February 6, 2009
Laconia Citizen
MEREDITH – The Inter-Lakes School District’s budget which exceeds $18 million will be decided by voters, along with two articles related to the taping of School Board meetings.
On Thursday, the Inter-Lakes School Board, officials, and residents gathered for the district’s budget hearing.
Discussion initially was limited to the budget but, after protests by residents, the discussion was opened up to include all warrant articles.
The proposed 2009-2010 budget is $18,912,973, an increase of $46,774 or .25 percent from the current-year budget.
The largest impacts on the budget were related to increases in insurance rates and rates for the New Hampshire Retirement System. To lessen that impact, the district has minimized the purchased of new and replacement furniture and equipment.
The district has experienced steadily decreasing enrollment which also has been a major factor in holding costs in check. In response to lower population, the district planned to cut 3.7 full-time-equivalent positions.
Declining enrollment and changes in the way regular education is delivered have resulted in a net decrease of 1.29 equivalent positions in teachers. A cut of .2 position is proposed in guidance at the middle tier as enrollments in seventh and eighth grade are down.
Changes in the needs of students with educational disabilities will result in the elimination of one full-time teacher equivalent and 1.01 paraprofessional equivalents in special education. The certified occupational therapy assistant’s position will be decreased by .2 due to these changes.
The district’s world language committee recommended at the end of 2008 to add 1.2 full-time equivalencies in Spanish for Inter-Lakes elementary and middle tier and Sandwich Central schools. In Sandwich, that adds a .2 equivalency position with .667 at Inter-Lakes Elementary and .333 at the middle tier.
Voters also will consider two articles related to the taping of School Board meetings.
The issue was brought forward in 2008 by some residents concerned about “transparency”. The School Board has extensively discussed the issue, weighing factors such as there not being any cable in Sandwich and limited cable in Center Harbor as well as having all board members, officials, and speakers visible and heard clearly.
A warrant article from the School Board calls for the appropriation of $15,976 for the purchase and installation of video equipment, related fees, and labor costs. The cost also includes streaming video online and podcasts so residents from all towns will be able to view or listen to the meetings.
While it is a School Board article, Chair Jack Carty and board member Howard Cunningham voted against it.
Another article generated by petition calls for the district to tape and broadcast the meetings on Lakes Region Public Access Television, using the existing equipment at the Meredith Community Center the Meredith Board of Selectmen meets. The petitioned article also directs the School Board to change the location of its meetings and work sessions to that room in the community center, known as Conference Room B. The School Board currently meets in the Humiston Building on Main Street in Meredith.
Meredith resident Dave Sticht said the Right to Know Law does not require that meetings be broadcast.
“Right now, spending around $16,000 is frivolous spending, I believe,” he said.
Meredith resident Lisa Merrill, who has been recording School Board meetings, said the petitioned article was meant to address the taping issue at lower cost, as there already is video equipment available.
“I’ve been videotaping these meetings because I believe in an open and transparent government,” she said.
Merrill said she has spoken with officials in Meredith and learned that the board could use the community center free of charge and Meredith’s participation in LRPA covers the access fee for nonprofit organizations such as the School Board.
Carty said the School Board’s proposal for using media beyond cable television was to make the information more accessible to communities in the district without cable or with limited cable.
“I just think things are so tight right now things ought to be looked at,” said Karen Sticht of Meredith. “I think things like public access TV is something we ought not to spend money on.”
Voters also will consider an article to adopt the provisions of RSA 40:13, the Official Ballot Act, commonly known as SB2, which would replace the school district meeting with a deliberative session and ballot voting. Hearings on the article will take place on Monday, Feb. 16, in Center Harbor, Tuesday, Feb. 17, in Meredith, and Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Sandwich.
Budget items will be voted upon as part of the warrant for the March 4 school district meeting.
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CNHT would like to remind all readers that it is your absolute right under RSA 91-A to audiotape, videotape or photograph ANY PUBLIC MEETING without restriction and that failure to allow you to do so could subject the town to a lawsuit. Aside from public television, any video camera can be used to film meetings to create a record of the meeting which can then be uploaded to the internet for little or no cost except the time it took to be present to do it.