Meeting report · Kearsarge Regional School Board
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Kearsarge Regional School Board — March 12, 2026
The meeting featured split votes on several procedural items and a direct challenge from a community member regarding the accuracy of financial data.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Major School Construction Projects
Combined building-aid applications totaling approximately $56.2 million for Middle and High School projects. Affected: All district taxpayers and students
other high impact
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Election of Chair
Alison Mastin elected as Chair; Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
Election of Vice-Chair
Kristen Schultz elected as Vice-Chair; Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
Approval of District Appointments
Appointed Debra Breault (Clerk), Doreen Salera (Deputy Clerk/Deputy Treasurer), Soule, Leslie, Kidder & Loughman (Legal), Roberge & Company (Auditor), and Nancy Barthol (Treasurer). Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1 (repeated for most)
Approval of Minutes
Approved Feb 19 minutes (6-0-3), Feb 5 amended minutes (8-0-1), and Feb 19 non-public minutes (6-0-3).
Varies
Hiring of Staff
Hired Chris Ryan and Cole Simon as Social-Studies teachers at KRHS. Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
IRS Payment Approval
Approved payment of $25,124.42 to the IRS. Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
Field Trip Approvals
Approved Compass Travel for band trip, and overnight field trips for Robotics and Drone teams. Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
Capturing Kids' Hearts Implementation
Approved Option 3 to incorporate the program into the -1 budget cycle. Ms. Mastin abstained.
6-2-1
Building-Aid Applications
Approved submission for Middle School ($13,901,823.60) and High School ($42,321,560) projects, subject to voter consideration if aid is received. Ms. Mastin abstained.
8-0-1
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
Organizational Actions and Board Appointments
The board conducted elections for Chair and Vice-Chair and appointed district officials including the Clerk, Deputy Clerk, Legal Counsel, Auditor, Treasurer, and Deputy Treasurer.
Speakers: Ms. Schultz, Mr. Esenwine, Mr. MacKenna, Chair Mastin, Mr. McGowan, Mr. Gregoire
Administrative Reports
Reports from the Chair, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Business Administrator covering board transparency, AP exam performance, and IRS tax deposit discrepancies.
Speakers: Chair Mastin, Superintendent John Fortney, Assistant Superintendent Michael Bessette, Business Administrator Larry LeBoeuf
KREA and Student Reports
Updates on student achievements in drone racing, robotics, academic publishing, and upcoming student-led events like blood drives and math meets.
Speakers: Catharine Hyson, Leah Stone, Cooper Russell
School Facilities and Building Aid Applications
Discussion regarding the condition of Simonds Elementary and the formal approval of building-aid applications for the Middle School and High School projects.
Speakers: Mr. MacKenna, Mr. Gregoire
Capturing Kids’ Hearts Program
Deliberation on implementing a culture and climate program and how to fund it transparently.
Speakers: Superintendent Fortney, Ms. Mastin, Mr. MacKenna
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Capturing Kids' Hearts Program Implementation
The implementation of a culture and climate program involves shifts in school environment and requires specific budget allocations, which can lead to debate over educational priorities and funding transparency.
Board position: Approved the implementation via 'Option 3' to be incorporated into the budget cycle.
Internal dissent
The vote was 6-2-1, indicating significant internal disagreement regarding the method or timing of the program's funding.
low concern
02
Cost-per-student Data Accuracy
A community member challenged the integrity of the financial data presented by the administration, suggesting inconsistent slide presentations might skew the perceived cost of education.
Board position: The Superintendent deferred the technical explanation to an email response rather than addressing it during the meeting.
medium concern
Split votes
Approval of Capturing Kids' Hearts Implementation (Option 3)
6-2-1
Approval of February 19 Minutes
6-0-3
Approval of February 19 Non-Public Minutes
6-0-3
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Serve on the Transportation Committee
Assigned: Matt Esenwine
Email Cathy Robjentt regarding cost-per-student data/transportation inclusion
Assigned: Superintendent Fortney
Email Chair Mastin if interested in joining the Strategic Plan committee
Assigned: Board Members
Notable statements
This year she wants the Board to 'show their work' for transparency so that the public can see the thought processes that go into their decision making. — Chair Alison Mastin · Opening remarks/Policy direction
Kearsarge District has the highest AP enrollment among comparable area schools and an 81% pass rate (3+). — Assistant Superintendent Michael Bessette · Administrative Report
Clarified that the Facilities A Subcommittee discussed the urgent need to replace rotting windows at Bradford. — Mr. MacKenna · Discussion regarding minutes/facilities
Member positions
9 issues · 0 explicit · 10 inferred
Alison Mastin
Present
Chair
Election of Chair
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from her own election.
Election of Vice-Chair
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from the Vice-Chair election.
Approval of District Appointments
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from district appointments.
Hiring of Staff
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from staff hiring.
IRS Payment Approval
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from IRS payment approval.
Field Trip Approvals
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from field trip approvals.
Capturing Kids' Hearts Implementation
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from program implementation vote.
Building-Aid Applications
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from building-aid applications.
Kristen Schultz
Present
Vice Chair
Election of Vice-Chair
YES
~
Elected as Vice-Chair.
Emma Bates
Present
Member
Election of Chair
YES
~
Voted in favor of Alison Mastin.
Capturing Kids' Hearts Implementation
YES
~
Voted in favor of Option 3.
Art Bobruff
Present
Member
Election of Chair
YES
~
Voted in favor of Alison Mastin.
Eric Gregoire
Present
Member
Approval of District Appointments
YES
~
Voted in favor of appointments.
David Keith
Present
Member
Election of Chair
YES
~
Voted in favor of Alison Mastin.
Kyle Lombard
Present
Member
Election of Chair
YES
~
Voted in favor of Alison Mastin.
Ben Cushing
Present
Member
Election of Chair
YES
~
Voted in favor of Alison Mastin.
Patrick McGowan
Present
Member
Approval of District Appointments
YES
✓
Voted in favor of appointments.
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
2
Total speakers
0
Addressed
1
Partial
1
Not addressed
Cathy Robjentt
Partial
She inquired whether the cost-per-student data presented by the Superintendent included transportation costs. She also expressed concern that the presentation of the numbers was inconsistent across different slides, which she believes skewed the data.
Key concern
Clarity and accuracy of cost-per-student data presentation.
Board responseThe Superintendent stated he would email her with a response because public comment is not intended for a back-and-forth Q&A session.
The board acknowledged the question and committed to providing a written answer via email, rather than addressing the data technicalities immediately during the meeting.
Mag Francis
Not addressed
She expressed her appreciation for the Superintendent bringing data to the table. She noted that this data is helpful as the district moves toward strategy sessions.
Key concern
Support for the use of data-driven decision making.
The speaker provided positive feedback rather than a question or concern requiring a response.
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Report composed by
gemma-4-26b, grok-4.3, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.