From the Eagle Tribune;
November 30, 2010
Atkinson energy audit shows potential savings
By Cara Hogan chogan@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Tue Nov 30, 2010, 12:01 AM EST
ATKINSON — The town could save 53 percent on fuel and 30 percent on electricity to heat the town's buildings, but only by spending $706,000 on energy-saving repairs and updates.
The just-completed energy audit of eight town buildings is the first of its kind for Atkinson, according to Town Manager Philip Smith.
"The town has addressed issues individually as needed, but never as comprehensive as what's been done now," Smith said. "The last thing they did that was an electric audit, an electric company coming in and looking at the electric usage. But this looks at much more."
Elmer Arbagast of Arbagast Energy Auditing did the audit and analyzed the energy usage in each building, coming up with changes, large and small, to improve energy efficiency and save money.
"I went to all the buildings and looked at all the energy usage, temperature and humidity, took all the data collected and put together a list of potential recommendations," he said.
The list includes changing lighting, weatherizing buildings with new insulation, and upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Arbagast said there is potential for on-site renewable energy: a thermal solar unit at the police station and a combined heat-and-power unit at Town Hall. He said the changes would reduce the town's CO2 emissions by 53 percent.
However, all of the recommendations would be expensive, costing more than $700,000. Arbagast said most towns don't do everything on the list.
"Most towns implement some of the recommendations over multiple years," he said. "I would anticipate Atkinson implementing half of these over five years."
The town applied for a federal stimulus grant to fund the energy audit, which cost just under $15,000. Because of the funding, other towns also are looking to have energy audits, and Arbagast said he might be working with Windham next.
Smith said the town will officially unveil the report and all the details at the selectmen's meeting Dec. 7.
Atkinson Town Hall
The Norman Rockwellian picture of Atkinson
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
A look at Southern NH superintendent pay
From the Eagle Tribune;
November 28, 2010
A look at Southern NH superintendent pay
By John Toole jtoole@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sun Nov 28, 2010, 12:41 AM EST
Londonderry School District's Nathan J. Greenberg is New Hampshire's superintendent of the year. But he's not the highest paid superintendent in Southern New Hampshire.
That honor goes to Timberlane Regional School District's Richard A. La Salle, whose $135,960 salary is tops among six superintendents in the region, according to figures released last month by the state Department of Education.
But Greenberg, whose pay for 2010-2011 is $131,325, has something La Salle can't claim this year: a raise. Greenberg's School Board gave him a $2,575 increase over last year's salary.
There is only about a $20,000 difference between Southern New Hampshire's highest and lowest paid superintendents. Their contracts are typical for New Hampshire superintendents, falling in the range of $120,000s to $130,000s. The state's highest paid superintendent is Manchester's Thomas Brennan at $160,471.
Superintendents work an average of 70 hours a week, getting up to check on road conditions before dawn and meeting late at night with school boards, according to Mark Joyce, a former superintendent who is executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association.
"Being a CEO, you are 24/7/365," Joyce said.
The job has great challenges and great rewards, he said.
"You cannot operate in the role to make friends," Joyce said. "You have hard decisions to make on the part of children."
Is Londonderry's Greenberg worth the money? His School Board thinks so.
"Nate every day is like a page out of a how-to-grow-your-business-successfully book," Londonderry School Board member Steve Young said. "He's always in the schools, with management and with the employees. He knows everyone."
Greenberg has coped with reduced personnel, but "not reduced the delivery of the product, which is the education of the student in the classroom," Young said.
The Londonderry superintendent also has been in the thick of the state school funding fight, helping to start a coalition to look out for the interest of school districts.
"It was very important to him that we not make this a fight for us, but make it for every child in New Hampshire," Young recalled.
By the numbers
A superintendent, like a ballplayer, also can be measured by statistics.
Look at key numbers compiled for the state Department of Education and Greenberg comes to the head of the class.
His dropout rate? One of the best in New Hampshire at 2.8 percent. His student attendance? Beats the state average at 95.9 percent.
Salem's Michael Delahanty ranks fifth in pay among the region's six superintendents at $120,500.
Salem School Board member Bernard Campbell said Salem's superintendent should rank first or second in the region for pay.
"Mr. Delahanty's salary has been dropping (in comparison to other superintendents) for some time and that concerns me," Campbell said. "He has a sincere desire to see students succeed. He does not rest, literally and figuratively, to achieve that goal."
Joyce said pay for New Hampshire's school superintendents is typical for northern New England, but much lower than Massachusetts.
Andover, Mass., earlier this year advertised a superintendent's post with a salary range of $180,000 to $200,000.
Parents should evaluate superintendents on the experience of their children in schools, on the superintendent's communication from school to home, Joyce said. Taxpayers, who may not be parents, should look at their superintendent's stewardship of public resources and skills in management, he said.
Some say pay is too high
George Lovejoy, chairman of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, which has campaigned for local government tax and spending caps, said school administrators are costing taxpayers "way too much money."
It's not just in the top salaries, but the growth in the administration: more assistant superintendents, more business managers and finance officers, Lovejoy said.
"They get pay increases when the general worker, the taxpayer, is out of work or not receiving pay increases," he said.
They also get benefit packages and retirement plans, Lovejoy said.
The number of administrators has grown even as the number of students enrolled has declined in recent years, he said.
"There's something wrong with that," he said.
Lovejoy advocates a state study of school administrative units. He wonders if New Hampshire would be better with fewer of them through consolidations.
"Do we need a district in every other town?" he asked. "I think we can do a better job than we are now doing."
If teachers aren't doing the job in the classroom, they should be replaced. The same goes for superintendents, in Lovejoy's mind.
"Do we have progress in performance in the subject areas in the classroom?" Lovejoy asked.
Rick Trombly, director of public affairs for the National Education Association-New Hampshire, which represents 16,000 unionized teachers and support staff, said some of his members will tell you their superintendents are paid appropriately, while others will have a less rosy view.
That's because of the natural tension between labor and management, he said. Their opinions, he said, vary district by district, almost member to member.
Parents, in evaluating whether their superintendent is paid appropriately, should look at a variety of factors, in Trombly's view. How does the superintendent get along with the school board? The faculty? Does he understand the laws that govern education?
"Is the superintendent able to inspire not only the school community, but the local community" in support of education, Trombly asks.
"Can you say the superintendent has the interests of the students at heart when he makes a decision?" he said.
But Trombly admits the job of a superintendent isn't easy.
"Sometimes these people are running a school community that is larger than some of the towns in this state," Trombly said.
All about superintendents
Superintendent Pay 2010-2011
Richard A. La Salle, Timberlane, $135,960
Nathan J. Greenberg, Londonderry, $131,325
Frank Bass, Pelham-Windham, $121,411
Brian J. Blake, Sanborn Regional, $120,750
Michael W. Delahanty, Salem, $120,500
Mary Ellen Hannon, Derry, $117,749
November 28, 2010
A look at Southern NH superintendent pay
By John Toole jtoole@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sun Nov 28, 2010, 12:41 AM EST
Londonderry School District's Nathan J. Greenberg is New Hampshire's superintendent of the year. But he's not the highest paid superintendent in Southern New Hampshire.
That honor goes to Timberlane Regional School District's Richard A. La Salle, whose $135,960 salary is tops among six superintendents in the region, according to figures released last month by the state Department of Education.
But Greenberg, whose pay for 2010-2011 is $131,325, has something La Salle can't claim this year: a raise. Greenberg's School Board gave him a $2,575 increase over last year's salary.
There is only about a $20,000 difference between Southern New Hampshire's highest and lowest paid superintendents. Their contracts are typical for New Hampshire superintendents, falling in the range of $120,000s to $130,000s. The state's highest paid superintendent is Manchester's Thomas Brennan at $160,471.
Superintendents work an average of 70 hours a week, getting up to check on road conditions before dawn and meeting late at night with school boards, according to Mark Joyce, a former superintendent who is executive director of the New Hampshire School Administrators Association.
"Being a CEO, you are 24/7/365," Joyce said.
The job has great challenges and great rewards, he said.
"You cannot operate in the role to make friends," Joyce said. "You have hard decisions to make on the part of children."
Is Londonderry's Greenberg worth the money? His School Board thinks so.
"Nate every day is like a page out of a how-to-grow-your-business-successfully book," Londonderry School Board member Steve Young said. "He's always in the schools, with management and with the employees. He knows everyone."
Greenberg has coped with reduced personnel, but "not reduced the delivery of the product, which is the education of the student in the classroom," Young said.
The Londonderry superintendent also has been in the thick of the state school funding fight, helping to start a coalition to look out for the interest of school districts.
"It was very important to him that we not make this a fight for us, but make it for every child in New Hampshire," Young recalled.
By the numbers
A superintendent, like a ballplayer, also can be measured by statistics.
Look at key numbers compiled for the state Department of Education and Greenberg comes to the head of the class.
His dropout rate? One of the best in New Hampshire at 2.8 percent. His student attendance? Beats the state average at 95.9 percent.
Salem's Michael Delahanty ranks fifth in pay among the region's six superintendents at $120,500.
Salem School Board member Bernard Campbell said Salem's superintendent should rank first or second in the region for pay.
"Mr. Delahanty's salary has been dropping (in comparison to other superintendents) for some time and that concerns me," Campbell said. "He has a sincere desire to see students succeed. He does not rest, literally and figuratively, to achieve that goal."
Joyce said pay for New Hampshire's school superintendents is typical for northern New England, but much lower than Massachusetts.
Andover, Mass., earlier this year advertised a superintendent's post with a salary range of $180,000 to $200,000.
Parents should evaluate superintendents on the experience of their children in schools, on the superintendent's communication from school to home, Joyce said. Taxpayers, who may not be parents, should look at their superintendent's stewardship of public resources and skills in management, he said.
Some say pay is too high
George Lovejoy, chairman of the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, which has campaigned for local government tax and spending caps, said school administrators are costing taxpayers "way too much money."
It's not just in the top salaries, but the growth in the administration: more assistant superintendents, more business managers and finance officers, Lovejoy said.
"They get pay increases when the general worker, the taxpayer, is out of work or not receiving pay increases," he said.
They also get benefit packages and retirement plans, Lovejoy said.
The number of administrators has grown even as the number of students enrolled has declined in recent years, he said.
"There's something wrong with that," he said.
Lovejoy advocates a state study of school administrative units. He wonders if New Hampshire would be better with fewer of them through consolidations.
"Do we need a district in every other town?" he asked. "I think we can do a better job than we are now doing."
If teachers aren't doing the job in the classroom, they should be replaced. The same goes for superintendents, in Lovejoy's mind.
"Do we have progress in performance in the subject areas in the classroom?" Lovejoy asked.
Rick Trombly, director of public affairs for the National Education Association-New Hampshire, which represents 16,000 unionized teachers and support staff, said some of his members will tell you their superintendents are paid appropriately, while others will have a less rosy view.
That's because of the natural tension between labor and management, he said. Their opinions, he said, vary district by district, almost member to member.
Parents, in evaluating whether their superintendent is paid appropriately, should look at a variety of factors, in Trombly's view. How does the superintendent get along with the school board? The faculty? Does he understand the laws that govern education?
"Is the superintendent able to inspire not only the school community, but the local community" in support of education, Trombly asks.
"Can you say the superintendent has the interests of the students at heart when he makes a decision?" he said.
But Trombly admits the job of a superintendent isn't easy.
"Sometimes these people are running a school community that is larger than some of the towns in this state," Trombly said.
All about superintendents
Superintendent Pay 2010-2011
Richard A. La Salle, Timberlane, $135,960
Nathan J. Greenberg, Londonderry, $131,325
Frank Bass, Pelham-Windham, $121,411
Brian J. Blake, Sanborn Regional, $120,750
Michael W. Delahanty, Salem, $120,500
Mary Ellen Hannon, Derry, $117,749
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving to All, In the President's words.
President George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Reads as follows, and is followed by Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation.
GEORGE WASHINGTON’S THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATION – 1789
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor; and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the twenty-six of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that Great and Glorious Being, who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country, previous to their becoming a nation; for the single manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His providence, in the courage and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish Constitutions of Government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
“And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the Great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether
in public or private institutions, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise,
just, and constitutional laws, discretely and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us) and to bless them with good governments,
peace and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science, among them and us; and generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity an He alone knows to be best.”
______________________________________________________________
Proclamation of Thanksgiving by the President of the United States of America
The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful years and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the field of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than theretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.
In testimony wherof I have herunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
[Signed]
A. Lincoln
Most people forget the origin of Thanksgiving, and our children are usually taught in school that it's purpose was to give thanks to the indians that helped the pilgrims through that first winter. In truth it was our leaders giving thanks to God for our Nation. For Freedom, our Constitution, and the ability to live their lives without having to ask permission from an overriding government, or a tempermental King.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Timberlane Administrators take Vegas trip on our dime!
From the Eagle Tribune;
November 22, 2010
Timberlane officials tight-lipped about Vegas trip
By Cara Hogan chogan@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Mon Nov 22, 2010, 02:05 AM EST
PLAISTOW — Four Timberlane School District administrators flew to Las Vegas for a two-day conference this month, but district officials won't say whether taxpayer money funded the trip.
The School Board chairman and the superintendent also refused to identify the four employees who made the trip.
Edwina Lovett, the district's director of pupil personnel services, said she and three other administrators paid a significant portion of the cost themselves, in order to save the district money.
"The trip was approved, but we paid a good portion of this on our own, including accommodations and food," Lovett said. "For myself, I applied for a grant and paid for the registration of the conference, roughly $500."
The conference was held at the Bally Hotel in Las Vegas Nov. 4 and 5 and focused on school improvement.
Pollard School principal Michelle Auger also attended the conference. She said it was worthwhile to hear from education expert Robert Marzano, the main speaker.
"I think the district got a good deal out of it," Auger said. "We brought back quite a few things we're beginning to implement. There were some great ideas about critical commitments essential to improving student achievement, which is what Pollard School needs to do."
Neither Lovett nor Auger would identify the two colleagues who accompanied them.
"I feel like there's a bus driving around and I don't want to throw anyone under the bus," Auger said.
She defended the trip and the money the district spent on it.
"The only thing the district paid for was the conference itself, which was about $500," she said. "We paid for the flight, our hotel and the food."
From what little information has been made public, it doesn't appear the district invested a lot of money in the trip. But officials and School Board members refused to respond to repeated requests for information.
Numerous telephone calls were made late last week to all nine School Board members. Only one board member — Louis Porcelli — responded. But Porcelli said he had never heard a word about the trip.
Superintendent Richard La Salle and School Board Chairman Elizabeth Kosta did not return repeated phone messages.
Approached before the Timberlane School Board meeting Thursday, board members and La Salle refused to comment on the trip.
When asked directly Thursday evening, La Salle deferred to Kosta.
She initially refused comment, saying there wasn't a story.
When pressed, Kosta would only say the School Board does not approve travel expenses for the district.
At least one parent is less than pleased. Peter Bealo of Plaistow has two children at Timberlane and said at first, he couldn't believe the administration had really gone to Vegas.
"I had heard of one or more members of administration attending a conference," Bealo said in an e-mail. "I assumed it was a New Hampshire statewide conference, not some trip across the country."
He said it just isn't right to spend money on this type of trip, even if the administrators paid for some of it themselves.
"In this time of cutbacks all around, and with plenty of taxpayers out of work, such a trip would be a very bad choice," Bealo said.
But Lovett defended the conference trip.
"I don't believe we're wasting money at all," she said. "There were colleagues from all over the U.S. and Canada that attended this conference. These are experts in education."
Lovett said she invites anyone with questions or criticisms about the trip to call her directly.
The Eagle-Tribune Friday filed Freedom of Information Act requests for the names of the school employees who took the trip, the amount of money the district paid and who approved the expense. The request is still pending.
November 22, 2010
Timberlane officials tight-lipped about Vegas trip
By Cara Hogan chogan@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Mon Nov 22, 2010, 02:05 AM EST
PLAISTOW — Four Timberlane School District administrators flew to Las Vegas for a two-day conference this month, but district officials won't say whether taxpayer money funded the trip.
The School Board chairman and the superintendent also refused to identify the four employees who made the trip.
Edwina Lovett, the district's director of pupil personnel services, said she and three other administrators paid a significant portion of the cost themselves, in order to save the district money.
"The trip was approved, but we paid a good portion of this on our own, including accommodations and food," Lovett said. "For myself, I applied for a grant and paid for the registration of the conference, roughly $500."
The conference was held at the Bally Hotel in Las Vegas Nov. 4 and 5 and focused on school improvement.
Pollard School principal Michelle Auger also attended the conference. She said it was worthwhile to hear from education expert Robert Marzano, the main speaker.
"I think the district got a good deal out of it," Auger said. "We brought back quite a few things we're beginning to implement. There were some great ideas about critical commitments essential to improving student achievement, which is what Pollard School needs to do."
Neither Lovett nor Auger would identify the two colleagues who accompanied them.
"I feel like there's a bus driving around and I don't want to throw anyone under the bus," Auger said.
She defended the trip and the money the district spent on it.
"The only thing the district paid for was the conference itself, which was about $500," she said. "We paid for the flight, our hotel and the food."
From what little information has been made public, it doesn't appear the district invested a lot of money in the trip. But officials and School Board members refused to respond to repeated requests for information.
Numerous telephone calls were made late last week to all nine School Board members. Only one board member — Louis Porcelli — responded. But Porcelli said he had never heard a word about the trip.
Superintendent Richard La Salle and School Board Chairman Elizabeth Kosta did not return repeated phone messages.
Approached before the Timberlane School Board meeting Thursday, board members and La Salle refused to comment on the trip.
When asked directly Thursday evening, La Salle deferred to Kosta.
She initially refused comment, saying there wasn't a story.
When pressed, Kosta would only say the School Board does not approve travel expenses for the district.
At least one parent is less than pleased. Peter Bealo of Plaistow has two children at Timberlane and said at first, he couldn't believe the administration had really gone to Vegas.
"I had heard of one or more members of administration attending a conference," Bealo said in an e-mail. "I assumed it was a New Hampshire statewide conference, not some trip across the country."
He said it just isn't right to spend money on this type of trip, even if the administrators paid for some of it themselves.
"In this time of cutbacks all around, and with plenty of taxpayers out of work, such a trip would be a very bad choice," Bealo said.
But Lovett defended the conference trip.
"I don't believe we're wasting money at all," she said. "There were colleagues from all over the U.S. and Canada that attended this conference. These are experts in education."
Lovett said she invites anyone with questions or criticisms about the trip to call her directly.
The Eagle-Tribune Friday filed Freedom of Information Act requests for the names of the school employees who took the trip, the amount of money the district paid and who approved the expense. The request is still pending.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Report on the SAU Budget public hearing
ARTICLE SUBMISSION PLEASE
Report on the SAU Budget public hearing.
by Mark Acciard
For those of you who were unaware, and I am guessing that is most of you, the SAU held their budget public hearing tonight.
How this works is that the two school boards; Timberlane and Hampstead, both approve the Superintendent's budget for the SAU, then the SAU has it's own budget public hearing, voting to move the budget forward, the next time you will hear about this budget is when we get to school district deliberative session in February. It will show up in the Timberlane budget as a single line item for 75% of the $1.3 million SAU budget. The other 25% is Hampstead's portion.
As I told Mr. LaSalle and Mr. Stokinger at the meeting tonight, Thank you! They prepared a very tight budget for the SAU for the coming year. $1.3million to service the 13 employees of the SAU. As expected health insurance is up significantly, as a re other benefits. Administrators will receive a 2% raise this year. What I found most disappointing, other than the lack of public participation( I was the only member of the public there until Mr. Artus arrived, then there were two.) was the sad fact that not one member of the school district budget committee felt the need to attend. Granted, I asked all the questions about what was in various line items that they should have been there to ask, but not even the chair felt the need to find out what would be presented to them as a single line item later on. As this was a public hearing, it is the last chance to change or question that budget, and the budget committee obviously felt due diligence was beyond their ken.
When will we ever have a school district budget committee that does not see it's role as "selling the superintendent's budget" but in following state budget law, and preparing the budget?
November 18, 2010 12:02 AM
Report on the SAU Budget public hearing.
by Mark Acciard
For those of you who were unaware, and I am guessing that is most of you, the SAU held their budget public hearing tonight.
How this works is that the two school boards; Timberlane and Hampstead, both approve the Superintendent's budget for the SAU, then the SAU has it's own budget public hearing, voting to move the budget forward, the next time you will hear about this budget is when we get to school district deliberative session in February. It will show up in the Timberlane budget as a single line item for 75% of the $1.3 million SAU budget. The other 25% is Hampstead's portion.
As I told Mr. LaSalle and Mr. Stokinger at the meeting tonight, Thank you! They prepared a very tight budget for the SAU for the coming year. $1.3million to service the 13 employees of the SAU. As expected health insurance is up significantly, as a re other benefits. Administrators will receive a 2% raise this year. What I found most disappointing, other than the lack of public participation( I was the only member of the public there until Mr. Artus arrived, then there were two.) was the sad fact that not one member of the school district budget committee felt the need to attend. Granted, I asked all the questions about what was in various line items that they should have been there to ask, but not even the chair felt the need to find out what would be presented to them as a single line item later on. As this was a public hearing, it is the last chance to change or question that budget, and the budget committee obviously felt due diligence was beyond their ken.
When will we ever have a school district budget committee that does not see it's role as "selling the superintendent's budget" but in following state budget law, and preparing the budget?
November 18, 2010 12:02 AM
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Atkinson man faces 29 sex assault charges
From the Eagle Tribune;
November 17, 2010
Atkinson man faces 29 sex assault charges
By Jillian Jorgensen jjorgensen@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Wed Nov 17, 2010, 12:16 AM EST
BRENTWOOD — An Atkinson man has been indicted on 29 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault for allegedly abusing two girls — one a blood relative — in the 1980s.
Robert Sturk, 68, of 8 Sawmill Road, was indicted this month by a Rockingham County grand jury. The indictments allege he abused two girls, beginning when both were under the age of 13. The alleged abuse goes back to Jan. 2, 1981, and continued into 1990, all in Atkinson.
The earliest indictments are for crimes alleged to have occurred in January 1981, when the first victim was 8 years old. Sturk repeatedly touched her genitals, including while she was showering, raped her, and made her perform oral sex on him, according to the slew of indictments listing her as the victim. The abuse continued until 1984, according to the documents.
Sturk also is accused of similarly abusing another girl, who the indictments say was a blood relative, beginning in 1986 when she was 9 years old. That abuse included Sturk touching the girl's genitals and penetrating her sexually with an object, and it lasted until August 1990, according to the documents.
Sturk did not return a message left for him yesterday. Prosecutor Karen Springer, with the county attorney's office, said he did not have a lawyer when his case was considered by the grand jury.
The case came to the county attorney's office through the Atkinson police, Springer said.
"It sort of came in the routine way for the police department and, as a result of that, we had contact with the victims," Springer said.
Atkinson police referred all questions about the case to the county attorney's office.
Springer said the statute of limitations in the case allowed prosecutors to charge Sturk for sexual assaults dating back to Jan. 1, 1981. There were so many counts, many alleging conduct over six-month periods, Springer said, because prior to 1994, prosecutors could not charge someone with a crime committed as a pattern over time. Other indictments do allege some of the conduct, such as the rape of Sturk's first victim, occurred sometime in a period that lasted for multiple years, and Springer said that was due to "economy."
"I could probably charge a lot more," she said.
For each of the 29 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, Sturk faces seven and a half to 15 years in prison.
November 17, 2010
Atkinson man faces 29 sex assault charges
By Jillian Jorgensen jjorgensen@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Wed Nov 17, 2010, 12:16 AM EST
BRENTWOOD — An Atkinson man has been indicted on 29 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault for allegedly abusing two girls — one a blood relative — in the 1980s.
Robert Sturk, 68, of 8 Sawmill Road, was indicted this month by a Rockingham County grand jury. The indictments allege he abused two girls, beginning when both were under the age of 13. The alleged abuse goes back to Jan. 2, 1981, and continued into 1990, all in Atkinson.
The earliest indictments are for crimes alleged to have occurred in January 1981, when the first victim was 8 years old. Sturk repeatedly touched her genitals, including while she was showering, raped her, and made her perform oral sex on him, according to the slew of indictments listing her as the victim. The abuse continued until 1984, according to the documents.
Sturk also is accused of similarly abusing another girl, who the indictments say was a blood relative, beginning in 1986 when she was 9 years old. That abuse included Sturk touching the girl's genitals and penetrating her sexually with an object, and it lasted until August 1990, according to the documents.
Sturk did not return a message left for him yesterday. Prosecutor Karen Springer, with the county attorney's office, said he did not have a lawyer when his case was considered by the grand jury.
The case came to the county attorney's office through the Atkinson police, Springer said.
"It sort of came in the routine way for the police department and, as a result of that, we had contact with the victims," Springer said.
Atkinson police referred all questions about the case to the county attorney's office.
Springer said the statute of limitations in the case allowed prosecutors to charge Sturk for sexual assaults dating back to Jan. 1, 1981. There were so many counts, many alleging conduct over six-month periods, Springer said, because prior to 1994, prosecutors could not charge someone with a crime committed as a pattern over time. Other indictments do allege some of the conduct, such as the rape of Sturk's first victim, occurred sometime in a period that lasted for multiple years, and Springer said that was due to "economy."
"I could probably charge a lot more," she said.
For each of the 29 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, Sturk faces seven and a half to 15 years in prison.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
SCOOP: Judge Denies Osborn Motion, trial in 1 month!
For those who have been following the saga of the Osborns alleged unauthorized taking of Carol Davis' land, the Rockingham Superior Court Judge issued the Osborns a stunning rebuke this week. In his Order meticulously researched with and laced with case law citations, he denied the Osborn's claim that they had a right to build on Carol Davis' land.
Despite Maggie's incessantly repeated claims here in town of "owning a deeded right of way" for the last two years, strangely enough when filing motions in Court she has noticably backed off that claim, retreating so far as to try to claim that the driveway which she cut down trees and graded the land to build was ACTUALLY a "public way" in regular use for at least 20 years! That's right she went into court trying to claim it as a "road of prescription". Sorry Maggie.
The judge rightly stated that the ROW did not even appear on Mrs Davis' plot plan until 1995, when it was a "proposed road". He rightly points out that it was never conveyed to anyone, leaving the rights to it in the hands of Mrs. Davis alone. He further points out that in 1995, the land underlying the ROW, was conveyed and specifically included in Mrs. Davis' deed "to correct a zoning violation" for an undersized lot.
He noted that Mrs. Osborn's deed DOES give them a ROW to Chase Island rd. and that the ROW appears to be Valcat ln., as has been used as such for 90 years, as laid out in the plot plan which the Osborn's deed specifically references.
It now appears that the Court has validated the arguments made against the Osborn's unneighborly encroachments upon their neighbors land, validated the problems pointed out at planning board meetings by Mr. Artus, and soundly rebuked the legal ramblings of the ZBA chair Mr. Polito.
Trial is in mid December in Rockingham Superior Court, but we can not see upon what basis the Osborn's can possibly continue their proposed theft, but it will be interesting to watch. We wonder how this will affect all of Maggie's legal claims against he neighbors?
Despite Maggie's incessantly repeated claims here in town of "owning a deeded right of way" for the last two years, strangely enough when filing motions in Court she has noticably backed off that claim, retreating so far as to try to claim that the driveway which she cut down trees and graded the land to build was ACTUALLY a "public way" in regular use for at least 20 years! That's right she went into court trying to claim it as a "road of prescription". Sorry Maggie.
The judge rightly stated that the ROW did not even appear on Mrs Davis' plot plan until 1995, when it was a "proposed road". He rightly points out that it was never conveyed to anyone, leaving the rights to it in the hands of Mrs. Davis alone. He further points out that in 1995, the land underlying the ROW, was conveyed and specifically included in Mrs. Davis' deed "to correct a zoning violation" for an undersized lot.
He noted that Mrs. Osborn's deed DOES give them a ROW to Chase Island rd. and that the ROW appears to be Valcat ln., as has been used as such for 90 years, as laid out in the plot plan which the Osborn's deed specifically references.
It now appears that the Court has validated the arguments made against the Osborn's unneighborly encroachments upon their neighbors land, validated the problems pointed out at planning board meetings by Mr. Artus, and soundly rebuked the legal ramblings of the ZBA chair Mr. Polito.
Trial is in mid December in Rockingham Superior Court, but we can not see upon what basis the Osborn's can possibly continue their proposed theft, but it will be interesting to watch. We wonder how this will affect all of Maggie's legal claims against he neighbors?
Monday, November 8, 2010
Timberlane: More learning, less pressure without exams
From the Eagle Tribune;
November 8, 2010
Timberlane: More learning, less pressure without exams
By Cara Hogan chogan@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Mon Nov 08, 2010, 02:54 AM EST
PLAISTOW — Now that Timberlane Regional High School no longer has midterms or final exams, both students and teachers say they feel more relaxed in the classroom.
"I feel like it's not as stressful," said Sam Hackney, a Timberlane junior. "You're not worried about cramming before the midterm and then just forget everything after. Now we're learning more."
Over the summer, Timberlane principal Don Woodworth announced the decision to eliminate the exams that counted for 10 percent of students' grades.
Now, after teaching for a few months with the new program, he said teachers focus on reaching competency levels in each subject.
"We're still going to have large tests, we're just not calling them midterms and finals," Woodworth said. "Now the teachers can decide how much a test is worth per quarter. We're assessing with more of a plan in mind about if all the kids reach a competency, such as learning an algebra concept."
If kids don't understand a concept at the end of a section, they are sent to a lab to get extra help. Woodworth said this style of teaching helps students with different learning methods.
James Kelly, a social studies teacher, said he's changed the way he teaches.
"Not having midterms and finals allows me to be more flexible and gives the students a chance to be creative," Kelly said. "One project we do is an Ellis Island simulator. Students have a role of coming to America as an immigrant in 1900. We act it out and they can talk about their experience."
He also said the new system also allows him 10 more days of instruction, days that used to be taken up with reviewing for and taking the exams.
"That's almost a whole unit in a half-year class," Kelly said. "All in all, I'm loving it so far."
But some parents are less pleased with the changes at the school. Peter Bealo of Plaistow has two children at Timberlane, his son, a freshman, and his daughter, a senior.
"The other part that bothers me is about being an experiment," Bealo said. "When some parents asked could you tell us what districts have done this successfully, the principal said someone up in Maine and a district in New York state have tried this. But no one in New Hampshire. Let's let someone else be guinea pigs."
He said he understands the school had to make some changes because of poor New England Common Assessment Program scores. But he said he is worried the lack of testing would not prepare students for college, where midterms and finals are often the only grades in a semester course.
Woodworth argued the big tests are part of the problem holding back learning.
"Kids sometimes put off trying to learn until the large test," he said. "I think that's where failure comes, when kids misjudged and try to cram and achieve significant learning at the end of a long period of time. We want to make sure they're learning all the way through so when we give a cumulative exam, they'll do better."
Melissa Zorn, a Timberlane junior, said she's enjoyed the change in teaching style.
"The assessments are a wide range of tests, not just a big paper-and-pencil test," she said. "In my biology class, we had to show and narrate how DNA creates proteins. I didn't get it until someone showed it to the class. Actually doing it with the physical model made such a difference."
She said it gives the class a completely different feel.
"It's not just filling out A, B, C, but more creative," Zorn said. "I feel like I'm learning more because they're giving us information in a new way. I agree that maybe the lack of tests could hurt some students in college, but there is just as much pressure on competencies. We still have to learn the information, and we still have to study."
November 8, 2010
Timberlane: More learning, less pressure without exams
By Cara Hogan chogan@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Mon Nov 08, 2010, 02:54 AM EST
PLAISTOW — Now that Timberlane Regional High School no longer has midterms or final exams, both students and teachers say they feel more relaxed in the classroom.
"I feel like it's not as stressful," said Sam Hackney, a Timberlane junior. "You're not worried about cramming before the midterm and then just forget everything after. Now we're learning more."
Over the summer, Timberlane principal Don Woodworth announced the decision to eliminate the exams that counted for 10 percent of students' grades.
Now, after teaching for a few months with the new program, he said teachers focus on reaching competency levels in each subject.
"We're still going to have large tests, we're just not calling them midterms and finals," Woodworth said. "Now the teachers can decide how much a test is worth per quarter. We're assessing with more of a plan in mind about if all the kids reach a competency, such as learning an algebra concept."
If kids don't understand a concept at the end of a section, they are sent to a lab to get extra help. Woodworth said this style of teaching helps students with different learning methods.
James Kelly, a social studies teacher, said he's changed the way he teaches.
"Not having midterms and finals allows me to be more flexible and gives the students a chance to be creative," Kelly said. "One project we do is an Ellis Island simulator. Students have a role of coming to America as an immigrant in 1900. We act it out and they can talk about their experience."
He also said the new system also allows him 10 more days of instruction, days that used to be taken up with reviewing for and taking the exams.
"That's almost a whole unit in a half-year class," Kelly said. "All in all, I'm loving it so far."
But some parents are less pleased with the changes at the school. Peter Bealo of Plaistow has two children at Timberlane, his son, a freshman, and his daughter, a senior.
"The other part that bothers me is about being an experiment," Bealo said. "When some parents asked could you tell us what districts have done this successfully, the principal said someone up in Maine and a district in New York state have tried this. But no one in New Hampshire. Let's let someone else be guinea pigs."
He said he understands the school had to make some changes because of poor New England Common Assessment Program scores. But he said he is worried the lack of testing would not prepare students for college, where midterms and finals are often the only grades in a semester course.
Woodworth argued the big tests are part of the problem holding back learning.
"Kids sometimes put off trying to learn until the large test," he said. "I think that's where failure comes, when kids misjudged and try to cram and achieve significant learning at the end of a long period of time. We want to make sure they're learning all the way through so when we give a cumulative exam, they'll do better."
Melissa Zorn, a Timberlane junior, said she's enjoyed the change in teaching style.
"The assessments are a wide range of tests, not just a big paper-and-pencil test," she said. "In my biology class, we had to show and narrate how DNA creates proteins. I didn't get it until someone showed it to the class. Actually doing it with the physical model made such a difference."
She said it gives the class a completely different feel.
"It's not just filling out A, B, C, but more creative," Zorn said. "I feel like I'm learning more because they're giving us information in a new way. I agree that maybe the lack of tests could hurt some students in college, but there is just as much pressure on competencies. We still have to learn the information, and we still have to study."
Monday, November 1, 2010
Atkinson Developer opens Model Green Senior Housing Project
From the Eagle Tribune;
October 30, 2010
Affordable housing project opens in Salem
By Jillian Jorgensen jjorgensen@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sat Oct 30, 2010, 01:17 AM EDT
SALEM — Local and state officials cut the ribbon yesterday for a 26-unit housing development that will provide affordable homes for seniors using federal tax credits.
Glenridge Apartments, off Veterans Memorial Highway, will see its first tenant move in today. It was built by developer Steve Lewis and his partner, Gino Baroni, who received tax credits from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
Those funds are competitive. Each year, they are awarded by the federal government to each state, based on population. In New Hampshire, they are allocated by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. This year, the program had more funding than usual, thanks to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"I don't think we'll see many projects like this happen because it's very difficult to get the tax credits," Planning Director Ross Moldoff said.
He said the project was great for Salem, and for a state that did not have much affordable senior housing. Of the units in the housing, 80 percent must be rented to people who make 60 percent or less than the area median income. For a single person, that's $35,880 annually. The rest of the units must be rented to people who earn 50 percent or less than the area median income.
Lewis said he chose to build affordable housing beside his Braemoor Woods development to overcome the "foolish, ignorant" belief that affordable housing lowers property values.
"There are million-dollar houses on top of the hill," he said.
Rent in the development will be subject to a federal cap that aims to keep the price at less than 30 percent of a tenant's income, said Dean Christon, executive director of NH Housing Finance Authority. Legally, it must remain affordable housing for 99 years.
The multi-family housing also incorporates green building technology, stormwater management, and low-impact landscaping that includes rain gardens and bio-retention basins to save water.
October 30, 2010
Affordable housing project opens in Salem
By Jillian Jorgensen jjorgensen@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Sat Oct 30, 2010, 01:17 AM EDT
SALEM — Local and state officials cut the ribbon yesterday for a 26-unit housing development that will provide affordable homes for seniors using federal tax credits.
Glenridge Apartments, off Veterans Memorial Highway, will see its first tenant move in today. It was built by developer Steve Lewis and his partner, Gino Baroni, who received tax credits from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
Those funds are competitive. Each year, they are awarded by the federal government to each state, based on population. In New Hampshire, they are allocated by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. This year, the program had more funding than usual, thanks to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
"I don't think we'll see many projects like this happen because it's very difficult to get the tax credits," Planning Director Ross Moldoff said.
He said the project was great for Salem, and for a state that did not have much affordable senior housing. Of the units in the housing, 80 percent must be rented to people who make 60 percent or less than the area median income. For a single person, that's $35,880 annually. The rest of the units must be rented to people who earn 50 percent or less than the area median income.
Lewis said he chose to build affordable housing beside his Braemoor Woods development to overcome the "foolish, ignorant" belief that affordable housing lowers property values.
"There are million-dollar houses on top of the hill," he said.
Rent in the development will be subject to a federal cap that aims to keep the price at less than 30 percent of a tenant's income, said Dean Christon, executive director of NH Housing Finance Authority. Legally, it must remain affordable housing for 99 years.
The multi-family housing also incorporates green building technology, stormwater management, and low-impact landscaping that includes rain gardens and bio-retention basins to save water.
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