001Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. It is 6:30 and I'm calling to order the deliberative session of the Exit Region Cooperative School District. My name is Kate Miller. I'm the moderator and as our first order of business, we're going to do the pledge of allegiance. Please join me. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thanks to everyone for coming out this evening. Make sure that you check in with the clerks in the center of the auditorium and pick up your voter cards because you'll need those to vote or to speak. And I'm going to turn the podium over to the chair of the
002school board, William Gothier. >> Great. Thank you, Kate. Appreciate that. And thank you everyone for showing up tonight. We appreciate you. uh and your input for this evening. I'd like to first start by having our all of our board members uh introduce themselves. So I'll start with Neil. Could you please introduce yourself? And >> Neil Blanken exit >> Amy Ransom Newfields Don Bolins exit. >> Erin Garcia de Prades Stratam. >> Brian Duffy Brentwood. >> Melissa Lions East Kingston. >> Great. And then if we can continue down the line. Yes. Hello Chris Andriski. Honor to be your superintendent for SA 16. Diane Goro, school district council. >> Michelle Larson, assistant finance officer. >> Molly O'Keefe, chief financial officer. >> Paul Royal, chair of the budget committee. >> Great. Thank you everyone. And I just want to
003take a quick moment to uh recognize all the work that uh my colleagues, the school board's done this year, all the meetings that we've been at, all the nights that we put in together going through not just the budget, but policies, working with the administration so that we can present to you tonight what we see as a really good, strong budget. Uh I also want to recognize one of our school board members who won't be with us next year. uh she is uh retiring from the board. She has been a very strong voice in the board. We have enjoyed she has not just been on this board but also the extra elementary board. So her time and all the effort that she's put into the school system has been a huge help. We'll hear from
004her quite a bit. But Don, thank you for all the work that you've put in. We appreciate it. Uh, with that, I'm going to turn the meeting back over to Kate. >> Great. Thank you very much. Um, as I'd mentioned, um, only voters who are allowed to speak and vote at this session. Uh, so we want to make sure all of our registered voters check in with the clerks in the center of the auditorium and pick up your voter cards. Um any folks who are not um residents of one of our six towns in the cooperative school district need to get the permission of the meeting to speak. Um please bring your voter cards with you when you go to the microphone. Um and when you introduce yourself, please give your name and your town,
005please. When you leave the auditorium, please return these cards to the clerks. Um and the clerks please stay to be able to collect these cards at the end of the evening. So this district is an SB2 or official ballot school district meaning that we have one session which is this evening called the deliberative session to meet discuss and amend as permitted by law the articles on the warrant. Copies of the warrant and the proposed budget and the default budget are available in the table near the door as you come in on the right. I use moderators rules to run the meeting. These have been available on the SA16 website along with the warrant and the budget and the default budget. They're also available um in a little box in the middle of of the auditorium
006on that table. summarizing some of the rules. Uh we have five articles on the ballot to discuss tonight. I will recognize a member of the school board to pretend to present each article. Um and for one where there's a collective bargaining agreement, I will represent one of the leaders of the collective bargaining unit. Um the budget advisory committee and other administrators will also be making presentations. Um I'm asking initial presenters uh to keep their presentations to 10 minutes if possible. The budget may take a little bit longer because it takes a lot of explanation. Um folks who come and speak at the microphone or ask questions, I ask to limit their questions, comments um to three minutes um so that we can move the meeting along. Um, if you're on the stage and you want
007to speak, you know, please raise your hand or signal to me so that I can see that you would like to be recognized. Um, and you can speak from the microphone here up on the stage. Um it's important that folks who want to speak do so at the mic which is down in front of the stage over here because this meeting is being um recorded and is going to go out to um all the towns in our district on the um education channel that is shared by all those towns which I think is channel 13. Um and it will be recorded and replayed. Um so folks will be able to see it if they haven't been able to attend. If you don't speak in the mics, your words will not be part of that record.
008Um, I will try to recognize speakers who have not spoken yet to a particular article um or an amendment to an article before I recognize people who have already spoken on that. If you have an amendment to any of the warrant articles, it must be in writing so that the clerk and I, our clerk is Sue Bendroth right here, um, make sure that we get it correct. Um, so please bring the written amendment to us uh before you go to the mic to describe it and explain it. Each amendment is going to require a motion and a second. So there'll need to be another voter um who will need to second any motion to make an amendment. If you second someone else's motion, please state your name and your town so that because we need
009to record that in the minutes as well. If at any point there is a motion and a second to do what's known as calling the question. That means that that cuts off debate on the topic that's being discussed. and the meeting would then vote if there is an amendment on the floor or a motion on the floor. If there is a motion and a second to call the question, I will allow the people who are already lined up at the microphone or people who've indicated on the stage that they wish to speak on that item to speak before we vote on that. Then after those folks have spoken, we'll vote on the motion to call the question. It requires a twothirds vote to pass. If the motion to call the question passes, there'll be no
010more debate and we'll vote up or down on the motion. Let's see. Um, we have the chair of the uh co-op budget advisory committee, Paul Royal, who's at the very end of the stage there. And I want to particularly recognize the advisory budget committee because that group does a tremendous amount of work um throughout the fall in preparing the budget recommendations for the school board. And I'm imagining there are probably some other uh budget advisory committee members here tonight. If you are here in the audience, please stand up. I'd like to recognize you with a round of applause. Budget committee, are we here? Thank you very much. Great. Um there are several folks who work for the district um who um are not resident in the district at this point who may be helpful in
011providing information. And one is our finance director, uh, Molly O'Keefe. Another is our school dire uh, school attorney, Diane Gorro. And I believe we have the collective bargaining unit, uh, paraprofessional representative. And what is that name again? >> Tammy Treble. >> Tammy. >> Tremble. Thank you. >> Treble. >> Sorry, I didn't get that name. >> Treble. >> Thank you. >> Got it. Thank you. Like a treble cleaf. >> No. Like a treble. >> Like a treble. >> Prebble. Golly. I actually have my hearing aids in, believe it or not. Okay. So, uh, and are there any other folks who are not residents of the district who may need to speak? I think that's the list. Um, so I'm going to offer a motion that u Molly O'Keefe, Diane Goro, and Tammy Prebble um be allowed
012to speak at the meeting to provide information. Is there a second on that motion? >> Kate, before you do that, Molly is a resident in K. I'm sorry. So sorry, Molly. So, just want to clarify. Ah, >> don't have my signal straight straight today. Thank you. So, we're down to Diane and Tammy. Okay, good. Um, so is there a second to that motion? >> Okay. And that looks like Nancy Banger from Exit. Okay. All those in favor of allowing those folks to be able to speak, please raise your cards and say, "I." I. >> All those opposed, raise your cards and say nay. Okay, the eyes appear to have it. Thank you so much. When we are done this evening with discussing and possibly amending the articles on the warrant, the voting day will be
013Tuesday, March 10, when all the voters in the town will be able to vote up or down on the ballot. Um, I encourage everybody who's registered to come out and vote. Whether you're here at the deliberative session now or whether you're watching later, um you'll go to your regular polling place in your town um to be able to vote on the school articles. Right, we are ready to turn to our first article which is the operating budget. And this year the I believe there was a change to the law to require certain information to be presented at the beginning of the operating budget article. So, some folks, if you're looking at the copy of the warrant, may say, "I don't I don't remember seeing the uh per pupil costs and the proficiency scores at the
014beginning of the operating budget before," which is true. Um, that's often a topic that people ask questions about, so it seems like a fine idea to have that as part of the article. Um, so I will read that as part of this. Um, and then there may be some additional commentary um on that as well. So article one operating budget middle school grades 6 through 8 the average cost per pupil for the preceding year as calculated in accordance with RSA 189 col 75 Roman 1 little a is $26,553 ELA which I believe is English language is that correct okay proficiency 64% math proficiency 51% and science proficiency 48%. High school grades 9 through 12. The average cost per pupil for the preceding year is calculated in accordance with RSA 1897, Roman 1 little a is
015$22,566. ELA proficiency 80%, math proficiency 50%, science proficiency 51%. Shall the Exit Region Cooperative School District raise an appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately. The amount set forth in the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session for the purposes set forth therein totaling 76,453,074. Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be 75,711,645, which is the same as last year with certain adjustments required by previous action of the district or by law or the governing body may hold one special meeting in accordance with RSA 40 colon 13, Roman 10 and Roman 16 to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only. The Exit Region Cooperative School Board and Budget Advisory Committee recommend $76,453,074 as
016set forth on said budget. Majority vote required. Um, Chair Gothier, did you want to introduce this? Where would you like to go? >> Yes. Uh, thank you. I'd just like to make a couple comments about the budget and the process of getting here where we are tonight. Uh last spring the building administrators uh we asked them to put a budget together and they work with all the teachers and everyone else in the school to come and present a budget during the summer. And as they're working throughout the summer, they're putting these budgets together to be paired to come before the board and the budget advisory committee in the fall. Our budget advisory committee meets with each uh building administrator over five weeks and sees the budget and goes through it in detail. Every line item
017they they walk through the budget and they present the building administrators to the budget advisory committee and they are sitting in they sit in a room for two hours going through this work two plus hours. After that, they make a recommendation based on what they've heard, whether they like the budget or not. They come back to us as a board and tell us why they recommended the budget. The board works with the budget and then we have a meeting with the public that happened about four weeks ago to listen to input from the public and then again we meet and talk and verify the budget. And that's where we come tonight to the deliberative to share that budget. Uh we feel strongly that the budget represents a strong education for our community and uh it's
018a respectful budget for all the residents. As you read the budget, you'll see that this is a very respectful budget and it does meet the obligations that we have to ensure that our teachers and administrators have what they need to do their best jobs. So, we are very happy to present this budget tonight. We're all confident in it and uh we look forward to discussing. Before we move on, I think there's a lot more detail to go into and I'm going to ask Molly to play a movie. Uh although if the board, if you guys would like, we can go sit in the front row. So, we're not and we can join in. So, Molly, if you give us a moment Royal, if you can say a few words. I think this is the seventh
019inning stretch, but it's a little early in the proceedings for the seventh inning stretch. Hello, this is superintendent >> Chris Andriski and welcome to the fiscal year 2027 school budget. In this video you will see the major increases and decreases for the cooperative middle school exit high school of technology and exit adult education. As you know this budget encompasses all six of our towns in SA16. We look forward to seeing you at our deliberative session and then again at the vote in March. Thank you for your support and we will see you soon. >> Hello, my name is Jud Du and this is my wife Mandy DQ and we have three children in the SAU 16 school district, two in the high school and one in the middle school. Our children participate in both general
020education and special education services. So we see firsthand how these services work together. Supporting the SAU's programs ensures all students have access to their education benefits the entire community. Strong schools attract families. They support lo local employers. They reduce long-term social services and help build a resilient, capable workforce. Hi, my name is Wyatt Wrathman. I'm a senior here at or at Xer High School and I'm in year two of welding technologies here at SST. And one of the things I love is it introduced me to a field that I never knew exists before and I've already been looking at career opportunities within it. So, I'm very thankful for that. >> And a pitch to him. That one grounded to the third baseman. He scoops that one up, fires the first, and that will do it.
021The Exit Blue Hawks are your New Hampshire state champions this year. >> My name is Caroline. I'm a senior here at Exit High School. >> My name is Carson and I'm a freshman here at Exit High School. My name is Lindsay and I'm a junior here at Exit High School. and we wanted to talk about the amazing opportunities that everyone can achieve um through the clubs here at a EHS. For example, um I'm in ASL club where we learn to do ASL and I started Best Buddies for an inclusion club where we can connect with um all of our peers. I am part of student senate where we do fundraisers for the school and we also do pep rallies in the gym. And there are also a bunch of other clubs here at Exit High
022School like robotics and slime club and philosophy club and all that great stuff. Um, I'm a part of the future business leaders of America where we have the opportunity to gain real world business experience in high school and I'm also a part of French club where we celebrate French culture. But the clubs that we listed um isn't just where it ends. There's a variety of clubs here at Exit and there's a little something for everyone. And if you come to exit and you find that the club that you want isn't here, then there's everybody can support you in making that club. The exit region cooperative school district budget is made up of four sections. the general fund, also known as the operating budget, the food service fund, which is our meal service program, fed funds,
023which are our adult education grants, and title, IDEIDA, and other grants. This slide shows the change from the current school year to the proposed fiscal year 27 budget for the 2627 school year. The title IDA and other grants were previously appropriated as part of the SAU budget. However, as the school district is the legal owner of the grants, the appropriation is being moved to reflect that the food service and grants are self- sustaining with revenue to offset expense. Therefore, the amount raised in taxation is to support the general fund. Most of the cooperative budget is contractual or mandatory obligations including salary and the associated FICA, New Hampshire retirement, professional development and health benefits as outlined in the collective bargaining agreements, required special education services, student transportation, the SAU assessment which includes payroll for all staff,
024accounts payable, for all expenses of the schools, human resources for all staff and the superintendent of schools, facilities and maintenance costs to support the operation of the schools, the middle school bond, Great Bay Charter School, and everything else in the budget is 5%. In the Exit Region Cooperative School District, we have three employee associations. The Exiter Education Association which serves certified staff such as teachers, school counselors and others requiring lensure. The exit cooperative paraprofessional association serving special education paraprofessionals, teaching assistants at the C coast school of technology, library assistants and permanent substitutes and the exit area administrators association serving all administrators in the cooperative except principles. All teachers and administrators salaries are being increased per their collective bargaining agreements. This was a negotiation year for the exooperative paraprofessional association. So that increase will be reflected
025in a separate warrant article. All non-affiliated staff such as principles, administrative assistants, facilities staff, and food service staff were placed into the budget at a 3% increase. Annually, we receive health and dental increases from our insurance providers. The health insurance rate increases varied per plan from Health Trust. The district's HMO plan includes a 15.5% increase. The district's PO open access plan increased by 14.8%. The district's dental plan includes a 4.4% increase. Over the last nine years, our health insurance plans have increased approximately 6.8%. Regarding FICA and NHRS retirement, both are function of salary. Therefore, when our salary budget goes up or down, so does FICA and retirement. For those that fall under the teacher category, rates are 19.23%. And for other employees, the rates are 12.75%. One of the drivers of the school budget this
026year is the addition of an electrical technologies program at the SECO School of Technology. The future of the SE Coast economy is being built right now. From residential homes and commercial buildings to electrical vehicle infrastructure, the demand for skills licensed electricians is soaring. Yet, right here in the Sea Coast, we have a critical skills gap. That's why we're proposing a vital investment for the 2627 school year. The creation of an electrical technologies program at the SECO School of Technology. Student needs in SA16 have grown significantly since 2016. The percentage of middle and high school students with IEPs has increased from 12% to over 20% where it is expected to remain for the 2026 2027 school year. National trends reflect similar concerns. In 2023, 40% of adolescents reported persistent sadness or hopelessness, 20% considered suicide, and
027one in six young children had a behavioral, mental, or developmental disorder. As needs have become more complex, costs for contracted services, outofdist placements, and specialized transportation have risen. However, the district has been expanding in district programming to better meet students needs and therefore there is a decrease in the special education budget. The district must provide IEP services for students attending charter schools. Because charter schools typically use their own specialists, the district collaborates with them to reduce transportation costs. Costs are lower this year due to fewer charter school students. Last year, funds for paraprofessionals were redirected to hire more special education teachers and expand co-eing and general education classrooms. This has strengthened school culture, improved student independence, and reduced the need for contracted services for the upcoming year. The outofd district placements occur only after substantial
028inddist supports are attempted. Placements have increased as student needs have become more complex and tuition costs continue to rise. Under IDA, the district must provide an appropriate education which sometimes requires specialized programs outside of the dis district. Strengthening in district services have recently reduced our out of district tuition and transportation costs. Lastly, there is a small increase in the equipment funding at Exer High School. This is to ensure students have the tools they fully need to access school programs and activities. The admin supplies line supports the everyday operational needs of the entire school. Purchases from this category include office supplies, paper, emergency and safety materials, and various other supplies needed to keep EHS running smoothly. Last year's actual expenditures in this line were higher than the amount originally budgeted. The increase in the current budget
029reflects a more accurate depiction of the materials and supplies required to support daily school operations. In the professional study line, last year's actual expenditures in this line were higher than originally budgeted. Increasing this line ensures the budget accurately reflects the true cost of supporting our staff as they continue their education, an expected allowance outlined in the certified teaching contracts. This investment strengthens professional practice and directly enhances the quality of instruction and engagement for our students. >> At Cooperative Middle School, several key budget adjustments explain the year-to-year changes. First, our contracted services and guidance have decreased. This reduction reflects the startup nature of our advisory program last year when initial development costs were higher than what is required to sustain the program moving forward. Physical education supplies show an increase. This shift is primarily the result
030of moving a long-standing expense out of the special education budget and placing it appropriately within the PE account. The added funds also support our partnership with UNH's Northeast Passage program, which provides disability awareness experiences in our Aspire PE classes, including adaptive biking, archery, and wheelchair basketball. Finally, curriculum expenses have risen. This includes higher costs for essential instructional tools such as I Ready as well as funding for teacher curriculum development during the summer to ensure materials remain current and aligned with student needs. You will see an overspend in contracted services due to the use of third-party custodial services. However, there is a significant reduction in the salaries and benefit lines resulting in a net overall savings. We continue to seek areas where we can significantly improve our operational efficiency. Project funds have been requested to make
031efficiency and comfortability upgrades to our HVAC management systems, continue efforts to maintain the safety and aesthetic of roadways and parking lots, and improve the audio video experience of our auditoriums and performance spaces. This year's cooperative school district technology budget reflects several important adjustments that address critical infrastructure needs and support ongoing instructional and operational priorities. The most substantial change is the replacement of our end of life server infrastructure. The servers have reached the end of their supported life cycle and upgrading them is essential to maintaining a secure and stable server environment. This investment reduces the risk of system failures, improves performance, ensures compatibility with software and services the district relies on. The budget also incorporates the updating of the internal fiber optic network to the data closets at the cooperative middle school. Strengthening the school's internal
032network will enhance reliability, increase bandwidth, and better support the growing technology demands throughout the building. In addition, the implementation costs for the replacement of the student information system are included. This transition will modernize how we manage student data, streamline administrative processes, and improve the user experience. The replacement of two 3D printers used in our steam programs at the cooperative middle school is included in the changes. Updating this equipment will support continued hands-on learning, engineering, and fabrication, ensuring students have access to tools that align with current instructional goals. Finally, the administrative dues and fees line has been adjusted to reflect actual billing patterns. This update provides a more accurate representation of ongoing obligations. Together, these changes reinforce the district's technological foundation, support instructional innovation, and ensure the reliability of the systems essential to our daily operations.
033>> The increase in transportation is the negotiated multi-year contract with first student and changes in student need. Property and liability insurance increases are based on prior year actuals. We have a fixed bond schedule for the middle school renovation and each year we pay a little bit less. All other changes amount to $10,35. When the voters go to the ballot boxes, they will have a choice between the proposed budget we have just presented and the default budget. The default is the prior year budget plus or minus any contractual or mandatory obligations required by law or one-time expenditures in the prior year budget. The exit region cooperative budget is split out by enrollment. This chart shows the breakout for each of the SAU 16 towns. >> Hi there, I'm Bobby Pace. I'm a senior at Exit High
034School and also a student at the SECO School of Technology, which is a hands-on training site where students can learn career skills and life skills that will help them in their careers going forward. Coming up, we have some really important budget dates, which is January 15th for our public hearing, February 4th for our deliberation, and March 10th for our final vote. It would be really important if you guys could come out and help support the community in the next few months. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you very much. Is there anyone up on the stage who would like to make any additional comments? That was a very comprehensive presentation. >> Paul Royal, chair of the budget committee. >> Yes. >> Uh as you folks were presented with this list and the explanations brought back a
035lot of memories. I can't believe we covered it all as well as we did. And I want to thank the committee that worked with us as well. tell you one thing that consistently impressed me as somebody who's responsible to the community for some amount of oversight is that we asked hundreds of questions. Um myself I tried to approach them from a defensive posture. what kinds of things might be of a concern to the community where there was a significant change that somebody might ask why is that happening? And without fail, every person that spoke on this video and presented to us, it was impressive. They're they' done their homework. They answered their questions without hesitation uh without any kind of runaround or trying to hide anything. They did everything from calling in expertise from the
036outside when it was required to help them do that. They relied on other people in the school system to try to make things work the best way they could and showed a real responsibility and respect for the community. You know, money's tight for a lot of folks. We get that. Um, my kids, my last child is going to graduate this year. And I've been lucky. Um, and even though I'm not going to have kids in the school system, I thought it was time for me with a little more time on my hands to give back. And I'm glad that I did because in years past a lot of people know me as somebody who stuck up for the work at the budget committee over the years and supported the schools. Um, but I'm going to
037tell you that I wasn't a yes man at all. I asked a lot of questions and everybody on the uh committee asked a lot of questions and they were answered and they were answered freely and quickly and reasonably and I was always impressed about with the work the school board and the administrators of the school in particular did on these budgets. But I did that on faith. This year I got to see it up close and I'm happy to report that my faith was well placed and I hope that the presentation as it goes on and the questions you have will be similarly answered in a quick u truthful and reasonable fashion. And I'm happy to bring you a budget that I think that people work very hard on. It's a little bit higher, but
038considering the uh pressures that we're in in this country with regard to inflation and just trying to keep up and also to be competitive for resources, for good teachers, for good administrators, we've done all that. And in New Hampshire, towns stand on their own and we're doing a fine job. So, finally, I wanted to thank the budget committee again. I wanted to thank all the presenters that came before us and everybody that worked on this budget, which is one that I think we can be proud of. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Are there any questions or comments from any of the voters? Seeing none, this article will appear on the ballot without any amendments. The next article is article two, the collective bargaining agreement for the pair of professionals. Shall the school district
039vote to approve the cost items? I'm sorry. >> I'm sorry. Can I make a motion to restrict reconsideration? >> Yes. Is there a second? >> Second. >> So that's Don Bullins and Neil Bleen. Thank you. Um, all in favor of a motion to restrict reconsideration, please raise your cards and say I. >> I. >> All in favor, raise your cards and say nay. The eyes have it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Don. Okay, now we can move on to article two, collective bargaining agreement pair professionals. Shall a school district vote to approve the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the exit region cooperative school board and the exit cooperative pair professionals association which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing level. Fiscal year estimated increases
040for 2027 $386,512 for 2028 $274,314 and for 2029 $25,741 and further to raise and appropriate $386,512 for the current fiscal year. such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increase in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels. The school board recommends $386,512 majority vote required. Um who would like to present on this article? Okay, thank you. Uh first I want to recognize Don um who worked closely with with me as a as a team on this proposed agreement with the paraprofessionals association. Um we worked last fall over the course of several meetings. So from the outset our shared goal was to craft a contract that reflects the essential role that paraprofessionals play within our schools while also honoring the board's responsibility to manage
041taxpayer resources thoughtfully and sustainably. One of the board's priorities was ensuring that our paraprofessional salaries remain competitive both with neighboring districts and with other local employment opportunities. We know that attracting and retaining talented paraprofessionals is critical to the success of our students and our educators and we wanted a structure that meaningfully moves wages forward over the next three years. At the same time, the association made it clear that affordable health care options were a pressing need for many of their members. Rising health care costs have created real challenges, and we heard consistently that any long-term agreement needed to address that in a meaningful way. The negotiated contract represents a balance of those two priorities. include it and includes a steady predictable wage increase that helps us remain competitive while also expanding healthcare options in a
042way that is both responsive to the PAR professionals needs and financially responsible for the district. The the three-year contract represents the financial impact that was just read to you within the warrant article. However, I wanted to touch on some of the more detailed changes as well as the annual wage increases. The annual wage increases for the 26-27 school year is 4.5%. For the 27 to 28 school year is 4.5% and for the 28 to 29 school year it's represents a 6% increase in the wages. We also included some additional increases in wages within the contract. These are mostly due to um us wanting to keep contracted services with our pair professionals rather than contracting them out. So, we've done some increases um for example in personal hygiene um increases in our registered behavior technicians um
043and as well as our trauma support specialists. They represent1 to $2 an hour increases, but we're hopeful that our prayer professionals will see this as an opportunity um to obtain these certifications so that we can keep that work inhouse rather than contracting it out. Um we've also increased the pay for fair professionals that serve as a substitute. Um so as part of this we've added in an the ABSOS. It's a deductible health care plan that will be offered to the paraprofessionals which is a lowerc cost option. Um we've also added in over the course of the contract a twoerson plan so that people will be able to add a second person to the plan. It also represents a new dental option that was no was not previously available to pair professionals. I think that summarizes
044the major changes to the contract. >> Thank you. Are there others that would like to speak to this article? Thank you. Good evening, Helen Joyce from Exit. Um, I just want to thank both John and Melissa for doing a great job of negotiating this contract. Um, I want to speak in support of the Paris in this school district. I had the pleasure of working with Paris more directly when I was a classroom teacher for 30 years, but also as a member of this board for 12 years and having negotiated previous contracts. I think the paraprofessionals do yman's work in this district. I don't think people appreciate what they do, the level of of uh work that they do daytoday to support our special needs students. what we need to do in order to retain and
045also to recruit many paraprofessionals which has been a source of sadly der in the past several years of finding qualified people is to support this contract. So I ask you please when you go to the polls on March the 10th to support this contract and uh thank those people in person when you see them. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks very much. Are there any other comments or questions? I see another question. Going to ask you to hike down to the microphone. Thank you. Uh, good evening. My name is Tammy Prebble. >> Oh, there. Is that better? >> Yes. >> Okay. I had a mic problem the last time, too. So, at least I won't cry this time. Um, good evening everybody and I want to thank you for this opportunity to let me speak tonight.
046I'm here to ask you for your support on Warrant Article 2. Um, and I'm asking the community to accept and vote in favor of this newly negotiated paraprofessional contract. PAR professionals, excuse me, are often the quiet backbone of our schools. They are hardworking, dedicated, credentialed professionals. Many, sorry, now I got to put my glasses on. Many with college degrees and teaching credentials who have intentionally chosen this work as their career. They show up every day not because it's easy, because it matters. Pair professionals are the bridge between teachers and students. They are the ones who stand beside children who need extra support, encouragement, and guidance. They help students regulate emotions, access learning, build confidence, and believe in themselves. Their impact extends far beyond the classroom into families, friendships, and the broader community. This contract represents
047collaboration at its best. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the school board members, Don Bolins, Heather Murray, Mel Melissa Lions, Chris Andrriski, and to Nicole Argraves, our UNISER director, for their commitment to this process. While there were a few bumps along the way, those challenges were met with open dialogue, respect, and a shared goal. Together, we arrived at a contract that reflects fairness, professionalism, and mutual trust. Truly, thank you guys. Um, most importantly, PAR professionals felt heard, their concerns were listened to, their work was acknowledged, and their value to this community was clearly recognized. To the voters here tonight, thank you in advance for standing with the paraprofessionals who stand with our children every single day. A yes vote on this article is a vote for stability, dignity, and respect. It is
048a vote that tells these paraprofessionals that their work matters and that this community values the people who support its most important resource, our children. Our children ex our children succeed when the adults who support them are respected, valued, and able to stay in the work they love. Our children succeed when the people who support them are supported. A yes vote on warrant article 2 is a yes for our students, our schools, and our community. Please vote yes on warrant article 2. Thank you. >> Thank you, Tammy. >> Thanks very much. Is there anyone else who would like to speak? Seeing none, this article will appear on the ballot without change. Kate, can I make a motion to restrict reconsideration? Thank you. >> Aaron has made a motion to restrict reconsideration. Is there a second? >>
049Second. >> Amy Ransom. Thank you. >> I'm confused. All in favor, please raise your voting cards and say I. >> I. >> All opposed, please raise your cards and say nay. >> The eyes have it. Reconsideration is restricted on this article. Thank you. Okay. Article three, open enrollment. Shall the Exit Region Cooperative School District vote to adopt an open enrollment school program designating cooperative middle school and cooperative high school as open enrollment schools pursuant to New Hampshire RSA 194-D for the purpose of enabling the district to admit zero non-resident students to cooperative middle school and high school and 0% of its resident pupils permitted to attend open enrollment schools located outside the district. Majority vote is required. This is recommended by the co exit cooperative regional school district. Is there a board member or an
050administrator who would like to present this? Amen. Let's just go into it. >> Do you want to make the change for >> Mr. Tffy? Yes, I will speak to the uh the warrant article, but first we'd like to make a motion to amend the warrant article. And it's only the last word of the warrant um because it ends with the uh this is recommended by the Brentwood School District >> or the exit I'm sorry. Um this is recommended by the exit cooperative regional school district and we would like to amend it to read this is recommended by the exit cooperative regional school board as is reflected in all the other warrant articles. And I can place that in writing and bring it to you and the clerk. >> Thank you. >> Isn't it extra region?
051>> Second that >> Mr. Gothier. >> Yes. >> Did you second that? Thank you. >> All right. >> Did you get that, clerk? Thank you. >> Great. >> Oh, yes. >> Isn't >> Yep. >> Shouldn't it say exit regional cooperative school district >> cooperative and regional are so let's redo that. >> Okay. >> Maybe. >> Yes. I'm sorry. So I amend my amendment. Amend it to read the exit regional cooperative school board. So this is recommended by the exit um regional cooperative school board rather than the exit cooperative regional school district. Exit region. >> Exit. >> This is true fact. It's the exit region. >> Region. Oh, all right. >> Says regional. >> Article one says regional. >> I'll say regional. >> Okay. Now we know what school district we're in. >> Okay. So that
052would read the last phrase would be exit region cooperative school board. >> Is that correct? >> Correct. >> Okay. And there is a second from Mr. Gothier. >> I second that. Yes. >> Thank you. Um, is there discussion on this or this amendment? >> Seeing none, I think we can vote on it. All in favor, please raise your cards and say I. I. >> All opposed, please raise your cards and say nay. The eyes appear to have it. Thank you. Uh would someone like to speak to the amended article? >> So I will speak to the amended >> article. Thank you. >> All right. So good evening everyone. Word article 3 addresses a complex and dynamic topic open enrollment. But the question being put to voters is a straightforward one. Do you want your tax
053dollars raised here in the cooperative school district spent in this district to educate students from this district? Retaining local control over how and where our tax dollars are spent is the purpose of this warrant article. To be clear, voting yes for this warrant article will not increase the cooperative district's budget or increase anyone's tax assessment. To the contrary, voting yes for this warrant article could prevent the district being required to send funds raised here to other districts or schools or subsidize the education of students from other districts. Why are we proposing this warrant article? Under current state law, RSA 194D, if you want to look it up, uh if and a recent state supreme court ruling, school districts could be responsible for sending 80% of their average per pupil spending to uh to an open
054enrollment school. and that now includes a recently established online school operated by an outofstate for-profit company. If a student from that district, including homeschooled students, attends the open enrollment school, there is no way for this board or for this community to budget or control budget for or control these outflows without adopting the language of warrant article 3. So if students resident SAU16 opt to attend open enrollment schools, the cooperative district will not realize savings. The loss of a student or two poor grade level um even if such students are actually enrolled in the high school or middle school will not lead to fewer teachers, fewer bus routes, reduced course offerings. These departures will only add an expense and increase tax assessments. So, what this warrant article asks the voters is, do you want to send
055your tax dollars to other schools, including one operated by a for-profit company, um, or do you want your tax dollars to stay here? Under state law, we are required to become an open enrollment uh school, albeit one accepting zero students, in order to expressly state that we want zero dollars going out, which explains the rather unique structure of this warrant article. So, there are two purposes of this warrant article. First to make it known that we want tax dollars raised here, spent here and not sent to other districts. And the second is to limit the risk that the district be required to raise and appropriate additional funds to send to other districts or in short to keep taxes down. >> Thank you for that helpful explanation. Are there other questions or comments from the voters
056on this warrant article? Seeing none, uh, this warrant article will appear as amended on the ballot. Thank you. >> Um, I'd like to make a motion to restrict re reconsideration. >> So, Mr. Blein's making a motion to restrict reconsideration. Um, is there a second? >> Second. >> That's um Thank you, Miss Bolins. All right. All in favor of restricting reconsideration of this article, please raise your cards and say I. >> All opposed, raise your cards and say nay. The eyes have it. This article will not be reconsidered for the rest of the evening. Thank you. All right. We are making good time. The next article is article four, the capital reserve fund. Shall the Exit Region Cooperative School District vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $200,000 to be placed in the capital reserve
057fund previously established in 1998 for the purpose of construction, reconstruction or acquisition of school buildings andor school ground site improvements, including associated engineering and architectural fees and further to name the school board as agents to expend the fund. this sum to come from June 30th fund balance available for transfer on July 1. No additional amount to be raised from taxation. The exit region cooperative school board recommends this excuse me appropriation. Majority vote required. Is there a school board member who'd like to present this article? >> I would. >> Miss Ransom. >> Thank you. The current balance in the trust fund is $852,436. I think you may need to lean in a little bit to that mic. >> Things closer. I >> um Sorry about that. With a goal of setting $1.3 million aside, the district
058is planning on using the money in this fund to pay for the majority if not the entirety of the roof replacement or possible resurfacing at Exit High School as it is nearing the end of the industry standard for the life of a roof. Based on a proposal from a roofing company from February of 2023, the proposed cost to replace the roof at that time was $1,310,000. There is also an option to restore or called resurface the roof that would offer a 15-year warranty, but note at the end of the life of restoration warranty, the roof would then need to be replaced. The estimated cost to resurface the roof is $750,000. Setting aside this money now in this trust fund will address the cost of a roof replacement or possible restoration without having a large impact
059on the budget in one year. Thank you. Are there any other questions or comments? I see someone approaching the mic. >> Elizabeth, is this on? >> Yes. >> Elizabeth Faria Brentwood. Um, just to correct, we're it's the exit region cooperative school district and there's two typos in your article number one. Article two got it correct. Article three, there's two and article four, there's two. The first sentence and the last sentence. So, that needs to be corrected on the ballot. Only article two is correct. >> Thank you. Yes. >> Any other questions or comments? This is on the $200,000 transfer to the capital reserve fund. So, these are correcting um a typo is not something that needs a a motion. Okay. To to we can make those corrections so that we are legally correct. Seeing no
060other comments or questions, this article will appear on the ballot without change. >> Motion to make a motion to restrict uh reconsideration. >> Okay. Mr. Blein makes a motion to restrict reconsideration. Is there a second? Miss Bullins. Okay. All in favor of restricting reconsideration of this article, please raise your cards and say I. >> I. >> All those opposed say nay and raise your cards. The eyes have it. This article will not be reconsidered. Thank you. All right. We are down to article five, the capital reserve fund for the synthetic turf replacement. Shall the Exiter Region Cooperative School District vote to raise and appropriate the sum of up to $50,000 to be placed in the synthetic turf replacement capital reserve fund previously established under the provisions of RSA 351 for replacement of the synthetic turf
061field located at Exit High School. This sum to come from June 30 fund balance available for transfer on July 1. No amount to be raised from taxation. The exit region I think we will change that cooperative school board recommends this appropriation. Majority vote required. Is there a board member that would like to present this? Thank you, Aaron. >> The current fund balance for this is $155,000. $155,78. Our goal for this capital reserve fund is $750,000. This fund is to um reduce the tax implications when the synthetic turf field needs replacement. Great. Thank you very much. Any questions or comments on this article? >> Seeing none, this article will appear on the ballot without any changes. I'd like to make a motion to restrict uh reconsideration. >> Okay, that's Mr. Gothier making a motion to restrict
062reconsideration. >> Is there a second? >> Thank you, Miss Lions. Okay. Uh all in favor of restricting reconsideration, please raise your cards and say I. >> I. >> All opposed, raise your cards and say nay. >> All right. Thank you very much. So, we are done with the items on the warrant. Is there anyone who would like to discuss or transact any other business that may legally come before this meeting? I see someone approaching the microphone. Liz for your Brentwood. Again, um I'd just like to thank the people for showing up. Out of the 26,983 voters we could have here tonight, 70 came from Exit, 26 came from Stratam, 29 came from Brentwood, five came from East Kingston, 17 came from Kensington, and six came from Newfields, but there could have been almost 27,000 people.
063Thank you. >> Love members. we would have needed a bigger venue. >> Before I entertain a motion to dissolve the meeting, I want to thank the people who made this possible. Um, Mr. Sans and our superintendent and the principal of this beautiful building who maintain our facilities so beautifully and welcome the public in for these public meetings. Um, our tech crew here at the high school and at the town who are involved with the recording and functioning of all of our tech equipment here. our administrators, our administrators and building principles as well as our director of finance and operations and our wonderful school board who work so hard throughout the year including our chair, Mr. Gothier, and the budget advisory committee. Thank you. So, I'll now take under entertain a motion to dissolve this meeting.
064>> I'll make a move. >> Amy Ransom, Mr. Uh, Miss Bullins. >> All right. All in favor, please say I and raise your cards. All opposed, say nay. The eyes have it. Please return your cards to the clerks. >> Thank you.