BRISTOL — Members of the Newfound Area School Board faced unfavorable reviews that a former administrator characterized as among the worst he had ever seen, but they passed them off as being based on ignorance and bad timing.
The school board evaluation took place in April, just when residents were rising in opposition to a controversial interpretation of what can legally be included in a default budget. The school board learned of the complaint in time to address it, but instead delayed any discussion until the day before the ballot vote when it would be too late to change the wording. Five months later, the school board still has not made a decision on whether to spend the contested money.
Those taking the survey were as critical of Superintendent Stacy Buckley as they were of the school board, with one respondent saying, “What she says they follow with 0 questioning.”
Bristol resident Archie Auger, who had worked for the Newfound Area School District for 33 years, 25 of those years in administration, said that, if the board discounted half of the comments, “it’s still awful.”
He said, “If you’re going to develop a rapport with the community, you have to make some changes.”
Board Chair Jeff Levesque of Groton said the timing of the report was “terrible” but noted that it had the highest response rate of any previous survey. That said, the 58 responses represented a very small percentage of school district voters. With about 1,200 students in the district, there should be twice as many parents, along with grandparents and others with a direct interest in the schools, Levesque said.
“This was reflective of that point in time,” said Buckley. “We should not just throw it away, but I think that was the situation at the time.”
Board member Sharon Klapyk of Danbury pointed out that some respondents said they were not familiar with what the school board did, and she offered the opinion, “I don’t think it was that bad.”
Christine Davol of New Hampton was similarly dismissive of the comments. “I don’t think the community knows us at all, as to who we are and what we stand for. They’re just uneducated about what we do.”
Sue Cheney of Alexandria said that, as negative as some of the comments were, “The averages weren’t in the basement. There were some “good” and “adequate” [ratings]. But they were a lot lower than the last time.”
Vincent Paul Migliore of Bridgewater suggested that it was up to the school board to explain itself to the community. He advocated bringing back the planning and dialogue meetings that the school board used to conduct each month, where the setting was less formal, the focus was on only one or two items, and members of the public could participate in the discussion.
Survey results
Many of the survey respondents were critical of the board’s leadership, with one saying, “The board is merely a puppet to the superintendent. They do and say what she wants them to do and say and follow along with the internal corruption.”
Another stated, “It is obvious that the superintendent and financial officer run the board. The board is nothing more than a rubber stamp for what the administration wants.”
Cheney’s response to such comments was to point out that, when it comes to hiring or firing an employee, the board has to follow the recommendation of the superintendent. “That what we do,” she said.
Another respondent wrote, “As a taxpayer in the community I have never been asked my opinion of spending/raises/bonuses given.”
“This board refuses to answer questions from the public,” another wrote. “They’ve created an environment that does not welcome the public’s input.”
Again, “most of the board is out of touch with the general public and considers everyone that disagrees with them as an adversary.”
“Sneaking in that extra money into the budget without voter approval, shady to say the least,” another wrote.
On the budget, there were comments such as “When it comes to financing, there are a lot of red flags in this area especially with the 2018 budget,” “The main goal is to increase the budget rather than figure out how to spend the people’s money wisely,” and “CIP program is a disaster.”
School board members said the comments show that people are unaware of all the good things happening at Newfound.
“There are some comments on facilities, but we’ve spent a lot of time on our academic piece,” said Davol. “There’s a lot of real positives in the academic part.”
Levesque noted that the school district has a Principal of the Year, the superintendent was nominated as Superintendent of the Year, and students have a pride in their schools that has been nationally recognized.
“We’re repeatedly complemented on our students’ sportsmanship,” he said. “We have a school district that has come a very long way, and we have some of the best teachers available, and we’re recognized for that. I can’t say that was the case six to 10 years ago.”
Auger commented, “I agree with much of what you’ve said, and have seen tremendous growth. But I will tell you that I have not really heard anyone address the issue that needs to be addressed. You have to focus on the reality. … To say they’re a crackpot, you need to look at what the perception is and what to do to change that. … It’s your responsibility to let yourself be known for what you stand for.”
Security Grant
In other business, the board accepted a $26,400 federal infrastructure grant that will allow the school district to implement school security measures, including doors and locks. The grant pays 80 percent of the cost with the school district kicking in the remaining 20 percent, or $6,600.
The board confirmed the nominations of Jason Frekot as eighth-grade coordinator of extended learning opportunities; Brett Branscombe as general music/chorus instructor at the middle school; and Sheila Carita for special education at the high school.
Buckley noted that she is still looking to fill a para-educator position at the high school, the high school guidance position resulting from the resignation of Shelly Philbrick, and a music position at the middle school.
The board approved an English field trip to Salem, Massachusetts, where students will visit the House of Seven Gables and view “City Innocent” as well as a football camp field trip for team bonding at Vermont Academy.
The board also approved a plan to shift staffing as a result of the loss of Title I funding at New Hampton Community School. The teaching position in New Hampton that is lost will be shifted to provide a para-educator at Bridgewater-Hebron Village School and another full-time para at Bristol Elementary School. A full-time para at Danbury Elementary School will be reduced to three hours a day.
