By GLYNIS HART
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NEWPORT – Following action by the town select board, the Newport School Board approved a 25-year contract to purchase solar power from Norwich Solar Technologies.
On June 18 the select board approved the contract, which commits Newport to purchasing solar power for public buildings, including the schools. The school district will have its own a solar array on the Breakneck Road landfill.
The school board gave its approval at its June 21 meeting. The 2.2 megawatt solar project, which was approved by Newport voters in May, is one of the largest solar projects in New Hampshire. At its completion, the Town of Newport expects to meet all of its energy needs through solar power.
Developer Norwich Solar Technologies has completed solar arrays for six New Hampshire schools: Cardigan Mountain, Dublin, Kimball Union Academy, The Mountain School of Milton Academy, Oxbow High and Plainfield Elementary.
The contract will be reviewed by the school’s counsel before it goes into effect.
Drawing on gifted funds
In other school board news, Finance Administrator Teresa Taylor faced the board’s questions about over-expended budget lines, from large items like unexpected heating costs ($221,473) — i. e. frozen pipes, repair of heating units — to smaller items, such as $3,310 for field trips. Special education ($367,433) and technology ($138,409) were other large unplanned expenses.
School board member Anne Spencer asked, “Is there a system in place for the field trip person to say, ‘Sorry, there’s no money. You can’t go.’?”
“There is,” said Susan Schroeter, co-principal of Richards Elementary School. “We have to get better at anticipating our trips.”
Schroeter explained that the Gifted and Talented fund is often used to cover field trip over-expenditures, saying those funds are “just sitting there.”
“In truth, it’s hard to take these trips away from our kids, especially the career-oriented trips,” said Schroeter.
Several new hires were approved by the board, including elementary school counselor Malia King, elementary special education teacher Tia Leavitt, middle and high school chorus teacher Emma Nelson, and middle school English/language arts teacher Mindy Carle.
Moving the preschool
Schroeter also brought up a desire to move the pre-school classes out of the rooms they currently occupy at Richards to the white building on the NMHS campus. She explained that the move will make it possible to consolidate special education classes on one floor, in proximity to each other. Also, this fall there will be an additional fifth grade class, which will necessitate one of the special ed classes moving from where it is.
“This would condense everyone,” said Schroeter. “I dislike having the pre-school leave the building, but there are pros and cons to it.”
Schroeter recommended moving the pre-school to the white building on the middle/high school campus. She said there would be continuity for kids and parents, as she would continue as pre-K coordinator.
“We’ve talked about it with staff,” she said. The white building would make it easier for high school students to have interactions with the pre-schoolers, such as reading to them and gaining internship credit for early childcare.
Spencer said it might be the best use of that space, as a high-tech environment is not necessary for pre-school children.
However, a motion to go forward with the move died for lack of a second. School board member Rhonda Callum-King disagreed with the location. Superintendent of Schools Cynthia Gallagher asked if Callum-King could summarize her reasons for disagreeing and email them. Callum-King said she could.
The issue will be reintroduced at the next school board meeting on June 28.
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