ALTON — While Stephen Miller and his colleagues on the Alton School Board remain at dagger drawn, no blades were pulled, flashed, wielded or brandished when the board met this week under the watchful eye of Police Chief Ryan Heath, who responded to board's request for a police presence.
"It was political theater in action, a Kabuki play," said Miller, who a week ago found himself splashed over the Internet, television and newswire after displaying a folding knife at an earlier meeting while seeking to persuade the board to amend its policy to forbid anyone from carrying or transporting a deadly weapon on school property.
A video of the proceedings appeared on Facebook and YouTube and went from there to WMUR-TV and the Associated Press with most reports picturing Miller as "pulling," "flashing" or "brandishing" the knife, which the video shows him holding like an umbrella for less than 30 seconds.
Several resident interviewed told WMUR-TV that Miller's behavior was "ridiculous," showed "poor judgement," and warranted at least a "reprimand."
Heath said yesterday that when the board met this week, in both public and non-public sessions, it requested the presence of an officer. In light of the media fanfare and what he called "the politics" in the aftermath of the earlier incident, he said he chose to take the detail himself rather than place one of his officers in a sensitive situation. "I was there to keep the peace, " Heath said, who emphasized that nothing untoward occurred at the meeting.
Miller said and Heath confirmed that several individuals, who neither identified, reported the original incident to the police. He said that when the board met in non-public session this week, he asked that it place the incident on the agenda of its next meeting. "I wanted to discuss the conduct of the School Board members in a public session," he said. The other board members, he said, refused.
Heath said that he received reports of the incident from individuals who were present, which he referred to the New Hampshire State Police. He explained that not only did the incident involve elected officials but also Miller is a candidate for selectmen. In the circumstances, he said it was not appropriate for the Alton Police to conduct an investigation. Health said an investigation is underway, but no report has been issued.

MEREDITH — Voters at the annual Inter-Lakes School District meeting last night unanimously passed the proposed operating budget for the 2013-2014.
However, on the question of what should happen to any funds left in the budget at the end of next school year, the voting body was of a split mind. Those present at the meeting passed, by a narrow majority, a measure to allow the district to encumber a limited amount of unreserved funds remaining at the end of the school year, if there are any, and to use those funds in subsequent years to offset steep tax rises or to pay for an emergency expenditure.
The article was presented to voters with the endorsement of the school board. However, as retiring board member Jack Carty noted, only four of the seven board members were present at the meeting when the article received unanimous recommendation.
Carty made it clear that he would have voted against its recommendation. "One of the first sayings I learned when I came to New Hampshire is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. This is not a good idea."
Carty said he preferred the current manner of appropriations and expenditures, which he said is "transparent all the way along." At the end of a budget cycle, he continued, any un-spent funds are used to reduce the amount of taxes levied to fund the subsequent school year. "In effect, you get that money back by December of that year. I think it's a far better idea for the people that hold the money to be the people that earned it, not the district."
As explained by Assistant Superintendent Trish Temperino and attorney Barbara Loughman, a new state law allows for districts to create such a fund. The law, RSA 198:4-b, II, allows districts to retain as much as 2.5 percent of the current year's net assessment, and to expend the funds in subsequent years to dull what would otherwise be a sharp year-over-year jump in taxation. "It's a way to keep the tax rate from spiking," said Temperino.
Districts are also permitted to use the fund to cover emergency expenditures but only with approval from the state's Department of Education. "It's not carte blanche, it's not a slush fund," said Loughman.
"This is extremely confusing," said Warren Clark of Meredith, one of several voters who adopted Carty's view of the proposal. "Let's keep it simple."
More voters, in the end, sided with the board majority's view, however. Miller Lovett, chairman of Merediths selectboard, said, "Fund balances are very important to the town, I've always wondered why there isn't a provision for the school." About the measure at hand, he said, "I personally favor it."
After much discussion, Meredith resident Mike Hatch moved the question. The initial showing of votes for and against was too close for moderator Lee Quimby to discern, though after asking for a second showing he declared the article passed.
Earlier in the night, voters easily approved a one-year collective bargaining agreement for the district's support staff. The agreement results in an increased salary and benefit cost of $138,609 over the current arrangement.
Voters also unanimously approved an operating budget of $20,998,543 for the 2013-2014 school year. The budget is increased by 2.75 percent, or $562,761, over the current plan. As board chairman Richard Hanson explained, the increase was due to contractually-obligated salary increases, as well as "downshifting of financial responsibilities from state to local government," with retirement contributions making up more than half of the total increase.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the district recognized the contributions of Marjorie Lee, who taught English at Inter-Lakes High School for more than four decades and, in her retirement, has operated the high school store for two more decades.
The district also thanked Carty, who is retiring after serving his third consecutive term on the board and who lent his time to dozens of committees and initiatives along the way.
In receiving her ovation and a gift from the district, Lee said such accolades "Seldom belong to the recipient alone," and are often possible only thanks to many others who helped along the way. "And so it has been with me, dear friends." She concluded by saying, "I want you to know how happy I am, that I'm wearing the blue and white of Laker Country, and how proud I am to be a Laker."
Carty recalled how he and his wife had traveled the country before finding a place to finally settle down, many years ago. "We found a plot of land in a little town in Meredith, next to a burned-out asbestos mill... Other than convinving my wife to marry me, it was the second-best decision I ever made."

BELMONT – Sixty-five people led by school board member Richy Bryant of Belmont have petitioned an article on to the Shaker Regional School Board warrant that, if it passes on Friday night, will create a Budget Committee for the school district.
In a letter he sent to The Daily Sun, Bryant noted the annual budget before the voters this year is approaching the $21 million annual mark and he thinks doubling the number of people who are involved with its development would foster greater transparency it its creation.
Also signing the petition was Belmont School Board member Donna Cilley, who when campaigning for her seat last year said she also supported enacting SB-2 or the Official Budget Act for the district.
Traditionally, Shaker Regional board members have been opposed to both the prospect of a budget committee and adoption of SB-2.
Last year 55 voters in the regional school district that covers Belmont and Canterbury signed a petition that put SB-2 onto the ballot. While the majority of those who went to the annual school district meeting supported the measure, it needed 60 percent of those voting to pass and it failed by a vote of 312 to 252.
In 2008, a petitioned warrant article for SB-2 was defeated by a vote 213 to 261 — the initiative failing to garner even a simple majority.
According to the minutes of the February 6 School Board meeting, Canterbury members Bob Reed and Diane O'Hara made and seconded a motion not to support the creation of a budget committee.
When the vote was taken, Cilley and Bryant supported establishing a budget committee, while Canterbury's Heidi Hutchinson, Reed and O'Hara didn't not.
Also voting against the budget committee idea was Sean Embree of Belmont, although he said at Monday's candidate's night that although he voted against it at the meeting, he would support whatever the voters supported.
Outgoing Chair Pret Tuthill said yesterday that he didn't support a budget committee but didn't vote because the chair only votes to break a tie.
Tuthill has resigned his seat citing increase pressure from his business as a reason, while O'Hara has chosen not to seek re-election.
The budget committee article needs a simple majority to be adopted.
Should the measure pass, the budget committee would consist of seven members of the Belmont-Canterbury community plus one member from the school board who is chosen by the members of the school board. For the first year, the district moderator shall appoint within 15 days of the enactment all of the members except the School Board representative. Thereafter, members would be elected.
Under New Hampshire law, official budget committees have the obligation to review the relevant town and school district budgets and make recommendations to voters. It is the budget committees recommendations that then appear on the warrant.
The annual Shaker Regional School District meeting is Friday night at Belmont High School. Voting for elected offices begins a 6 p.m. and the annual district meeting begins at 7 p.m.