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School Board sends city scathing letter

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:08:00 GMT

By Dan O’Brien

Fed up with a lack of communication and funding issues with Manchester public schools, the Hooksett School Board has sent a scathing letter to the mayor of Manchester and is talking about building a new high school here.

Hooksett has a 20-year tuition agreement to send its public high school students to Manchester and has had such an agreement for generations. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Cawley Middle School, members of the Hooksett School Board and volunteers on a study committee will hold a forum to take ideas from the public on the high school issue.

The letter, which represents the consensus of the board and was signed by Chairman Paul Cournoyer, says Hooksett will “use all legitimate tools available to launch a forceful protest” against Manchester’s lack of school funding.

Among several allegations, Hooksett says Manchester used $10.6 million paid by the town of Bedford to offset the city’s tax rate when the money was supposed to be used for schools. Bedford paid the money to relinquish its contract with Manchester after Bedford built its own high school.

The letter also criticizes Manchester for not using money from school impact fees in the school budget, raises concerns about pay-to-play sports programs, says Central High School has continually not been brought up to state maintenance codes, and raises concerns about a low student population at West High School as a result of Bedford’s pullout.

The letter was dated Sept. 8, but several School Board members said they have not gotten a response from Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta, who also serves as the city’s School Board chairman, and said Manchester School Board members were not made aware of it.

When reached on Oct. 6, Guinta’s public affairs adviser, Mark Laliberte, said the mayor planned to discuss the letter at the next School Board meeting.

“This letter will be addressed at the School Board meeting on Monday,” Laliberte said. “We’ll put it on the agenda.”

At the Oct. 6 Hooksett School Board meeting, members of a voluntary high school study committee discussed building a new high school in Hooksett. The committee, which includes Bedford High School Assistant Principal Gary Dempsey, cited several studies showing student populations between 500 and 800 are optimal. Hooksett had 588 high school students last year.

Board members stressed that building a high school in town is not Hooksett’s only option. There could be a restructuring in Manchester or talks with other communities.

“I don’t think the public knows what we’ve done as a School Board about our dissatisfaction with Manchester,” School Board member Todd Dumont said. “We sent a letter and haven’t received a response.”

“We’ve had umpteen conversations with the superintendent of Manchester,” Dana Argo, vice chairman, said.

City high schools consider forcing payment for extracurriculars

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:26:00 GMT

By MATT SCHOOLEY

City school officials are drafting a pay-to-participate policy that would include athletics, a policy that many say would have negative consequences at all three city high schools, but particularly bad at West High School.

Facing a budget crisis that could lead to layoffs in the city, Manchester school officials discussed the proposal as a way to save money.

The policy could have a big impact on West, which is already facing the challenge of fielding teams while no longer being able to turn to Bedford athletes.

With or without the pay-to-play policy, several Blue Knight teams are likely to get the ax because of low numbers, including hockey, field hockey, golf, swimming, nordic skiing and boys lacrosse.

Manchester School Board member Stephen Dolman said he does not see pay-to-play as a good option.

“My opinion is that it’s not the best way to go. I don’t believe in pay to participate,” said Dolman. “It would be devastating and you’d lose at least 30 percent of participants. That’s unfair and it becomes a system of haves and have nots.”

Fellow board member Chris Hebert said the proposal likely wouldn’t be across the board, meaning the teams which cost the most for the schools to operate would cost athletes money to participate.

Hebert used hockey as one example as that, and said the potential policy is far from set in stone.

“It’s got to be modified of course,” said Herbert. “I don’t think it’s a one-size fits all kind of thing. We have to tailor it so we can maintain as many of the sports that we can afford, but also share the cost.”

Board member Katherine Labanaris said she wonders how students who can no longer afford to play varsity sports will choose to spend the free time that they would have.

Labanaris said the Blue Knights would be the school most impacted by the change.

“At West in particular, it would death knell. It would decimate the programs at West,” said Labanaris. “I think it’s the duty of the people who craft budgets and pass budgets to fund the school district so it can have an athletic program that serves the needs of the students.”

In many cases, Dolman said having students participating in sports goes much further than wins and losses.

“All these programs are a part of a child’s education. Many people say that sports are what kept them in school,” said Dolman. “That can be a carrot to keep them going, and other students it can be a way to earn a college scholarship. It’s about educating the student as a whole, and this is a big part of that.”

Investigation report on Hooksett Police Department, Commission: No coverup, poor communication

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:23:00 GMT

By Ginger Kozlowski

An investigation by the Merrimack County Sheriff into whether the Hooksett Police Department tried to hide the existence of safe school reports or cover up safety issues in Hooksett public schools has found no such coverup exists.

However, the report also took the Hooksett Police Commission and Hooksett Police Department to task for its handling of requests by former School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette to get those reports, as well as the town of Hooksett for failing to keep taped recordings of meetings.

“Of particular concern,” reads the report, “is that the Hooksett Police Department appeared to take a defensive stance towards the Ouellettes, giving the impression that no further action was needed on their part and that only the department’s word that additional Safe School Reports did not exist should suffice.”

The report continues: “The fact that a formal written request for the Safe School Reports had not been initially submitted did not supply a strong foundation for the basis of the complaint that a coverup was occurring. A request detailing the exact information requested should have been submitted/requested by the parties involved.”

In November, Ouellette had requested the reports, having noted in a letter to the editor to this newspaper that there were incidents she was concerned about. At the time, Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis said there were just three incidents involving knives. Months later, the department produced 51 reports, most of which were for incidents like fighting, criminal threatening, theft, bomb threats and the like. One was for the case of “sexting” where a student sent photos considered to be pornography by cell phone.

Poor recordkeeping and communication were brought out in the report.

While Police Commission meetings had been taped, the tapes were not kept, which the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office said proved to be a hindrance to the investigation.

“It was found that persons involved had varying accounts about what had transpired and had been said during meetings,” according to the report. “Each person had their own interpretation of the information surrounding the case.”

The Police Commission could have taken a more active role in the case, said the report.

“This view is based on the fact that communication between the police department and the complainants was clearly deteriorating at a rapid pace,” said the report. “As a result, the lack of effective communication between the parties may have given an appearance that a coverup of Safe School Reports was taking place. It is believed that the Police Commission, being both independent and unbiased, should have recognized the situation forming and stepped in sooner and taken a stronger role in the process of resolving the issue. The commission could have ordered the production of the Safe School Reports prior to this action taking place by the Ouellettes.”

Though the investigation could not substantiate the allegation that a coverup had taken place, the Merrimack County Attorney advised that the Police Commission may want to consider contracting an independent resource to conduct a full study of the department and its operations.

The narrow scope of the investigation was a disappointment to Ouellette, but she said she felt vindicated for the report’s assessment of a need for further investigation.

“It’s important to note that the scope of the investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s department was very, very specific,” she said. “The fact that the Sheriff’s department has discovered areas of concern reinforces the fact an independent audit on the entire operations of the Hooksett Police Department is needed.

“The finding of this report confirms what I’ve been saying and what the officers have been saying for years,” said Oullette. “The Hooksett Police Department command staff and the Hooksett Police Commission are not acting appropriately or effectively. Their practices and actions are questionable at best.”

At the June 16 Police Commission meeting, Chairman David Gagnon said, “I’m satisified with the fact there was no wrongdoing found.”

Gagnon said there is room for improvement, but no further action will be taken and no changes to the commission or Police Department would be taken at this time.

The report “satisfied what we asked for,” he said.

Police Chief Agrafiotis has not answered a request for comment.

City budget cuts worry Hooksett School Board

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:05:00 GMT

By Lauren Sausser

Hooksett School Board members are concerned about the kind of education the town’s high school students will receive given budgeting problems in the city of Manchester.

At the School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 2, they did not publicly speculate on whether legal action would be necessary surrounding budget cuts to Manchester schools, but did meet in a nonpublic session after its regular meeting with Hooksett district administrators to discuss legalities of the situation and if the budget cuts have the potential to jeopardize the long-term tuition agreement between the districts.

The Hooksett School District sends its high school students to city high schools in Manchester through a tuition contract. Members of the public and the Hooksett School Board spoke during the public session at the June 2 meeting about concerns they have with the proposed Manchester cuts and the impact of those cuts on local Hooksett students.

Joanne McHugh, a former School Board chairman, urged current board members to send a strongly worded letter to both the Manchester School Board and the city’s aldermen, expressing concern about the budget cuts.

“I think it’s high time we put them on notice,” McHugh said.

Maura Ouellette, another former Hooksett School Board chairman, said the Manchester budget process is starting to play like a broken record.

“It seems that every year we’ve watched the Manchester budget process holding our breath, wondering what will make it and what programs or staffing will fall by the wayside,” Ouellette said. “It’s time for Hooksett to flex its financial muscle and demand that Manchester live up to its end of the agreement.”

Hooksett sends about 500 students to Manchester schools each year at a cost of about $7,000 per student per year. Additionally, the Hooksett district is obligated to contribute about more than $900,000 a year to the Manchester district to help pay off old renovation loans.

Local parents said at the Hooksett board meeting that the Manchester district is not holding up its end of the bargain to provide all students with adequate education and extracurricular opportunities.

Marie Papp, a parent of a Hooksett sophomore at Central High School expressed her worry that program cuts and staff layoffs will jeopardize her child’s education. “They will be absolutely slaughtering the music programs.

A concert band without concerts? A marching band without marching? What’s the point?” Papp said. “Please on behalf of our district, on behalf of our kids, be vocal. The cuts that have been proposed are huge. They are deep and they are wide.”

Hooksett Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield said he is in daily contact with Manchester Superintendent Tom Brennan about the status of the Manchester budget.

“On Thursday, we thought the (Manchester) aldermen might be convinced or receptive to changing that budget number. As a result of an opinion of the city solicitor … the aldermen cannot amend that amount even if they wanted to. The only way to add money would be through a supplemental budget appropriation,” Littlefield said.

Littlefield emphasized that administrators are keeping abreast of the situation and would deal with issues as they arise. “We need to reassure the public that we’re keenly aware of what the provisions of the tuition agreement are and all of us are committed to making sure the provisions of that agreement are enforced,” he said.

Press release on police, School Board dispute doesn’t satisfy public

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:18:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

A press release that was prepared weeks ago by members of the Hooksett School Board and Police Department was intended to end an ongoing debate about the existence of safety threats at Cawley Middle School.

But much to the chagrin of the involved parties, the argument is still being discussed.

Members of the community and School Board continue to voice their beliefs that the Police Department intentionally tried to cover up dozens of safe school reports filed during the past two school years at Cawley Middle School.

“Those reports did, in fact, exist,” said resident Marc Miville at a Police Commission meeting on March 17. “It seems to be somewhat sugarcoated. There needs to be another report that clarifies these (safety) reports did exist and that the Police Department didn’t admit it.”

School Board member James Sullivan said at a board meeting March 17 that the press release, prepared after representatives from the School Board and Police Commission met in a closed-door session, was ineffectual and addressed nothing about the serious concerns that have arisen about safety threats at the middle school.

“In my opinion, the press release ... was the epitome of political correctness,” Sullivan said. “It does not address the real reasons behind the meeting.”

Hooksett Police Chief Steve Agrafiotis said his department has nothing to hide.

“We don’t believe we’ve covered anything up. (Police Capt. Paul Cecelio) reported in December what the reports were and that’s the information we have. We gain nothing by hiding anything,” Agrafiotis said.

The disagreement between the School Board and the Police Commission arose several months ago when former School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette publicly addressed her concerns about safety issues in the school.

Agrafiotis, who had sanctioned a schedule change for the school resource officer to accommodate shortages within the department’s patrol unit, responded by saying Ouellette’s claims were exaggerated.

“Nobody is saying that there haven’t been problems but the problems, as reported to us, were not as extensive as people were led to believe,” Agrafiotis said.

“My staff met with the three principals and the three principals did not agree with the tone of Maura’s (statements). We talked to the superintendent. The superintendent did not agree.”

Earlier this month, the school district paid the Police Department more than $900 to comply with a Right-to-Know request to gain access to more than 50 safe school reports to back up Ouellette’s claims.

Ouellette, whose three-year term on the School Board just expired, did not seek re-election to the office. She said the debate over whether or not the safety issues occurred at the middle school has been waged too long.

“I find it absolutely ridiculous that we are still debating this issue. This is an assault on my credibility as well as the credibility of the school district and it will not be tolerated any longer,” she said. “The police reports substantiate the claims. This really has become an issue of public trust. Chief Agrafiotis needs to not only be held accountable for his statements, he needs to apologize and move on.”

The school resource officer has since been reinstated to his full-time hours at the schools, but Agrafiotis said next year’s budget may require future adjustments to current program.

“I don’t know that the budget outcome is going to be. It also depends on staffing issues, which we can’t see the in future. It also depends on how the economy goes,” he said.

April vacation might turn into school days in Hooksett

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:16:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

Hooksett students are currently scheduled to be released for summer vacation on Monday, June 29, but School Board members have floated the idea of making up missed snow days earlier this spring in order to accommodate an earlier release date.

At the March 3 School Board meeting, members discussed whether school administrators should poll faculty in the town’s three public schools to determine which days during April vacation, if any, would be appropriate to make up instructional time lost from winter storms. The current release date of June 29 is only one day before New Hampshire schools are required to complete 180 instructional days.

The final school day, which is set as an early release date, was bumped to Monday after Hooksett students were kept home March 2 due to a snow storm.

School Board member Becky Berk requested feedback from staff on the idea of canceling school on June 29 and replacing it with a day of April vacation. She said she felt that no quality instruction could occur on a half day of school at the end of June. “There is no learning going on,” Berk said. “It would be a wasted day.”

Superintendent Charles

“Phil” Littlefield said he would follow through with the board’s request to poll faculty about which days would be potentially convenient to hold school during spring break, scheduled from April 27 to May 1.

“We’re collecting data. That’s all we’re doing,” Littlefield said. “We have a lot of winter left. It doesn’t look like spring is around the corner. I’m a little antsy about having only one more day left and I’ve taken the unpopular stance that I’m not in favor of a waiver of days.”

Other communities, some of which missed more than a dozen school days due to the December ice storm, are in far worse shape than Hooksett, Littlefield reminded the School Board. The state education commissioner would not likely look favorably on a waiver request from a school district that missed as few days as Hooksett did, he said.

“There are other communities that if they went to school all April vacation, there is still no way they’d make 180 days,” he said. “If I can’t get 180 quality teaching days, I’m not doing my job for the community.”

The board will review the data collected from faculty at its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 17 in the Cawley Middle School media center.

Knives in school

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:11:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

According to safe school reports recently released by the Hooksett Police Department, eight counts of confiscated knives and reported knife possession by Cawley Middle School students have been filed during the past two school years.

Nearly 50 safe school reports, all filed since late 2007, were released to Hooksett School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette, who requested the specific documents through a Right-to- Know request. Each of the reports involved separate safety incidents at Hooksett schools that were reported to local authorities, as required by law.

Review of the safe school reports indicates that eight involved incidents of knife possession or alleged knife possession, including an incident reporting the theft of a box cutter from the school’s art room by a student who used the blade as a weapon to threaten fellow students on the school bus after school.

Five other reports dealt with bomb threats and one report involved the confiscation of a marijuana pipe. Since the 49 safe school reports were released last month, four other marijuana pipes were confiscated from a Cawley student.

Principal Steve Harrises readily admitted the school is not without safety issues, but said administrators strive to make the campus as safe a learning environment as possible.

“There are issues, but they are issues that every middle school faces in the country and we deal with them,” Harrises said. “It’s as safe as all schools. We maintain our vigilance.”

Harrises said the role of school resource officer Jason Defina is so valuable because it prevents potential safety hazards from ever happening.

“Jay’s role is preventative. It’s prevention for potential things that could happen today but also for when the kids get older. It’s about helping kids make better choices,” he said.

But Defina’s position as the school resource officer has been the center of controversy in recent months as the Police Department and School Board have battled over funding for the program. Currently Defina’s salaries and benefits are covered completely by the Police Department budget.

When Police Department administrators said Ouellette was overstating the case for a full-time school resource officer by exaggerating criminal activity at the middle school, Ouellette sought the safety records to prove her statements were valid.

“The Hooksett School District has requested and received the police reports from the Hooksett Police Department to substantiate my claims. You can’t dispute the facts,” Ouellette said.

The Hooksett Police Commission and school administration recently held a closed meeting to discuss the purpose of the school resource officer program and to air any differences of opinion regarding alleged safety issues at the schools. A joint press release from that meeting was released March 5.

Both parties expressed a commitment to maintaining the school resource officer program and to keep communication open between the school staff and Police Department.

Police Capt. Paul Cecilio, who attended the meeting, noted that the role of the school resource officer is only effective when school administrators contact law enforcement regarding safety concerns in a timely manner.

“Some of (the incidents) were reported so late the knives weren’t even in the schools,” Cecilio said. “My kids went to that school. If there were guns and knives and everything, I wouldn’t have had them there. Compared to other schools around the country, Hooksett has very safe schools.”

Cecelio insisted the department is not trying to cover up any safety threats in the school system and that he hopes the lines of communication between the schools and the department have improved.

“We’re not trying to hide anything. There have been incidents that have gone on in the school,” he said. “I think we’re trying to make it better. It’s a hard road.”

School on Memorial Day? It’s possible

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:54:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

The Hooksett School Board is bouncing around the idea of dipping into spring holidays to make up for the lost instructional time if Hooksett students miss more than two more school days for weather-related cancelations.

Currently, Hooksett students have missed four school days due to winter weather, including the December ice storms, and are scheduled to be released for summer on June 26.

That leaves administrators with only two more days – Monday, June 29, and Tuesday, June 30 – to complete the required 180 days of classroom instruction before they will either be forced to request a waiver from the state government or make up the missed days with scheduled vacation time.

“I’m not a fan of requesting a waiver for days,” said Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield. “We have a lot of work to do with youngsters in 180 days. I’m a fan of delivering what we said we’d deliver and that’s 180 days.”

At the School Board meeting of Feb. 17, board members and administrators discussed the possibility of converting the Memorial Day holiday into an instructional day before dipping into the April vacation period, which is scheduled for April 27 to May 1.

School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette said she would prefer using Memorial Day as a school day rather than take away days from spring break.

“It’s kind of late to be telling people this now,” Ouellette said. “We have a lot of staff that go away in April. How do you require staff to be in if they are flying out and have already made vacation plans?”

Board member Becky Berk said she wants parent input before making any decision. “I would just be uncomfortable making that decision for all parents,” Berk said.

An up-to-date version of the current school year calendar is accessible online at hooksett.k12.nh.us.

Hooksett Police chief, school officials to iron out disagreement on weapons in schools

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:20:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

Representatives from the Hooksett School Board and Police Commission decided meeting behind closed doors will be more efficient as they seek to air out any misunderstandings about safety issues present at Cawley Middle School. Both groups announced they will meet in a closed door session on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to address allegations that School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette made about the confiscation of drugs and weapons at the school last year.

The Police Department has denied the claims, insisting there are no records of the incidents.

Ouellette has defended her original statements, which were intended to publicly argue the necessity of a full-time school resource officer in the public schools to prevent any similar cases from happening again.

“I think we have a sense we don’t want this to go on and on and on,” said Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield, who will be present at the meeting. “Certainly one would hope that if we have an intermediary meeting and we’re able to address and solve all issues, I can assure you the public will be very much aware of how we come to a resolution.”

At the time the claims were made, school resource officer Jason Defina’s full-time hours spent at Hooksett’s three public schools had been cut from 40 hours to less than eight hours per week. Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis said he ordered the schedule change because of staffing shortages. Defina’s fulltime hours at the school have since resumed.

Police Commission Chairman David Gagnon said the intent of the meeting is to clear any misunderstandings.

“There are two different versions right now,” Gagnon said. “We need to come to some conclusion about what’s going on. It’s all about what’s best for the students. We need to figure out what’s going on.”

Agrafiotis and Littlefield decided to meet in a nonpublic setting to encourage open, honest dialogue between all parties. “I hope to resolve the issue and move forward,” Agrafiotis said.

Hooksett School Board, police at standstill on weapons reports

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

The debate between the chairman of the Hooksett School Board of the chief of police over alleged weapons and drug possession incidents at Cawley Middle School will continue until the two groups can agree on a time and place to meet.

The School Board recently extended an invitation to members of the Hooksett Police Commission to attend the board’s Jan. 20 meeting to voice concerns or questions they might have about safety issues at the middle school. Police Commission Chairman Dave Gagnon said it will be impossible for the groups to meet that evening because the commission also has its regular monthly meeting scheduled for the same date.

Until then, questions about whether such incidents occurred at all will go unanswered.

“We’re working on it with them,” Gagnon said.

School Board Chairman

Maura Ouellette said a meeting between the two groups would be beneficial.

“This will get everyone in the room and it will be a chance to hash out everything that’s on the table,” Ouellette said at a School Board meeting on Jan. 6.

The verbal exchange between Ouellette and Police Chief Steve Agrafiotis originated when Ouellette expressed public concerns about various weapons and drug possessions incidents at the middle school in Hooksett. She said it is necessary for a full-time school resource officer to monitor the three Hooksett public schools so that these cases could be kept at a minimum.

Her comments stemmed from a schedule change ordered by Agrafiotis that cut back the hours that officer Jason Defina, the town’s school resource officer, spent at the schools. Agrafiotis said the changes were necessary to fill in gaps in the department’s schedule that resulted from personnel shortages.

Defina has been suspended from duty for reasons that have not been made public, but which Agrafiotis has said have nothing to do with the school resource officer position. He is expected to return to duty Jan. 19.

Agrafiotis has maintained that the allegations about drugs and weapons issues at Cawley Middle School raised by Ouellette are unfounded. He and members of the Police Department have repeatedly claimed her information is incorrect. Ouellette stands by her original statements.

“We certainly need to get this cleared up,” said School Board member James Sullivan, adding that the dispute is effectively serving as poor public relations for both groups. “We need to get answers to some questions.”

Police chief asks for details on school trouble

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:27:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

When Hooksett School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette reported serious incidents of weapons and drug possession by students at Cawley Middle School in an editorial letter to The Hooksett Banner in November, officials at the Police Department were scratching their heads over where her reports had originated.

More than a month later, Hooksett Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis still isn’t sure where the serious allegations came from and SAU15 Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield is ready to move past the debate.

“She might have been exaggerating. I don’t know. Maybe she misunderstood what happened,” Agrafiotis said. “If she has information that we don’t have, give it to us or go back and clarify that her information is incorrect.”

Ouellette’s letter was published in response to the drastic cutback in hours spent by the school resource officer in Hooksett’s three public schools.

Officer Jason Defina, a member of the Hooksett Police Department, had been working full time in the schools to address immediate safety issues and to act as a liaison between the department and the educational community. When his hours were cut from eight hours per day spent in the schools to only two hours per day, Ouellette and other school officials considered it a step in the wrong direction.

Agrafiotis said he had to order the cuts because of personnel shortages. His full time hours at the schools were reinstated in early November.

Now, in an attempt to clear any misunderstanding, Agrafiotis has requested a meeting with Littlefield and the police commission.

“School Board Chair Maura Ouellette made a statement to the effect that the command staff was not being truthful (about the alleged incidents),” Agrafiotis wrote in a recent letter to the Littlefield.

“The commission is concerned because it calls into questions the integrity of the staff members,” he said.

Littlefield, who said he received the letter one day before school vacation, said he has not decided how to proceed.

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought,” Littlefield said. “The fundamental question I need to answer is – however we proceed – is it in the best interest of the kids and the taxpayers? I think there have been some misunderstandings up until now. Everybody is going to have to put those misunderstandings aside because it’s not in the best interest of the kids or the taxpayers.”

He added that although there may be some disagreement over past incidents that may or may not have occurred, the school resource officer program is vital to the everyday workings of the schools.

Several members of the Hooksett Police Department attended the Jan. 6 meeting of the School Board, but did not speak.

The board has scheduled a meeting with the Police Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 6:30 p.m., at Cawley Middle School, to hash out everyone’s concerns.

“We certainly need to get this cleared up,” said School Board member Jim Sullivan, adding that the dispute is serving as poor public relations. “We need to get answers to some questions.

Hooksett school officer is reinstated

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:04:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

Hooksett School Resource officer Jason Defina has been restored to full-time duty in the schools, following public outcry against the shifting of his duties to street patrols.

At the Hooksett Police Commission meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18, Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis informed the commission of the change.

Following last week’s story on the school resource officer in this newspaper, along with letters to the editor, Agrafiotis talked to School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette about incidents with drugs, guns and knives in the school he was unaware of. “My concern is if there are these issues going on, why doesn’t the PD know about it?” said Agrafiotis. “Parents aren’t telling us.”

Ouellette said it was a “game of semantics,” that the department is well aware of problems with drugs and weapons at the schools.

Unable to get confirmation from his officers about such incidents, Agrafiotis said he would err on the side of caution and reinstate the school resource officer.

“The move comes with a cost, though,” said the chief. He outlined the following results of moving Defina back to the schools:
• Overtime costs as other officers fill in on the streets.
• Unhappy employees as schedules change during holidays.
• Cuts generally in coverage of the town, particularly in the detective area, as they fill in on street patrols.

“I’m thrilled,” said Ouellette. “This is in the best interest of the school district and the town as a whole.”

Hooksett police needed on streets, not school

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:51:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

The Hooksett Police Department needs more officers on the street and – to that end – it is pulling the town’s school resource officer out of the schools and onto the road.

Hooksett Police Chief Steve Agrafiotis said personnel issues dictate that the department’s school resource officer will need to cut back his hours spent at the three Hooksett schools from 40 hours a week to somewhere between four and eight.

“Right now we’re down staff. We have a number of personnel who would have been going on the road that aren’t,” Agrafiotis said. “So basically we’re not up to full strength to fill our normal openings on the road so we’ve cut back the hours that the school resource officer can be in the schools.”

Agrafiotis said he does not know how permanent the officer’s new schedule will be. Private personnel issues and the upcoming budget cycle will dictate the length of the arrangement, he said.

Hooksett school Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield addressed School Board members on Oct. 21, briefing them on the conversation he had with the police chief. Littlefield said if it comes down to the school system funding the officer’s presence in the schools, he couldn’t find a way to fiscally justify it.

“Under no circumstances do I think we’re in a position to cut back services to youngsters to fund the public safety position,” Littlefield said.

Cawley Middle School Principal Steve Harrises said the position cutback would be felt.

“He is a part of the building,” Harrises said. “I think there is a nice rapport developing that we will lose. We will miss him here. The students will miss him. I think he’s had such a positive impact.”

School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette agreed.

“He has developed as such a positive role model in all the buildings.” Ouellette said. “We will really miss that. And he is ideal for the position. He really likes spending time with the kids but we have no control over this. It is too bad.”

Agrafiotis said if a safety issue arises at any of the district’s schools, the police will not hesitate to respond. He also said cutting back on the school resource officer’s hours should not pose a real safety threat.

“The schools have very good safety programs in place,” he said. “We were just there to give an extra presence and interaction for the children. If we have any issues that pop up, we will certainly readjust.”

Land available for possible Hooksett high school

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:29:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

Hooksett may not need a high school right now, but – just in case – the School Board already has its sights set on a spot.

An 80-acre parcel off Route 3 just south of Head’s Pond has been offered by Manchester Sand and Gravel as a site for a potential school. The area has been deemed ideal because state law mandates that a high school needs a minimum of 60 acres to accommodate the buildings and surrounding facilities.

“Manchester Sand and Gravel has been great to work with,” said School Board Chairman Maura Ouelette. “We have looked at many sites and think this is our best option. But we don’t want people to panic and automatically assume we’re moving forward with a new school.”

In fact, the board hasn’t even begun to debate whether a high school is necessary. Currently, the district buses about 500 Hooksett high school students per day to high schools in Manchester.

A high school exploratory committee will convene its first meeting later this month to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of building a new school in town.

“(The new site) is taking care of our future needs,” said Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield.

He emphasized that even though a site parcel has been selected and that the new high school committee is meeting this month, the two events are not necessarily related.

“I want to be very clear,” he said, “these things are very independent of each other.”

Representatives from Manchester Sand and Gravel were on hand at a Hooksett Conservation Commission meeting on Oct. 1 to lay out the site plans for the potential school and to request – if the School Board decides to move forward with plans – a change to one of the town’s environmental easements.

Attorney David Campbell told commission members the school district would need to run an access road through one of the town’s current designated open spaces, but that in exchange for that access, Manchester Sand and Gravel is willing to donate an extra 30 acres of green area strictly for land conservation purposes.

“We’re not asking to put condominiums up here,” Campbell said. “We’re offering a school, which has an obvious public benefit.”

The conservation commission voted unanimously to support the plans.

The Hooksett High School Exploratory Committee will hold its first meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20, at Cawley Middle School.

Hooksett schools search for energy savings

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:57:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

Hooksett Schools Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield is looking at what the district has been spending on energy costs and is more than a little worried. With sky-high gas prices sure to set in this winter, the picture isn’t looking any brighter, either.

“The problem we’re facing is that a year ago when we were developing budgets, we all knew we’d have some increases in energy rates, but I don’t think anyone anticipated a near doubling of those costs,” Littlefield said. “What we’re trying to do now is figure out what we can do to mitigate the impact of those costs on the organization.”

No firm plans are in place to lower costs, but Littlefield and the Hooksett School Board are discussing ways – like replacing older model light fixtures with more energy efficient ones – to save money in the long run. Simpler practices, such as making sure windows are sealed during winter months and that computers are shut down at the end of the day, will also help, he said.

“Part of this is setting an example in schools of the responsible use of energy,” Littlefield said. “Our kids play a vital role in this. We don’t want to be draconian about this and we don’t want to be overly aggressive with people, but we do want to identify ways to be more efficient and incorporate those ways into a learning environment.”

Littlefield estimates the school system spends about $200,000 on electricity alone per year. This figure does not include heating the district’s schools. He said if they can cut that bill by even 5 percent, it could save the taxpayers thousands of dollars.

“My goal in the end is to break even,” he said. “I don’t want to have to spend anymore than we did a year ago and I want to be able to absorb the energy increases through efficiency. Whether that’s possible or not, I don’t know. But we’ll see.”