Dunbarton news : schools

Assistant superintendent to retire

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:58:00 GMT

BY STEPHEN BEALE
Kathi Titus, an assistant superintendent for Goffstown, Dunbarton and New Boston, is retiring at the end of this school year.

Her departure will coincide with that of Dr. Darrell Lockwood, the 10-year superintendent who is taking the top school administrative position in Tyngsborough, Mass., after this year.

The other assistant superintendent, Stacy Buckley, will take over as interim superintendent this summer.

As one of two assistant superintendents, Titus has oversight over curriculum and instruction for regular education in the school districts for the three towns — grouped together under School Administrative Unit 19.

The second assistant position deals with special education.

Keith Allard, chairman of the Goffstown School Board, said the SAU board will hire a one-year assistant superintendent for regular education and a permanent assistant superintendent for special education. If Buckley does not move from interim to permanent superintendent, Allard said she would take over as the assistant for regular education in a year. Titus earned $92,204 during the 2007-08 school year and Buckley earned $88,265, according to the state department of education.

Titus has been in Goffstown for five years, her latest stint in a 32-year career. Titus, who is 54, said she wanted to retire while she is still young.

“People don’t retire to play bingo these days,” she said. “We still have the energy and the time and the skills to create.”

She noted that she chose this year specifically due to the uncertainties surrounding the reform of the New Hampshire retirement system.

Titus got her start in 1976 as a high school teacher in Ludlow, Mass. About 10 years later, she shifted to more of an administrative role. Her latest was as a supervising principal at a grammar school in Methuen, Mass., before coming to Goffstown.

“I’ve loved every role I have ever had,” Titus said. “Each time I’ve ended up enjoying the next one a little bit more than the other one.”

She said she took the Goffstown position after remembering how much she respected Lockwood while working with him in the Exeter school system.

“He’s a fantastic superintendent,” Titus said. “It’s been wonderful working for him.”

For her first two years in Goffstown, Titus was the assistant superintendent for special education. She then moved over to regular education in 2005. One of the things she has enjoyed doing, she said, is sharing resources and combining various tasks — such as integrating teacher training with training of their supervisors.

Allard praised Titus for her work, saying she played an integral role in the advancement and development of the curriculum in the schools and credited her with guiding the expansion of the honors program at the high school.

“The fruits of Kathi’s creative thinking and devotion to our schools can be seen in the work of all our fine educators,” Allard said. “In just five years Kathi has earned the respect of the staff and has left a favorable imprint on our school district.”

As she prepares to leave, Titus said she will miss what she describes as a special school community.

“It’s a very special place,” Titus said. “All the school districts — the kids and the communities — really do support their schools.”

Titus said education has been the love of her life, adding that it is likely she will somehow be involved in schools even during her retirement. She is trying to think more about that — than the fact that she is leaving.

“I don’t think about the goodbye part,” Titus said. “I’m just focused on the next steps.”

Preschool options being weighed

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:58:00 GMT

BY MICHELLE KIM

After considering a short list of options, the Dunbarton School Board decided Oct. 3 to remain with the current arrangement for integrated special education preschool programming until more specific information on an in-house program could be gathered.

Currently, Dunbarton sends its preschool-aged children requiring special education services to programs at New Boston Central and Glen Lake in Goffstown.

Board members had narrowed down a list of options generated by a Preschool Committee commissioned in the spring to explore the possibility of having such preschool programming at Dunbarton.

Most of the options on the short list addressed the issue of a lack of space. The five options discussed were to remain with the current arrangement, rent a classroom trailer, build a new room at Dunbarton Elementary, consolidate classes within a grade or consolidate grades.

The board members were unitedly unenthusiastic about renting a trailer.

There was some exploration of combining classes within a grade.

Board member Debra Foster, whose primary concern for Dunbarton preschoolers who went to Glen Lake or New Boston was the long ride at such a young age, said combining classes within a grade or building a room seemed to be promising options.

Vice Chairman John Herlihy also didn’t have a problem with combining classes within a grade, and said it had not been long ago that that was the norm.

Carl Metzger said that combining classes wouldn’t be a viable long-term solution for space, should the population grow.

Herlihy pointed out there wasn’t a need to pursue an option immediately, as originally thought earlier in the year, and the board members generally consented.

Board member Rene Ouellet said the board might use the time to begin financially preparing for the possibility of a preschool program.

The board also generally agreed that more specific information was needed regarding costs of building a room and starting a program and to ask for that information from the Glen Lake program faculty.

Dunbarton taxes down this year

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:04:00 GMT

BY MICHELLE KIM

Residents will see a lower overall property tax rate this year, due in large part to a drop in the school portion of the tax rate.

This year’s tax rate has been set at $14.56 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is 11.5 percent lower than last year’s rate of $16.46. This means the owner of a $200,000 home would be billed $2,912 in property taxes.

The town portion of the tax rate increased 40 cents, or 20.5 percent, from $1.95 to $2.35.

The addition of two full-time positions onto the payroll – town clerk and a full-time police officer – affected the town portion of the tax rate, according to Les Hammond, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Hammond expressed surprise at the percentage of increase, though he said the selectmen had been expecting some kind of increase.

The jump in the town portion was offset by the drop in the school portions of the tax rate. The local school portion dropped significantly by 23.7 percent, from $10.08 to $7.69.

The state school portion of the tax also dropped slightly by 5.8 percent, from $2.40 to $2.26.

One of the main reasons for this drop, according to School Board member Betty Ann Noyes, is the smaller school budget for 2007-08, which is about $38,000 less than the previous year.

“The board last year, in conjunction with the School Administrative Unit administration, worked very hard to achieve a school budget for 2007-08 without any increase over the 2006-07 budget,” Noyes said. “We were operating with a flat budget this year.”

There were also fewer enrolled high school and middle school students than expected and fewer placements needed for special education services than were budgeted.

The School Board was able to return $868,000 to the town from lower than expected enrollments, according to Noyes.

In addition, Dunbarton saw an increase in money remitted from catastrophic aid, which comes from the state under a federal mandate for special education, and an increase in Medicaid funding, “which is all very helpful,” said Noyes.

Tax bills will be mailed by Oct. 31 and are due by Dec. 1. The tax collector’s office will be open on Dec. 1 from 8 a.m. to noon in addition to regular hours on Tuesdays 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Payments postmarked by Dec. 1 are also accepted. For more information, call 774-3547, ext. 103.

Next stop Ivy League

Bow Editor — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:08:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Though her roots are in South America, Lorena Bouroncle, “the Peruvian Heat,” has bloomed during her seven years in the Goffstown School District.

Moving to Dunbarton in May 2000, Bouroncle finished fifth grade with her classmates, barely able to speak a word of English.

“All I knew was basic terms like ‘My name is Lorena’ and ‘I’m from Peru,’” she said.

“It was obviously difficult because I spoke Spanish, and here in New Hampshire, there are barely any minorities.”

Enrolling in specialized courses to teach her English, Bouroncle said she had a firm grasp on the language within a year.

“The teachers were very helpful. They really did everything they could to help me out to make sure I was learning and getting good grades, so I was able to get the hang of it pretty quick,” she said.

More importantly, however, Bouroncle was welcomed into the school system by her peers, making it easy for her to pick up the local dialect and slang.

“I was really welcome here and I had no problem making friends, but now that I look back, it’s kind of funny,” she said, of her early struggles with the English language.

This was never more apparent than in sixth grade when she and classmates watched a science video on animals.

“I didn’t really understand some of it, so I stood up in front of the whole class and asked, ‘What’s mating?’” she said. “Everyone laughed at me, but we all played it off well.”

She’s come a long way.

Now, graduating in the top 10 of her class at Goffstown High School with a 95.2 average, Bouroncle will attend Dartmouth College this fall.

Even Goffstown High School Principal Frank McBride said he’s been wowed by Bouroncle’s drive.

“She’s a great kid who always has a smile on her face and often a dictionary at her side,” said McBride. “I think she has had to work a lot harder than some of her peers over the years, in that she has had to keep up with the normal course load, plus learn English.”

Having applied for early decision to Dartmouth, Bouroncle said she wasn’t convinced she would be accepted, especially after she found out valedictorian Jocelyn Duford also applied.

“It was my first choice ever since I went to visit as a junior. I knew it was such a high reach, and if I didn’t get in, I shouldn’t be disappointed, but my guidance counselor (Martha Benton), encouraged me and wrote me a magnificent recommendation, so I applied. In December, Jocelyn and I both checked online and found out we both got in, so we were excited but also shocked that an Ivy League school took two Goffstown students.”

As it turns out, Dartmouth took four. Patrick Dobens, and Christina Kelleher were also accepted.

“I think that says a lot about the quality of education at the school and how far it’s come,” she said. “I think our grade, itself, has a lot of smart, dedicated people, and the school, the administration and Mr. McBride have done a lot this year to really make this happen.

“I mean, we have four people in the same class going to Dartmouth. That’s amazing.”

Sports

In addition to academic success, Bouroncle has excelled in athletics as well.

During her senior year, she played a varsity sport all three seasons, including field hockey in the fall, swimming in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring. She also played basketball as a freshman and participated in track and field her junior year.

“One of the aspects I’ve liked most about high school is the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and the coach (Jess Brown),” said Bouroncle. “They’re all my best friends.”

Brown, who has coached her in varsity field hockey and lacrosse for the last two years, has known her throughout high school.

“I’m pretty biased, but I think she’s pretty exceptional,” said Brown. “She really loves going out on the field and trying to rise to the challenge, and it’s hard not to like someone like that. She’s fiery on the field and uses every opportunity to try to improve herself.”

But balancing school, sports and mastering the English language hasn’t always been easy.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve been doing sports. I did gymnastics in Peru when I was 4. My mom has always pushed me to be in sports, and when you’re active, it gives you a discipline that not only forces you to be responsible, but also sets a schedule for you,” said Bouroncle. “My daily ritual is school, sports and homework at night, but in the off season I have more distractions and don’t get as much done, so the busier I am, the more successful I am.”

Brown said what separates Bouroncle from many others is her hard work, dedication and the fact that she sets high standards for herself.

“I think, with Lorena – which is also indicative of her personality – she’s not necessarily the most naturally talented player on the field, but she has a spark and she’s a play maker, so you put her on the out there and things happen,” said Brown. “She has the ability to change the momentum of the game and the direction of the game.

“She’s also very true to herself and true to her roots,” said Brown.“

Bouroncle agrees.

“I’m proud to be Peruvian and I love Peru and the culture behind it, but I also like that my friends respect I’m from another country, and I have different values and customs as well,” she said.

In fact, while she was playing in a basketball game her freshman year, a couple of her friends, in support of the team, made signs for each player. Bouroncle’s sign labeled her as “Peruvian Heat,” a nickname that has stuck ever since.

District explores options for preschool

Bow Editor — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:15:00 GMT

BY SARAH LEBRUN

After sending special eduation children to preschool in New Boston for 12 years, school officials are looking to bring preschool back to Dunbarton.

“It’s hard to argue with the fact that a preschool program should be on campus,” said Dunbarton Elementary School Principal Brent Rogers. “It makes the most sense. The 35-minute bus ride to New Boston is a long time for preschoolers.”

“Right now, we have kids in preschool in New Boston and Goffstown,” said SAU 19 Superintendent Darrell Lockwood.

And according to School Board Chairman John Herlihy, it costs nearly $17,000 per student for a half day of preschool in New Boston.

Currently, only 3- and 4-year-old special education students are sent out of district and integreated with other students in their age group.

At a School Board meeting on Monday, May 14, Rogers said he has begun looking into possible options, such as using space in a couple of local churches or a private home and even combining grades to make room for a new classroom.

“I think multi-age classrooms is something we should continue to talk about,” said Rogers.

At this point, however, no decisions have been made on how to integrate preschool into the Dunbarton curriculum, and students will continue being sent out of district.

To better explore options for bringing preschool into town, Rogers suggests forming a committee of parents, teachers and administration.

“We’re looking at all the options and what makes sense,” said Rogers.

“We need to do this 100 percent right the first time and not put the cart before the horse,” said Dunbarton resident and parent Kim Vaillancourt.

Anyone interested in joining this committee should call Rogers at 774-3181.

A literary adventure – Home-schoolers create puppets, perform for family and friends

Bow Editor — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:10:00 GMT

The Heritage Home-schoolers of Dunbarton have been busy for the past seven months making an apple pie.

They were finally able to taste the fruits of their labor on Saturday March 24, after their rod puppetry performance, based on Marjorie Priceman’s book “How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.”

The performers shared apple pie with all in attendance after presenting months of research and fun in an engaging show. The project was inspired after some of the members attended a rod puppetry performance in the spring of 2006. The group chose a piece of literature that was packed with adventure and opportunity for education and set off on their adventure together in the fall of 2006.

The literature chosen provided a unique journey for the home-schoolers. The main character in the story sets out to make an apple pie and finds that the market is closed. This causes her to travel to six different geographical locations to find all the ingredients to make her apple pie. The children were able to enjoy multi-cultural studies spanning the regions of Italy, France, Sri Lanka, England, Jamaica and Vermont.

In September to November of 2006, the 13 children began their studies by attending a series of clubs hosted by different moms each week, which highlighted aspects of the book. The clubs began by focusing on the different regions of the world the character visited, then carried on with other topics such as cooking in “taste of the world” club and art and music around the world. They enjoyed math and science studies and immersed themselves in the book.

The building of the puppets took place in December and January. The eight first- through fifth-grade children used clay, dowels, paint and fabric to bring to life their specific characters in a rod puppet, while the five younger children built paper mache masks to animate a specific animal in the book.

In February and March the eight older children each became a director of their own scene in the puppet show and called the shots for scenery and props. They also added extra lines and incorporated at least one element of study from their fall clubs in each scene. The children wrote to the author to let her know of their studies, and to thank her for her inspiring work. The students also received hand-written letters back from Priceman just before their show.

On March 24 at Dunbarton Elementary School, the children preformed their multicultural puppet show for approximately 50 friends and family.

Emma Soucy, 7, created a puppet she named Haley Humor, who served as the comical narrator of the show.

Moriah McInturff, 8, named the main character Mia and packed her with the personality needed to persevere through all these adventures.

Olivia Dodd, 9, was the puppeteer who created Isabella for the Italy scene. She delighted the audience with some Italian dialect while passing along some semolina wheat to Mia for to grind into flour for her pie.

In France, Mia met up with Gabriella, performed by Eden McInturff, 10, and her chicken George, performed by Wyatt Dodd, 4, at a French Cafe. It is here that the audience was invited to taste the famous cake Gallette de Rois in celebration of the holiday Epiphany in France.

Three audience members were crowned King or Queen Bean when they found the hidden bean in their pastry. Mia picked up the chicken for the much needed eggs for her pie and was headed to Sri Lanka next.

In Sri Lanka, Mia witnessed a savaran dance in celebration of the holiday Esala Perahera. Amy Davies, 10, dressed in handmade traditional Sri Lankan attire, performed the dance with homemade savarans. She then peeled some bark off the Kurundu tree for Mia to grind into cinnamon for her pie, while a leopard, William Soucy age 5, napped beneath the tree in the rainforest.

Mia found some milk in England from a cow, played by Elana Conover, age 5. The puppet named Clarice, who was performed by Cassie Conover, 10, instructed Mia on how to pasteurize her milk, if needed, and gave her some useful math facts to equip her for pie measurements.

Mia was getting exhausted by the time she got to Jamaica. Erin Davies, 7, created a song-filled puppet in Muna, who serenaded Mia to relieve her stress. Mia then picked up some sugar cane in Jamaica before heading on her way.

Mia almost forgot to get the apples! An audience member or two were helpful enough to remind her to have a pilot drop her off in Vermont. It was there she met up with Grace Frost. Grace was created by Morgyn Soucy, and she had a cute cat, Jachin McInturff, 4, and dog, Amber Conover, 3, wandering around her apple orchard.

Grace picked apples off her tree for Mia while flooding the ears of the audience with rich literary treasure.

After returning home, Mia made her pie to the tune of “Just keep goin’ on,” which was the theme song for the performance.

The children ended by performing a dance to their theme song and the animals shined during a harmonica solo.

School District Meeting set for March 10

Bow Editor — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:30:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

An oddity in today’s world of increased government spending, the Dunbarton School District will present a proposed operating budget lower than the current fiscal year when it convenes at School District Meeting on Saturday, March 10.

Dunbarton School Board members, having been informed that the district could be receiving a 15 percent decrease in state adequacy aid, worked diligently to establish an operating budget lower than the current fiscal year.

The proposed operating budget is $4,685,984, down from last year’s approved budget of $4,723,983.

The district will again vote on SB2 as well, after residents submitted a petitioned warrant article calling for an official ballot law form of government, which allows residents to vote on town related issues through ballot on election day rather than at a traditional open Town Meeting forum.

Last year, SB2 failed by a vote of 487-251 on the school district ballot.

The ballot also includes a $71,000 article to finance, furnish and install an emergency diesel generator.

School District Meeting will take place at the community center at Dunbarton Elementary School on Saturday, March 10, at 7 p.m.

SB2, budget up for approval at Town Meeting

Bow Editor — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:28:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Dunbarton’s annual Town Meeting will take place Tuesday, March 13, and among several other articles, will vote to approve a 3.2 percent operating budget increase and a new full-time police officer position.

This year’s proposed operating budget of $1,825,744 represents a $56,000 increase over last year’s approved budget of $1,769,688.

The operating budget, with no additional warrant articles, will raise taxes 4 cents from $1.95 per $1,000 assessed property value to $1.99 per $1,000 assessed property value.

The increase represents $12 on a $300,000 home.

The town will again vote on the official ballot law, commonly known as SB2, as well.

Though SB2 failed by a vote of 502-241 on the town ballot last year, a petitioned warrant article has once again been submitted requesting official ballot law in Dunbarton.

The SB2 form of government allows residents to vote on warrant articles through an official ballot on Election Day, rather than in a public forum at Town or School District Meeting.

But residents may still amend and potentially change the intent of an article at a deliberative session that precedes Election Day.

Another article requests $68,565 to hire, train and equip a new police officer.

Other articles on this year’s ballot include requests for $32,000 for the purchase of protective equipment and a gear washer for the fire department, $29,000 for a new skid-steer for the transportation station, and the removal of $50,000 from surplus for a new roof on the town library and painting of the library and town office building.

There is also a request to remove $300,000 from the town conservation fund to purchase four lots to be used as the Bela Brook Conservation Area.

Dunbarton Town Meeting takes place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13, at the community center at Dunbarton Elementary School.

School operating budget down $37,999

Bow Editor — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:20:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Dunbarton School Board members worked long and hard to establish an operating budget lower than the current fiscal year, and they did so without cutting any positions.

The proposed operating budget is $4,685,984, down from $4,723,983 this year, a decrease of $37,999.

Though the school board considered cutting a guidance counselor from two days a week to one day, the board managed to make the numbers work without making a drastic change to personnel.

“It wasn’t easy; it was difficult and it’s not very glamorous, but it certainly is the first time since I’ve been on the board that I’ve seen a lower operating budget than the previous year,” said school board member Betty Ann Noyes.

“One of our major concerns was not to interfere with the level of service being offered to children in elementary school.”

Noyes said to decrease the budget, the school board kept many items level, though it still has to meet contractual agreements with teachers and support staff and special education increases.

Increases in electricity and fuel costs also factored into the budget, but there are areas the board found room to save.

“We are very fortunate in that the tuition at the middle school and high school has decreased and we will be saving considerable amount in that area,” said Noyes. “There were also things we wish to do in the building that we simply aren’t going to be able to do.”

Though the proposed operating budget has been set, Noyes says it is too early to determine the tax impact, especially because Dunbarton is scheduled for a 15 percent decrease in state adequacy, or $67,129, which is one of its main revenue sources.

“It is difficult to say, because as far as the budget is concerned, it will not raise the taxes, but we still need to determine income or revenue totals, and at this point it’s all up in the air,” said Noyes. “We know revenue is already down in one area, but that’s just what is predicted, so we just have to wait, unfortunately.”

In addition to the operating budget, the school board will again ask residents to approve the purchase of a generator, which was voted down at last year’s meeting.

If approved, said Noyes, the generator would be available for emergency purposes for both Dunbarton Elementary School and the town.

The cost would be $71,000, though the district is hoping to offset the cost by 30 percent through a school building aid.

The tax impact of the generator would be 22 cents in the first year and 1.3 cents for each of the following six years.