Pelham News : school

Pelham woman charged with stealing school funds waives arraignment

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:31:00 GMT

A Pelham Elementary School aid accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the school’s “sunshine fund” waived her arraignment in Salem District Court, which was scheduled for Monday, July 14, at 8 a.m.

Lisa Harris, 50, of 50 Windham Road in Pelham, turned herself in to police after a warrant was issued for her arrest on Tuesday, June 17.

The fund, for which Harris was in charge of accounting, was set up by Pelham Elementary teachers. Teachers would contribute money to the fund, which is completely independent of the school district’s budget, to make special purchases such as cards and gifts for special occasions.

Superintendent Frank Bass explained most schools have similar funds which incorporate collections from teachers and staff for such purposes, including weddings and funerals.

“These are monies that teachers put aside. It’s a very normal system. Most schools have sunshine funds of some sort,” said Bass.

Since the donated money in the fund is separate from the school budget, the missing funds will not be reflected back onto taxpayers.

Pelham police allege that Harris, who has since been terminated from her position as an instructional aid at the school after 10 years on the job, transferred $4,600 from the sunshine fund into a Sovereign Bank account. When the account was about to be drawn upon for a purchase, school staff noticed some of the money was missing.

“We became aware of a discrepancy in the account when money was called on for a specific purpose, and then upon investigation we realized the discrepancies were significant, and the investigation went its course,” said Bass.

According to police, the school district reported the missing funds on May 22. Investigators reviewed the financial statements, and found that several transfers had been made out of the fund between May 16, 2007, and May 28, 2008.

Police then reviewed the Sovereign Bank records for the account the money was being transferred into, and found it to be in Harris’ name.

Harris is now facing a felony theft charge for which she could be sentenced to jail time, probation and fines. She is out on bail, and her trial has yet to be scheduled. Bass said the school district administration and staff, as well as Pelham Elementary teachers are shocked at Harris’ behavior, adding she was a well-liked employee by all accounts.

“It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, and we’re very disappointed in what has occurred,” Bass said.

Pelham school resource officer to leave for new position

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

Police Chief Joseph Roark recently expressed to selectmen that officer retention will become a concern, following another year without an approved contract raise.

The department’s juvenile detective, Michael Marshall, gave his notice to leave the department at the end of the month for an officer position in Lowell, Mass., while citing pay as a reason for leaving, Roark said.

In March, voters defeated a two-year police union contract that would have granted officers 5 percent raises each year to make up for a lack of raises for the two year’s prior as the contract was negotiated.

Marshall, who has worked for the department for three years, according to Roark, has yet to receive a raise as a Pelham officer and was unwilling to take a chance for another year without a raise.

Roark commended Marshall as an employee who actually assisted with securing a grant last year to install digital surveillance throughout the high school while also funding a security audit on all the town’s schools.

“He’s an outstanding officer,” Roark said. “He’s been working for us three years on a rookie’s salary.”

Marshall’s base salary is $39,820, according to the town’s 2007 report.

Roark said Marshall’s resignation indicates that recruitment and retention will likely become a prevalent concern as the department slips back comparatively with what other town’s offer new and veteran officers.

Voters also turned down an option to staff a third officer during the overnight shift, which may be filled at the expense of replacing Marshall in his position as the school resource officer.

“We’re in a default budget and they voted down our third officer on the overnight shift. We’re really struggling,” Roark said. “We’re going to core services and we’re trying our best. Certainly when May and June come, that SRO is gone. I can’t train someone and deploy someone in that position fast enough.”

Roark said he’s currently planning on having voters decide next year whether they’d like to hire a student resource officer.

Payment shortfall in Pelham may prompt new school lunch policy

Salem Editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:42:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Pelham School Board is looking at adopting a new policy that would tighten the rules regarding school lunch money owed to the district.

The school district’s food service director, Megan Bizzarro, proposed a draft of the policy to the School Board at a meeting on Wednesday, April 9, which would allow the district to revisit costs associated with food service each year and apply stricter guidelines to help parents stay current with their child’s lunch account.

“No one likes this. I don’t like wearing the collector hat,” Bizzarro said, adding Pelham had about $1,600 owed in lunch accounts as of Monday, April 21.

Students who are not paid up on their lunch account receive alternative lunches, which might include a sandwich instead of the main course being offered that day, Bizzarro said.

Elementary school kids would be allowed to go over on their account by $5 before the account was frozen and the child had to get an alternative lunch. Middle schoolers would be allowed one meal before their accounts were frozen. High school students would not be allowed any overcharges on their account.

“That’s fairly typical of other districts,” said Bizzarro of the high school regulations in the policy, adding high school students have a greater responsibility and often pay for lunch themselves.

Lunch money that is still owed to the district at the end of the school year, Bizzarro said, is covered by the general fund in keeping with federal regulations.

“I know we are in a default budget,” Bizzarro told the board. “This is not something you could necessarily budget for, either.”

She added the shortfall in lunch accounts is not necessarily coming from low-income students and parents.

“The great majority of the money that is owed is from the full-pay category,” Bizzarro said.

She said the Litchfield School District fell into trouble with lunch money owed to the district and sent home bills every day and instituted a point of sale system so parents could pay online if it were more convenient. Currently, the school’s administration sends notices home when accounts become delinquent.

The School Board considered Bizzarro’s presentation the first reading of the policy, which will require at least two more readings and discussion before going into effect.

School Board member Cindy Kyzer asked whether the school district goes after parents for the lunch money the general fund offsets at the end of the year. Business administrator Kathleen Sargent said she was unsure whether the district pursued that money or not.

Kyzer suggested putting the lunch bills in with students’ progress reports and report cards.

Bizzarro said she will soon go before the Windham School Board to propose the policy, and did not want to speak on Windham’s outstanding food service accounts until the board had read and discussed the policy.

School Board Chairman Bruce Couture said Pelham used to have a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Windham in which Windham would help offset some of Pelham’s food service shortfalls, but that has stopped, as Windham also has outstanding lunch money owed, according to Bizzarro.

“In some districts, (school food service) makes money for the district,” Couture said.

Trip to bathroom causes Pelham school lockdown

Salem Editor — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:17:00 GMT

BY JIM DEVINE

PELHAM -- A woman dropping off her nephew at an elementary school on Thursday, March 20, triggered a security lockdown and a police presence at three local schools after she went inside to use the bathroom.

When school officials didn’t recognize the 40-year-old woman walking in the school hallways, they called police at 8:05 a.m. and went into lockdown before classes began, police said.

While trying to avoid the sudden police presence because she had been driving with a suspended license, the woman caused a security lockdown of the school when she couldn’t be found.

“She ended up going out one of the side exits and headed to the high school,” Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher said.

After searching the Pelham Elementary School building, police broadened the lockdown measures to include the nearby middle school and high school campuses before the woman was found at the high school.

Police and school officials called off the lockdown after finding the woman and talking to her. School schedules immediately returned to normal by 9:30 a.m., police said.

During the incident, children just arriving at the elementary school were kept from entering the building and everyone inside was prevented from leaving, Fisher said.

Pelham police received help from Salem police, New Hampshire State Police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department.

Police withheld the identity of the 40-year-old woman because no charges were being filed.

Fisher commended school officials for quickly calling police.

“They acted very accordingly and contacted us appropriately,” Fisher said.

Pelham Elementary School hosts its first-ever spelling bee

Salem Editor — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:09:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

Standing at a microphone and in front of a large audience, Renee Gagnon, 11, spelled the word “implement.”

When Superintendent Frank Bass responded, “That is correct,” the audience erupted in applause.

Because Renee spelled the word correctly and her two competitors misspelled the words given to them in the same round, she became the winner of Pelham Elementary School’s first spelling bee.

“I’m so excited I could just jump up and down,” Renee, a fifth-grader, said after the Thursday, Jan. 31, competition.

As the school winner, Renee will go on to a regional competition. If she’s successful there, she’ll advance to a state spelling bee.

Renee was one of 25 students from grades 3 through 5 who competed in the school contest. They had each won in their classrooms.

Each student was given one word to spell in the first round. “Cosmos,” “sarcasm,” and “pecan” were among the words spelled correctly. Misspelled words included “yacht,” “virtuoso” and “liverwurst.”

The eight students who correctly spelled their word advanced to the second round. From there, Renee, Mackenzie Bryant and Kaylie Golding emerged as the three finalists.

Three short rounds later, Renee emerged as the winner, and soon after, MacKenzie won the spot as her alternate when she spelled “confetti” correctly.

Principal Alicia LaFrance, School Board member Eleanor Burton and parent volunteer Judy Hayes served as judges. Once a student said a letter, they could not take it back.

Renee and Mackenzie were each awarded ribbons, and every participant was given a certificate of achievement.

LaFrance told the audience – made of up students, parents and teachers – that it’s not easy for the participants to compete in front of other people. And she encouraged the audience to give the spellers a big round of applause.