Girard at Large has posted video of the discussion had at Tuesday’s now infamous meeting of the Hooksett School Board over whether or not the town should enter into negotiations with Pinkerton Academy to be the exclusive high school of record for its students starting in two thousand fourteen, despite the clear language of the settlement with Manchester (see section 10) which obligates the town to negotiate with the city in good faith to continue to educate its high school students. Though Superintendent Dr. Charles Littlefield said he would need clarification from Manchester’s attorneys and the mediator about what the contract clause meant before taking any final action. Board Vice Chair David Pearl argued the plain English meaning of the contract, but Littlefield and Board Chair Trisha Korkosz said there was proposal made during the mediation that gave a different meaning to that clause. They would only meet in super secret session to discuss what it was. Only Pearl opposed going into super secret session. Once back in public session, Pearl argued that the board should ask the Manchester School Board, not the attorneys, what its understanding of the settlement’s provision was before proceeding with Pinkerton. The motion went down 3 to 2 . This action, by the way, is directly contrary to statements Littlefield made to Girard at Large on Monday night when he said it would quote be very helpful end quote if Manchester would continue to accept the town’s incoming freshmen. My favorite part of the discussion came when The Gavel Told the Pariah he could no longer speak to his motion because Roberts Rules said you can only speak to it twice. Stay tuned, we’ll be chatting about that.
Manchester City Clerk Matthew Normand has put out a call for poll workers to assist with this fall’s elections. While help is needed in several wards, Ward 4 is in dire need. Seems all of its ballot inspectors just wanted to be around for the presidential election because they all quit after it was done. Hmmm…Ballot inspectors are not elected positions. They work on election day handing out ballots, working the checklist and reconciling ballot counts at the end of the night. They are paid positions. If interested, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 6 2 4 6 4 5 5.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
The appeal of Litchfield’s Campbell High School to be taken off the state’s so called “priority school list” was shot down on a 5 to 2 vote by the State Board of Education. Being on that list is the educational equivalent of wearing a Scarlet Letter and happened after the state passed Senate Bill 48 to get a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act. While not initially on the list, the removal of other schools from it bumped Campbell High onto it. That means the school will be subject to additional state scrutiny and intervention over the next three years, regardless of the desires or actions of the Litchfield School Board. We’ve linked to the complete story from the Nashua Telegraph. Expect discussion on this because it’s proof of bad things that were predicted to happen.
Goffstown has finally officially named an interim superintendent to fill in for the dearly departed Stacy Buckley. He’s Brian Balke, the district’s current assistant superintendent. While Balke was appointed on the twelfth by the Goffstown School Board, he made it official with his John Hancock on the Paperwork just a day or two ago. The district will continue its search for a permanent replacement to take the helm at the end of this school year. We’ve posted the complete release with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
The Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce announced the creation of a Young Professionals’ group yesterday. The group, which will have its inaugural meeting on September 17th, will provide a much needed outlet for professionals in their twenties and thirties to network with each other and establish long lasting and beneficial relationships, said Chamber Executive Director Stacey Bruzzese. The chamber is hoping the group will encourage young professionals to stay in and relocate to the area. Visit G D L Chamber dot org for details.
Finally this morning, the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce is hosting a special Business After Hours networking event tonight at the Anheuser-Busch plant in Merrimack. It’s free and open to the public. Check Merrimack Chamber dot org for details.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large Hour ___ is just 30 seconds away.
