Condensed from approved minutes:

Roll Call and Call to Order:
The Andover School Board meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM, by Assistant Superintendent, Randy Wormald.

Board Present:       

Kayla Chandler, Aimee Menard, Dan Newton 

Administration Present:       

Dennis Audet, Dennis Dobe, Mark MacLean, Beth Page, Randy Wormald

Public Present:  

Donna Crisp Duclos, Catherine Masterson 

Chairperson Nomination:
Election of a chairperson. Chandler motioned to nominate Aimee Menard as chairperson; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Menard motioned to nominate Chandler as vice chair; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Menard nominated Katie Keyser, as an alternate signer; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Minutes of Previous Meetings:
For the PUBLIC SESSION of February 1 and March 6, Menard motioned to accept the minutes; Newton seconded. All others were in favor; the minutes were approved with no discussion.

Finance Report:
The overages within the budget are due to special education costs, which is consistent with budget overages historically. Chandler motioned to approve the report; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Board Chairperson’s Report:
Menard wishes everyone a wonderful spring vacation that’s coming up in April.

Principal’s Report:
Principal Dobe gave an update on AE/MS’s emergency response plans in cooperation with local emergency response agencies. AE/MS is planning to boost the health and safety curriculum for Andover students. There are several surveys underway to acquire feedback from the greater community to gather information about the culture and climate within the building.

Kindergarten registration and screening to take place on Friday, April 7. The school anticipates 17 registered students for Kindergarten.

The Outing Club went on an indoor rock climbing adventure last week, which was successful. The group is working on a biking trip in May that will include a fundraising aspect.

Dobe reported on spring sports that are starting soon, and the upcoming performance of Alice in Wonderland. State testing will be up and running in May.

Page presented some statistics from the department, and reported that identified students are increasing. Andover is in need of a paraprofessional and a special educator to support programming. Andover has met 100 percent compliance on Indicator 13. 

Andover received the LEA Determinations Rubric, which indicates the district is in need of assistance; Page has a meeting scheduled with the state on Friday to improve AE/MS processes. Page asked the board for guidance on what more information she can provide on a regular basis.

Audet has been receiving quotes for the boiler. The state will be waiving the inspection of the underground tank, because AE/MS will be replacing the system. Dobe asked if the Board would consider waiving the bidding process for the boiler. MacLean recommended bringing the contractor in mind to the next Board meeting. 

Chandler motioned to waive the sealed bidding process in the case of our new boiler. All were in favor; the motion passed.

The Dennises have identified more areas on campus and within the building to post more security cameras to improve supervision. Door locks will be replaced over April vacation. The kitchen has a rooftop unit which burst over the winter; the leak has been identified.

Edelmann brought a radon tester from the Town Hall and found that AE/MS has very low levels of radon, unlike the Town Office building; there is no need for further testing at this time.

Old Business:
An update to the 2023-2024 school calendar was reviewed. The calendar that’s presented will have the school year end mid-June. Chandler motioned to approve the Andover School District Calendar for 2023-2024; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

New Business:
The Board member code of ethics was reviewed. A Google form will be sent to the members of the Board, to verify that they’ve reviewed and agree with the ethics. Regarding the first read of policies DJH (Purchasing and Contracting: Procurement Staff Code of Conduct) and DJE (Bidding Requirements), the Board discussed the policies. Chandler motioned to waive the second read of DJH; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed. Chandler motioned to approve the policies DJH and DJE. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Chandler motioned to allow Randy Wormald, Assistant Superintendent, to fill vacancies within the district without School Board approval, starting now and ending in September; Newton seconded. All were in favor; the motion passed.

Tuition rates for non-Andover resident students to attend AE/MS: a Danbury parent is interested in tuitioning their student to AE/MS for fifth through eighth grade. MacLean discussed the nuances behind per-pupil costs/revenue. Approval for this type of thing is always on a case-by-case basis, decided by the Board. Tuition students would not be provided transportation by the district. 

Dobe reported to the Board that AE/MS has split first grade into two separate classes, as of this week, using a grant-funded teacher position, which was, in part, propelled by a new enrollment to the grade.

MacLean reported that Martz won a position on the School Board as a write-in candidate, but she was not aware that there was a conflict of interest between her ability to serve on the Board and her ability to be a substitute teacher at AE/MS. She chose to pass on the School Board position, which leaves an unfilled seat on the Board. 

The district has received guidance to post the position and have the School Board receive letters from interested parties. Menard cautioned that next year at this time, there will be three open School Board positions, so some proactive advertisement would be useful.

Manifest Journals: Chandler made the motion to approve the manifests; Newton made the second. All were in favor and the journal entries were approved.

Superintendent’s Report:
State legislation has been very busy. May 10 is the next SAU Board meeting, and a chair will need to be nominated at that meeting. The meeting will be held at MVHS, at 5:30 PM, to discuss SAU level goals. An Andover student will be presenting their senior project at that meeting.

Assistant Superintendent’s Report:
Last month, Wormald presented to the State Board of Education the positive things that MVHS has in place to support high school students, to defend public education, and promote the amount of choice that exists within public schools. Wormald will be presenting at the NHSAA soon, as well.

Non-Public Session-RSA 91-A:311K:
Chandler made the motion to go into Non-Public Session RSA 91-A:311K, at 7:41 PM. Newton made the second.

Action from Non-Public Session:
Kayla Chandler made a motion to accept the slate of staff nominations as presented, seconded by Dan Newton. Motion carried.

Adjournment:
Newton made the motion to adjourn at 7:43 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Beth Page