MINUTES
JOINT MEETING
BOARD OF SELECTMEN and
STOW REPRESENTATIVES OF
THE NASHOBA REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
February 7, 2006
Present at the meeting that was held at the Stow Town Building were Chairman Edward Perry, Selectmen Stephen Dungan and Carole Makary, and NRSD members Brian Burke, Ellen Sturgis, and Christine Way.
Also present was Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier.
Selectmen John Clayton and Janet Wheeler were absent.
Chairman Perry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He noted that the purpose of the meeting was to define the new School Building Committee (SBC), not to solve building needs.
The specific topics Mr. Perry asked the joint boards to address about the new committee were:
· The number of voting and associate members
· Types of backgrounds and qualifications for these members
· Organizational structure
· Length of term for these appointments
· Duties and scope of their committee
· Deliverables
Mr. Dungan, who had formerly chaired the School Building Committee, distributed his recommendations for a School Building Task Force, in a document dated Feb 7. The recommendations, which included the topics on Mr. Perry’s agenda, then served as the basis for discussion.
Membership:
Most of the discussion focused on the representation of various constituencies and Town committees on the new SBC.
One issue in changing the committee from its present form was whether the new committee would need funds before Annual Town Meeting and, if so, where the funds would be found. For example, how would land evaluation services be paid? The new committee would be prohibited from using existing SBC funds and a Town Meeting vote would be required to permit the new committee to access the funds. In the meantime, funds could be acquired by requesting Reserve Fund Transfers from the Finance Committee. Most members agreed that this was acceptable given the expected length of time before funds could actually be needed, when balanced against the desire to expand the committee membership.
Mr. Dungan recommended the following composition of the new committee: a non-voting facilitator and up to 12 voting members to include two former SCB members, one school committee representative, one member each from the Planning Board, Concerned Citizens, Concerned Families, and supporters of December STM Article 4 on Pompo and Center add/renovation. The remaining members would bring relevant skills and experience.
The members collectively agreed to retain, as voting members, two members from the previous committee and the NRSD representative.
Following debate on whether the Planning Board should have a voting member on the committee, the majority decided that Planning Board would not have a vote but could appoint a liaison, if desired. The discussion ended with general agreement that any committee could appoint a non-voting liaison.
The group did not agree on other representation, with some members wanting new members with particular skills and others wanting members representing different constituencies, so that the committee’s recommendation to Town Meeting would have the support of the necessary groups of voters.
Mr. Perry asked resident Rob Kaufman for his ideas on the new committee size and membership. Mr. Kaufman had submitted his name to serve as facilitator for the new committee. Mr. Kaufman advised that a large committee could have difficulty getting a quorum; however, a larger group has the advantage of being able to break down into small-group “conversations” on issues. Twelve is a workable size. It is important that this committee represents the whole town and, while skills are important, representation by the constituencies is more important.
It was agreed:
· Committee size would be left open to between 9 and 11, to be flexible when interviewing candidates.
· The NRSD administration would have three ex-officio members: superintendent Michael Wood, Pompo/Center principal Greg Irvine, and Hale principal Margaret Morgan.
· The committee, not the joint boards, would appoint associate members.
· Voting and associate members would serve a term of one year, later amended to a term through the 2007 Annual Town Meeting.
Organizational structure:
The main discussion on organizational structure was on the roles of committee chair and group facilitator: whether this should be one person or two and what the respective duties would be. After debate, it was generally agreed there would be a voting chair, who would be the point person for the group and oversee the committee, and a facilitator, who would help set the agenda and run the meetings. The joint boards would appoint the facilitator, while the committee would appoint its own chair.
As to advertising the facilitator position, the boards agree to review the applications received for a possible facilitator role. If no candidate emerged, the vacancy would be posted.
Committee duties and scope:
Defining the scope of the new committee’s work began with Mr. Dungan’s proposal to offer voters a choice among tiers of building work at various cost levels, as opposed to a single recommendation. An extended discussion ensued on definitions of tiers, choices, and phases and how they are related.
It was agreed that the committee’s objective is to collaborate and develop a consensus on two or more building and/or renovation options for grades PreK through 5 and present them, with cost estimates, at the May 2007 Annual Town Meeting.
It was agreed that the committee’s recommendation must:
· Understand and use the information and data already compiled by the School Building Committee, i.e., don’t “reinvent the wheel.”
· Provide sufficient space for the 10-year projected enrollment
· Provide space for the preK-5 students that is acceptable by today’s standards
· Minimize cost and tax impact
· Maximize state reimbursement
· Meet educational needs
The committee is to 1) agree on the school needs, 2) prioritize the needs and determine their costs and, 3) prepare two proposals reflecting various costs and the associated priority needs that are included.
The committee will provide the Board of Selectmen with regular updates.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:06 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
Approved as amended, February 28, 2006
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