Participants
Names and roles follow the district's approved minutes. Where the dialogue file's speaker label differs, the label is noted in parentheses; see the method note at the foot of the page.
| Name | Role | Participation |
|---|
| Heather Whitney | School Board Chair | Presided; moved the nonpublic session and the three-school model with line adjustments; voted against the four-school current configuration. |
| Michael Petrin | School Board Vice Chair | Seconded the nonpublic motion; argued grade alignment aids collaboration and that a later shift to a smaller model would be more disruptive. |
| Arlene Hawkins | School Board Member | Seconded the current-configuration motion; pressed on interventionists, class size and the "ifs" in the budget; asked whether the leadership search could run for both a superintendent and an executive director. |
| Candace Crawford | School Board Member; Finance Subcommittee Chair | Explained insurance costs (roughly $33,000 for a two-person plan, $45,000 family, district paying about 95%); stated the hearing had to occur "on or by the 20th." |
| William "Bill" Madden | School Board Member; Ad Hoc Leadership Search Chair | Said the three-school configuration was "the only configuration that will get by the taxpayers due to the finances." |
| Frank Sprague | School Board Member | Moved the four-school aligned model; moved the music-teacher nomination; asked whether attrition figures included non-renewals. |
| Loren Howard | School Board Member | Moved the four-school current configuration; moved to extend public comment; put the increase at about $50 per month on a $250,000 home. |
| Noelle Kronberg | School Board Clerk | Called the roll; took the roll-call votes into and out of nonpublic session. |
| Kerry Kennedy | Interim Superintendent, SAU 6 | Presented model objectives and the grant request; read the nonpublic exemptions into the record (see flag 1). |
| Matt Angell | Senior Comptroller / Interim Business Administrator | Presented all three budget models, the tax-rate calculation and the warrant-article considerations; reported the deficit could be closed without a warrant article. |
| Chelsea Weatherford | Interim Human Resources Manager | Listed in the minutes' administration roster; no recorded remarks. |
| Paige Jarvis | Interim Student Services Director | Listed in the minutes' administration roster; no recorded remarks. |
| Jason Bonneville | Interim Technology Director | Listed in the minutes' administration roster; no recorded remarks. |
| Dr. Eric Linke | Guest — West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts | Introduced as taking over the band program; described who would take on other parts of the program (labeled "Eric Link" in the dialogue file). |
| Michael Demars | Citizens' comments — Ward 3 | Asked whether the grant covered future years; requested a policy governing how stipends are managed and made public (labeled "Michael Myers" in the dialogue file). |
| Noel Beauchaine | Citizens' comments — Ward 3, Stevens High School senior | Spoke on the benefits of school music programs and the chronic underfunding of the arts. |
| Sherri Williams | Citizens' comments — Chestnut Street | Supported the music teacher; asked for the difference between a grant and a donation; spoke on summer school and credit recovery. |
| Derek Ellerkamp | Citizens' comments — Ward 2 | Asked what had happened to the forensic audit and why the firms declined (labeled "Derek Alexander" in the dialogue file). |
| Erica Abbey | Citizens' comments | Asked about the Code Monkey curriculum and what model would apply if the budget failed and the default budget took effect. |
| Camron Lownie | Citizens' comments — Ward 2 | Noted small-group interventions already occur and cited peer-reviewed studies showing negative consolidation effects on test scores. |
| Sandra Evans | Citizens' comments — Ward 3 | Questioned why models with more interventionists cost less, and raised the lack of space for them. |
| Lisa Holtz | Citizens' comments — Ward 2 | Read a letter, entered into the minutes, on the effect of repeated transitions on elementary students. |
| Jenna Gage | Citizens' comments — Ward 3 | Read a letter, entered into the minutes, describing staff workload after the mid-year cuts. |
| Alicia Simoneau | Citizens' comments — district teacher | Spoke on teacher uncertainty and attrition; urged the board to visit schools (spelled "Simino" in the minutes). |
| Brian Rapp | Citizens' comments — Ward 2 | Spoke in favour of district stability and triage. |
| Clinton Laurie | Citizens' comments — Ward 2 | Spoke on the financial burden on taxpayers (labeled "Clinton Lowry" in the dialogue file). |
Agenda
Items follow the agenda reproduced in the approved minutes. "Taken up" gives the moment the recording reaches the item.
| Taken up | Item | Agenda text / disposition |
|---|
| 6:30 p.m. | Public hearing — CMS band donation | "NH Charitable Foundation Donation to Claremont Middle School Music Program in the amount of $49,775.00." Hawkins moved to apply for and accept the grant, Crawford seconded. Kennedy explained the district would apply in partnership with the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, at no cost to Claremont. Carried by voice vote, all present in favour. |
| 0:15:32 | Consent agenda — amendments | Three additions from the floor: discussion of the CAA negotiated contract, ratification of the CMS music teacher, and a nonpublic session. Kennedy: "So I do need to make an amendment to make enter and make a motion to go into a nonpublic session to address an emergent situation." Minutes for 12/17/25 approved with two corrections; manifest accepted by consent. |
| 0:26:32 | Citizens' comments | Erica Abbey on the Code Monkey curriculum (grant applied for; vendor extended the deadline to January 16). Michael Demars requested a stipend policy and public transparency. Sherri Williams on summer school. Derek Ellerkamp on the forensic audit — Angell replied the auditors declined and he was seeking another, and that he could not say why at this time. |
| 0:28:09 | Nonpublic session | Minutes record a motion by Whitney, seconded by Petrin, under RSA 91-A:3, II (a & e), roll call taken by the clerk, all present in favour; entered 7:02 p.m., returned 7:32 p.m. On the recording the exemptions are read out as RSA 91-A:3, II "as related to litigation" together with "RSA 91 a colon two Roman numeral I" — a different provision. See flag 1. |
| 0:32:35 | Finance update | Angell reported an initial year-end calculation showing a way to wipe out the deficit and said he would recommend against a deficit warrant article. Cash balance just over $5 million, loan paid down to zero; he expected to draw on the loan again in February, with March "going to be tough." On the manifest: "we try to make a manifest to put before the school board to sign." |
| 0:46:04 | Budget models — presentation | Angell gave the three configurations against a current-year budget of $43,179,564: three-school aligned $44,022,085 (+1.95%); four-school aligned $44,844,373 (+3.86%); four-school current configuration $46,211,951 (+7.02%). Reopening Bluff would exceed an 8% increase. Interventionists above Title I: ten in the three-school model, six in the four-school aligned, none in the current model. |
| 1:51:44 | Public comment — extension | The chair noted the 30-minute allocation was exhausted. Howard moved to extend by nine minutes, Hawkins seconded; carried unanimously by voice vote. |
| 2:23:31 | Vote — four-school current configuration | Howard moved, Hawkins seconded, to put forward the four-school current configuration at $46,211,951. On the recording the chair calls for a show of hands: "I guess we can do it by hand. Vote. Raise your hand." Minutes record it as a voice vote — in favour Howard, Sprague, Crawford, Hawkins; against Petrin, Madden, Whitney. Carried 4–3. |
| 2:36:49 | Vote — four-school aligned | Sprague moved the four-school aligned model at $44,844,373, Hawkins seconded. Sprague: the district has "an instructional issue," and alignment offers a route to improvement without added interventionists. The minutes record only "In favor: Loren, Frank, Candace, Arlene" with no opposed or abstaining column. See flag 2. |
| 2:37:32 | Vote — three-school aligned, as amended | Whitney moved the three-school model cutting four vacant interventionist posts (leaving six), cutting two vacant instructional-coach posts and adding two FTE guidance positions (1.75 at the new middle/high school, 0.25 at Claremont Upper Elementary) — "resulting in a net reduction of 622,521," giving a 0.51% budget increase and no tax-rate increase. Madden seconded. Failed 3–4: for Whitney, Madden, Petrin; against Howard, Sprague, Hawkins, Crawford. |
| 3:03:41 | CAA ratification; CMS music teacher | The Claremont administrators' tentative agreement was ratified by unanimous voice vote after Hawkins moved and Petrin seconded. Sprague then moved to nominate Ian Gallub as a 0.6 FTE music teacher at CMS (MA+15, $43,099 prorated January–June), Whitney seconded; carried unanimously. |
| 8:20 p.m. | Other business; future dates | Technical advisory on media permissions and WIDA ELL testing consent in families' native language. Future dates set: public hearing 1/20/26 with no snow date, board meeting 1/21/26, deliberative session 2/7/26 at Stevens High School. |
Discussion timeline
Chronological topics with the moment each is taken up. Timestamps link to the same moment in the Cablecast recording.
| Time | Topic | What was said | Flags |
|---|
| 0:00:00 |
Call to order; band donation hearing |
Whitney opens the January 7 hearing on a $49,775 NH Charitable Foundation grant for the CMS music program. Kennedy explains the district applies in partnership with the WCCMA and that there is no cost to Claremont; the money is prorated for the rest of the year and covers band and chorus plus instrument repairs. Sprague asks whether a supplanting restriction applies; Angell says it does not for this grant. |
|
| 0:26:32 |
Forensic audit — firms decline |
Ellerkamp: "I just wanted to follow up and find out what's happening with the forensic audit. Are they declined? Who declined? The two. The two from auditors. Are you looking for someone else? I am, this is unbelievable." The minutes record Angell's answer that the auditors declined, that he is looking for another firm, and that he could not share why at this time. |
OBSERVATION |
| 0:28:09 |
Closed session |
The exemptions are read into the record as covering both litigation "that just recently came up today" and, separately, contract negotiations with the administrators' association — the latter cited on tape as "RSA 91 a colon two Roman numeral I." The approved minutes cite only RSA 91-A:3, II (a & e). Roll call taken; entered 7:02 p.m., returned 7:32 p.m. |
MEDIUM POSITIVE |
| 0:32:35 |
Finance update — deficit and cash |
Angell: cash just over $5 million, the revenue anticipation loan paid to zero, adequacy aid and city tax money recently received. He expects to draw down again in February, with the next adequacy payment in April. Asked by Howard about a second loan, he said state legislation to lend to districts carried terms that were "unpalatable." Crawford noted state interest would be double. |
POSITIVE |
| 0:46:04 |
Three budget models compared |
Angell on why two four-school budgets differ: "I wasn't asked to make the same cuts that are in the four school line model as in the … current config. I did make a recommendation to the school board of almost $1 million, but the current config model can't reach the same level of savings … because there's just more efficient alignment of staff." |
|
| 0:48:55 |
Tax-rate comparison |
Angell walks the all-in real-estate rate for each configuration, then notes the Hold Harmless Grant will begin to apply and he anticipates a drop in state aid the following year — affecting the FY28 rather than the FY27 budget, as Crawford confirmed on questioning. |
|
| 1:51:44 |
Public comment runs past its allocation |
Twelve residents spoke, including two teachers' letters read aloud and entered into the minutes. Howard moved a nine-minute extension. Angell told the room the current-configuration budget already carried $1,000,000 in cuts, that the district was "down 78 people," and apologised "for letting the 39 people go." |
|
| 2:23:31 |
First model advanced, 4–3 |
The chair takes the vote by show of hands on the $46,211,951 current-configuration model. Whitney, voting against, said the roughly $50 monthly increase on a $250,000 home is "meaningful and hard for many people" and that the district "has not been good at watching the pennies." Hawkins framed the purpose as "a year of stability." |
OBSERVATION |
| 2:24:17 |
Second model advanced |
Sprague: "I'd like to make a motion that we adopt model number two, which is the four school alliance model." Crawford agreed it gave "the best value for education purposes" and said she did not support a three-school model at all. Petrin argued moving to four schools now and a smaller model later would be more disruptive than aligning once. |
MEDIUM |
| 2:37:32 |
Three-school model, amended — fails 3–4 |
Whitney's motion trades four vacant interventionist posts and two vacant coaching posts for two guidance FTEs, reaching a 0.51% increase and a flat tax rate. She called it "the most fiscally responsible decision … while supporting alignment and instruction" and a "terminal move." Hawkins objected that it would require heavy programme coordination amid unstable leadership; Madden supported it as the only version taxpayers would accept. |
OBSERVATION |
| 3:03:41 |
Music teacher nomination |
Sprague moves to nominate Ian Gallub as a 0.6 FTE CMS music teacher — the applicant was not available full time. Rendered on tape as "Ian Globe and a 3/5 music position"; the minutes give the name and the 0.6 FTE. |
|
Items flagged for review
These are a reviewer's aid, not findings of violation and not legal advice. Each rule-based flag names the provision it rests on and links to the primary source; where no verified rule applies, the item is labelled an observation. Verify against the recording and the primary sources before relying on any of it.
MEDIUM One closed session appears to have combined a nonpublic session with a collective-bargaining "non-meeting," and the minutes record only the first
At 0:28:09 the exemptions are read into the record as covering litigation "that just recently came up today" and, separately, contract negotiations with the administrators' association, the latter cited on tape as "RSA 91 a colon two Roman numeral I" — that is, RSA 91-A:2, I. The approved minutes record the session solely as RSA 91-A:3, II (a & e). The two provisions are not interchangeable. A nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3 requires a motion naming the exemption, a roll call, and minutes that must be disclosed within 72 hours unless sealed by a two-thirds vote with a statutory finding. Strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining is instead excluded from the definition of a "meeting" under RSA 91-A:2, I, and so carries no minute-keeping duty at all. Running both under one motion, and recording only the RSA 91-A:3 branch, makes it impossible for a reader to tell which part of the 30 minutes the unsealed nonpublic minutes are supposed to cover. In fairness to the board, the procedure it did follow for the nonpublic branch was complete (see flag 5), the unsealed minutes were posted, and the transcript here is unreliable enough on speaker identity that the citation may have been read by the superintendent rather than moved by a member.
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, I (strategy or negotiations with respect to collective bargaining, and consultation with legal counsel, are excluded from "meeting"); RSA 91-A:3, I(b), II(a), II(e), III (nonpublic procedure, exemptions, 72-hour disclosure); approved minutes, 1/7/26.
MEDIUM The minutes record only the affirmative side of the vote that advanced a $44.8 million budget model
For the four-school aligned model at 2:36:49, the approved minutes read in their entirety: "Voice vote taken — In favor: Loren, Frank, Candace, Arlene." There is no opposed column, no abstention line, and no total. Every other contested vote that evening is minuted with both sides. RSA 91-A:2, II requires minutes to include the members present, persons appearing, a brief description of the subject matter, and "final decisions." A decision recorded with four names and nothing else leaves a reader unable to tell whether the remaining three members voted against, abstained, or were out of the room — on the motion that put one of two budget models before the January 20 public hearing. The first names used in place of surnames compound the problem in a district with two board members whose names contain "Whitney."
Sources: RSA 91-A:2, II (minutes to record members present and final decisions; open to inspection within 5 business days); approved minutes, 1/7/26.
OBSERVATION Budget models worth $43M–$46M were decided by show of hands and voice vote, not roll call
All three model votes were split 4–3 or 3–4. At 2:23:31 the chair puts the first one this way: "I guess we can do it by hand. Vote. Raise your hand." The minutes describe the same vote as a voice vote and then supply individual names, which means the written record depends on the clerk's observation rather than on each member stating a position aloud. New Hampshire law does not require a roll call for ordinary motions — only for entering nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3, I(b) — so this is not a violation, and the board did take the roll when the statute demanded it. It is noted because on closely divided votes of this size a roll call is what lets a listener verify the minutes from the recording, and here the recording cannot confirm who raised a hand.
Sources: RSA 91-A:3, I(b) (roll call required to enter nonpublic session); RSA 91-A:2, II (minutes to record final decisions). No rule requires a roll call on ordinary motions; this is an observation, not a claimed violation.
OBSERVATION Two firms declined the forensic audit, and the reason was withheld from the public
Asked at 0:26:32 what had become of the forensic audit, the administration confirmed the auditors had declined and that a replacement was being sought, but said the reason could not be shared at that time. The forensic audit is the district's own response to the financial collapse that produced the mid-year cuts, so why prospective auditors are turning down the engagement is a matter of public interest. Declining to answer a question at a meeting is not itself a Right-to-Know violation — RSA 91-A governs access to records and meetings, not the completeness of oral answers — so this is recorded as an observation. A resident who wants the reason on the record would need to make a records request for the correspondence with the firms.
Sources: approved minutes, 1/7/26; RSA 91-A:4 (access to governmental records). No verified rule requires an oral answer at a meeting; labelled an observation.
POSITIVE The nonpublic session's procedure was complete, and the minutes were unsealed and posted
Whatever the citation problem in flag 1, the mechanics of the nonpublic branch were done properly and are verifiable: a motion naming an exemption, a second, a roll call taken by the clerk rather than a voice vote, entry and exit times recorded to the minute (7:02 p.m. and 7:32 p.m.), and a second roll call to return to public session at 0:29:43. The nonpublic minutes were subsequently unsealed and posted to the district's public Drive share, so the substance is available rather than sealed indefinitely. RSA 91-A:3, III permits sealing by a two-thirds vote with a statutory finding; the board did not take that route here.
Sources: RSA 91-A:3, I(b) and III (roll call; 72-hour disclosure unless sealed by 2/3 vote with findings); 1.7.26 CSB Nonpublic minutes unsealed.
POSITIVE The administration recommended against a deficit warrant article and put the cash position on the record
At 0:32:35 the interim business administrator reported that his year-end calculation showed a route to eliminating the deficit, and that he would therefore recommend the board not put a deficit warrant article to the voters — with the cash balance ($5 million), the revenue anticipation loan status (paid to zero), and the February and April timing pressures all stated in open session. A district that has spent the year in a financial emergency is under obvious temptation to defer that disclosure until after a budget vote. Stating it in January, before the public hearing and before the deliberative session, is the practice these pages should record as well as the failures.
Sources: approved minutes, 1/7/26; RSA 198:4-b, II (year-end unassigned fund balance retention and accounting) for the fund-balance framework the year-end figure feeds.
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Official and public sources
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