CLAREMONT — After a long discussion at Wednesday’s School Board meeting, the board approved a warrant article to spend additional state aid of $482,000 on “improving student achievement.”
The article will now go to voters at a special school district meeting on Nov. 3 at the middle school gymnasium. What was unclear was whether the money, approved under SB 420, Extraordinary Needs Grant, could be used to reduce the school tax rate or if it goes back to the state if voters defeat the article. The wording of SB 420 does not indicate what happens to the money if the article is defeated, and the Department of Education did not clarify the question in an email to the Valley News on Thursday.
Claremont School Board Chairman Michael Petrin seemed definitive at Wednesday’s meeting.
“If voters say no, then the money has been accepted (by the board) and it goes back to reduce taxes,” Petrin said.
Others were not so sure and asked for a legal opinion from either the School Board’s attorney or the Department of Education.
Board Vice Chairwoman Heather Whitney, who voted against the article along with Steve Horsky, said she spoke to a School Board member in another district who told her their board voted to use the money to reduce taxes.
Two weeks ago, the board proposed three articles to place the money in three separate capital reserve funds. But the board and a few residents questioned whether that was allowed because the bill specifically states the money has to be used to improve educational achievement. Board member Whitney Skillen had asked for a written legal opinion from either the district’s attorney or the Department for Education clarifying whether the proposed use was allowed.
At Wednesday’s meeting, no mention was made by the administration as to whether a written opinion was received. Instead, the new article was presented for the first time to the board.
In a slide presentation, Assistant Superintendent Michael Koski explained how the money would be used for language arts and math curriculum materials, teacher training and assessment.
“We are planning to use the extraordinary grant money to extend and continue the work we started,” Koski said. “This just gives us a boost to move along a little bit faster.”
Skillen said she was satisfied with the new article as it conforms to the wording of SB 420 on student achievement and in addition has an accountability piece as well.
“I do think the warrant article is a little vague, but there is the extra step of approving the curriculum (by the board),” Skillen said.
Horsky, whose motion to table the warrant article was defeated, said he wanted more specifics on how the money would be spent beyond the term “improving student achievement.”
“We are looking at using this money to purchase this program that we haven’t fully vetted,” Horsky said. “You can say we are going to use this money, but the warrant is not very specific. We do take this money but magically we decide not to go with many of the programs, and something different changes. It is disingenuous.”
Whitney said she supported the initiative but warned of “potential pitfalls” since the board has not yet approved the curriculum.
“We want to be sure the money is spent where it serves students best,” she said.
Board members Frank Sprague, Joshua Lambert, Skillen, Bonnie Miles and Petrin thought the article was specific enough to see that the money is being spent on student achievement, and they voted in favor.
Petrin said warrant articles are often vague, and restrictions could affect how the money is used to help students.
The district will have to issue reports on the progress of the curriculum, he said.
“I don’t understand the pushback,” he said.
Lambert also did not understand the reluctance of some board members to send the article to voters.
“We need to take it to the public, or we could lose it,” Lambert said, suggesting opponents of the article “don’t trust the administration to do their job.”
Before the vote, Whitney said the board and administration, in order to win voter approval at the Nov. 3 meeting, have to make a strong case on how the money will be used.
“It has to be very compelling,” she said. “We have to convince voters we are spending it on student achievement.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
