| 0:01:37 | The staffing update is struck before the meeting starts | Petrin: "We are going to remove… of the discussion of the staffing update at this time, and we'll move that on probably to the next meeting, but we're just not ready for that tonight." The item had been billed to O'Hearn and Kennedy. With it went the board's only scheduled window for personnel questions — and both the HR director and the chair who had run the previous week's staffing discussion were absent. | OBSERVATION |
| 0:07:02 | Plan 1 is off the table | Melissa Lewis, opening for the elementary principals: "Last week we heard a proposal… a quick summary of that is that we were closed. Bluff Elementary School is not would become a K-2 school, and Maple Avenue would become a three through five school." Then: "That idea is off the table for this reason. Sadly, we have had the resignation of three bus drivers. Transportation is simply not possible in that plan. So plan one from the principals point of view, is off the table." | |
| 0:07:50 | The problem statement | "The elementary school principals are concerned about our ability to consistently meet the needs of all students for the school year at Bluff Elementary School… Due to an inability to fill open positions, positions that were open over the summer but didn't yield us any applicants. Deficit issues and subsequent resignations." Lewis returned to the same statement before Plan 3 — "the concern doesn't go away." | HIGH |
| 0:10:07 | Plan 2 — move Bluff intact | "Meaning we would keep those students. Yes, they would change schools. They would not change trusted adults. They would not change their educators." One fourth-grade and one fifth-grade classroom to Disnard; kindergarten, first, second and third grades plus the PRIDE program to Maple Avenue, with two kindergarten classes combined into one of 20 children taught by two teachers, and two third grades combined into one of 29 with two teachers. "All teachers would remain with their children. And any paraprofessionals that are providing support outlined in a student's IEP that are currently working with them would travel with those students and with that teacher team." | |
| 0:14:22 | Plan 2's costs, and the contracted case manager | "One addition would be a contracted service provider for special ed case management, because we need to meet the legal obligations that are outlined in our IEPs." Gains: "estimated financial gains, as we heard last week, of approximately $60,000 of the closing of Bluff School in October." Against that: "There could be some additional transportation costs, there would be moving expenses" — the maintenance director "would be seeking quotes to find out what is the best option to do that safely and most efficiently." No cost was ever stated for the contracted case management. Fourth and fifth grades: "a total of 49 students. 21 of those students are identified with needs through special education." | MEDIUM |
| 0:20:09 | The date that became the motion | "What we would be aiming for is the new first day for students being October 20th, 2025." Before it: staff notice of change of assignment, packing days, moving days, and family notification of each child's new school, bus number, pickup and drop times, principal, secretary and school website. Lewis on the moving budget: "Orders by nature… another word, for it is thrifty. Some of our husbands use different words." | |
| 0:21:56 | Where Plan 3 came from | "Now when we all left the last. Well, last week's meeting. Here's where Claremont educators are tenacious." Then: "I heard it from my staff Thursday morning. Mr. blunt [Blount] heard it from his staff. Ideas came forward and I got to see them on that Bluff Elementary School doing it themselves, trying to figure it out. What are we going to do? Claremont educators were at work Thursday like nobody's business." The plan the board voted against was written by teachers in the thirty-six hours after the September 10 meeting. | |
| 0:22:58 | One special educator for 46 students | Lewis: "You know that as of today, there's one special educator for 46 students at Bluff Elementary School. Again, due to that inability to fill some positions over… the summer. With no applicant applying the deficit issues we're facing and subsequent resignations, Bluffs current configuration looks exactly as I shared with you previously." A week earlier the acting superintendent had put district case managers at "in the 40s almost 50" and said delivering the services in those IEPs was impossible. | HIGH |
| 0:23:40 | Plan 3 — redistribute case management, close nothing | "a special educator really has two roles. They provide specially designed instruction as a service to that student that's individualized to them and to their needs, as well as the case management." Under Plan 3: Disnard's three special educators take case management for all third-graders at Bluff (nine students); Maple Avenue's three take second grade (eight students); "Peace [case] management for students in fourth and fifth grade would be would be done through that contracted service provider that is 21 students"; Bluff's own special educator keeps kindergarten, first grade and all new referrals. "What financial gains are there to this proposal? There are none." Transportation impact: none. | MEDIUM |
| 0:26:41 | The interim superintendent introduces herself | Petrin: "I've been told that I forgot to introduce Miscarry [Miss Kerry] Kennedy. Miscarry Kennedy is our new interim superintendent." Kennedy: "I am still sitting as a principal of Claremont Middle School, a position I really took pride in… I start off every morning there I check in. There have been some designated, supervisors or principals substitutes for me, and I apologize because this is not exactly how we thought this was going to go this year." She was still hiring a CMS nurse. On accepting: "When I was asked to somebody have certification that could do this job, I was asked if it was something I could consider. I have considered it. I am here…" | |
| 0:28:56 | Angell: the money works, the operations don't | "I met with the administrators early on in the season, and I asked them to be really just be creative in the ideas and in their problem solving. And so what you saw tonight is just that… I do see a path going forward financially. The only problem I see is a path going forward operationally… when we hit what someone termed the sniffle season, then we're going to run into problems and trying to address keeping schools open. Okay. Yeah, we're starting to see that already. And the other thing that I have been starting to hear is some of the local school districts are starting to try to poach our teachers." | |
| 0:46:04 | "Missing figures from this table" | Sherry Williams: "I noticed that both plans require the hiring of the special educator consultant… if you could address, in the process of making your decision tonight, or at least acknowledge that somebody has to be hired…" And on the absences: "There have been missing figures from this table… I'm very surprised that last week's figures are not here tonight and there was no mention of them… So that kind of communication, at least very simply, this is why so-and-so wasn't here. Just like begun in the past. You have to continue those kinds of things to continue our trust." | MEDIUM OBSERVATION |
| 1:05:40 | The former mayor: plan three, and fundraise for substitutes | Charlene Lovett: "I am a product of the school district and a product of this community… Personally, I'm for plan three." Her reason from the city side: it "is to keep an empty building because you have to enter it. It costs money and it doesn't always get offloaded as easily as you would like or think it could happen…" On the substitute gap: "there's a lack of funding for substitute. Is that correct? And if that's correct. Then why aren't we fundraising for that?… Because we're going people are going to get sick and we're going to have to have options." And: "we have the table, we have the people, we have the fortitude to fight our way out of the situation and come out stronger in the end." | MEDIUM |
| 1:09:56 | The union president | Tammy Yates, in a stretch the diarizer broke into one- and two-word fragments: "At this point, children… Are scared. We're beginning to see. Trauma in them. It is really hard for" — she went on that it had taken weeks to build a family atmosphere in which children felt safe, and that they were now afraid: "They're afraid of the uncertainty that… Has… Been created… In our building." Then, in her own office: "And encouraged and want to be in our school. As the union… President, I can say that… I am… Concerned about all of our teachers. These principles have done an amazing job to try to advocate for our students. Unfortunately, I do feel that the situation has been very difficult for the board. I personally don't feel that we as educators have been supported, and it's something that really hurts me, even the heart. And I would like to say that I propose a proposal number three." | |
| 1:11:55 | The Medicaid question nobody answered | A Ward 3 speaker: "We stopped. Filling [billing] Medicaid. In 2020, 2021. We were reimbursed $623,085 in 2021 2022. We were reimbursed 724,000 $757,000 in 2023 and 2024. We were reimbursed 828,000 $882,000 last year. We had a new director, probably not as familiar with Medicaid billing as the director with that he replaced. However, we were still able to collect slightly over $300,000 in Medicaid reimbursements. We did have to return $70,000 due to audit findings." Her question: "Are we okay with not billing Medicaid and not pursuing these revenues with our current flow problems?" No one at the table answered it on the record. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:20:50 | A state representative on bills that were not yet law | Hope Damon described a retained building-aid bill in work session — "Pretty much the districts that had projects support the bill passing, and the rest of the state doesn't. So we're trying. It's not dead yet" — and a Claremont-specific bill she would file the next day. On accountability: bipartisan work "to require the audits to not only be done and submitted to the Department of Revenue Administration, which is already in statute, but they have not, and consistent about requiring districts who haven't submitted that to do so"; a proposal to route audits to the Department of Education with oversight where deficiencies are significant; and a request that all compliance and financial reports going to the superintendent and business administrator also go to every board member "so that there will be more eyes on what is happening and more awareness of reporting is happening." | OBSERVATION |
| 1:26:05 | "It's about whether we have capacity" | Angell, answering the public: "some of the questions that came up were really good about whether this is a financial move or whether it's capacity. Capacity was a great word for this. This is about capacity. If if we choose, proposal number three, closing bluff is still on the table. If something happens during the… Winter, like sniffle season, we may come back to the community and say we have to close bluff. All right. It's as simple as that. It's not about the money. It's not about the $60,000." | |
| 1:26:55 | Kennedy: "not an 'if', it is a 'when'" | The interim superintendent recommended financial statements and personnel updates at every board meeting, promised an organisational chart "so everybody knows who reports to whom", and told the room, per the minutes, that closing Bluff School "is not an 'if', it is a 'when'." On the room's real question — timing — she put it at 1:28:33: "It's more like when and when we can make this the best decision. Nobody wants this. I just want to preface that." She also said she was working with SREA and NHEA while exploring the closure. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:34:18 | Still no deficit number | Madden: "What's the progress of the audit? Do you have a number yet?" Angell: "so I'm 60% of the way to figuring out what the deficit is. I promise to have it done by this Friday. Unfortunately, trying to work on the plan here, I wasn't able to do it. It's going to be Monday or Tuesday." On the auditors: "They're not gone there. They're they're waiting for me to complete my work, and then they're going to come in."; "the state is coming in and doing some audits, so we've had to do some program audits. And that is more unusual than I've seen in other school districts because they're also concerned"; and "the Department of Revenue Administration has been calling me often." | OBSERVATION |
| 1:42:23 | Howard moves Option 3 — and gets no second | "Unless Bill or Mike have any questions for them. I'd like… To… Make a motion of support for proposal number three. That's my motion." No second was offered and no vote was taken; the minutes record it that way. Howard argued on: "I think the big issue for this is substitutes. And if we can get money in the substitute budget, then it seems proposal three covers to special education needs. I think the one thing I'd really like to see is a number value attached to the contracted service for this." And against Plan 2's promise of stability: "It doesn't make sense to me to say that certainty would be any part of either of these plans… I think that's a pretty disingenuous representation of proposal number two." | MEDIUM |
| 1:50:29 | The motion that closed Bluff School | Arlene Hawkins, across six short transcript fragments: "I move… That… We… And I'm not sure… Of the wording for… The motion. So Carrie [Kerry], I look to you for assistance. I look that we move the bluff students and faculty classrooms fully intact to Disney [Disnard] and Maple Avenue with a target date of October 20th, pending an inspection of the buildings by the fire department. Fire department?" The approved minutes render the motion as moving "the Bluff students, faculty, and classrooms fully intact to Disnard and Maple Avenue with a target date of October 20th pending and inspection of the building by the Claremont Fire Department" and record Candace Crawford as the seconder — the recording has Petrin saying "Seconded by Kennedy" at 1:53:37, which the minutes do not support and which the interim superintendent, not being a board member, could not do. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:51:06 | Howard: "absolutely baffling" | "I just don't see how we didn't see this coming. Of the 19 teachers, we decided not to ratify, which again, I understand the financial situation of that, but here we are sitting saying we would not be able to hire anybody. More than or three of these people were spent [SpEd] certified. Five of these people were from bluff specifically. Two of them were elementary school counselors." And: "I was the only person who voted to ratify them anyway, because I didn't believe that we had done the foresight to look at this list and go in a month. What are we going to be missing? Now, here we are. And the fact that we're voting to close bluff because of this decision is just absolutely baffling after hearing what we heard tonight." Crawford answered the other way: "I'm concerned about, plan three because I'm afraid to get to December. And we might have to go back to plan two… I really think it's better for the children to make the change now. It's still September." | |
| 1:53:42 | The vote: 4–1, on a show of hands | Petrin summarised the motion — "to go with proposal number two. And move students from bluff to, discarded [Disnard and] maple, with the date of October 20th… With the fire department. Coming. In to the inspection." — then: "I'd like to, have a show of hands. All those in favor? Aye." Madden asked for a roll call. Petrin: "Those opposed? Yeah. Lauren [Loren]." Then: "The motion passes." Per the minutes: in favour Bill Madden, Candace Crawford, Arlene Hawkins, Michael Petrin; opposed Loren Howard. The board's Right-to-Know Law does not require a roll call on an ordinary public vote, and none was taken despite Madden's request. | OBSERVATION |
| 1:54:30 | Five names for one vacant seat | Petrin: "Mr. David Putnam has put in his letter, to fill the vacant seat. We have a mr. Don. Mr.. Don, the ballot [Lavalette], has put in his letter to fill the vacant seat. Mr.. Kevin Tyson also his applying to fill the vacant seat. Mr. Jeffrey Glover is applying to fill the vacant seat. And Mr. Bradley Bolton [Molton], who I believe wants to rescind his letter, but he had initially applied to fill the vacant seat." Board questions to Chelsea, compiled and sent to every candidate; candidates to appear at the next meeting. Conflict disclosure: Kevin Tyson, named here as an applicant for this seat, is the maintainer of the Government Transparency Project that publishes this page. He had no role in the board's process beyond applying, and this page's account of it is drawn from the approved minutes and the recording. | POSITIVE |
| 1:56:26 | What the SAU 6 consultant was hired to do | Hawkins, as SAU 6 chair: "The board voted and is taking on the cost of three a contract having three components. One is leadership support… Sound some sound financial policies and to strengthen public confidence in our, in our district and our saw." Second, communication services: "We have heard loud and clear that there's misinformation. There are gaps in information." A question-and-answer forum, website tabs, a communications plan and "a crisis communication protocol". Third, an operational review: "It is not forensic. It is not criminal. The goal is to to identify what happened… They will research, review the systemic problems that resulted in financial mismanagement, errors made by leadership, a lack of type [tight] controls, and the failure of oversight where we're owning it. How do we have why do we have, in some instances, unqualified people in positions, income sources that were overlooked or that were over relied on or forgotten about and not accessed the way they should have been?" | |
| 2:02:25 | The manifests: "there are no members that are designated" | Angell: "We issue vendor and payroll manifests, and it's normal to me that it's a standing item for the school board to review those manifests. And we're supposed to get them to them so they can ask questions. That's what I'm used to hear. That didn't actually happen. Right now, I think the the school board policy says that the manifests are to be, approved by the school board or two members that are designated by the school board." Then the sentence that matters: "Right now, there are no members that are designated for the school board." Hawkins confirmed from policy DK, "approved in August": "payments are authorized by the board… or two members who have to give approval to the electric bills, the bills that have to be paid in between the school board meetings." | HIGH |
| 2:06:51 | "When did that stop? It stopped during Covid" | A Ward 1 resident and former board member: "I sat on that board for 15 years, numerous times. My question is in regards to signing the voucher. And I was on the school board. I volunteered to sign those boundaries [vouchers]. I went in twice a month to say you [SAU] office at 7 a.m.. They opened it up so I could sign vouchers, review them before I went to work." Then: "So my question is, when did that stop? It stopped during Covid. I think that's a question that needs to be identified… And that's how I learned about what money was in the budget and where it went." The board took no position on when or why the practice lapsed. | HIGH |
| 2:05:45 | Two designees, and a Friday-noon deadline | Hawkins first nominated Howard and Crawford; Howard declined — "I'm not… Incredibly… Confident with… My financial ability to look at these, just them and then sign off on them." — and Madden volunteered. Petrin: "I'm going to make a motion to appoint Candy Crawford and Mr. Adam [Madden]. Second to as the members empowered to sign, payments that the invoices and payroll vouchers." Howard seconded; "Motion passes" at 2:08:24. Then Hawkins: "I also move that manifest to be signed by the Claremont School Board, be provided to Claremont School board members no later than noon on the Friday prior to Claremont school board authorizations" — restated verbatim at 2:10:20 at Petrin's request, seconded by Petrin, passed unanimously. The minutes record Crawford identifying the arrangement as a "checks and balance procedure". | POSITIVE |
| 2:10:57 | Policies adopted, including public access to district records | Hawkins: "The policy subcommittee met this afternoon… We're cutting back on paper so you don't have hard copies, but they were provided to you last week." Second read and adoption of GBCE, JFAA and BEDG (meeting minutes); then EH and its three attachments — public access to school district records and the Right-to-Know request procedure, waiver-of-charge form and affidavit of indigency — "identified as legal priorities"; then IHBI, AB (the NH Parental Bill of Rights), JICJ and DIH. Petrin, in discussion: "People will be excited to hear DIH is a fraud prevention and fiscal management policy." Motion Hawkins, second Petrin, all present in favour. | POSITIVE |
| 2:13:02 | What is actually paid up | Kennedy: "I just wanted to update the fiscal management pieces of concern. It's a big concern of mine to to make sure that everybody's aware of all the things that need to be paid up and where the status of the school care [SchoolCare], the New Hampshire retirement system." Angell, in full: "School care is paid up to date and so is it. Names? [New Hampshire] Retirement." The employee health trust and the state retirement system had been the two live questions since August. | POSITIVE |
| 2:18:42 | Two commitments the administration did not keep | Madden: "As Miss Erica. Abby said, what happened to the report on the two interns? The administration committed to giving us a report. They haven't. All too often we have these things. We ask questions that commitment to come back and report to us. And it's just for gotten. So I would like action items like this listed under Discussion and action items with the date and left on until we get the report." Then: "there was also a commitment to distributing the whistleblower policy. It turns out we don't have a whistleblower policy. I believe that… Patrick O'Shaughnessy [Jim O'Shaughnessy, district counsel] and I distributed the RSA, and it's a political Patrick 100." Hawkins: "So on the first we're going to talk about Daff [DAF] which will add a whistleblower section two." | OBSERVATION |
| 2:15:03 | Howard asks for a real restructuring process | "Either on the first or even next week, as soon as possible. Honestly, we develop a committee of parents, teachers. Any community stakeholders, who have a stake in what the elementary schools are going to look like next year. It's going to be a big discussion." He tied it to the district's whole footprint — "it's not just bluff we're talking about" — and asked that forming an elementary-restructuring committee go on a future agenda. Petrin asked him to email the items to the chair for the agenda. | OBSERVATION |