School Board — May 26, 2026

Chair Bernie Campbell detailed Mitchell's collaboration with staff on age-appropriate safety signage, her CTE program involvement, SkillsUSA medal, Broadway Playbill design win, and other honors. Assistant Superintendent Markley added remarks on her contributions to school safety.

Mitchell received a token of appreciation and photo with board members.

Presentations covered 41 years for Fred Hutchinson, 31 for Georgiana Johnston, 25 for Beth Latham, 20 for Amy Williams, 22 for Suzanne Mathers, support staff Joanne Prew and Jamie Arnfield, 22 for Michelle Cusack, library media specialist Sherry Smeltzer, and athletic director Scott Insigne. Superintendent Palmer's remarks were delivered by Markley.

Each retiree (or representative) received recognition; group photo taken. Prew's token to be delivered later.

No corrections noted for May 12 regular meeting, May 12 non-public session, or May 19 work session minutes.

All three motions passed 5-0.

Items read or attached to minutes; extracurricular list not read aloud due to length.

Motion passed 5-0.

PTA representative described Spinami mat and Conga Trio drums to support ABC program students. Board discussed equity across schools with special education programs and confirmed no district funds involved.

Motion to approve passed 5-0.

Administration to prepare summary of inclusive equipment at other schools.

GBEC updated for federal compliance references. KF and KFA added winter weather custodial charges and crowd management training requirements. Board raised concerns on KF wording regarding recreation department priority and fee consistency. For KFA, board noted fee schedule unchanged; raised issue of custodial fees differing by facility and suggested verbiage tying fees to current custodian salaries to avoid annual updates. Confirmed estimates are provided per event rather than fixed published rates.

Presented for first reading; no votes taken. Feedback requested before next reading. Policy returns for future board action; no changes adopted tonight.

Policies return for further discussion or action; revisions to KF language on rescheduling and fees to be drafted. Policy KFA will return at a future board meeting.

Waste Management recommended over lower bidder due to proven service scale, local references, and responsiveness; two-year term proposed at $128,160 year one and $134,568 year two.

Motion passed to award two-year contract to Waste Management.

Belco (incumbent) vs. lower bidder North Point; board weighed price against local vendor preference and service history.

Motion passed awarding contract to Belco Landscaping for $119,460.

Merrill Construction recommended; contract base price lower than prior but salt/sand and extra equipment remain additional; prior winter costs significantly exceeded budget.

Motion passed awarding three-year contract to Merrill Construction (Salem) for $66,000 / $67,500 / base total $369,000.

Questions on how parent and teacher representatives are selected, whether committees should be building-specific or level/district-wide, and consistency of removal decisions across schools.

Policy laid on the table for further staff work on committee structure and selection language.

Will return for third reading after revisions.

Minimal changes from first reading; new ninth-grade cohort affected by updated requirements; NH Scholars information is reference only except for distinction diploma.

Policy adopted 5-0.

Enrollment down two students overall; budget shows ~$600k projected year-end balance; nutrition participation up slightly; grounds five-year planning discussed.

Reports received; no formal action.