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School Board — June 9, 2026

The meeting was largely administrative and procedural, despite spirited public comments regarding library policies.

Date Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Duration 0.6h Speakers 12 Public comments 2 Decisions 4 Routine

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Perkins V Grant for Career and Technical Education

A $170,140.09 allocation for technology, professional development, and student certifications. Affected: Students enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
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What was discussed

The board reviewed a Perkins V grant allocation intended to fund equipment and software used in the job market. It was noted that the funding saw a slight reduction due to changing local poverty statistics.

What happened

The board approved the expenditure of the $170,140.09 grant as presented.

What's next

Mr. Murray is tasked with applying for supplemental grant opportunities to offset the funding reduction.

other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes.
The minutes were adopted as presented.
5-0
15:48
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226.
Funds are to be applied toward the school's food service debt program.
5-0
21:08
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift.
Funds are authorized for preschool music therapy for the 2026-2027 school year. The Chair abstained due to a personal relationship with the donor.
4-0-1
23:00
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE.
An allocation of $170,140.09 for the 2026-2027 school year to be spent as presented by the CTE director.
5-0
33:56

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
00:03 Swearing in of Student Representative

The board officially swore in Jack Richard as the new student representative for the upcoming term.

Speakers: Bernie Campbell, Jack Richard
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What was discussed

The board chair introduced the new student representative elected by the rising senior class.

What happened

Jack Richard was sworn in according to the rules and regulations of the state of New Hampshire and the Salem School Board.

05:22 Public Comment: Library Material Selection and Policy

Two residents addressed the board regarding the age-appropriateness of library materials and the need for proactive selection policies.

Speakers: Kevin Gagnon, Jamie Thorncroft
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What was discussed

Kevin Gagnon shared excerpts of controversial books and suggested using the National Book Review Index to aid selection, arguing that policies currently focus too much on removal rather than prevention. Jamie Thorncroft shared a personal experience with inappropriate material and requested more proactive age-appropriateness checks and clearer instructions on where to direct formal challenges.

What happened

The board listened to the comments; no immediate policy changes were voted on during this segment.

What's next

The board is currently reviewing the library material selection and management policy (Policy IJL).

15:00 Consent Agenda Approval

The board reviewed and approved a bundle of administrative items including staff resignations and professional nominations.

Speakers: Bernie Campbell, Aaron Kalil, Pamela Berry
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What was discussed

The agenda included four resignations (including the Director of Human Resources), several professional staff nominations, extracurricular coaching nominations, and one maternity leave of absence.

What happened

The consent agenda was adopted with a 5-0 vote.

20:15 Donations and Grants

The board reviewed and accepted several donations and federal grant allocations for school programs.

Speakers: Bernie Campbell, Mrs. Payne, Michael J. Carney, Jr., Aaron Kalil, Mrs. Moss, Mr. Murray
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What was discussed

Items included a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge for food service debt, a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift for preschool music therapy, and a $170,140.09 Perkins V grant for Career and Technical Education (CTE). The CTE discussion focused on how the grant funds technology, professional development, and student certifications, as well as a slight reduction in funding due to changing local poverty statistics.

What happened

All presented donations and the Perkins V grant were approved by the board.

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

Library Material Selection and Policy

Residents expressed strong interest in how books are selected for school libraries, specifically arguing that current policies are too reactive (focusing on removal) rather than proactive (preventing inappropriate material from being stocked).
Board position: The board is currently reviewing Policy IJL but did not commit to specific changes or a new proactive approach during this meeting.
medium concern

Split votes

Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift for preschool music therapy
4-0-1

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Apply for supplemental grant opportunities to offset the reduction in Perkins V funding.
Assigned: Mr. Murray

Notable ⁠statements

It seems, however, to focus more on how to remove books that shouldn't be there instead of making sure they don't get there to begin with. — Kevin Gagnon · Commenting on the current library material selection and management policy revision. 06:00
The overarching umbrella is in CTE to provide opportunity to prepare students for career in technical programming, to purchase equipment and softwares that are used in the job market. — Mr. Murray · Explaining the purpose and intended use of the Perkins V grant funds. 24:18

Member ⁠positions

5 issues · 0 explicit · 19 inferred
Present
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes YES ~
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226 YES ~
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift ABSTAIN ✓
Abstained due to a personal relationship with the donor.
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE YES ~
Kelly Moss
Vice Chairman
Present
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes YES ~
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226 YES ~
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift YES ~
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE YES ~
Aaron Kalil
Secretary
Present
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes YES ~
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226 YES ~
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift YES ~
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE YES ~
Present
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes YES ~
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226 YES ~
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift YES ~
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE YES ~
Pamela Berry
Member
Present
Adoption of the May 26th regular meeting minutes YES ~
Acceptance of a $500 donation from the Derry Salem Elks Lodge 2226 YES ~
Acceptance of a $3,120 donation from Jamison's Gift YES ~
Acceptance and expenditure of the Perkins V grant for CTE YES ~
Jack Richard
Student Rep
Present
Swearing in of Student Representative ✓
Sworn in as the new student representative.

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position. UNCLEAR means the vote was split but the record did not name how this member voted — it is not a “yes.”

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
2
Total speakers
0
Addressed
0
Partial
2
Not addressed
Kevin Gagnon
05:20
Not addressed
Gagnon expressed concern regarding age-inappropriate library materials, specifically mentioning books like 'American Psycho' and 'Lucky.' He argued that the current policy focuses too much on removing books after the fact rather than preventing them from entering the library in the first place. Key concern
The need for proactive age-appropriate boundaries and better material selection processes in school libraries.
Board response
The board chair acknowledged his comments and thanked him, but no substantive discussion or immediate action was taken by the board during his comment.
The speaker's request for a 'proactive' approach and more 'boundaries' was heard, but the board did not provide a direct response or commitment to change the policy during this session.
Jamie Thorncroft
12:20
Not addressed
Thorncroft shared a personal account of her child checking out a graphic and explicit book. She supports the new review processes but requests a more proactive approach to ensure material is age-appropriate before it reaches students. Key concern
Ensuring students are protected from explicit material through proactive oversight rather than just reactive removal.
Board response
The board chair thanked her for her comments.
While her experience validated the previous speaker's point, the board did not offer a specific response or plan to address her request for proactive measures.
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Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning, grok-4-fast · analyzed 2026-06-22.