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Call the meeting to order. Welcome, everyone. It is March 12, 2013. That is a work session of the North

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Kingstown School Committee. We apologize for our slight delay in getting started. If everyone could

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stand so we can say the pledge allegiance to the flag.

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The pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

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One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.

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Can

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you stand up?

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I'm going to stand up.

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I'm going to stand up.

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We're going to stand in the blood canina.

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Laryne, when you're ready, could you call the roll?

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Linda Avanzano.

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Here.

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John Biscardos.

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Here.

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Larry Serisi.

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Here.

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Cheryl Clarken.

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Here.

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Robert Jones.

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Here.

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William Munch.

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Here.

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Kimberly Page.

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Here.

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Julia Held. Thank you.

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Three, could you hand me the calendars?

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March 13th, 8 a.m. Budget Subcommittee Meeting, Central Administration Building.

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March 26th, 7 p.m. School Committee Business Meeting, North Kingstown High School.

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March 29th, Good Friday, Schools and Office is closed.

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April 8th, 7 p.m. Town Council Preliminary Budget Hearing for School Fund.

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April 9th, 7 p.m. School Committee Work Session, North Kingstown High School.

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Thank you.

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Yes, if everybody can get that message, you need to add April 8 to your calendar, it's

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a Monday, and we're going to be meeting with the town council to discuss our budget.

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That'll be, as Lurie said, at the high school.

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Actually, we're not sure yet.

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It depends.

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It's either going to be at the senior center or the high school.

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Okay.

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April 8?

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Yes, Monday, April 8.

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Great.

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Dr. Ajay, do you have any presentations or recognitions?

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Yes, you know, it seems like every March we get a lot of really wonderful news about North Kingstown

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and it's worth just spending a few moments to talk about.

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Just, you know, in this weekend alone, we had a major performance of guys and dolls

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that included over 100 students of the high school.

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It was a huge success.

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Our boys basketball team was in the state championship.

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Our boys hockey team was in the state semifinals

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and our girls hockey was in the quarterfinals in the past week.

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We have, in the past couple of weeks, Justin Zirambi won his weight class in state wrestling.

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The girls gymnastics team won a state championship.

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The North Kingstown Swimmers Boris Partle Latichi was first in the state in the 100 meter freestyle

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in the Rhode Island male swimmer of the year.

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Our girls swim team came in second in the state.

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We have a team that won four individual medals

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of the academic decathlon and we have Steven Landry,

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a student in the fifth grade at Hamilton Elementary School,

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who won the Rhode Island Spelling Bee and will be going to the national competition for the Spelling Bee.

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That's a wonderful thing. On top of all these

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wonderful things that our kids have accomplished, you know, this is the month where

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our links organization had their ladies night out. A huge fundraiser for

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programming in the district and the booster club has their banquet on March 24th.

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And again, those two organizations bring in so much and add so much to our school community.

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So it's a good time of year to kind of recognize all of that extra-curricular work coming together

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and the fabulous things that our kids are doing.

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Last month, we talked about the test scores in this district and how they're moving in the right direction.

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and they've been high for several years on top of that.

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Well, the extracurricular programming is as good as it gets in North Kingston as well.

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And I just couldn't help but reflect on that this weekend as I was waiting in line for

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guys and dolls and watching through the faculty dining room wall to see the boys basketball

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team on TV and getting reports on my cell phone about the hockey game going on.

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So it was quite the week.

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Have

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we said anything here about the U.S. public or U.S. healthier school challenge,

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the bronze award that five of our schools won?

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Not yet.

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I didn't mention that.

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Trish Colley, the head of our cafeteria program, filed for a federal program and was recognized

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with all of our elementary schools for this bronze medal.

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and USDA's Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge Bronze Award for five elementary schools.

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So, again, just one more item to brag about here in North Kingstown.

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Great. Thank you. Does anybody else have any other things that we need to brag about?

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Linda.

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Just to add on, we discussed that Bronze Award at the last wellness meeting,

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and Trish said that each elementary school will be getting some funding as a result, as

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a prize.

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And we're going to talk about how to use that funding to benefit each of the schools with

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nutrition and activity in some way.

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We haven't decided yet, but we'll report back to the committee when we do.

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All right.

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All right.

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Thank you.

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All right.

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That brings us to citizens' comments.

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We have four citizens who have signed up, so I'll take you in order.

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The first one is Matt Leonard, our new audit committee rep.

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Good evening. My name is Matt Leonard.

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I live at 71 Wampanoag Circle.

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I am your sole representative to the audit committee,

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and I wanted to come and just talk to you about what's been going on.

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I don't speak for any other members of the audit committee,

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or the audit committee as a whole.

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But I did want to let this committee know that we did receive

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the management letter from LG CD Audit and Firm.

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That's the new audit firm that the town hired

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to take a look at the town's financial statements

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along that obviously includes the school department as well.

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And I'm delighted to report to the members of the school committee

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that there were no significant findings,

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no material weaknesses on the school department side.

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However, there were significant deficiencies on the townside, which did affect the school department.

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The school department, as you all know, your finances have been held under the lens of a microscope for many years.

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I think this is a terrific report. We've had so many special audits, special procedure audits have been done on the school department.

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So I think it's a job well done.

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You've come a long way to where we are.

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The town finance director is also leaving.

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Last day is Friday.

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So this is going to obviously put additional challenges on the school department as well

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because so much of the finances are down in the town with money transfers

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and posting and things of that nature.

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So I'm also recommending to the school committee that you request

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the management letter if you've not received it and review those significant

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deficiencies and seek to get some resolution. Thank you. Thank you.

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Next up we have

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Anna Pilkington. Sorry about that.

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Hi my name is Anna Pilkington. I live at

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560 Potta Road. Members of the school committee, approximately 70 days left

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in the school year, Mrs. Carney at Quinescent Elementary School was transferred to another

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school.

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The parents of Mrs. Carney's class received notification of this event until after she

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was transferred and when the children returned home from school.

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The parents normally were greeted by happy children, but were instead greeted by crying

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upset children at the end of the day.

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The school sent home paperwork, one from the principal saying that we had a new

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teacher and one from the teacher introducing herself. The letter contained no explanation

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of what happened or why the transfer had occurred. Upon contacting both the principal and the

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superintendent, we only received the explanation that it was a personal matter and in the

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best interest of our children. The parents now have children who don't want to go to

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school and who do not want to discuss their day because they are upset. We have children

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who would normally chat about their day and now will not respond. When we had Mrs.

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Carney, they would recount the whole day and they would tell us everything they had

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done. Mrs. Carney was a wonderful teacher, and after the first week of school, she

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contacted the parents personally and let us know how they did, realizing that

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kindergarten was difficult for the children. Mrs. Carney would contact us if

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there were any troubles in school, Mrs. Kearney would go out of her way to make sure the children

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had everything they needed. Mrs. Kearney would check with the parents if a child did not

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act correctly during school, wondering if there was something wrong. Mrs. Kearney sent

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home books every week for reading and along with sight words for us to memorize with

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the children. Mrs. Kearney was always prompt to any questions we had about our children.

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If the school had problems with their cheating, how come the transfer took so long?

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Why did the school not contact the parents of the school of the class and get feedback

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from all of the parents?

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Did the school department observe Mrs. Carney and how many times did that?

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Did the school department get a complaint from one parent, many parents or any?

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If they invested a year in the implants, did they take one parent's word or observation?

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Why couldn't the school department have Mrs. Carney have a co-teacher in the class

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and to avoid this traumatic event on our teacher.

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Why is this language, reading and language

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art specialist looking at our children?

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Are they teaching, testing all the kids at SQUINESA,

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or are they just testing Mrs. Carney's,

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or just the, or all the kindergarten?

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If our children are below expected levels,

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why haven't the parents been told?

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How does the school decide what is best for our children

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room without even consulting the children.

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We feel that the transfer of Ms. Cardi should be investigated

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and the parents deserve more than an answer

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than it is personable.

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We feel that it was handled in a poorly and unprofessional

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manner.

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It is personal because it is affecting our children

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every day.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Jessie and Megan Harkin.

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Good evening.

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Jesse and Megan Larkin, 18 Pilgrim Drive.

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We would also like to speak on behalf of Amy Carney,

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our son's teacher, who was involuntarily transferred.

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It's not so much the transfer for us as the way in which it was handled.

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We chose North Kingston based solely on its school system.

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We could have lived pretty much anywhere.

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And seeing how things are handled in this manner has given me some concern.

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And the way in which this transfer was carried out was confusing, but most of all extremely

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unprofessional.

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You know, I would have expected some sort of meeting or, you know, excuse me, my public

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speaking is a little off.

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But I would have expected a meeting and not a bake sale flyer.

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You know, we received, you know, we basically received a piece of paper on Monday afternoon

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saying that on Friday an involuntary transfer had taken place and

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with no information whatsoever none and

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the principle has been

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less than helpful and has not given us pretty much the time of day no no returned information no return calls and

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Basically, I wouldn't be standing here in front of you tonight if you I didn't feel as if she was an absolutely fantastic teacher

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He's progressed our son's progressing very well. I'm not going to talk for or speak for anyone else

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though I have consulted with other parents,

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and they seem to be of the same opinion.

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Many of them work nights.

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They can't be here this evening to say the same.

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But as I said, it's not so much the transfer.

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I understand some things need to be done,

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but there was definitely no warning,

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and she has an open door policy.

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You could go into her classroom at any time,

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and which both Megan and I had done,

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and never had any concern for our son's progress.

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And as far as her communication with us,

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I mean, she would call us weekly at home

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and email four and five times a week

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just to say how he was doing and that he's, you know,

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progressing fine.

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His math is, you know, off the charts

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and I know it's, you can't base it all on one child

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but all the other parents seem to,

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well, most of them anyway seem to be in consensus

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that their kids are doing fairly well.

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And, you know, I understand through legality,

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red tape unions so on and so forth that some things can't be divulged at this

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time. However, I would say it was more the manner in which it was handled and on

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I don't know on what planet you and form five-year-olds before their parents

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that something like this is happening and just kind of send them home with a

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note this long.

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Yeah I mean you know and just there have been many things

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I'm not going to get up here and bash people in the school and so on and

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and so forth, but there was a lot of what I thought to be unprofessional behavior, and

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I would definitely like to have it looked at, and whether or not it's a reinstatement

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or not.

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Obviously, there are many things to be handled, but the way it was handled on our arm, we

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were pretty unimpressed with our first go around and what you hoped to achieve by

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taking someone out with 12 weeks left of the school year and...

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What are you going to cram a bunch of kindergartners for the last 12 weeks, like it's finals week and hope it turns out all okay?

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I really don't understand. Not an education professional, but I know poorly handled situations when I see them.

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So I don't know if you have anything to add.

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Thank you very much.

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I can't know that she would love her job back if given the chance, she told me.

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So hopefully you guys can reconsider. Thank you.

241
00:15:29,020 --> 00:15:29,720
Thank you.

242
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:31,960
Richard Welch?

243
00:15:35,340 --> 00:15:39,220
Yeah, I thought about calling him Dick Welch, but I thought he wrote Richard here.

244
00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,560
That's my God-given name, Richard Welch, eight-hour lane.

245
00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:53,520
Although I'd like to be able to take a lot of credit for the results in the audit report seen as I was on the committee for four years,

246
00:15:55,020 --> 00:15:58,560
it seems that history keeps on repeating itself when it comes to the audit report

247
00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:07,320
in that you end up getting a clean slate with no condescending remarks, which kind of comes

248
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:12,180
as a surprise to me when we have certain people who constantly come in front of both the town

249
00:16:12,180 --> 00:16:17,080
council and the school committee and berate the administration and its way of handling

250
00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:23,240
its books, et cetera. I didn't know what to expect with the new auditor, seeing as the

251
00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,400
The old auditor had been around for a number of years.

252
00:16:26,860 --> 00:16:33,200
There was a good chance that the new auditor wasn't going to keep on making the same errors

253
00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:38,700
over and over again in their review, but it turned out that I guess the old auditor and

254
00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:43,760
the new auditor come up with the same information that there are issues on the townside that

255
00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,200
don't exist on the school site.

256
00:16:46,060 --> 00:16:50,980
So I'd like to say again, the school committee, the school administration has done an

257
00:16:50,980 --> 00:16:57,560
an excellent job for the town. Worked very hard and I can take partial credit on that.

258
00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,980
I'm trying to become more efficient in saving taxpayer money.

259
00:17:01,900 --> 00:17:07,160
And just my only message to you is keep up the good work and thank you.

260
00:17:08,380 --> 00:17:08,820
Thank you.

261
00:17:09,060 --> 00:17:09,360
Thank you.

262
00:17:12,380 --> 00:17:17,140
Is there anyone who's come here to speak at Citizens' Comments who didn't sign up?

263
00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:18,000
Point up, Chris.

264
00:17:23,390 --> 00:17:24,970
Chris Madoian, 70 Spring Road.

265
00:17:25,650 --> 00:17:29,550
I just want a couple of quick comments, Dr. Oje, thank you for throwing out the comment

266
00:17:29,550 --> 00:17:30,510
about the Booster Club.

267
00:17:30,970 --> 00:17:34,350
I saw you all reaching down for your pens and PDAs to put the data in, but it's actually

268
00:17:34,350 --> 00:17:35,350
Saturday, March 23rd.

269
00:17:35,930 --> 00:17:37,290
I thought you were going to say 24th.

270
00:17:37,930 --> 00:17:41,710
So there are tickets still available if you'd like to come out and support NK Booster

271
00:17:41,710 --> 00:17:42,950
Club and the athletic programs.

272
00:17:44,230 --> 00:17:49,090
And just a couple of other quick notes you read, most of them I just know because

273
00:17:49,090 --> 00:17:50,030
I tweet about them.

274
00:17:50,130 --> 00:17:52,550
So at NK Booster Club if you're looking for some information.

275
00:17:52,550 --> 00:17:58,250
But Zach Emmerich was another outstanding individual who not only won at the Rhode Island,

276
00:17:58,330 --> 00:18:02,450
but he actually won the New England 600 and in doing so set a Rhode Island state record.

277
00:18:02,550 --> 00:18:05,110
So I figured we'd throw that out there to him as well.

278
00:18:05,210 --> 00:18:06,450
So that's all I had. Thank you.

279
00:18:06,650 --> 00:18:07,370
Thank you, Chris.

280
00:18:07,710 --> 00:18:07,910
All

281
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:14,920
right. Thank you very much, everyone.

282
00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:18,000
That brings us into Superintendent's Report.

283
00:18:19,740 --> 00:18:20,940
I'm just going to be brief.

284
00:18:21,260 --> 00:18:24,840
I just want people to know that if these are topics that are of interest to you,

285
00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,800
Chris, I know one of these will be for you.

286
00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:34,720
We are, in the next few weeks, I plan on making a presentation to the school committee on

287
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:40,560
the 26th about the future use of Davisville Elementary School, and on April 9th, I plan

288
00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:47,920
on having presentations about the NK Foundation, a private group put together to help with

289
00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:55,320
funding, particularly around business partnerships for the district, and to look to open a

290
00:18:55,320 --> 00:19:05,240
discussion and include our athletic director about, you know, a new approach to athletics

291
00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:05,700
funding.

292
00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,700
That will be on April 9th as well.

293
00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:17,560
I think it's on the 26th that we're inviting a number of the first-place people. The gymnastics

294
00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:24,380
Just let folks know anyone who had a first place state in the States or something.

295
00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:26,860
All right.

296
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,180
That brings us to the Consent Agenda.

297
00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:34,400
So are there items that people would like to exempt from the Consent Agenda?

298
00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:40,280
Mr. James.

299
00:19:40,780 --> 00:19:47,700
I would like to exempt D6, but mainly for comment, not on a particular issue.

300
00:19:48,220 --> 00:19:49,080
Thank you.

301
00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:50,560
Is there anything else?

302
00:19:53,770 --> 00:19:55,470
Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda?

303
00:19:55,630 --> 00:19:56,070
So moved.

304
00:19:56,310 --> 00:19:56,630
Second.

305
00:19:59,320 --> 00:19:59,740
Great.

306
00:20:01,620 --> 00:20:05,200
So all those in favor of approving the consent agenda say aye.

307
00:20:05,420 --> 00:20:05,840
Aye.

308
00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:07,180
All those opposed?

309
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:08,460
Motion passes.

310
00:20:09,340 --> 00:20:11,060
Mr. Jones, item D6.

311
00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:13,540
Thank you, Mr. Page.

312
00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:18,580
My point on D6 is, again, not on a specific coach.

313
00:20:18,580 --> 00:20:27,820
I would say it's a good trend to keep seeing our coaches brought before the committee before the season starts.

314
00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:34,980
But I'd just like to point out when you look at the list and you look at the salaries

315
00:20:34,980 --> 00:20:42,180
and you sort of start to scratch your head why one coach of the same position might make different from another

316
00:20:42,180 --> 00:20:47,720
or the girls' teams or the boys' teams and whether baseball is comparable to softball,

317
00:20:47,980 --> 00:20:56,200
that I just encourage the administration and I know there's an effort ongoing about this,

318
00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:05,560
but that we streamline the co-curricular and extracurricular stipend system and move

319
00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:11,140
it away from sort of a confusing formula system that might lend itself to both gender

320
00:21:11,140 --> 00:21:17,460
in equities and other sort of distortions and move to a much simpler system that seems

321
00:21:17,460 --> 00:21:23,500
to be used by far more of the districts in the state that also can allow for a much more

322
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:31,800
fair and equitable way of paying coaches, of assigning coaches, and keeping a healthy

323
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,360
balance with what's also market competitive rates.

324
00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:45,640
I agree completely with Mr. Jones on this one. That is exactly the philosophy I'm approaching this presentation on April 9th.

325
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:55,360
And some of these items are going to be part of negotiation with teachers, but some of these things we can probably do unilaterally as well.

326
00:21:55,500 --> 00:22:01,420
So I'm looking for the same kinds of things, streamlining it, simplifying it, more equitable.

327
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:11,400
And in the process, finding ways to save some money and fully fund all of the teams that we have running.

328
00:22:11,700 --> 00:22:20,920
Or to get to a point where if there is some fundraising to be done by particular teams that all of the burden isn't on just a couple of particular teams.

329
00:22:24,290 --> 00:22:25,770
Mr. Sreese and Mr. Mudge.

330
00:22:26,430 --> 00:22:27,550
Mr. Mudge.

331
00:22:27,830 --> 00:22:28,330
Mr. Mudge.

332
00:22:31,550 --> 00:22:37,350
I was going to make a motion to approve D6, and we can certainly have more discussion

333
00:22:37,350 --> 00:22:37,750
on it.

334
00:22:37,870 --> 00:22:37,990
Seconded.

335
00:22:38,010 --> 00:22:38,450
Mr. Mudge, wishes?

336
00:22:39,330 --> 00:22:39,570
All right.

337
00:22:39,710 --> 00:22:40,490
You have a motion to second.

338
00:22:40,550 --> 00:22:41,030
Mr. Mudge.

339
00:22:41,350 --> 00:22:41,530
Yeah.

340
00:22:42,230 --> 00:22:47,570
Dr. Lusier, I wish you, in your evaluation play, you know, particular attention to

341
00:22:47,570 --> 00:22:55,290
the difference between co-curricular and extracurricular funding, extracurricular

342
00:22:55,290 --> 00:23:06,670
of being defined by at least the federal government is that where town money, town funds are being

343
00:23:06,670 --> 00:23:13,010
used to basically pay for the program. And it is the responsibility, you know, it's placed

344
00:23:13,010 --> 00:23:20,630
really, we place it on the taxpayers' shoulders. The co-curricular are supposed to be those

345
00:23:20,630 --> 00:23:28,530
type of funds that are set up for the benefit of the kids like a walking club, a math club,

346
00:23:28,810 --> 00:23:34,890
and so forth and so on. Now there's a blind difference there, but it is also supposed

347
00:23:34,890 --> 00:23:43,570
to be a type of an investment in its self-sustaining. It doesn't take, it shouldn't take,

348
00:23:47,490 --> 00:23:47,630
as I

349
00:23:48,370 --> 00:23:55,670
local community. So I wish you'd look at that issue and look at the federal

350
00:23:56,790 --> 00:24:01,170
guidelines put up by the Department of Education. Quite frankly, I was

351
00:24:01,170 --> 00:24:04,610
interested in some of the lists that we had in here, like we have a walking

352
00:24:04,610 --> 00:24:09,090
club and we have some other clubs and I'm saying, gee, you know, that's a heck

353
00:24:09,090 --> 00:24:11,870
of a lot of, you know, clubs were having and we're paying for somebody

354
00:24:11,870 --> 00:24:20,170
to provide guidance on a walking club. I don't know what a walking club is, but nonetheless

355
00:24:20,170 --> 00:24:24,290
we need to take a good look at that. So I'd like to get some clear definition between

356
00:24:25,150 --> 00:24:32,670
the responsibilities of the taxpayers' programs and those of what I believe is the co-curricular

357
00:24:32,670 --> 00:24:35,590
falls under the self-supporting rule.

358
00:24:37,610 --> 00:24:39,670
If you could adjust that, I'd appreciate it.

359
00:24:39,750 --> 00:24:41,170
Next, I'm going to give you a presentation.

360
00:24:43,670 --> 00:24:50,270
Yes, I don't know regarding the distinction of funding on those issues, but just to speak

361
00:24:50,270 --> 00:24:57,070
briefly to the walking club, we offer a lot of clubs at our high school, and a lot of

362
00:24:57,070 --> 00:25:00,710
children that are not involved in athletics participate in these clubs.

363
00:25:01,250 --> 00:25:09,610
There are kids who are, you know, ill and recovering from something, or they're not

364
00:25:09,610 --> 00:25:14,850
around Wickford together with a teacher and get exercise that way.

365
00:25:15,270 --> 00:25:20,830
And I mean it's just another activity for the kids after school that is very beneficial.

366
00:25:21,770 --> 00:25:23,370
And we have a lot of those different activities.

367
00:25:23,490 --> 00:25:26,890
They're all funded in that one line, budget line.

368
00:25:28,650 --> 00:25:33,710
It's just another option for the kids after school if they're not participating in structured

369
00:25:33,710 --> 00:25:34,270
athletics.

370
00:25:34,450 --> 00:25:36,210
I think we need to make sure we don't forget.

371
00:25:36,210 --> 00:25:40,790
that a lot of kids do not participate in structured aquatics and need other opportunities.

372
00:25:42,430 --> 00:25:43,010
Thank you.

373
00:25:44,430 --> 00:25:45,450
And Mr. Brest-Garden?

374
00:25:45,990 --> 00:25:50,730
I just want to thank Dr. Ajay. He knows all too well how I feel about

375
00:25:51,330 --> 00:25:53,690
approving coaches as the season's already in play.

376
00:25:54,290 --> 00:26:03,290
And I think this, you know, once the component of the stipends for them is cleared up,

377
00:26:03,290 --> 00:26:06,590
but I think it's going to even make your job a lot easier.

378
00:26:06,790 --> 00:26:09,510
So thank you for doing that, it's appreciated.

379
00:26:09,870 --> 00:26:10,130
Thank you.

380
00:26:12,770 --> 00:26:14,450
Great, seeing there's no other questions,

381
00:26:14,690 --> 00:26:16,970
we have a motion on the floor and a second.

382
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:21,640
Do we need to take a roll call vote or is this?

383
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,700
Okay, so all those in favor of approving D6, say aye.

384
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:26,140
Aye.

385
00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:27,120
All those opposed?

386
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:28,540
Motion carries.

387
00:26:29,300 --> 00:26:31,480
All right, that brings us to unfinished business

388
00:26:32,420 --> 00:26:34,520
and to administrator contracts.

389
00:26:35,260 --> 00:26:37,900
Mr. Chair, would you like to start this conversation?

390
00:26:37,900 --> 00:26:45,980
Sure. On your agenda is a list of six administrators whose contracts are coming up for renewal.

391
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:53,560
What I am proposing to the committee tonight is that you accept the renewal for the terms

392
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:59,620
that I have listed to you in the executive session and that you give me an allowance

393
00:26:59,620 --> 00:27:13,200
of a total of 0.623% over what has already been budgeted, which is 1%, to allow for a

394
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:20,260
performance-based wage approach in which no administrator would be receiving more than

395
00:27:20,260 --> 00:27:26,580
a 2% increase, but their wage increase would be dependent upon their previous performance,

396
00:27:26,580 --> 00:27:29,480
as noted in their recent evaluations.

397
00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,480
And make a motion to approve the superintendent's recommendation.

398
00:27:36,380 --> 00:27:36,820
Second.

399
00:27:38,460 --> 00:27:41,260
Great. I don't know. I see hands up already.

400
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,280
So what we can do is we can just go down the table from here.

401
00:27:45,180 --> 00:27:49,280
I know we have gone round and round at this table in prior times.

402
00:27:49,500 --> 00:27:53,040
Dr. Ajay, in talking about, you've heard the committee say very much

403
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:54,740
if we wanted performance-based evaluation.

404
00:27:54,740 --> 00:28:06,400
And so I think they can be did appreciate that we could take the time where you could explain to us how each person was a little bit different in their recommendation for the term of their contract for the amount.

405
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,500
And I appreciate you taking that time without.

406
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,180
So, Mr. Sreese.

407
00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:24,320
Just to be very brief and just thank Dr. Roget for the work that he's put into making these recommendations.

408
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:35,200
I know we've gone round and around on the discussion of this several times,

409
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:41,420
And hopefully we're at a place that everyone's comfortable with, and that's fair and equitable.

410
00:28:42,540 --> 00:28:45,640
And we're maintaining some consistency.

411
00:28:48,780 --> 00:29:03,580
I do like the fact that we continue on the path that we had started several years ago with performance-based contracts and performance-based pay increases.

412
00:29:05,020 --> 00:29:14,020
These particular contracts, the term of the contract, and the pay increase, or lack of

413
00:29:14,020 --> 00:29:16,660
pay increases, is tied to performance.

414
00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:24,740
That is the direction that we had initiated several years ago, and I hope to continue

415
00:29:24,740 --> 00:29:25,520
in that direction.

416
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:35,420
And as we did several years ago, with the bargaining units, the NEA and the ESP, I certainly

417
00:29:35,420 --> 00:29:43,100
would extend an invitation to them to join us in the discussion of merit pay based on

418
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:43,560
performance.

419
00:29:44,260 --> 00:29:47,840
The committee and the administration has taken a lot of criticism over the years for

420
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:53,020
pay increases, whether it be merit pay, performance, bonus, whatever you want to

421
00:29:53,020 --> 00:29:59,980
but pay increases or lack of pay increases based on performance.

422
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:06,040
Comments and not just because is the direction that we've gone in and I'd like to see us expand

423
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:12,100
that as well. So it's certainly the door is open to entertain those discussions during

424
00:30:12,100 --> 00:30:18,420
contract negotiations with the bargaining units as well, as it has been for the last several

425
00:30:18,420 --> 00:30:20,880
times we've had these discussions. Thank you.

426
00:30:21,780 --> 00:30:22,800
Mr. Best-Garden.

427
00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:32,300
Thank you, Mr. Page. I would like to thank Dr. Oje for a really comprehensive plan. This

428
00:30:32,300 --> 00:30:36,920
wasn't just slapped together to appease the school committee. There was a lot of thought

429
00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:42,900
and effort put into this, and I commend you. I think it's a great first step. It's a

430
00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:52,490
super way to show that we are willing to reward people for performance, and it's

431
00:30:52,490 --> 00:31:01,370
It's not just lip service, and as Mr. Sarisi said, it's a great example going forward to

432
00:31:01,370 --> 00:31:06,190
open up the doors for, to expand this whole program into other areas.

433
00:31:06,870 --> 00:31:07,450
Thanks again.

434
00:31:07,810 --> 00:31:12,070
I'm a big proponent of this, and I can tell you that when we talked about it today, it

435
00:31:12,070 --> 00:31:15,810
was probably the best news I had all day, and it was the best news again when we talked

436
00:31:15,810 --> 00:31:17,090
about it a few minutes ago.

437
00:31:17,350 --> 00:31:17,710
So excellent.

438
00:31:17,790 --> 00:31:17,970
Thank you.

439
00:31:21,650 --> 00:31:25,190
It's two compliments in one meeting, Mr. Picott, for Scott, and I don't know if I get any

440
00:31:25,190 --> 00:31:25,410
analyst.

441
00:31:25,590 --> 00:31:26,090
Don't worry, I'm done.

442
00:31:26,310 --> 00:31:26,670
I'm all done.

443
00:31:28,050 --> 00:31:29,550
You've reached your quota on that.

444
00:31:30,450 --> 00:31:31,290
This is not a dutto.

445
00:31:31,470 --> 00:31:35,810
Well, I would also like to say thank you, and I agree completely with the comments

446
00:31:35,810 --> 00:31:36,530
that were just made.

447
00:31:37,510 --> 00:31:43,810
And we asked for specific criteria and for a real in-depth merit evaluation of employees,

448
00:31:44,030 --> 00:31:45,270
and that's what we got.

449
00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:50,790
And you developed actual criteria for us that you were using, we were able to see that.

450
00:31:51,490 --> 00:31:54,050
And it's very appreciated the work that was put into it.

451
00:31:54,250 --> 00:31:59,330
I know, you know, the State a couple of years ago when Deborah Gist first got here,

452
00:31:59,390 --> 00:32:01,530
she was headed in this direction with teacher pay.

453
00:32:02,350 --> 00:32:05,170
And, you know, we sort of charged into the breach in North Kingstown

454
00:32:05,170 --> 00:32:08,750
and immediately wanted to do that with administrators to set that,

455
00:32:08,830 --> 00:32:10,230
because we thought the State was going,

456
00:32:10,630 --> 00:32:13,450
but we turned around and no one was behind us, so the State was gone.

457
00:32:13,450 --> 00:32:17,650
So they've kind of fallen off the wagon with it, but it may come to pass.

458
00:32:17,770 --> 00:32:21,670
But I think it's definitely the right direction, and we can at least do this.

459
00:32:22,510 --> 00:32:23,770
So I think it's a good thing.

460
00:32:24,570 --> 00:32:31,310
Our administrators have taken zero pay increases for multiple years running.

461
00:32:31,470 --> 00:32:34,350
And I just want to make sure we get that on the record, because that needs to be remembered.

462
00:32:35,710 --> 00:32:37,430
They have made that sacrifice.

463
00:32:37,530 --> 00:32:39,710
We also increased their copay at the same time.

464
00:32:39,710 --> 00:32:45,710
so they went backwards at least for a year or two for most of them, so I just wanted

465
00:32:45,710 --> 00:32:46,310
to say that.

466
00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:50,210
And this also maintains flexibility for the school committee in tough economic times.

467
00:32:50,850 --> 00:32:55,050
It's always an option for us to say, look, no one can go anywhere because the economy

468
00:32:55,050 --> 00:32:57,710
is going so far backwards, but we're hoping that won't be the case.

469
00:32:57,770 --> 00:32:59,530
But that's just a good thing to have the flexibility.

470
00:33:00,170 --> 00:33:00,910
So thank you.

471
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:08,340
Mrs. Clark, I have to agree with everyone's comments here.

472
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:14,600
I've mentioned in the past that I've always been a proponent of performance-based pay

473
00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:20,620
increases, and I think this proposal, it was very thorough, and it's the right direction

474
00:33:20,620 --> 00:33:25,080
for the district to move into, and it satisfies, you know, all the concerns that we've had

475
00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:26,620
when we've gone around and around this issue.

476
00:33:26,700 --> 00:33:29,420
So thank you very much, Dr. Oje, for putting it together.

477
00:33:31,260 --> 00:33:31,940
Mr. Jones.

478
00:33:33,580 --> 00:33:34,540
Thank you, Ms. Page.

479
00:33:35,620 --> 00:33:41,120
I'm not sure. I just wanted to real quickly, because I didn't get a chance to let folks

480
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:47,320
know. I wanted to thank Principal Logan for showing us around the school, and I apologize

481
00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:52,180
for being a few minutes late. But I just think it was useful and valuable, especially

482
00:33:52,180 --> 00:33:57,960
if you don't have children at this school to do this. And I commend the administration

483
00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:03,980
and the chair for taking the suggestion to do these and starting to make it a reality.

484
00:34:04,580 --> 00:34:09,200
I won't continue because I feel the same way as a lot of the comments that have been made.

485
00:34:09,860 --> 00:34:13,980
I just think it's important for the community to know that we're in the past.

486
00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:18,200
It might be a blanket, whether it was zero or one for everybody,

487
00:34:18,540 --> 00:34:21,620
that I think it's useful that, like in the private sector,

488
00:34:22,300 --> 00:34:26,460
we start to distinguish with our administrators and reward and compensate

489
00:34:27,260 --> 00:34:41,400
Those who are high performers appropriately and keep in mind that incentive, I think incentivizing that to a degree is useful in the public sector.

490
00:34:41,620 --> 00:34:46,200
And so I, again, also thank Dr. Jafer and his staff for the time they've put into this.

491
00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,740
And I also agree, I think we're headed in the right direction in this sense.

492
00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:51,300
And I would agree with Mr. Sarisi.

493
00:34:52,120 --> 00:35:00,360
I think it sets an example of where the administrators will go that maybe the other employees might

494
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:02,180
want to go there, too.

495
00:35:04,050 --> 00:35:04,750
Thank you.

496
00:35:05,130 --> 00:35:05,870
Mr. Maid.

497
00:35:08,060 --> 00:35:11,180
I agree with most everything that's been backward here.

498
00:35:11,700 --> 00:35:19,020
Although I do have some comments or concerns about the merit to pay itself and some

499
00:35:19,020 --> 00:35:21,300
of the criteria, but those are things that can be worked out.

500
00:35:22,220 --> 00:35:28,260
Nonetheless, I'm going to vote no for this, not against for these folks at all, but in

501
00:35:28,260 --> 00:35:34,300
general, I'm not going to support any pay increases for the teachers or anybody else in this year

502
00:35:34,300 --> 00:35:38,880
given the economy and everything else that's happened over the last several years. And

503
00:35:39,700 --> 00:35:45,480
because of the economic issues, we have faced over the years. So that's it.

504
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:52,220
Thank you, Mr. Mudge. We have a motion on the table and a second. So, Lorraine, if we

505
00:35:52,220 --> 00:35:58,040
could take a roll call vote, please. Linda Alvinzano, yes. Don Biscartin, yes. Larry

506
00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:04,820
Sareece, yes. Cheryl Clarkham, yes. Robert Jones, yes. William Munch, no. Kimberly Page,

507
00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:11,740
yes. Thank you. Motion passes, 6-1. Thank you. All right. That leads us into the

508
00:36:11,740 --> 00:36:12,660
policy discussion.

509
00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,620
We have two policies that are being amended here today.

510
00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:21,260
I'll start with the first one, policy A.C.E.

511
00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:26,000
This was written by Katie, that's good to say McAllister,

512
00:36:26,100 --> 00:36:28,460
but she was Duncan's son after she got married.

513
00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,900
And she wrote these a couple of months ago

514
00:36:33,900 --> 00:36:37,400
after a long wait in that these were policies

515
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,000
we had asked to have amended about five years ago.

516
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:44,340
And we were waiting on the Human Rights Commission to come down with their ruling.

517
00:36:45,780 --> 00:36:49,480
And we have had more than one special education director who said,

518
00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:50,580
is it ready yet?

519
00:36:50,940 --> 00:36:53,000
And our attorney had told us no.

520
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:59,660
So the only thing I would say is that on policy A-C-E, I noticed,

521
00:37:00,300 --> 00:37:02,780
I did not notice, I can't take any credit.

522
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:07,040
In our policy meeting, Karen Nattini noticed that there were three typos.

523
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:13,960
And so I would ask that we approve the policy with the typos corrected.

524
00:37:14,140 --> 00:37:20,800
The first one is on the first page, first paragraph, in that district has the quotation marks on the wrong side of the parentheses.

525
00:37:21,580 --> 00:37:26,320
On the second page, there is a top paragraph.

526
00:37:27,740 --> 00:37:30,480
After safeguards, there's a period. There should be no period.

527
00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:37,480
And also in that first paragraph, it says IDEIA, and it should only say IDEA.

528
00:37:40,260 --> 00:37:47,680
So I should have gotten the changes out to everyone, but I realized this afternoon that I hadn't done that.

529
00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,660
So I sent them to Lorraine, and I said that I would just make them here on the stage.

530
00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:55,680
So are there any questions about this policy?

531
00:37:58,040 --> 00:37:58,380
All right.

532
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:00,380
So all those in favor say aye.

533
00:38:00,380 --> 00:38:01,300
Thank you.

534
00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:02,100
All those opposed?

535
00:38:03,820 --> 00:38:04,040
Great.

536
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:10,000
The next one is an affirmative action policy, and again, Katie Duncanston wrote this, too,

537
00:38:10,540 --> 00:38:13,000
and so I'm going to – and this was fine.

538
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:17,840
There was no amendments that needed to be made after we've discussed it twice in the

539
00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:18,440
policy committee.

540
00:38:18,900 --> 00:38:24,880
So I would make a motion that, again, we approve policy AC for affirmative action.

541
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:25,480
Second.

542
00:38:27,020 --> 00:38:28,040
Is there any discussion?

543
00:38:30,640 --> 00:38:31,140
All right.

544
00:38:31,140 --> 00:38:32,440
All those in favor say aye.

545
00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:34,360
All those opposed.

546
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,800
And then as we've adopted these two new policies,

547
00:38:38,960 --> 00:38:41,940
we need to get rid of some old charts that we had in there

548
00:38:41,940 --> 00:38:47,820
that are, one of the charts has nobody who is listed names

549
00:38:47,820 --> 00:38:50,140
of people who, none of them work in the district anymore

550
00:38:50,140 --> 00:38:52,540
and they've been updated through the policy.

551
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:59,080
So I would ask that we delete the old A-C-E-R

552
00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:00,880
It should be an ACE chart.

553
00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:01,540
Some more.

554
00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:02,240
Second.

555
00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:06,320
All those in favor say aye.

556
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:06,920
Aye.

557
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:08,240
All those in the past?

558
00:39:09,220 --> 00:39:10,040
Motion passes.

559
00:39:12,550 --> 00:39:12,990
Great.

560
00:39:13,110 --> 00:39:14,690
That brings us to new business.

561
00:39:16,370 --> 00:39:29,190
Mr. Maid, you had asked this to be on the agenda for a discussion of receiving a paper packet, and I will say that while this won't be for a vote tonight,

562
00:39:29,190 --> 00:39:34,350
anything that comes out of the discussion we will just start doing so it's not

563
00:39:34,350 --> 00:39:37,730
necessarily a voting matter but if the committee comes to kind of a consensus

564
00:39:37,730 --> 00:39:42,150
that we want to move in this direction we can do that if the committee says no

565
00:39:42,150 --> 00:39:46,070
we're going to continue as we've been doing that's fine. Mr. Mudge, why don't

566
00:39:46,070 --> 00:39:51,670
you go ahead and speak for this issue? Yes, thank you. I would like to have the

567
00:39:51,670 --> 00:39:57,230
packets delivered by mail if nothing else like we had before especially when

568
00:39:57,230 --> 00:40:00,270
And they're very thick in this lot of information in there.

569
00:40:00,890 --> 00:40:08,570
I one seems to do better with hard copies and making notes and so forth and so on.

570
00:40:08,650 --> 00:40:12,410
And I can keep them for posterity sake and reference and so forth and so on.

571
00:40:12,910 --> 00:40:20,250
But what this really goes back to goes back to a policy issue that took place two years ago.

572
00:40:20,250 --> 00:40:33,130
So the flow of this was, I believe, violated the school policy we previously had in effect.

573
00:40:33,870 --> 00:40:42,130
And that goes back to the fact that when this committee was seated two years ago, again,

574
00:40:42,130 --> 00:40:51,370
Then we received the hard copies of the meetings, like has been traditional for the last hundred

575
00:40:51,370 --> 00:40:54,430
years, I guess, whenever, how long this thing's been going on.

576
00:40:54,970 --> 00:40:56,630
So we continued to have that.

577
00:40:58,090 --> 00:41:03,410
The second meeting or the third meeting I recall in December, all of a sudden we found

578
00:41:03,410 --> 00:41:09,510
out that iPads had come along, and we were going to use now iPads and go electronics.

579
00:41:10,590 --> 00:41:15,030
Well, then we found out, after we looked at the iPads, that the superintendent at the

580
00:41:15,030 --> 00:41:20,610
time, Thornton, had awarded $18,000 worth of iPads without school community approval.

581
00:41:21,510 --> 00:41:28,910
And that somebody made a decision that we would go to all electronic communications

582
00:41:28,910 --> 00:41:30,710
and deliver these packets.

583
00:41:31,750 --> 00:41:36,130
And that was inconsistent with the school department policy then, and I believe it

584
00:41:36,130 --> 00:41:36,630
still is.

585
00:41:36,630 --> 00:41:42,190
It was something that was allowed to go on.

586
00:41:42,950 --> 00:41:48,970
In fact, Joe Thompson also felt that he didn't want to use the iPad,

587
00:41:49,390 --> 00:41:51,550
and he returned his in favor of hard copy.

588
00:41:52,350 --> 00:41:54,430
And of course, Mrs. Benson is the same thing.

589
00:41:55,410 --> 00:42:02,650
So since then, almost two years ago, until this past couple of months here,

590
00:42:03,470 --> 00:42:13,470
Somebody made a decision that we would no longer allow the packets to be delivered hard copies to the school committee members.

591
00:42:14,630 --> 00:42:25,100
So with that, I would remind you that there are a lot of other issues that you hate to bring up here that we're speaking of.

592
00:42:25,100 --> 00:42:28,420
First of all, as an elected official,

593
00:42:30,490 --> 00:42:34,710
I wasn't required to own an iPad or to have computer

594
00:42:34,710 --> 00:42:35,210
service.

595
00:42:36,130 --> 00:42:43,910
And what you're saying that, you know, by delivering these documents the way you do, is that I'm

596
00:42:43,910 --> 00:42:46,710
required to have internet service.

597
00:42:47,810 --> 00:42:52,230
I'm required to have a computer, and you're making that mandatory.

598
00:42:53,650 --> 00:42:58,510
and or if I want a copy, then I have to print it out, you know, at my expense.

599
00:42:59,930 --> 00:43:01,510
But those are secondary issues.

600
00:43:02,470 --> 00:43:08,270
In fact, the matter is I like to continue to get the hard copies like we have in the past

601
00:43:08,270 --> 00:43:13,650
and which was traditional for at least the last 50 years, at least the last 10 years.

602
00:43:14,790 --> 00:43:16,590
So that's my request.

603
00:43:18,570 --> 00:43:24,210
So, let me do a little bit of explaining as to how we got to this part.

604
00:43:24,470 --> 00:43:30,630
As Mr. Mudge said, at the end of the November of 2010 election, Dr. Thornton did purchase

605
00:43:30,630 --> 00:43:35,390
iPads for not only the school committee members, but I believe the other administrators within

606
00:43:35,390 --> 00:43:35,930
the district.

607
00:43:37,310 --> 00:43:43,350
And at that time, how we had been doing our school committee packets was that everything

608
00:43:43,350 --> 00:43:48,450
The thing was printed out and it was delivered to our doorstep by the little minibus that

609
00:43:48,450 --> 00:43:48,930
went around.

610
00:43:50,070 --> 00:43:52,410
And so the cost was not in the paper.

611
00:43:52,890 --> 00:43:58,050
The cost was in the time that it took the clerk, which was not Lorraine at the time,

612
00:43:58,590 --> 00:44:04,270
took the clerk to assemble the packets, and the costs came in paying the minibus drivers.

613
00:44:04,870 --> 00:44:09,250
And so after he had done an assessment, and I'm not really going to address the

614
00:44:09,250 --> 00:44:10,990
whole issue of how he purchases.

615
00:44:10,990 --> 00:44:17,710
But that was, it was viewed as the amount of time that it took per year to pay for that

616
00:44:17,710 --> 00:44:22,810
delivery of the packets in the time of the clerk was more expensive than the iPads.

617
00:44:23,030 --> 00:44:23,430
Who was he?

618
00:44:24,130 --> 00:44:24,770
Dr. Thornton.

619
00:44:25,050 --> 00:44:27,910
Okay, so this all happened before the school committee was seated?

620
00:44:28,250 --> 00:44:28,530
Correct.

621
00:44:29,030 --> 00:44:29,250
Mm-hmm.

622
00:44:29,390 --> 00:44:33,830
So when we became seated, it was the sort of thing we were all given iPads.

623
00:44:34,370 --> 00:44:39,910
And I do know that I'm aware that Mrs. Benson had some issues with the iPad

624
00:44:39,910 --> 00:44:41,250
and did not use it.

625
00:44:41,430 --> 00:44:43,110
I believe Mr. Mudge turned his back in

626
00:44:43,110 --> 00:44:44,830
as I remember very clearly the day

627
00:44:44,830 --> 00:44:46,650
that Mr. Thompson turned his back in.

628
00:44:47,810 --> 00:44:49,570
And at that time, since Mrs,

629
00:44:50,650 --> 00:44:52,910
the iPads do require you to have Wi-Fi,

630
00:44:53,490 --> 00:44:55,330
and since Mrs. Benson didn't have that,

631
00:44:55,450 --> 00:44:56,710
we had to make the decision

632
00:44:56,710 --> 00:44:58,710
as to what we were going to do

633
00:44:58,710 --> 00:44:59,970
about the packets for Mrs. Benson.

634
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:07,040
And so Dr. Thornton wanted to go very strongly on the computer route, and that was at the same

635
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:11,700
time, the same point that the Rhode Island Association of School Committees was urging

636
00:45:11,700 --> 00:45:16,160
everyone to go on a paperless office, too, and that their meetings they would advertise

637
00:45:16,160 --> 00:45:21,180
and the different components that were available for school committees.

638
00:45:21,660 --> 00:45:26,000
So let me finish and then if you want to ask this.

639
00:45:27,120 --> 00:45:35,780
And so we were with the IQM2 program, and while Dr. Thuram was pushing for an all-computerized

640
00:45:35,780 --> 00:45:40,760
system, Mr. Welch and I agreed that we thought that Mrs. Benchin should continue to receive

641
00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:41,600
her paper packet.

642
00:45:46,060 --> 00:45:50,980
His first preference was that Mr. Welch and I stated that we thought it would be better

643
00:45:50,980 --> 00:45:53,920
for Mrs. Benchin to receive the paper packet rather than the electronic.

644
00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:56,820
And since the paper pack was being done for Mrs. Benson,

645
00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:00,900
we said, well, then one could be given for Mr. Welch,

646
00:46:01,020 --> 00:46:03,780
I mean for Mr., I'm sorry, Mr. Mudge

647
00:46:03,780 --> 00:46:05,100
and also Mr. Thompson.

648
00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:08,840
We did amend the school policy, BE,

649
00:46:10,460 --> 00:46:13,180
on January 25th, 2011.

650
00:46:13,860 --> 00:46:17,600
And in there, we said in BE section six,

651
00:46:17,980 --> 00:46:19,820
we said to ensure proper notice

652
00:46:22,620 --> 00:46:30,160
to the community and its citizens to each agenda shall be appropriately posted in compliance with the Meetings Act.

653
00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:39,280
And it says in there also that a copy shall be caused to be delivered to each committee member no later than four days preceding the meeting which was prepared.

654
00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:48,980
Now that has been read to mean that the copy you receive is the link that Lorraine sent out to us before each meeting.

655
00:46:48,980 --> 00:46:50,860
And that's your delivery of the packet.

656
00:46:51,500 --> 00:46:53,200
And that's how I read it.

657
00:46:53,340 --> 00:46:58,000
And so when this is Benson went off the committee, it was my effort in looking at all the places

658
00:46:58,000 --> 00:46:59,580
that we were looking to cut.

659
00:46:59,920 --> 00:47:07,080
It was that surely a means of saving time and money of asking, since we didn't have

660
00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:12,640
a non-computer person, and we know everybody who is on here has a computer and uses

661
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:16,660
that we would then go to having a cheaper system

662
00:47:16,660 --> 00:47:20,640
in which Lorraine could then provide a link

663
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:22,080
and everybody could look at it this way.

664
00:47:22,500 --> 00:47:25,160
Obviously when we have very lengthy items

665
00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:30,040
such as the budget, we are given in a paper,

666
00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:32,640
with a recent audit, we were given that in paper.

667
00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:35,760
I believe when we had the transportation audit

668
00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:36,820
that was given in paper.

669
00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:38,860
So there are times where we all agree

670
00:47:38,860 --> 00:47:40,640
that it is really very long

671
00:47:40,640 --> 00:47:41,820
and it has been given a paper.

672
00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:46,780
I have no preference if this committee wants to go down a paper packet.

673
00:47:47,340 --> 00:47:52,680
I guess I would say, you know, I'm not going to fight this, but at the same time I did

674
00:47:52,680 --> 00:47:54,060
it as a part of an expediency.

675
00:47:54,360 --> 00:48:00,620
If the committee perceives that we should go back and wants to give Mr. Mudge his paper,

676
00:48:00,960 --> 00:48:01,580
that is fine.

677
00:48:01,660 --> 00:48:06,380
But you need to know it will take Lorraine's time, and that's what you're paying for.

678
00:48:06,380 --> 00:48:08,320
It's not the paper that is the cost.

679
00:48:08,740 --> 00:48:10,480
It is the time.

680
00:48:11,280 --> 00:48:13,880
So that's what I have to say.

681
00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:18,160
And I believe it isn't keeping with the policy.

682
00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:19,700
Okay, respond to you please.

683
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:21,580
So why don't we just go right down

684
00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:24,500
and everybody can have their stay.

685
00:48:25,100 --> 00:48:25,880
Thank you, Madam Chair.

686
00:48:26,020 --> 00:48:27,620
I really don't want to waste any more

687
00:48:27,620 --> 00:48:28,800
of the committee's time on this

688
00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:30,260
or any more of the public's time on this

689
00:48:30,260 --> 00:48:31,220
to be quite honest with you.

690
00:48:31,340 --> 00:48:33,060
We have much more important business

691
00:48:33,060 --> 00:48:40,000
before the committee and before the school district, that's hopefully it's more important

692
00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:42,720
to the taxpayers and to the students in North Kingstown.

693
00:48:44,700 --> 00:48:48,580
I certainly have no objection if any member of this committee wants a paper package.

694
00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:50,840
If they want a paper package, give them a paper package.

695
00:48:51,220 --> 00:48:56,080
I just want to make it clear that there was no malicious intent or conspiracy theory

696
00:48:56,080 --> 00:49:00,080
intent when members were not receiving paper packages.

697
00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:04,980
As Mrs. Page stated, it was just clearly a matter of trying to become more efficient

698
00:49:04,980 --> 00:49:10,040
with the use of our labor, our employees, and more efficient with our materials.

699
00:49:10,440 --> 00:49:15,120
And save a few bucks in areas wherever we could. That's all that was behind it.

700
00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:18,600
And I'm hoping that this committee really doesn't need to belabor this point tonight.

701
00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:26,540
The bottom line is this, I don't have any objection and I really think my colleagues would agree with me.

702
00:49:26,540 --> 00:49:31,140
If somebody needs a paper package for whatever the reason may be, let them have the paper

703
00:49:31,140 --> 00:49:31,480
package.

704
00:49:31,700 --> 00:49:37,400
I just want to be clear on what the committee's intent was going into this.

705
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:38,500
So thank you.

706
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:41,400
Mr. Busker, did you have anything to say?

707
00:49:41,740 --> 00:49:42,100
Yes.

708
00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:48,660
I'll try to be brief, but I have no problem with the, I agree with Mr. Sreese.

709
00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:52,400
However, what I don't agree with is Mr. Mudge, we all get a stipend.

710
00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:56,500
If a cost is a problem to you, you have a stipend that will offset the cost of paper

711
00:49:56,500 --> 00:49:58,640
and ink to print anything that is emailed to you.

712
00:49:59,260 --> 00:49:59,780
I do it.

713
00:49:59,880 --> 00:50:00,860
Everybody else does it.

714
00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,960
The second thing, if you want to pack it fine, I don't think that we should have to

715
00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:05,440
mail it to you.

716
00:50:05,500 --> 00:50:09,460
I think you should have to come and pick it up, because I suspect that if it gets

717
00:50:09,460 --> 00:50:12,420
mailed and something happens in the mail, you will then complain you didn't get everything

718
00:50:12,420 --> 00:50:12,980
on time.

719
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:16,240
So those are two things I'd like to bring up.

720
00:50:16,300 --> 00:50:19,320
Get a stipend to cover any cost of printing that's emailed to you, and you should

721
00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:19,940
have to pick it up.

722
00:50:23,460 --> 00:50:28,060
I do not have a problem with any member who prefers to get a paper packet.

723
00:50:28,180 --> 00:50:32,200
I think it should be tried to be avoided because it's a cost to the taxpayers, but I think

724
00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:35,420
if someone really prefers it, I don't have a problem with it.

725
00:50:35,460 --> 00:50:39,480
But I want to say I think the changes that were made by the committee and by the chair

726
00:50:39,970 --> 00:50:44,060
were appropriate and were made trying to save funds.

727
00:50:44,260 --> 00:50:47,600
There were demands made that we keep delivering by bus.

728
00:50:47,980 --> 00:50:48,740
We can't do that.

729
00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:50,600
That was a complete misuse, actually.

730
00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:55,260
we finally woke up to that had been happening for 30 years, that we changed in an appropriate

731
00:50:55,260 --> 00:50:55,920
way I think.

732
00:50:56,400 --> 00:51:01,800
So I don't have a problem, I just, I think we need to not discuss this, if this is a

733
00:51:01,800 --> 00:51:05,740
ridiculous waste of the committee's time to be honest with you, but I mean, I can understand

734
00:51:05,740 --> 00:51:09,640
a member asking for an issue to be on the agenda, but to discuss this for everyone's

735
00:51:09,640 --> 00:51:12,620
time for a half an hour is just beyond what it should be.

736
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:13,940
Thank you.

737
00:51:16,850 --> 00:51:17,490
I agree.

738
00:51:17,490 --> 00:51:22,270
The only thing I would say is that if any member would want a paper packet,

739
00:51:22,610 --> 00:51:24,550
it's their responsibility to go and pick it up,

740
00:51:24,550 --> 00:51:26,850
because we shouldn't be paying for any type of delivery charge.

741
00:51:28,650 --> 00:51:29,330
Mr. Jones.

742
00:51:30,550 --> 00:51:31,430
I have no comments.

743
00:51:32,430 --> 00:51:34,450
Mr. Mudge, do you have anything more to say?

744
00:51:34,910 --> 00:51:37,250
Well, see, the issue about this is certainly,

745
00:51:37,910 --> 00:51:40,330
I work better with the packets, okay?

746
00:51:41,170 --> 00:51:43,810
But just like the town council gets the packets delivered to them,

747
00:51:43,970 --> 00:51:44,930
that was never a problem.

748
00:51:44,930 --> 00:51:48,630
In fact, the police dropped them off and the minibus drivers came.

749
00:51:48,870 --> 00:51:53,550
But the issue was the school committee until tonight has never discussed this.

750
00:51:53,930 --> 00:51:55,150
Never discussed this.

751
00:51:56,070 --> 00:52:04,790
You made a unilateral decision back in December to use the iPads.

752
00:52:04,970 --> 00:52:06,630
The school committee didn't make a decision.

753
00:52:07,410 --> 00:52:13,710
And then we say we're going to deliver this in June 11th, January 11th.

754
00:52:13,710 --> 00:52:16,930
That was never voted on to say that we're not going to deliver.

755
00:52:19,710 --> 00:52:21,610
The policy didn't change then.

756
00:52:21,790 --> 00:52:24,830
The policy was the very same that was the previous year.

757
00:52:24,950 --> 00:52:26,030
It had not changed.

758
00:52:26,490 --> 00:52:29,670
The policy didn't change until the following May.

759
00:52:30,530 --> 00:52:31,910
May I finish, Mr. Serese?

760
00:52:32,090 --> 00:52:32,510
Point of order.

761
00:52:33,010 --> 00:52:33,170
Point of order.

762
00:52:33,210 --> 00:52:35,110
And I appreciate it.

763
00:52:35,450 --> 00:52:36,970
Mr. Serese says...

764
00:52:36,970 --> 00:52:38,370
How about let me finish, please?

765
00:52:38,710 --> 00:52:40,050
Let Mr. Serese stay here.

766
00:52:40,050 --> 00:52:41,390
Mr. Serese, may I please finish?

767
00:52:41,430 --> 00:52:42,050
Here's his point of order.

768
00:52:42,050 --> 00:52:50,110
Madam Chair, Madam Chair, we're getting way off topic here and obviously there's some

769
00:52:50,110 --> 00:52:54,690
underlying personal issue that I really don't think this is the appropriate forum for it.

770
00:52:55,070 --> 00:52:58,230
I think Mr. Mudge has requested a paper package.

771
00:52:58,770 --> 00:53:01,850
I think what we've heard from the consensus of the committee here tonight is nobody's

772
00:53:01,850 --> 00:53:07,590
opposed to that, just so the district doesn't incur any additional costs that anyone requesting

773
00:53:07,590 --> 00:53:10,190
a paper package be required to pick it up.

774
00:53:10,190 --> 00:53:12,310
I think we've heard loud and clear from the committee.

775
00:53:12,490 --> 00:53:13,610
I think the issue has been resolved.

776
00:53:13,850 --> 00:53:18,330
I think any further discussion is believer in the point and really a waste of everyone's

777
00:53:18,330 --> 00:53:23,870
time and it's personal in nature and if there's a personal conversation to be had, the members

778
00:53:23,870 --> 00:53:27,430
that are involved in that personal conversation can certainly have it on their own time and

779
00:53:27,430 --> 00:53:29,150
not on the committee's time or the public's time.

780
00:53:30,410 --> 00:53:37,270
It sounds like the committee has said that you'll be able to pick up a paper packet

781
00:53:37,270 --> 00:53:39,050
at the administrative office.

782
00:53:39,050 --> 00:53:44,870
So if that is what you would prefer, you may pick up your packet that way.

783
00:53:45,730 --> 00:53:52,470
All I'm trying to say is that what unilateral decisions made without the committee making any decisions at all,

784
00:53:52,610 --> 00:53:55,830
any decisions at all, several times.

785
00:53:57,350 --> 00:53:59,670
And that's the issue we weren't...

786
00:53:59,670 --> 00:54:03,370
I think those are ministerial in nature that are in the Chair's purview of some of those decisions.

787
00:54:03,510 --> 00:54:07,370
No, it was in our policy, and we weren't following our policy,

788
00:54:07,370 --> 00:54:12,010
and certain people didn't want to follow the policy, so they just shut down the process.

789
00:54:12,590 --> 00:54:18,430
Okay? So it's not whether I get it or not or something else. It's why wouldn't we follow the policy?

790
00:54:19,390 --> 00:54:27,430
Thank you, Mr. Mudge. All right, so we have that has been now discussed.

791
00:54:28,770 --> 00:54:33,670
We have our financial reports on here, and unfortunately Mrs. King is ill tonight.

792
00:54:33,670 --> 00:54:42,270
So, that brings us to the end of our meeting, but we have executive session next, and so

793
00:54:42,270 --> 00:54:45,450
I'm looking for a motion to adjourn to executive session.

794
00:54:45,530 --> 00:54:45,590
So move.

795
00:54:46,830 --> 00:54:47,130
Second.

796
00:54:48,190 --> 00:54:49,950
All those in favor say aye.

797
00:54:50,290 --> 00:54:50,610
Aye.

798
00:54:51,170 --> 00:54:51,350
Aye.

799
00:54:51,890 --> 00:54:51,910
Thank you.

800
00:54:51,910 --> 00:54:52,590
All those opposed?

801
00:54:53,290 --> 00:54:54,110
Motion carries.

802
00:54:54,330 --> 00:54:55,410
We will be in executive session.

803
00:55:22,640 --> 00:55:27,720
I was offered, I was offered when I said get the money to the district, I had my own, do you know what I'm saying?