January 18, 2007 Minutes

M.S.A.D. #11
RANDOLPH & PITTSTON SCHOOL FACILITIES COMMUNITY FORUM
T. C. Hamlin Gymnasium
Tuesday, January 18, 2007
7:00 p.m.

PRESENT:Mrs. Paradee, Chair, Mr. Rogers, Vice-Chair, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Dunn, Mrs. Fles, Mr. Hunnewell, Mr. Jermyn, Mrs. Kelley, Mrs. Shaw, Mr. Shea, Mr. Taylor, Dr. Knowles, Ms. Rebar, Mrs. Leathers

There were approximately eighteen citizens and six staff members in attendance.

ABSENT: Mr. King

Mrs. Paradee called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and declared a quorum present.

Mrs. Paradee asked that one item be added to the agenda: Athletic Handbook
Committee - charge and appointment

VOTED: Motion by Mrs. Dunn, seconded by Mrs. Fles to approve the agenda as amended.
11 - 0
Dr. Knowles stated the evening was about having a conversation about the future of Hamlin School. He stated the Board comes with no preconceived ideas but to talk. He stated the evening would start with a tour of the school.

Classrooms are functional with some storage issues and the school has some asbestos tiles which are encapsulated. Jon Stonier, Director of Plant Operations, stated the District has done a lot of cosmetic work to Hamlin, but some issues cannot be taken care of – the roof is aging, the playground and parking are inadequate.

Dr. Knowles presented a list of inadequacies determined by the District’s architect:
1. main structure not sprinkled
2. inadequate bus drop off area and insufficient parking space
3. inadequate playground space
4. insufficient instructional space
5. no ventilation system
6. no roof insulation
7. inadequate kitchen space

Dr. Knowles asked for comments/questions from the audience. The following questions were asked:

1. Why is the District putting in a new carpet and elevator now – why
haven’t we taken care of issues earlier? Dr. Knowles stated the
District invests money every year, but there are nine buildings
and the money is prioritized to take care of the most pressing issues.
2. How much is the elevator costing? $170,000 – buildings must be
handicapped accessible.
3. Why are we investing money when we might be building a new school? Dr. Knowles stated any construction would be approximately ten years from now and there was a need to make the building the best we could for the time
4. If there were a consolidated school, would it reach the top of the list
earlier? Dr. Knowles stated the Governor’s proposal is to reduce
administrative costs, not to reduce schools. He stated all construction money is frozen right now.
5. How much are we putting into the building right now? $496,000
Dr. Knowles stated if the school was closed, the building would be
returned to the town and any enhancements made to the building
would benefit the town.
6. How many children are attending school? Hamlin – 131, Pittston -168
7. Who decides to close school? The Board must vote first, then the town. Mrs. Leathers reminded the audience that if the Board voted to close the school, and the town did not, the town would then be responsible for the costs of keeping it open.
8. How much to sprinkle the building ? Mr. Stonier stated he was having a quote done.
9. Can we expand? Dr. Knowles stated there was no room for expansion. He stated current state rules require at least ten acres to build a school.
10. Where would you put a new school? He stated he did not know of 10 acres in Randolph. If a consolidated school was built, it could be in Pittston, but near Randolph.
11. Is there acreage enough at Pittston to add on to that school? No.
12. Is the Board considering shutting down another school? Dr. Knowles stated right now the District is maximized with no room for additional
programs, such as a four year old program.
13. Do you think that a new school would increase learning? Dr. Knowles stated the governor’s proposal is to increase class sizes. The State will allow only x number of feet per classroom.
14. Will the money being spent now, keep the building open for a length of time? Dr. Knowles stated it will make the building better, but the longer you go out in the future the more antiquated the building becomes. It will not be good for children for another fifty years.
15. Have you done a long term study? He stated the longer out the survey

goes, the less reliable it becomes. We can keep the building going for
the short term, approximately 10 years.
16. Have we identified any property in either town for construction? No, but a consolidated school would need at least 15 acres.
17. Is the population going down? Dr. Knowles stated current data shows the population is stabilized right now

Audience members made the following comments:
1. A member of the audience lauded the staff but stated benefits of
consolidation outweigh the benefit of a local school.
2. Don’t mind consolidating so how much money should we put into this
building to keep it going?
3. This is the only building we have in this town – it is the community
center.

Mrs. Paradee stated the Board would ultimately make the decision and she asked if the audience felt comfortable with a straw poll at this time.

Two members of the audience voted for new construction in Randolph, the remainder voted for a consolidated school. No one voted to try to keep the current building going indefinitely.

Dr. Knowles stated construction applications are due December 2008 and the Board would have to make a decision before then.

Mrs. Paradee stated she and Mr. Rogers were recommending the following charge and committee members for reviewing the high school athletic handbook. The Committee will be chaired by Karen Perry, Athletic Director. Other members are Chad Kempton, Dick Rogers, Eric Jermyn, John Bobrowiecki, Sara Hasty, K.C. Johnson, Maureen McNally and Mark Briggs. The charge is as follows: to review the high school athletic handbook to make sure it is clear, concise, and follows any applicable school policies.

She stated any changes will go to the Policy Committee for review and to the full Board for a vote.

VOTED:Motion by Mrs. Dunn, seconded by Mrs. Fles to approve the charge and
11 –0 committee.

Dr. Knowles presented the Board with a copulation of literature around the Governor’s proposal to consolidate school districts.

He asked the Board to review the high school Program of Studies and let him know if changes need to be made.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.