Nashua School Board Facing Challenges

Nashua's school board met in regular session April 19, in the library of the school and just over two dozen people were in attendance.

Following the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call and approval of some routine items, Chairperson Dale Pugh opened the meeting to public comment.

Ray Yoss, former Nashua resident and business person, addressed the board with concerns he had regarding one of the board members and their spouse; specifically, about posts on Facebook, some of which were allegedly critical of him. Chairperson Pugh thanked Yoss for his comments and concerns and closed the public comment period.

Superintendent Jennifer Cunningham made several recommendations for personnel hires and all were approved by the board, pending background checks: Shannon Barrette, driver education instructor; Sue Hoyer, summer school teacher; and Terrie Arneson, substitute teacher.

Another hot topic during the meeting was hiring procedures for extracurricular positions. Chairperson Pugh, at the request of an attendee, read the current procedure for hiring. The procedure includes coach evaluations be completed by the activity director, which raised a question from the audience: If the activity director is also a coach, who does the evaluation for that coach? According to the board, the superintendent would then be responsible for completing the evaluation.

When posed with the question of whether or not the board wanted to continue with the current procedure or revise the procedure, there wasn't much of a response from the trustees.

However, trustee Joe Laumeyer voiced that he felt sports should be self-sufficient and the school needs to be able to sell tickets. He also explained that he was approached by a community member that asked, “What do you have to do to get a coaching position in this town?”

Feedback was mixed, with some people supporting hiring in house first, to others saying, “We don't want to deter somebody from being a coach,” and “A warm body is not always the best body.”

Laumeyer indicated he would like to see an evaluation tool and possibly some criteria that would define a “qualified” applicant.

Pugh cautioned against setting minimum requirements as it may be difficult to consistently meet those requirements, and Linda Parpart, the school's business manager/clerk, explained that there are job descriptions of each position.

“We are here to assure that good people are hired and they are doing a good job with our kids,” said trustee Cole Sibley. “We need to trust our A.D. (activity director) and our superintendent and not micromanage.”

Trustee Greg Nybakken expressed that he would like to see the A.D. making recommendations for hiring of assistant coaches, but that the head coach be allowed to at least have input in the hiring process.

After much discussion, it was decided to table the item until the next meeting, which will be held Tuesday, April 26.

The 2016-2017 school calendar was not fully approved at the meeting, but the board was able to approve the starting and ending dates of the proposed calendar with PIR dates to be determined at a future date.

The next item on the agenda was the negotiations status report, which also generated some interest and comments from the audience.

Nybakken asked for input from the other trustees regarding the current negotiation proposal from the Nashua Education Association (NEA). At that time, Pugh commented that he would like to get an outside negotiator involved.

Sue Hoyer, first grade teacher, voiced her confusion about why the board would want to take such a step this early in the negotiation process, to which Pugh clarified he wanted professional advice and pointed out that the NEA benefits from advice as well.

It was also clarified that there would be a fee for a negotiator to come in and consult for the district, and that the school district would be responsible for the fee.

When asked what Supt. Cunningham's role in the negotiation process was, it was explained that it was in her job description to consult with the board on certain items and that she was essentially a liaison between the board and the staff.

Cunningham also stated that she felt she should have input on how the school day was going to run. With limited staff and declining enrollment, staff may be needed to perform a variety of duties.

Before the discussion could continue, an attendee reminded the board that the agenda called for a status report of negotiations only and that any specific discussion about negotiation items was likely not appropriate. It was decided that the negotiation committee (trustees Nybakken and Joel Novak) would meet with the NEA one more time.

At that point, Pugh moved the meeting along to the next agenda item.

Several policies were reviewed and adaptations approved or tabled until a later date.

Superintendent Cunningham reported that the students participated in the Academic Olympics and District Music Festival recently and praised them for doing an excellent job, stressing that Nashua has a lot to be proud of with the accomplishments of the students.

Cunningham also reported that a recent fundraiser for the playground was successful. She stressed that she would like to see some progress with the project as the kids have been working hard to raise money for the playground.

Before the meeting adjourned, Pugh reminded everyone of the special meeting set for April 26.