.

Going into the election of 2010 everyone knew that a new high school principal and new superintendent would need to be found. The 2011 election resulted in Anne Lane (1,089) and Megan Turnbull (962) defeating John Collins (667) and Chandler Hull (667) for at-large seats, and James Kach (898) defeating Susan Willer for the Madbury seat.

After the new board voted not to accept Colter's recommendation for principal, the teaching staff, administration, students, several former board members and some members of the community expressed their dissatisfaction. The board's process to find a principal was thrown into chaos, but in June the board unanimously accepted Colter's nomination of Todd Allen, currently middle school principal, to become interim high school principal.

Last week it was announced that the board and Colter had come to a mutual agreement that his contract would be bought out, and Colter would leave in a few weeks.
Going forward, I believe the majority of taxpayers will support the duly elected board and the volunteer budget committee.

Mike McClurken
Durham

Fosters Opinion: OR District voters may have been misled

F.O.R.E. member and Oyster River resident, Laura DiMeglio, takes political disagreement to a personal level in a recent opinion piece published in Fosters on June 29th:

[UPDATE: Ms. DiMeglio requested her letter be removed - you can still read it at Fosters]

OR District voters may have been misled

For the third time in three months, I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the Oyster River School Board. I feel that their decision to terminate the contract of our Superintendent Howard Colter, a man with an extraordinarily high approval rating among his faculty and staff, is a clear abuse of power and part of a greater plan to change our district's educational philosophy. I'd like to tell the community how I came to my position.

My experience is with recently elected school board member, Megan Turnbull. While I realize she is just one of a board of seven, I feel her opinions have been influential. I'd like to stress that I do not wish to be hurtful. I believe, however, that Ms. Turnbull was not forthcoming with her opinions during her recent school board campaign and that our district is now facing the consequences of a dishonest election.

I've known Ms. Turnbull for just over a year and during that time she has shared with me many of her opinions about education and the ORCSD. While I commend Ms. Turnbull's passion and feel she truly believes she is acting for the good of the district, I strongly believe that her following opinions should have been made public during her campaign.

— Ms. Turnbull supported promoting someone from within our district to the position of high school principal with the goal of reducing an assistant principal position (personal communication, February 2011).

— Ms. Turnbull supported a Superintendent buyout since Mr. Colter announced he would not seek renewal in November of 2010 (several personal communications, December 2010- February 2011).

— Ms. Turnbull opposes our district's philosophy of engaging every learner through differentiated instruction and heterogeneous grouping and supports tracking. She is quoted below from letters to the Oyster River Community Resource in 2008 and has expressed these same opinions to me as recently as February, 2011.

n Nov. 18, 2008: "... I fail to see how heterogeneous classes effectively engage all learners, especially in the higher level grades. I believe that a tiered system is more effective at targeting the needs and abilities of individual students."

n Sept. 6, 2008: "Tiered Classes — ... I do not support the ORCSD's heterogeneous class structure and believe it places children at a huge disadvantage when applying to college."

— Ms. Turnbull supports a change in district philosophy and the hiring of a new Superintendent that supports this change (personal communication, February 2011).

— Ms. Turnbull supported eliminating one of the curriculum director positions. Below she is quoted from a letter to the Community Resource.

n January 7, 2010: "Eliminate the two Directors of Instruction positions — Re-instate the two directors in their previous roles, and, then, eliminate any staff redundancies. These overhead roles are truly District luxuries in tough economic times."

It is possible that Ms. Turnbull has changed her mind on these issues. During my conversations with Ms. Turnbull, I also started to share some of her concerns. However, I learned more from my husband, from our Superintendent, and from my friends who are educators. The more I learned, the more I realized the merits of Oyster River and the philosophy that promotes and encourages a love of learning in our children. I learned that our experienced teachers are committed to engaging every learner. I came to the conclusion that as a parent, I value engagement over assessment. Perhaps Ms. Turnbull has also had a change of heart.

However, given that this board is responsible for the loss of three top administrators, all who value our current philosophy, and that at least two of the recent controversial actions we've seen from the board were supported by Ms. Turnbull before the election but not disclosed, I am very concerned that the next casualty will be our district's educational philosophy. I would like to hear our current board members publicly state that they support the Oyster River vision and philosophy statement that was drafted by the strategic planning committee and that they will hire a new Superintendent that supports it as well. If there is to be a discussion of change, it should happen in public. This discussion can be passionate, it can be heartfelt, it can be heated, but it needs to be in public.

I have learned a lot about Howard Colter in the past four months and am truly saddened that he will no longer be guiding our district toward excellence. If you are hearing people criticize him or our district's philosophy, please find out for yourself. Speak to teachers, speak to your neighbors, speak to Mr. Colter. Find out why our district is great. Find out what is at risk. The current school board has done Mr. Colter a great disservice. As a community, we have exchanged visionary educational leadership for an arrogant and inexperienced school board. Please help remedy this situation by demanding the transparency we were promised and by casting your vote next March.

Laura DiMeglio
Lee

Fosters Opinion: Rodgers did not have to resign as OR Principal

The below is an editorial published today in Fosters.

Rogers did not have to resign as OR principal

Outgoing Oyster River High School Principal Laura Rogers' letter of resignation should be read with some skepticism.

In her opening remarks, published June 25 by Foster's Daily Democrat, Rogers writes in part:

"The current political climate and the tension that exists in the relationship between the administration and many members of the School Board have led me to this decision. Unfortunately, there have been too many occasions in the last two or three years where I have felt that the majority of the Board has had little understanding or respect for what is taking place at the high school and the work that I do here."

Had Rogers ended her letter there, this editorial would be written. But she continued by laying blame on Internet postings:

"There are past and present board members who regularly post to an Internet blog that supports anonymous, vitriolic comments that often malign not only central office administrators and building principals ... This blog has caused some of my faculty and staff members a lot of pain and anxiety and I can find no value in it."

Rogers should not blame the Internet. Just the opposite, she and others should be thankful that the Internet provides a way to bring such beliefs and thoughts to light.

This doesn't mean all those who post through blogs and on message boards should be taken seriously. Quite the contrary, hiding behind a pseudonym or signing on anonymously undercuts the credibility of someone's comments — a point apparently missed by Rogers.

But there has been enough written on message boards and through blogs to believe that the Oyster River Cooperative School District has some problems.

Rogers, therefore, had two choices. She could look past the anonymous messages and vitriol, and address the problems discussed by responsible postings. Or she could quit.

The courageous thing to do would have been to draw the critics out from behind their anonymity and confront the problems.

Should Rogers choose to become principal elsewhere, or assume any other public administrative post, she will find the Internet ever-present and abused.

In short, the answer is not to blame the Internet. It is to use the information it provides as a tool to solve problems or to discount idle chatter.

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While we are on the subject of Internet postings and the like, it is worth noting that Foster's Daily Democrat has received a significant number of anonymous e-mails concerning recent problems involving the Oyster River School District.

It is difficult, if not often impossible, to take much of this information seriously. Those who provide information while identifying themselves are considered as important news sources. It is their information that often leads to stories and investigations.

This doesn't mean that someone who contacts Foster's with information has to be willing to have their name published. It does mean, however, that a reporter or editor needs to know who she or he is talking to or exchanging e-mails with in order to contextualize the information they are providing.

Such has been the case with recent stories generated concerning the Oyster River School District.

Lee Selectmen Buyout Town Administrators Contract

In a Foster's article today, the Lee Selectmen in a non-public session have bought out the Town Administrator's contract 4 months early. The cost is estimated at $50,000. The reason being given is the town recently changed from a traditional town meeting to an SB2 form of governance. According to the Town Administrator, this came as a complete shock.

For more information, please see Foster's (click here).

Letter from Henry Smith

This letter was sent to me asking to be published.

Dear F.O.R.E.,

Thank you for your statement.  I am concerned as well.

You ask us to say 'Thank you' to an educator and I agree that this is important.   Our educators are a very important part of our children's education.

However, you neglected to ask us to say 'Thank you' to the members of the OR School Board for their dedication, time and service to the community as they work to restore excellence to our school system.  A good system but not excellent. Needs a lot of work to enhance its quality of education.

You failed to commend the school board members for their courage in voting not to hire a less than acceptable candidate for principal of OR High School in April, whether one agrees with their vote or not.

Furthermore, we have seen an increasingly bloated ORCSD budget over the past  several years in spite of decreasing student enrollments while witnessing the hiring of increasing numbers of teachers and staff.  All of which has not advanced the goal of enhancing the quality of our students' education or the OR School System's standing in NH.

So, if you have questions or concerns about the ORSD's decisions and / or actions, sit down with a couple of the SB members over coffee and chat with them about your issues.  They are approachable and amenable to such encounters.

Let the discussion continue...

-Henry M. Smith
-Former Chair of Durham ZBA and Town Council member, 2001-2009.
-Lecturer in French, UNH, 1988-2006

Did You Know: School Board Meetings on iTunes

Did you know that Oyster River Cooperative School Board meetings are freely available as a video podcast from the iTunes Store? Thanks to the hard work of our new District Media Specialist Kathleen Young, iTunes users can subscribe free to have new board meetings automatically downloaded to their computer or find older meetings (since March 2nd, 2011) for viewing.

Of course, there are other ways to watch the school board in action:

• DCAT Channel 22 broadcasts the most recent meeting Thursday through Saturday at 8am and 7pm and live when scheduling permits.
• Streaming in QuickTime 7 format of the past two meetings from the School Board section of the ORCSD website.
• On DVD from the Durham Public Library.

A big thank-you to Kathleen and also to HS Production Assistant Alexander Taylor for getting the word out and providing easy community access to school board meetings. Thanks!

Conspiracy Theories Abound - Response to Recent Fosters Opinion

Oyster River resident Tom Bebbington submitted this letter to the Fosters Editor Monday evening in response to two recent letters to the editor (quoted below) by Kay Morgan and David Taylor. He also asked that it be published here.

Conspiracy Theories Abound

To the editor: In recent months, I have read with interest the numerous articles, editorials, and letters to the editor regarding the Oyster River School District. However, this past Saturday's crop of letters compels me to write.

Kay Morgan claims that "much of what is 'discussed' at board meetings seems...to have been decided well in advance of the meeting, and not in public" but also accuses the Board of holding meetings that are too long, and with much disagreement.

Well, which is it? If all topics have been decided in advance, would it not follow that discussion would be minimal and debate nonexistent? With that clearly not being the case, her unsubstantiated assertion that the Board meets in secret conclave--and in violation of state law--can only be termed pure hogwash.

If Ms. Morgan's letter represents nonsense, then David K. Taylor's is nonsense on stilts. Upping the paranoia quotient, he propounds the notion that a "group that doesn't like the long-standing philosophy of differentiated instruction and heterogeneous grouping" has stacked the Board with members that "long for tracking and accelerated programs like those they had thrived under a generation ago" and that these Board members have moved to "fire the defenders of the old philosophy".

Like all conspiracy theories, this one doesn't stand up to the facts. His claim that a secret cabal of elderly Oyster River community members is trying to drag our District back to the dunce cap era is absurd on its face, especially since no School Board member has ever advocated a return to tracking. And while it's true that three top administrators have left our District recently, not one was fired: one retired, one moved a step up the career ladder, and the third left to pursue a different career path entirely.

Like all conspiracy theorists, those who believe such foolishness would tell you that the lack of evidence of any connivance whatsoever is simply more proof that it is true. In Mr. Taylor's own words, these two writers are, indeed, "only seeing things that affirm what they want to see."

Tom Bebbington
Durham

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Here are the opinion pieces by Kay Morgan [UPDATE: removed at Ms. Morgan's request] and David Taylor [UPDATE: removed to comply with DMCA Title II takedown notice] published in Fosters on the 25th of June:

Content removed.

Response to "Open Letter to the Community"

This response is directed to a posting on FORE as well as a letter in Foster's.  This comment is written on their blog but is currently awaiting approval and being moderated.

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The author assumes that our entire district is in a state of collapse and by not acting with swift and immediate action, the community will share collectively in the blame for this accused demise.  This is a bold accusation and one in which I respectfully disagree.  

Our district is not in a state of collapse and assuming so undermines the great teachers, staff, students, volunteers, and parents that collectively contribute and uphold our mission statement.  

The top talent that has left is mostly concentrated at the high school and the community upheaval is also mostly concerned with the high school.  I am hearing no similar reports of Moharimet, Mast Way, and the Middle School suffering with lack of leadership.   In fact, we have strong leaders with long histories at each school - including the high school!

There is another assumption that all our teachers are operating within a state of fear and confusion.  I will also respectfully disagree with this statement. I know our teachers are exceptional professionals more than capable of educating our children through an interim superintendent and the hiring of three top educational leaders. They have done it in the past and I have the utmost faith they will be just fine next year.  Again, the statement presumes to show a lack of faith in our teachers' collective capabilities.

Second, the addressed point to the taxpayers.  If you look at recent reports of the real estate market on the Seacoast, we are doing better than most of the nation.  I also am seeing more young families move into the district and buying houses.  Those that are moving are moving within the district to continue the education here.  I know of a few examples personally (I'm sure there are others) where families have moved from Lee to Durham and within Durham itself.  There is no panic or mass exodus of families - at least in my purview.  Our housing prices have stabilized and with the recent Public Works projects happening now in Durham, I only expect this to help our home values moving forward.  

The next topic I'd like to discuss is the confidentiality clause.  This was a mutual, amicable agreement between the board and Howard Colter.  The board did not act on this one alone.  As the agreement states, we may hear more on June 30th.  

So, yes, while we must rebuild with strong leaders, we must also realize that the absence of three individuals do not propel an entire district and community into darkness.  Assuming so undermines the hard work and contributions of our staff and teachers, propagates fear, uncertainty, and doubt, and does not move our mission forward as a district.  It is very important to attend these meetings and offer input but placing seeds of doubt and future demise only serves to make us take a few steps back.

Fosters: Board to give next interim director of instruction a 2-year deal

More coverage of the Oyster River Cooperative School District today in Fosters. Roni Reino reports:

Board to give next interim director of instruction a 2-year deal

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DURHAM — School Board members voted to approve a two-year contract for an interim director of instruction to fill the open position at Monday's meeting.

"I think the person coming in needs a multiple year contract and can feel like they can grow in the job," said Superintendent Howard Colter.

At the meeting, member Krista Butts made a motion to offer a two-year contract.

"If we do not fill Meredith's position, we will have a huge hole," she said.

Director of Instruction Meredith Nadeau is expected to finish her year with the district this week and take on a superintendent position in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

As discussion continued, board member Jim Kach said he felt with the rising special education budget and demand, the district should consider hiring an individual to become the director of special education.

However, Kach said he could not support the multiyear contract motion because he did not feel it was fair to give one to an administrator when teachers are not offered the same promise.

"I don't know that this is where we want to go with administrators," he said.

Member Ann Lane said she was worried about giving a two-year contract and it seemed they might be "putting their eggs in one basket" by guaranteeing someone a multiyear contract.

However, Butts stood by her motion, saying by contracting a person for more than one year, it would allow them to better understand the district.

"That gives this person a year to examine where we are and what our staffing levels look like," Butts said.

The motion was passed 4-2. Henry Brackett, Jocelyn O'Quinn, Krista Butts and Ann Wright in favor and Jim Kach and Ann Lane against.

Member Megan Turnbull was not present for the meeting.

Fosters: Interviews under way for interim OR superintendent

Fosters reporter Roni Reino published an article today detailing recent progress by the ORCSD Board in the search for an interim superintendent:

Interviews under way for interim OR superintendent

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DURHAM — Some Oyster River Cooperative School District board members are hoping to see more community input this year, while the search for an interim superintendent continues this week with more interviews.

Part of the potential 2011-2012 School Board goals, members have proposed hosting community forums to discuss the district's strategic plan, the permanent superintendent search and conflict resolution.

Member Krista Butts said she hopes these forums will give community members who may not feel they have a voice a chance to talk openly about issues. While public comments during board meetings "may not be everyone's cup of tea," she said forums will allow more conversation between the board and the public.

With many hot topics in the district, Butts and fellow board member Jocelyn O'Quinn said that as parents and community members, they can understand the passion coming from residents concerned about where the district is headed.

"We have lots of people that are passionate about education," O'Quinn said. "Sometimes that causes a rift in the community."

Many community members have come forward at School Board meetings speaking against board decisions. Butts said she hopes the forums will help the community voice their opinions in a manner that allows constructive conversation.

O'Quinn said she is excited about the sustainable ventures the district could be considering. As part of the Sustainability Committee, she said there has been a lot of talk on how to incorporate on-site gardening into food service practices and the possibility of eliminating bottled water from schools and installing a water filtration system.

School Board members are continuing to put together the School Board and budget goals. Some goals include supporting the district's Wellness Committee, principals and food service directors as they explore options for healthier meals. Another goal includes continued efficiency at board meetings and conducting a successful superintendent search and hiring a permanent superintendent.

Board members are currently interviewing candidates to bring forward to the community in a public session. Members have said finding someone for the interim superintendent position could come as early as next week. Butts said she has looked at many of the resumes and is pleased with the response.

"The process is ongoing and it's something I hope we move forward with soon," she said.

The board has not announced how many resumes it has received for the open superintendent position. Members have said at meetings they expect to hire an interim candidate and then begin a search for a permanent superintendent this fall for the following school year.

Fosters Opinion: Paying Colter not to do his job

Letter of support for Superintendent Colter by JoAnn Portalupi published this morning in the Fosters opinion pages.

Paying Colter not to do his job

It's been just over a week since the Oyster River School Board's surprise vote to buy out Superintendent Colter's contract. Like many in the community, I am still reeling from the shock.

As a prior board member, and chair for three of Howard Colter's five years in the district, I had the opportunity to work closely with him. Superintendent Colter is an exceptional leader who sets innovative goals and works tirelessly to implement them on a realistic timeline.

Under his leadership, the district created alternative avenues to engage high school learners; developed common assessments in math and the language arts; built a stronger foundation for foreign language instruction; provided sustained, classroom based professional development in differentiated instruction; put wellness at the center of decision making; and restructured the leadership team to direct more of their talents to the efforts of teaching and learning.

These are just a few examples of his positive impact on our school district. No leader can orchestrate such change without building trust with the employees who ultimately make it all happen. Superintendent Colter has done all this and more while bringing escalating yearly budgets into control.

Without question, Howard Colter is a man of great integrity and compassion. Ask anyone who has come to know him during his tenure here.

During last year's budget season, in consideration so the Board would have time to build appropriate funds into the FY2012 budget, Superintendent Colter shared his decision not to seek an extension of his contract. At the same time he expressed his enthusiasm to continue working to the June 2012 ending date of his contract. This sentiment was expressed again, as recently as March of this year, while I was still on the board. At that time I observed Mr. Colter working each day with the same passion, insight, and integrity he brought to his first days in the district.

Nonetheless, the current School Board has deemed it best to pay Mr. Colter not to do his job. I ask, best for whom? The district's children?

With the recent exodus of top leaders (and yes, the board's bad practice has had a hand in that) our teachers and employees are working within a culture of fear and confusion.

Not good for kids. Is it best for taxpayers? Not really.

$185,000 has just been siphoned from funds that would have been returned to offset next year's tax bills. Want to sell you house? Good luck. One of our biggest assets—the school district—isn't playing so well in the news these days.

The School Board has conveniently written a confidentiality clause that disallows them from sharing their reasons for buying out the Superintendent. Until yesterday, when they revised minutes from the 6/15 nonpublic session, the School Board was not intending to share the financial details with the community until June 30th. As elected officials, they don't get to pick and choose what part of a motion to share with the public they represent. There are laws that must be followed. No minutes show the Board entering a nonpublic session under the specific RSA that would have allowed them to discuss a buy out. When and where did these discussions take place? Who was involved? The public has a right to know. The law gives us that right.

If you are a community member in the ORCSD this is no time to merrily go about your business. Turn on Channel 22 or attend a board or subcommittee meeting and watch your School Board at work. Visit forenh.org to get facts about current district issues. If you don't understand what's going on, ask. Our schools are being threatened by the current board's actions. If you stand by and watch, you will share responsibility for their demise. Please, don't let that happen.

@Letters name:JoAnn Portalupi
@Letters town:Lee

Two Recent Letters to Fosters Editor in support of School Board

Two recent letters to the Fosters Editor supporting the ORCSD Board:

Praise for the ORCSD Board

To the editor: Kudos to the ORCSD Board for doing the job we elected you to do. Although the "has-beens," "also-rans," and ousted personalities have become, insufferable, loud, obnoxious bullies the majority of residents in this community support you one hundred percent.

The agenda, fueled by desperation, is to treat the board so poorly and so disrespectfully that good citizens will be deterred from serving in the future.

Involving the students in the game is a typical and very dangerous tactic right out of the Saul Alinsky handbook.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Thank you for making tough decisions in the face of incredibly unprofessional behavior and unacceptable animosity.

By the way, Howard Colter should have been gone a long time ago.

Patsy Pratt
Durham

In good conscience

To the editor: I would like to add a few words about the current issues in the ORSD.

While the School Board has made some unpopular decisions recently, the board has done so in good conscience. These board members have few years of collective experience however they wish to do what is best for the district. The longer time that a segment of the public continues to voice anger means that it will be more difficult and take longer to find strong leaders to move our schools forward in a positive direction. We are fortunate to have such a strong and competent interim principal as Mr. Todd Allen who has been selected to guide the high school through the next year. He has many years of experience in the district as a history teacher and administrator in our middle school as well as a coach for track and cross country. He certainly knows the culture and students in our school and he has the skills to communicate with all participants in the district and our three communities.

Oyster River is fortunate to have so many excellent teachers, administrators, support staff and students as well as a very involved community. It is time to come together for meaningful and constructive dialogue. In the mean time, I wish Mr. Allen all the success in his new position with support of the entire OR community.

Thank you for considering my thoughts for potential articles you may be writing concerning the ORSD.

Martha (Martie) Gooze
Durham

OR principal resigned citing bullying and anonymous comments from blog

OR principal resigned citing bullying and anonymous comments from blog

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011


DURHAM — An online blog was the main reason Oyster River High School Principal Laura Rogers resigned, according to her resignation letter.

In the letter dated Jan. 11, Rogers recounts how the Internet blog, Oyster River Community Resource, had supported "anonymous, vitriolic comments" directed at central office administrators and building principals.

"I thought it was extremely hurtful," she said on Friday.

Anonymous comments on the blog range from comments saying property taxes in the area are "outrageous" to hoping the board will "seek a leader that has the ability to communicate and collaborate" when Superintendent Howard Colter retires.

An anonymous Dec. 17 posting states, "Perhaps we will get lucky and (Director of Instruction) Meredith Nadeau will leave with (Howard) Colter."

Shortly after Rogers' resignation, it was announced Nadeau would be leaving the district to become a superintendent in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Rogers said School Board members have commented on the blog in the past, and although they may have not endorsed such a "bullying" type behavior, they participated in posting content.

"It's like if I looked the other way if students were doing something wrong," she said. "I can't say I respect the choice."

An Oct. 28 post by board member Jim Kach said he is "saddened by the tone and depth of these comments." He said he would prefer to read suggestions by the community, than "incessant sniping and trading of insults."

In her resignation letter, Rogers said those who participate in the blog are "tacitly supporting those who have made this district a place that champions an 'us against them' mentality and where rumors are circulated as if they are a reality."

Comments on the blog are still posted below posts, many of them anonymous and many of them indicating community members are unhappy with decisions by district officials.

"It felt like there was an assumption by some people that educators in the district don't know what they are doing," she said.

Rogers also in the last two to three years while working with the Oyster River Cooperative School District, she has "felt that the majority of the Board has had little understanding or respect for what is taking place at the high school and the work that I do here."

Rogers has taken a job in Goffstown as an interim guidance director at the high school.

"It should be a new opportunity to do something different," she said. "It will be a chance for me to help them out and a new opportunity for me."
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110625/GJNEWS_01/706259939
OR principal's letter of resignation


Saturday, June 25, 2011



Related Articles and Media

Article: OR principal resigned citing bullying and anonymous comments from blog

& the accompanying article....

The following is a letter of resignation dated Jan., 11, 2011 from Laura Rogers, Oyster River High School principal.



Dear Superintendent Colter,

It is with mixed feelings that I tender this letter of resignation, effective at the end of my contract, June 30,2011. I have the deepest affection for the faculty and staff of Oyster River High School and love spending each day with our students. Being part of the district's Leadership Team has been a privilege and an opportunity for my personal and professional growth. However, the current political climate and the tension that exists in the relationship between the administration and many members of the School Board have led me to this decision. Unfortunately, there have been too many occasions in the last two or three years where I have felt that the majority of the Board has had little understanding or respect for what is taking place at the high school and the work that I do here.

There are past and present board members who regularly post to an internet blog that supports anonymous, vitriolic comments that often malign not only central office administrators and building principals (who enter their jobs knowing that some level of negativity comes along with them), but secretaries, guidance counselors and individual teachers. By choosing to participate in this type of activity, they are tacitly supporting those who have made this district a place that champions an "us against them" mentality and where rumors are circulated as if they are a reality. Frankly, this is exactly the type of behavior that the bullying/cyber-bullying policy they just passed is supposed to eliminate when it happens between students. While I understand that their own postings may be benign, they are sending a message to the community that they approve of the blog in its entirety. This blog has caused some of my faculty and staff members a lot of pain and anxiety and I can find no value in it.

In spite of the challenges, I have certainly enjoyed the time I have spent at Oyster River. The people with whom I work have been wonderful and we have had the opportunity to develop new programs and to refine those that were already in place. Extended learning opportunities, internships, advisory and new classes have grown to become an integral part of what makes up the high school and I am proud to have been part of their evolution. Thank you very much for the opportunities and the mentoring you have offered me during my tenure here.

Sincerely,

Laura Rogers

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110625/GJNEWS_01/706259961

Board Acted Within Its Purview

To the editor: Well before the March 2011 School Board election, Oyster River School District Superintendent Howard Colter's reasons for leaving had accrued and he told the then School Board that he would not seek another contract after his expired in June of 2012. Some of the members of the board Mr. Colter notified were those who had hired him and it was well known by all that Mr. Colter was leaving in a year and the new board would select a new superintendent.

But even though it was well known that it was Mr. Colter's wish to leave, when it was announced that the Board and Mr. Colter had been negotiating for about a month over a buy-out which was reported as "mutually agreeable," speaker after speaker damned the board for acting behind their backs and hiding behind the right to know statute. Viewers left their gardening and sports programs to rush to the Wednesday evening meeting to tell the Board it was "crazy, stupid and irresponsible" to lose Mr. Colter early.

Even though both sides were bound by the confidentiality terms of the negotiated buyout, only the board, and not Mr. Colter, was flagellated for its silence while Mr. Colter was showered with accolades. Even though the board thanked Mr. Colter for his years of service, Mr. Colter thanked only the teachers, parents and students making no attempt to ameliorate the situation.

Maybe we will discover that "mutually agreeable" means Mr. Colter approached the Board for a buyout, a win-win for him. Maybe six out of seven board members thought it better to accept his offer and begin the process of finding a new and enduring superintendent rather than one who has long since announced his disinterest in continuing.

Finally, six out of seven board members elected to run the Oyster River School District $35-plus million educational business voted to buy out the superintendent's contract; they have acted well within their purview in doing so and the community should at least wait to hear all of the facts before so roundly condemning them. 

Luci Gardner
Durham

Updated minutes show OR board spending up to $185g to buy out superintendent

By RONI REINO rreino@fosters.com

Thursday, June 23, 2011

DURHAM — Updated nonpublic School Board minutes show the district is spending up to $185,000 to buy out Superintendent Howard Colter from his contract.

Chair Henry Brackett had previously said the board was not releasing the cost of the buyout until June 30 when Colter's contract would run out. However, on Wednesday the nonpublic minutes of June 15 were updated to state how much the buyout was costing the district.

At the June 15 School Board meeting, members had returned from a nonpublic session to announce there had been a mutual agreement between Colter and the board for the superintendent to end his contract a year early. At that point, the board chose not to reveal the cost of the buyout.

Board Co-Chair Ann Wright wrote in an e-mail that the Board had not previously released the information because there was confusion regarding whether the board could release the specific terms of the separation agreement, which included the dollar amount.

The $185,000 the board is spending is for the "purpose of implementing the mutual separation agreement between Supt. Colter and School Board including legal fees and other costs associated with implementation," according to the minutes.

Member Krista Butts made a motion to expend funds from the unspent surplus fund balance for this purpose. The motion was seconded by member Jim Kach and passed on a vote of 6-1. Minutes do not indicate who voted against the motion.

Colter said he had been working with his attorney on the details of the agreement for more than a month before the announcement was made. Neither Colter nor the board has provided a reason for the buyout.

The decision to buy out Colter's contract and hire an interim superintendent comes on the heels of announcements by High School Principal Laura Rogers and Director of Instruction Meredith Nadeau that they would be leaving this year. 

OR Board meets to review board and budget goals

By RONI REINO rreino@fosters.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

DURHAM — While Oyster River High School teachers were packing up their classrooms for the summer, School Board members were re-evaluating board and budget goals for the upcoming school year.

Although the board did not come to a consensus on how to approach next year's school department budget, members discussed how to continue open communications and efficient use of board time.

When discussing how to refine board meeting efficiency and protocol, members had a variety of suggestions, including having shorter meetings and covering more agenda items at meetings.

Member Jocelyn O'Quinn said the Board could reach out to other boards for advice on how to continue to have productive and efficient meetings.

"We keep trying to make things more efficient, but at some point you need advice," she said, adding the board needs to expand beyond itself.

Superintendent Howard Colter said it might be worthwhile for the board to consider having an annual meeting, on a scheduled day, to allow each committee — such as the Advisory Budget Committee or Wellness Committee — to present its progress. Adding presentations on already packed agendas has sometimes caused the board to create Special Meetings when they run out of time during regular meetings, Colter said.

Member Megan Turnbull said she agreed and thought it would provide broader community communications and inform the public when such presentations would be scheduled.

When talks turned to conducting a successful superintendent search and the subsequent hiring of a permanent superintendent, members wanted to strike a previously discussed notion of definitely using a hiring firm.

"I don't think we're ready to talk about that," member Megan Turnbull said. "I think it is one tool in the toolbox, but I prefer not to call it out yet."

Although members said they agreed, Co-Chair Ann Wright reminded the board that firms look to make presentations in June. If they wished to consider a firm in the fall during the permanent superintendent search, they would have to consider speaking with firms now to get an idea of their costs, procedures and availability.

The board included discussion from some Advisory Budget Committee members who were present during the workshop session to discuss how to move forward with budget goals.

However, O'Quinn said before pinpointing a specific budget requirement for administrators, she wanted to see what the anticipated budget climate and educational needs might look like.

With input from Business Administrator Sue Caswell, the Board discussed the potential need to focus on updating its capital improvement plan and anticipate for future programming changes.

Advisory Budget Committee member Tom Merrick said he would like the board to consider "fostering a budget" instead of giving a specific monetary request for administrators who would be planning budgets. He also added it would be beneficial if the board tried to keep a tight budget.

"Strive for a complete budget such that there is no surplus that leads you to over spend," he said.

Turnbull said she would like to see the budget include some of last year's priorities, including technology, world languages, ongoing professional development, high school music programming, maintaining class guidelines and analyzing bus routes for efficiency.

The board asked the business administrator and Advisory Budget Committee members to come back during a yet-to-be determined July workshop meeting to discuss how much money the district spent last year without "one-time" costs and to provide more input. 

Video from last board meeting

This video was posted on Facebook from a few community members.  Watching this video and reading the transcript, I hope we can move on from board hearsay, third party assumptions, and general mistrust. The new leadership team that will be selected in the next year has a tremendous opportunity to do just that. I am confident we can all move on from these pointed attacks and attract strong leaders.

Transcript at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqWeG-RwggA

Also, this letter was written to Fosters over the weekend.

To the editor: This is an open letter to the Oyster River Cooperative School District School Board.

Thursday night's buyout of Howard Colter's contract combined with the high school principal situation is clearly bringing into question the recent actions of the school board. My letter today won't do that.

Clearly the members of the board are reasonable people and have a vested interest in seeing ORCSD flourish and thrive. To me, that means the board's recent actions are serving that purpose in their minds.

The problem is that we (the people and parents) aren't really clear on the overreaching agenda of the board. If we were, then perhaps the recurring questioning of individual actions may cease (or at least significantly diminish).

Don't get me wrong, I understand that the board has the right to keep many of its internal processes confidential. There are very good reasons for this. However, in light of the current state of affairs, a healthy dose of transparency (and, if necessary, a simple "me a culpa") may well-serve to rebuild the community's trust in our school board.

Minutes show OR superintendent buyout was not unanimous

Today, Fosters Daily Democrat published an article by reporter Roni Reino covering the June 15 Oyster River school board meeting and providing details on the interim superintendent search.

Minutes show OR superintendent buyout was not unanimous

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Saturday, June 18, 2011

DURHAM — Minutes released from Wednesday's Oyster River School Board nonpublic session show the separation agreement between the superintendent and the board was not unanimously supported.

On Friday afternoon, Oyster River Board members released minutes saying member Krista Butts made a motion to expend funds from the unspent surplus fund balance for the purpose of implementing the mutual separation between Superintendent Howard Colter and the board, which would include legal fees and "other costs" associated with implementation.

The motion was seconded by member Jim Kach and passed on a vote of 6-1. Minutes do not indicate who voted against the motion or how much money is expected to be paid out.

There was also a motion made by member Ann Lane and seconded by Jocelyn O'Quinn to approve the mutual separation agreement between Colter and the board. That motion also passed by a 6-1 vote.

The board has also posted on the School District's website that an interim superintendent could begin working as soon as July 1.

Board members have officially posted the interim superintendent search process on the district's website.

At the June 15 meeting, the board approved that School Board Chair Henry Brackett will identify potential candidates and schedule interviews with the full board and representatives from the District's Leadership Team.

The Leadership Team is expected to include Business Administrator Sue Caswell and Director of Instruction Danielle Bulduc, according to Superintendent Howard Colter.

Colter said the Oyster River leadership team includes the superintendent, school principals, directors of instruction, the business administrator and the director of technology. Specific individuals who will be helping conduct interviews have yet to be determined.

"Given that Sue (Caswell) and Danielle (Bulduc) will be working closely with the interim superintendent, this seems like a logical and good suggestion," he wrote in an e-mail.

After interviews, at least one final candidate will be selected and a public interview will be scheduled. After the public interview, the board is expected to deliberate in a nonpublic session and then select and announce the new interim superintendent, according to the statement.

Board members outlined at the June 15 meeting what qualifications they would be looking for in a candidate.

Members said they expect a candidate will have experience as an educator and classroom instructor, prior experience as a superintendent, experience in managing change or transition, collaborative leadership skills, leadership mentoring skills, the ability to work collaboratively and support the ongoing leadership initiatives, the ability to "calm the waters" and set the stage for a successful transition to a permanent superintendent, the ability to work effectively with the board and the community, background in school district policies, the ability to facilitate the strategic planning process, and experience working in New Hampshire.

School Board members said they will continue to post information on the district's website as it become available.

Foster's Opinion Piece June 17th

It's time for OR School Board to explain itself

Friday, June 17, 2011

Oyster River School District residents should feel like one of boxer Mike Tyson's sparring partners, complete with an ear bitten off, after Wednesday night's announcement that the School Board has bought out the last year of Superintendent Howard Colter's contract.

The action, which appears to have come out of nowhere, climaxes an abusive few months for district residents. First it was the board's surprise decision to reject Colter's nominee as the new high school principal. This was followed by a series of lackluster and, to date, failed attempts to explain why. Next the board couldn't even agree on the makeup of a new selection committee, and finally in apparent desperation, opting to hire an interim principal.

Now Colter is shown the door under mysterious circumstances, and at a cost some estimate to be $300,000 by the time an interim replacement comes on board.

The issues here are so myriad it is hard to know where to begin. But let's start with the decision to buy out Colter's contact.

How did the board come to this decision before Thursday's night's meeting?

How the board got to its decision to part company with Colter raises serious questions and has already spawned accusations of clandestine meetings.

As reported Thursday, word was that last Friday the School Board was already interviewing candidates for an interim superintendent.

Interestingly, while board Chair Henry Brackett denied the allegation he readily admitted that he was talking to individuals on "what type of things we should do in this type of situation."

Is the Oyster River Community expected to believe, by inference, that Brackett was working independently of any communication with other board members? And who were these unnamed individuals Brackett was talking to?

This brings us to New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law. Ever since all hell broke loose the Oyster River School Board has hidden behind the personnel exception to the law. Its members have refused at every step of the way to provide adequate explanation to district residents. The board as a whole has operated in the shadows of the law, if not outside of it.

With the decision to bid Colter farewell, the time is long overdue for the School Board to come out from the shadows. Chairman Brackett needs to call a meeting for the purpose of being open and honest with residents of the Oyster River School District.

State personnel laws don't prevent the board from admitting it disagrees with Colter over how the district should be run. Nowhere is the board prevented from discussing what all this is about and what it will cost taxpayers.

All the secrecy surrounding recent actions by the board only leads to speculation there is really more going on here, something that might embarrass the board or others.

For the record, there have been no accusations of wrongdoing and no indications that any laws have been broken by anyone other than the School Board with its perceived abuse of the Right-to-Know Law.

But that is all the more reason to clear the air and focus the discussion on the problems confronting the school district. It is the only way the district can move forward and again put the emphasis on providing students with a quality education.

OR superintendent's contract bought out: Colter leaving position on June 30

OR superintendent's contract bought out: Colter leaving position on June 30

By RONI REINO
rreino@fosters.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011

DURHAM — The Oyster River School Board has bought out the remainder of the contract for Superintendent Howard Colter, who will be leaving his position with the district as of June 30.

Before Wednesday's meeting, Colter was scheduled to stay with the district until June 2012.

In a statement after a nonpublic decision at Wednesday night's School Board meeting, the board said the decision was a mutual agreement with Colter and the School Board, but did not give a reason why Colter was leaving.

Read More...

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110616/GJNEWS_01/706169679

ORCSD School Board Press Release About the Interim HS Principal

This was not published in Foster's (yet?).  It was sent to me with a request to post it here.
--------------------------------------

On Wednesday evening, June 8^th the Oyster River Cooperative School District School Board (ORCSD) unanimously confirmed the nomination by Superintendent Howard Colter of Todd Allen as the Interim Principal at Oyster River High School (ORHS). Currently the Assistant Principal of Oyster River Middle School (ORMS), Mr. Allen will begin his one year term on July 1, 2011. As a result, the ORCSD has suspended its principal search at this time. 

School Board Chair Henry Brackett commented, “The board is pleased to have confirmed Todd’s nomination.  We believe that selecting an internal candidate is in the district’s best interest. Todd knows the kids, he knows the parents and he has an established relationship with the district’s educators. We expect a smooth leadership transition and are pleased that the students will see a familiar face when they return to school in the fall. We look forward to continuing a long and distinguished relationship.”

Mr. Allen earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of Maine at Orono, a Masters in Education from Notre Dame College and expects to complete an Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision certification at the University of New Hampshire this spring.  Mr. Allen has been on staff at ORCSD for twenty-six years.  He joined the ORMS social studies department in 1985 and was promoted to Assistant Principal in 2008.

Throughout his tenure in the ORCSD, Mr. Allen has actively promoted educational excellence and physical well being in the district.  He co-chaired the K-12 social studies district curriculum revision and alignment with the New Hampshire Standards; he served on the Ad-Hoc District Committee to evaluate the Middle School program; he presented regularly at New England League of Middle Schools and Seacoast Educational Services on the topics of interdisciplinary curriculum, team teaching and effective coaching techniques; and served as ORMS Athletic Director, Cross Country Coach, and is a founder of Friends of Oyster River Track  (FORT). In addition, Mr. Allen is the Race Director of the highly successful Todd’s Trot 5K. Beginning and ending at ORHS, each year the race is held in the memory of OR graduate Peter Todd Heuchling, and from the proceeds an annual $5000 scholarship is awarded to a graduating senior. Mr. Allen himself has competed in over 30 marathons and has been instrumental in helping countless Oyster River students develop a lifelong love of running. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of two graduates of the ORCSD.

"We were very mindful of the thoughtful input of the ORHS faculty, staff, and students, and the citizens of the district and wanted to be responsive to their concerns," Chairman Brackett added. "I appreciate that selecting an internal candidate is almost unprecedented in our district.  We are very fortunate to have an educator of Todd Allen’s caliber to lead our high school going forward.”

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

There may be support coming from the federal government for New Hampshire districts like Oyster River Cooperative that, despite strong schools, have failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) [fosters.com] levels for two consecutive years and have been identified as "in need of improvement" by the No Child Left Behind Act [wikipedia.org]. The following is an excerpt from today's issue of The New York Times where Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is pushing for reform and action from Congress regarding the No Child Left Behind Act.

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

Unless Congress acts by this fall to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the main federal law on public education, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan signaled that he would use his executive authority to free states from the law’s centerpiece requirement that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014.

The Obama administration has been facing a mounting clamor from state school officials to waive substantial parts of the law, which President Bush signed in 2002, especially its requirement that states bring 100 percent of students to proficiency in reading and math by 2014 or else face sanctions. In March, Mr. Duncan predicted that the law would classify 80,000 of the nation’s 100,000 public schools as failing this fall unless it was amended.

But his efforts to address the problem have gained little traction on Capitol Hill, where several attempts since 2007 to rewrite the sprawling school accountability law have failed.

Read More ... [nytimes.com]

If you would like to support Mr. Duncan's efforts to urge Congress to reform the No Child Left Behind Act, the National Education Association [nea.org] has provided an easy way to do so here [capwiz.com]. Just click the "Go!" button in the "Take Action Now!" box to compose and send an email to the Secretary of Education or produce a printed letter.

Why not merge blogs?

I just received a letter from a moderator on the F.O.R.E blog.  It requested no copying of their material to this blog.  Based on past practice, I will consider removing the previous two posts in question and will comply with the request on future posts.  In addition, I would like to propose an idea.  This blog has been "live" for a few years now, has been mentioned in the Lee Town Crier, at various school and town meetings, published in Durham's Friday Updates, advertised locally, and also has ~3x the amount of fans on our Facebook page.  If the F.O.R.E authors would like, why not post your articles and ideas here?  In the past, I have asked for input on all sides of an argument.  Clearly, there is a need to vent and post interesting articles and commentary regarding our district.  Why not consolidate in one location, with one link, and one Facebook/Twitter profile.

We differ on the use of comments in both sites but I believe there is room for compromise in this area using comment moderation.

By consolidating the information and articles from all stakeholders, this will create a much more cohesive and centralized source for information.

Thoughts?

F.O.R.E. calling for a civil blog

Please let us know your thoughts on this letter posted by F.O.R.E.  It gives an overview of FORE's moderated policies as well as an urge for civil dialogue and accountability, which we should all support.
-----------
[The letter has been removed based on a previous request]

This letter can be found here.

Letter from a faction of the community

Below is a letter from F.O.R.E. calling for the Superintendent to stay beyond next year.  It calls for Mr. Colter, who has announced that he will be moving on after next year to stay.

--------------------------------------

[The letter has been removed based on a previous request]

The letter can be found here

Oyster River School Board's student rep. faces violation charge

DURHAM — Oyster River's School Board student representative is facing a violation charge after allegedly trespassing at the Jackson Landing Ice Rink and running from police.

In the early morning hours Sunday, police arrested Cody Jacobsen, 17, of 97B Hayes Road in Madbury.

Durham police had allegedly seen the Oyster River junior and three others at the rink on Old Piscataqua Road just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.

"The officers went to investigate and they fled from the officers," said Durham Deputy Police Chief Rene Kelley.

Police said the four ran into the woods and at one point crossed over Route 4 when they allegedly attempted to evade police.

Officers arrested and charged Reed T. Guerino, 17, of 23 Laurel Lane, Durham with a violation charge of loitering.

Officers located others at 12:52 a.m. behind the Public Works building at Stone Quarry Drive. When approached by police, Jacobsen was asked not to move and complied with police.

He was arrested and charged with a violation level offense of loitering. Both Jacobsen and Guerino are scheduled to appear in Dover District Court on June 20 for arraignment.

The other two teens, aged under 17, were released to parents.

Kelley also said officers located some marijuana drug-related paraphernalia the teens may have left behind, but police are not charging either with anything.

"We're certainly not accusing any of them of possession of drug paraphernalia," he said.

With the Oyster River School Board, Jacobsen has been an outspoken member and an advocate for the students' rights. He helped organize the recent student walkout in opposition of the School Board's decision to reject a high school principal nomination.

"He is a very fine young man," said Superintendent Howard Colter. "He is very dependable and articulate."

Jacobsen has been nominated by his peers to continue on the School Board as the student representative for the coming school year. Colter said he does not believe if Jacobsen is convicted of the violation charge that it would cause the School Board to reconsider his position.

"I know very little about it," Colter said. "But it doesn't seem to raise to the level that would cause the Board to ask the students to bring forth another student representative." 

Oyster River selects an interim high school principal

DURHAM — After a nomination by the superintendent, School Board members voted unanimously Wednesday night to select current Middle School Assistant Principal Todd Allen as interim high school principal for the upcoming school year.

The Oyster River School Board will be suspending its high school principal search at this time. Members have not definitely decided when it will continue its search for a permanent candidate.

"The Board is pleased to have confirmed Todd's nomination," said School Board Chair Henry Brackett in a statement. "We believe that selecting an internal candidate is in the district's best interest. Todd knows the kids, he knows the parents and he has an established relationship with the district's best interest."

The School Board is intending to submit a formal press release about the nomination and appointment of Allen later this week to the public.

Allen, who is currently serving as assistant principal at the Oyster River Middle School, will take on his duties as high school principal on July 1 and continue until June 30, 2012. He will be receiving a salary of $96,500 for the position during that time.

Allen has worked with the Oyster River School district since 1985 when he joined as a middle school teacher and taught social studies until 2008, when he took on the position as assistant principal. He has been actively involved in extracurricular activities with students including cross-country running, track and field, basketball and student council.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Maine and his Masters of Education with a focus on Middle Level Education from Notre Dame College. He is currently working on his Education Specialist in Administration and Supervision degree from the University of New Hampshire.

"I'm very excited for this opportunity," Allen said. "Thank you Howard (Colter) for nominating me." 

New source of ORCSD info now available

Another acronym based community group has been formed. F.O.R.E (friends of Oyster River education) has started a website with a mission to "restore the bond among all parties involved in our schools and move forward to face this challenging period in education".

I wish to extend thanks to the creators of this website. It not only validates the reasoning behind this blog but also supports the notion that the local press is not adequately covering our districts issues.

For more information and to comment on their forums, please visit
forenh.org

OR Board makes some wise choices

Finally...Foster's posts something positive about ORCSD!
-------------------------------
On Wednesday the Oyster River School Board took two important steps in lessening the tension that has surrounded its recent failure to hire a new principal.

First the board opted to fill the position temporarily with someone currently on staff, but who has the necessary credentials.

Second, board members gracefully agreed to a request by students that they not participate in graduation ceremonies on June 10. It was a role that in recent years saw a board member help pass out diplomas.

While both measures will be criticized in come corners of the Oyster River body politic, something needed to be done to calm the district's collective nerves.

While the board has been on a political roller coaster for the past few years, things really hit the skids when the board recently rejected Superintendent Howard Colter's nominee for principal. In the process, a weak statement as to its reasons released by the board only served to roil the community — student body included.

Subsequent School Board meetings and statements only seemed to aggravate the situation.

Now, board members have taken a deep breath — a time out, if you will. They have given students, many of whom had walked out over the failure to hire Colter's nominee, their space. 

Meanwhile they have given themselves time to regroup and come back to the issue of hiring a permanent replacement next year. They have also wisely left the door open in the event the interim principal works out by not banning that person from applying.

None of this will stop the second-guess ing which has become du jour. Some will continue to blame the upheaval on a small group of dissidents, led by those previously defeated for positions on the School Board.

After watching and reading about recent School Board meetings, Foster's Daily Democrat believes even newly elected and longer-term School Board members recognize they have a problem, independent of outside troublemakers.

This, in part, may have driven the decision to step back from graduation ceremonies and hire an interim principal. Whether this is the case, members of the Oyster River School now have a chance to regroup and move foreword in a more orderly and productive manner.

It is a wise choice that should be supported by critics and skeptics. 


-----------------------
Letter from Board to Students:


Congratulations to each of you on the eve of your graduation. You have so much to be proud of as you mark one of life's great milestones, and as Board members, community members and parents, we are proud of you, too.

This is your time, and graduation is your day. To make absolutely certain the focus of the ceremony is where it belongs, we agree that it is best to do as you have asked and put a pause on the current tradition of having a board member pass out diplomas to students. Instead, we will be among the loudest voices in the audience cheering you on.

Each of you represents a tradition of excellence at Oyster River High School and in our district as a whole. It's a tradition to which all of us in the community are devoted, and which will keep our district strong through the turbulence that comes with change.

Class of 2011, we salute you! See you on graduation day.

Sincerely,
The ORCSD School Board

James Kach

Ann Wright

Megan Turnbull

Henry Brackett

Ann Lane

Krista Butts

Jocelyn O'Quinn