Video Gallery

Westmoreland School Board - Special Meeting for January 27, 2021

Go to Video Gallery Added Mar 18, 2021 •

Copy this URL:
Embed code:	<iframe class="edlio-embed-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="//www.sau29.org/apps/embed/?v=312986" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Change dimensions

Go HD

Westmoreland School Board - Special Meeting Date, Time: for Wednesday, January 27, 2021 – 6:30PM. Meeting Location: The Westmoreland School Board members attended the meeting remotely. Transcription available upon request.

Show Transcript

hit the record button and hand it over to our chair rate so we are here today to talk about a couple of items the official agenda sorry I thought I thought I had this thing up am I able to share Rob or not do you want me just to pull it up and share it now I've got turn up so I ate so what we call the meeting to order we do have public online so do we have to do anything with public or talking about how we operate or or is it for them to be recorded as raining at we have to do there you're the governing body so you're the ones who determine whether or not it's going to be recorded copy okay so we would know it's specs public input looks like you have a few folks with us which I appreciate everybody jumping on tonight so topic 3 is really the district meeting so previously the school board how to prove to move forward as previously planned and as we would every year with our normal review of the the budget for the warrants and the hearing in that public hearing would have been February 5th so we as a board approve that and based on the town's review and recommendations we have some discussion to have because it's already An approved motion Rob there's no enough to do anything about starting a motion so we have to have discussion and then have to maybe do another motion at the end of this to make a change correct yeah if you were going to alter course you would have to do that through a motion maybe that's what I'd like to do is have discussion on the topic of the district meeting there was a a meat a notice sent out from Jay with the proposed town so the West Town in proposed school voting plan for 2020 so for the rest of the folks has been many discussions many conversations the town and if I summarizes incorrectly anybody can correct me here the town soul Ford and Peter Hills as a moderator had gotten together to approve a virtual earring and devised a plan that that we are discussing tonight is spray information I was not able to make this decision myself so I can't answer the emails that have been sent to me specifically asking for information we have his board meeting to do that I can't unilaterally a decision for the board so I just wanted to make sure I was clear on that so if it if we could Peter if you could kind of runs through what what or Jack and Ralph you can represent the selectboard the run through the plan that did it come up with and we can have some discussion on the planning and how we got here that would be kind of a good thing for the rest of our members to hear I believe got here in the background so there are two options that we have for the legislative session or the deliberative session of town meeting and school district meeting it have an in-person meeting or you can follow me b1129 which is past I believe last year which allows you to have to Virtual information sessions and then a of votes drive through voting for the Warren and the articles on the wall those are two options we have that are approved by the state as we started this discussion in mid to late December we had the as I was working with the select board the the Frank realization that we're going to have over two hundred people at the town meeting in that a in-person town meeting was just not going to happen this year was just not feasible is not safe just didn't make sense especially since we had an alternative option to do the virtual option so dialogue with the select board and forth and decided to follow each b1129 and then in and in December fall that up with you know to loop back and Dean in the school board to more discussions in early January and what we are proposing is that right now that this the town is a planning on doing the HB 1129 which is to Virtual information sessions in February and then we would do the town elections and the town alternate ballot which would be the ballot for the Warren articles and now is we just decided we were proposing today to do that on Wednesday March 10th so the discussion here is we would like to propose that the same thing for the school district meeting to use the same process to use HB 1129 so there will be two virtual meetings in February and then we would have school district elections and the alternative ballot on Wednesday March 10th so it does everybody first of all is everybody have this up I'm looking at it hope everybody has this document I can go if I can go through the process a little bit more detail that's helps teen yeah I just want to make sure everybody's looking at it so we can walk through it step-by-step so as I'm looking at this I see our first so as originally planned it would have been February 5th would have been the first budget hearing so we're going to move that up to February 1st as a virtual zoom and that's for the town in the school check I just want to walk through this for everybody so typically this is done with the meeting we have in the in the town hall is on the budget committee myself we have robbed and Sky usually show up and then we have about 10 people in the town hall for that first hearing so that's what that meeting is a substitute for just want to clarify that the second item on the list is a bond hearing which is more pound specific and that's going to be for the the fire station I'm sorry just to clarify so prior to this budget hearing how do people know that the login in get involved at that are we alert them this is Frank about the budget hearing will be in the house or we publicized the Keene Sentinel is it always is as well as on the town website the only difference is that instead of people showing up to town hall for a meeting they will will go to a virtual meeting to a link for a virtual meeting and it also be posted on the front of the Town Hall Frank is it right. It'll be all the normal postings instead of an in-person meeting it will be a virtual meeting. We don't have to send out any information prior to that meeting not for this not for the budget hearing copy that okay so February 1st that's next Monday right yeah can I just ask quick clarifying question in your then your announcement of that did it include both the town and the school district I I don't know that it does I think we're waiting for the for the school board to agree that process because we did post the school district public hearing portion in the Sentinel for February 5th so just to be clear about that we had to put that in in early January to get that into the Sentinel so we did both side all right so let's make a note of that is something we got to deal with so it's already posted for February 5th I don't know of any Pete to be honest with the school be February 5th I think there's anything that's driving those two to be together and I think you're 100% right I think it was just meant to be a little bit easier on the budget committee okay that's a choice whether you want to do the work kind of Harmony is them in backtrack with what was posted already or whether you just have to separate meetings so it's so and I'm okay with that I mean so basically what you're saying is our our budget hearing for February 5th is posted we could move forward with that as a as an in-person and not Town Hall cuz it is opposed to darrouzett for the school I believe it was posted in the town for the town hall but we did put the caveat whether or not it was going to be in person or virtual we said that that could be subject to change okay so now I think. I'm willing to bet this seems like the the decision on this is but is this the budget committee's decision cuz I like from a moderator and process standpoint HP 11 2829 this has nothing to do with the budget hearings is not 7 Mi / vuori not in the HB 1129 you know kind of jurisdiction so Susan Finnegan I'm the chair of the budget committee I took it it was more of what the selectboard had wanted was to have a zoom meeting on this and so I always move forward with that and there's very little attendance to that generally so I'm I don't know that I'm not concerned about people getting on and connecting through and things like that so I think this point is Dean you just wanted to leave the school one on the 5th so as of right now let's get through the rest of this but as of right now I would say just leave it as it is and then we would set up a zoom for the fee for the school board hearing what she what y'all decided to attend the first one for the budget committee as well as a zoom meeting for the hearings don't think there's a big big risk are correct okay bond hearing is more of a fire station bond hearing so that would be a I would assume that the zoom meeting as well on this okay then the next big meeting would be February 28th which is the first town in school information meeting witch this is typically would have a town meeting with the town budget and every have a district meeting for with in the gym those meetings are planned for March 10th and 12th this information session meeting on the 26th help us understand an SS town and school what's that meaning in and how is that different than what we would have had as a normal public hearing the way that is laid out is that you one there is a every residents every every registered voter in Westmorland gets a notice of this new process of falling HB 1129 announces the two dates of these informational session so it'll be February 26th it'll be March 3rd March 4th and then and it should then it's has the voting date for the alternative ballot so first off every voting every registered voter will get this notice and then there are two informational sessions which is the antennas information session just one to share this process Howard how are we doing the will just leave session of the town and the school board is it being done and then to what are the articles on the war what is the chance to review the worn by the governing body Circle by the select board the school board would say gear is what's on the warrant that gives the public till what we've got down till March 1st to provide input buy a phone email Federer back to the governing body the second session information session is for the governing body to take that input and discuss it at that second information session and pretend amending the articles are on the warrants and share what the final Warren articles will be then they're posted and then we vote on the voting day which is going to proposing the 10th of March and the first question on this alternative ballot is do you approve of this revised procedure for the legislative session of the town and School District if that passes then the subsequent questions about the article are valid if it fails then those subsequent questions are are basically and we have we we did not have a vote of the legislative session okay so that's the kind of the whole thing in a process if you if you want take a step back we're providing information sessions for the voting members of Westmorland what's going to be on the warrant and then they have a chance to vote on the new process and have a chance to vote on each other so that's how they're doing their their legislative as the as a resident town There's a legislative body of the Town that's how they're they're making their vote count to ask a discussion would be happening in the information sessions it goes between the first and second one would be the interaction okay okay we are giving up the there really is not going to be what we were used to in a town meeting or School District meeting where there is a back-and-forth dialogue resident to resident at Wind Creek won't have that this year right all right so we can be recycled two questions that were asked correct between the first that's so the February 26th first town in school information meeting those questions and answers are posted so that people can see questions and answers it's not just an answer for the that one person who asked the question is not correct I know be some dialogue in the second donation station by the governing body what we plan to do for the town of questions and answers posted on the town website so we not only address them at the second information meeting also post them on the website so that everybody in town can see them Rob and if and if they don't approve that first that first question on the 6th I think it no the 10th if they don't approve that first question then whatever our articles are will it would basically wouldn't be a meeting cuz they don't agree okay the elections election of officials I'll take place that would still be valid and we would have to revert to to this year's at that point last year's budget and use that budget for the remainder of the Year award vote to schedule another meeting or schedule another meeting just for clarification on voting day is going to be five things that will vote on Town elections School District elections alternative ballot for the warrant of the town the alternative ballot for the warrant of the school district and then the bond vote for the town the fire station the five separate ballots that people will fill out rob you had something you wanted to say yeah just having gone through this process in the spring over in Chesterfield that first information session is relatively short because you're really just presenting the information in the warrant articles as they are then it you have a. For people to weigh in in that second information session can be very long depending on the information you receive or can also be very short as well then I'm not trying to say you want to have a fast process I'm just letting you know how this played out the the big difference is that any amendments to your ward articles will only be made by governing body whether it's the selectboard or the school board where as in years past if there was a proposed amendment on the floor all voters got to weigh in on that proposed amendment on the floor that's the major difference with regard to email that that process as I see it and then the risk I think as you've already discussed is if the voters don't approve of the price then you're kind of left in purgatory yeah we're not going to be like that though cuz we're gonna have a back-up plan Rob so I just want to step through this so that first agenda 6 Peter you going to take the lead on describing this new process and all this stuff on that meeting I will leave that meeting on the 26th I will share the I'll have an outline the process of how how this is working and then handed over to the each of the governing bodies for reviewing their articles okay and then if this was in the town hall then it would be me taking lead on the school board budget review and Susan will be taking lead on reviewing the budget is a budget committee chair correct I think it really it's it's the really you're reviewing what are the articles on the the school district warrant what do you expect to be on the warrant so obviously the you know I got the school boy right and then that they warned articles for the town would be by the select board well Susan let that in the past are you taking the lead on that Frank on this meeting under age be 11:29 it would be just like word it would take the lead on that the entire budget meeting at the budget hearing this is the budget hearing is your Susan this is the first information meeting as the alternate town meeting also then I don't need to do anything on up Musk for perspective either then not for the budget meeting it's a normal budget meeting this is for the meeting under the proposed dates this is for the the information meeting on the 26th if it's going to be a combined meeting on February 26th to buy a meeting I'm going to go through the process How does each bead 1129 Jauregui like how we going to handle town meeting and school district meeting to go to the process Frank Frank's going to lead for the select board here are they warned articles that would have been in town meeting here's what you're going to we're going to cover and what you're going to vote on in March and if my hand it over to you hero the the warrant articles on the school district meeting that you will vote on in a in March I'm going up to that point so then we get through night the people have up until March 1st at midnight to if they've got questions on the town they're going to send them to whoever we designate with their phone number and email or whatever and then you're asking me to provide Ross as a boy provide for the school with those going to be addressed to and and go to correct correct yes sign one of my questions I got that I really couldn't make a decision on his so hypothetically school board members if we make a motion to go forward and I'm happy to go visit my name that goes there with our email or or so Chesterfield Chesterfield PD and I don't know where that where that goes looks like they created an email address csb underscore warrant at SAU 29. Org the phone number is a school phone number and the e-mail is a email that goes to the chair the principal and myself so that we're not missing any emails at I mean when we get to that second session and should we be having a meeting between you know the midnight deadline and our March 4th no we don't need to discuss any of the questions and you need to discuss those on your second information session you should not be meeting outside of the public I got it so that means that we we get all that feedback we bring it together and then we present that on the March 3rd in the March 4th so the March 3rd is a town information second session search for to be II school information session so that's where we appreciate the feedback correct okay good the school board yes well school board on the school one I'm not sure from the town is at the selectboard Elizabethtown budget meeting on the 3rd where the following day Susan I'm sorry on the 4th sorry is it Frank Franklin selectboard recover that so the budget committee for the town doesn't have any responsibilities at all there either I guess that's a question it's a question for Frank Frank you're on mute I apologize I had to go let a dog outside contact all right so the question is on the second Town informational session is it you or is it Susan that's not going to respond to the public comments it's Italy the selectboard response to the public comments okay Susan good LMS questions go away on the budget of the word article doesn't just include budget items and includes other Town items so this is kind of like that's right except we all look better because we're virtual videos okay I'm up to March 4th anybody else have any comments or questions up to this point so we go through those sessions and final town and school article articles are published electronically at the what is TBC mean so that's all and then voting day is March 10th in front of the school which I think is a good idea and I'm looking at the email from Joanne Mark was Mark copied on that so Mark what they're asking they're going to try to do this down at the Town garage which would have been a crazy but if they do it at the school on a Wednesday when we don't have school they can come in and have a drive-thru in a there's some sort of a tent set up and they can if they had to use the bathrooms or whatever for the voting committee Management Group around how many people are on that Frank we're Peter Peter probably knows better but yeah. go to the bathroom but if the weather is bad they could go into the lobby and warm up a little bit and and kind of swap people out that one of the challenges we had one of the many challenges we had with using the highway department yard was just really no place for anybody to go and get out of the weather looks libration between Mark and Debbie and and Joanne and today they're kind of small quiz hey what about using the school postponing it a day that's the day that the kids are not going to be in session and then I'll talk to Mark Mark thinks he can support that it's all we would do the Matthew voting at the school Supermarket good I mean March 9th mud season down at the garage so we have paved nice long you know some March 10th the only thing I would say is that we've a lot of actions to make sure that the school's no following The Cove Atlantis of the wall we got to just make sure that folks are going to be in there are doing what they should be doing to wear their masks keep their hands clean that stuff right the only people original question Dean was like the number of people you're probably talk in 10 to 12 people total my expectation will be there everybody on the you know the election officials will all be will be masked all day does The X location and will work to make sure we abide by the you know whatever guidelines Mark puts in front of us for the area too so I think they're or whatever will be price fine but I've been at the Town Hall and some people have the Liberty to not follow any directions and rules so I just want to make sure that those folks are not getting the door anyway okay so March 10th voting happens we go through the drive-thru ballad number item number one is yes or no do you agree with this hopefully everybody's a yes or a buddy gets their boats in everybody's happy happy and we can get through this so we can move forward hypothetically if it's a no you're back a plan for the town is just to use the budget for us the risk is we can use the budget but there's a risk of teacher contract piece that robbed I need your help and explain on March 9th or 10th if this voting process doesn't go through in our budget is stalled and in revert back to last year's budget how does that impact us so miss her happened in a in another District outside of sau29 before I started here where they postponed their school district meeting as a result of that they cannot issue any contracts to their professional staff because you don't have enough budget and what ended up happening the typical hiring season for school districts is in April and when they pushed it back to met many of the teachers and other professional staff in that District you know what I want security and I want that now and they fled in my fat District will that happen in Westmoreland I don't I couldn't say one way or another I know the teachers really love being there but I I so know that there are other competitive salary ranges that exist in other districts where it could be arrest where you would lose a portion of your population and by the time the budgets passed you've already miss the peak hiring season so speak and then you're left with picking up the dregs which is what happened in that other District they still haven't recovered fully from that just so wrong I got something from Phillips Academy New Hampshire School Board Association in this question was asked specifically by one of the moderators and and I I I will forward it to the to you and Dean I don't fully understand it but there was more to it and it's got some executive orders from the governor that potentially mitigate that issue so I'll I'll forward it to you I don't understand it I don't know who looks applicable or not but this specific question and it sounds like it might be mitigated with some executive orders from the governor you act like they have to look to see what you know what sent to you I'm just I know that if you issue a contract to a teacher and somehow the budget is a mended and you don't have the funds to pay those contracts then you're opening up a whole nother can of worms which is what led that other District having a mass Exodus today with this cool wedding is other HB 1129 and everything else is going on there's an additional executive legislation piece or something out there that's saying that this the situation wouldn't happen for us is that what you're saying I got this on Tuesday and I wanted to you know I'll forward it to you is see if you can if I can get some if you can get clarify I don't I don't stand it to understand how the  that contract works it's it's so I'm trying to I'm trying to find it so I can forward it to you guys at school so it's so I guess what I was going through my mind is if if we get if everybody or if you get a is the vote on that item number one is it a 2/3 is it a 50-50 was already simple majority so if if 10 people say no and 9 people say yes nothing applies might we be able to could we could we have in that first article that something that makes it so that if it were both with or no vote it would automatically assign we could have a pre-planned in-person meeting assigned for specific date say March 10th in person if it was 11 sorry or maybe just pick a different day like another words if it was a no vote could we have the language of that article be so that it would default to an in-person following to that Noble basically it comes down to if it comes down to a no vote the governing board the governing body gets together and says do decides whether you wanted in-person meeting so so Maddie I like where you're going I'm not sure we want to put that in the Warner. I guess if it's a no our Back-up Plan why can't we just say that on March 11th if if item one is voted no we're going to have an in-person meeting to vote for the school board budget start a national forest and work we're talking about this on the select board we need to make sure that Article 1 of the warrant makes it clear to the what it means if they say no if we ask to the lawyers at the New Hampshire Municipal Association to provide us with their thoughts and what we should how we should were dark one and and I'm being a little bit but it was kind of like a kind of like does you buy something made in China and it's got instructions and how to put it together no sense whatsoever but I think that is something we we should collaborate with us with the school board on and making sure that the voters understand what the impact is if they say no without it taking up you know half a page or treat my personal page but understand if they say no it does have you no budget impacts about the town of the school it wouldn't it would seem the only reason I can think of that they would vote no is because they don't agree to have that. Both held that way if it's clear that it's not a vote for whatever you know other articles are following is it likely that we're going to have folks say you know that are turning up to vote saying no we're going to go home now that doesn't seem likely right rob you have perspective of what the when Chesterfield did it last year with the obviously it passed yeah they they did not have alternative language for an in-person session on that one what is Chicago is no past without without a problem it did overwhelmingly pass and I think with it with some you know some getting the intent with the information session to share that with people to say this is what what's your voting for in question 1 is this process it's pretty important you vote Yes so that we can have you know a town budget in a School District budget and get the choice on you get to vote on your word articles like you normally would in a town or school book School District meeting right okay we have no idea what's going to happen but it's interesting that the municipal Association says they actually think that is uncomfortable as this alternate meeting process is we may actually have more informed voters and more voters who actually understand what they're voting on rather than just going in and checking a block like they like they may normally get for not showing up for the meeting Stuart the only thing that you're the unusual what about this is your tying the school board warrant articles right along with the Town Warren articles and typically held on different 9:40 separate separate ballots question question number one on this to the town meeting ballot is specific to the town ballot is specific to the town and then you have to separate ballot for the school district there so there I guess theoretically you could say what passing one can fail their they're completely separate ballots but this this comes after the even decide if you want to have a meeting that way when does that happen I'm a little unclear on to that stage of you already had that voting on whether to have a meeting that way it. It is all happening at the same time on March 10th so on March 10th that the residents will come do their drive up voting the will have five separate ballots will have the town elections still have the school district elections still have an alternate ballot with the first question on that will be for the town to stay approve this HB 1129 process for the town and then below that will be all the warrant articles for the town 4th ballot will be the school district alternative ballot where the first question that will be do you approve it call Tam process for the school district and then the subsequent articles for the school district warrant and then you'll have any bond votes that need to be taken care of by paper ballot which most likely will be one which of these fire station so if somebody doesn't agree to have the meeting that way on the first piece of paper whatever it is will they continue to go on and vote all the Articles as well good because what's if you think about it there their they're saying I don't agree with this process but if it doesn't if this process passes I want to make sure that my vote counts on those specific articles articles will still go forward as even if the meetings the type of meeting doesn't devoting the registered voters are for definite articles fail another way to look at it is because we we we should encourage all the voters to vote on all of the ballots but when we start counting the ballots if question one fails and we stopped counting ballots but we should still encouraged others to vote on all of them because of question one passes it was their opinion on the other word articles account School Board stands to lose on this because we have nothing controversial this year and a budget will be actually be down and you guys I'm not placing a juggernaut you guys have a commercial article that is sort of unusual this year kind of on a year when things are you know a little bit of Ray so we stand to lose on the school board by tying ourselves to you guys in your meeting meeting this way because we probably have something that will go right through in our school can continue on its way without you know interference and you guys might have a nautical that could cost us all to go down that's vicious an opinion we didn't talk about it in the in the in the context impacting the school we did talk about whether we should include this one article and and because the committee feels pretty strong about it we decided to included but I I believe that since there are two different ballots one that's the town and one when the school Bobby mitigate some of that risk but your point is your point is well taken it's it's it's a difficult year and it's different well enough if I could add this is Susan Finnegan if I could add the whole process is very confusing you had to explain yourself several times tonight to very educated people who are very very used to zoom meetings at this point and it's a very confusing process to do this virtually and to combine both meetings you know I might make it that much more confusing I mean I think it's confusing enough that's my personal opinion but to combine them I think I think it may but that much harder and I I just get very concerned with both of these the school board and the town that people are going to know what to do and yeah we've all been in the voting booth when there's three people and we don't know who's who when you do okay well I'm just going to pick one and I know that's not the right thing to do but confusion could make all of this that much more challenging to sell is to inform all of the voters as many voters as possible how do we reach as many as possible and explain it so that's one of the if there's a if there's a silver lining to this and I don't know that there really is anything that's happened this past year but the you know the the requirement in HP 11:29 that we do a mailing every registered voter in town that outlines the process outlines the the the Warren articles for both the town in the school and then is followed up with another mailing that this says okay this is this is how the final version of the Warren articles Pier this is the way removing Ford in a lot of ways we're actually in a position to be able to inform the voters better that we are in a typical year because and I'm apologizing remember to made the comment but yeah a lot of times people just go to voting booths and go I don't know what I'm going to vote for the first one on the list and it does give us an opportunity to explain things better to devote herself if I can just and I want to take over your meeting team but so we tweak the big the big question is Select worked out with was could we have an in-person meeting or could we have a virtual meeting and our conclusion was that there is no way that we can have an in-person meeting and not guarantee that we would not be forced to turn people away from the meeting because it's eye because of the social distancing requirements and we didn't we weren't willing to go into that position where we would be turning voters away and you can't come to the meeting because there's too many people HB 1129 was wiz was offered by the state legislature and the governor is an option is it a perfect option know there's probably no such thing as a perfect option but it was an option that would work we did today whether we should put the fire station on ARCO on the on the on the on the ballot and we had a unanimous decision that and I want to be very clear on this. reflect our personal opinions on the fire station and reflects our opinion that that's 6 years ago 7 years ago before I was on the board this town created a committee to look at options for a new fire station activate Matt very diligently over all these years and came up with a plan and we felt that has messed up a lot of stuff and we just weren't really willing to let it mess up this committee being presented to the voters to decide what they wanted to do and it's kind of how we ended up where we are the HB 1129 option seems the only logical way to move word with town meeting is there a way that we could only participate with you guys on the virtual informational meeting for the public hearing on our budget and then and then after that go on our way and Anna may be on the elections of officers and so on but then after that could we and we break away and then go down our road that we are going with their own meeting in person so suggestions gentleman you are worn articles as we normally do and just go about our side of things that way and you guys go ahead with your messages all the way I'm not supportive of having an in-person meeting for the school district but that's your opinion and we have lower attendance junk typically and there's absolutely no reason to not do an in-person meeting in the gym for the school cuz we'll probably have less than 50 people anyway so sure what does dogs got thrown on a table here the school board has the authority to schedule it time location and I can delay it can we get a different moderator then if you want to try to kick me out fine but slow so listen my decision space the weather we have it but I can postpone it or not so what are we vote for to have a meeting as a Schoolboy then if we're not really in Victorville or what do we vote for at the last meeting if you stand by what we voted for we would be having our so right now we have our public hearing separate on February 5th and that'll be virtual as we haven't posted the time will have their spiritual on February 1st and then the next step If It Go by the the guidelines that we had before is we would be doing a annual district meeting on March 12th 5 or 7 whatever we have finalized are usually 7 at the school and what Peter is saying is if we go ahead and do that plan is he's going to delay it. The only thing at our last meeting that's what we were operating on when we made our decision I believe is that the town was postponed until the summer so this is new to watch the Gondola this other method so when we voted at our last meeting we are under the impression you we are postponing our elections until the summer and that your meeting was going to be in the summer but now tonight we're back just something new so the loudest give the moderator the authority to declare an emergency and postpone the meeting and in some of the new language that has come out recently includes covert as one of those boots emergencies post postponing it prior to that meeting date I think could be challenged to the Secretary of State the moderators decision could be challenged to the Secretary of State and demonstrate what the numbers inside of your town currently are and what they exist at in that you have the capacity to maintain six feet of distancing and you have overflow capacity in the event that you get more than you typically do I am so the moderators decision can be challenged to the Secretary of State I don't want to get in the middle of the debate between the school board in the moderator but I do want to explain why we had originally the select board had originally thought about the lane the meeting and why we changed our mind and it's not not dissimilar to your concerns about contracts it was our concern about town budget and being able to move forward on Town Projects and when we when we became aware of HB 1129 and looked at at at what an authorized us to do as a selectboard we made the decision to to go ahead and try to stay as close to the original town meeting schedule as possible and it was not I wish it was done today we did realize that it would impact the school as well but our Focus was on on the town budget it wasn't on the school but I don't think anybody wants to get out in front of a train I've got my own opinions on things are going on and it has the chair it does I am deeply disappointed that you guys did not get us involved sooner in that discussion and a vote on that without informing us written by he knows that that's that's a disappointment and I don't know if I'm the only one that feels that way I doubt it but I don't want to get hung up on it we we got to solve this problem as a team we got to figure this thing out if the plan that we have on the you can work I just want to make sure we have a back-up plan that if it's voted know how do we get through it in a way that we can continue to do business we as a School Board of spent hours and hours and hours to make sure that our kid are staffs have been safe through this whole covid-19 stands and what's disappointing about it is that we've gone through Great Lengths to take some actions that quite frankly I don't think the selectboard even aware of which that's another diss I'm asleep so I think you're right. I think the lack of communications goes both ways it's not a one-way lack sure and I'll take responsibility for that why would we ever have the district meeting at the school if we if we we going to restart school why can't we have the district meeting I guess is what I want to say the school district meeting is find for the people of the town to come and vote on the school district warrant if there's one person that wants to participate in that and feels that they can't because it's unsafe and we have an alternative way to do it virtually and to have them vote we should do that I'm protecting the Democracy of the town if there's one single person who says I can't go because I can't be saved that's what I'm standing for the theater so we have had called on 2nd and can't just a paper actually I have the that way they can still float everybody has the chance to vote the virtual part is an informational part every single person has the opportunity to drive up and vote on the warrant even if they don't have a license so I can get there if it if they didn't have a license and they could to go out of town meeting anyways or did I feel like you could be in the same car as it is there can be multiple teeth the car to take took to the drive-up voting you don't have to be all in the same family that's a cool excuse me can we can we talk about can we talk about March 3rd and March 4th I hear what you're both saying about either people not being able to come out of you no fear that they don't want to gather in a in a group with a large group and I also understand what you're saying Stewart I'm wondering if we can do something and kind of in the middle here and say that you know March 3rd after the informational sessions after the third chapter the 4th if there can be cats that are not only publish electronically but are also available to people to come and pull from the town town hall and take with them and read if they wish to I mean if we're talking about a breakdown between how people get their information this should be a pretty easy thing to fix and we're not talking about a vote we're talking about just taking part in this discussion and because there's not going to be discussion like it would seem entirely possible to just minutes like we would for any other meeting and have those published and available to folks that can't get online or aren't Savvy aren't tech-savvy that possible very much so yeah I think you can make the notes available in a number of different ways Maddie I don't think that that's limited only to posting it online if you could leave copies of it in different locations for people to pick up at their Leisure or what have you I think there's a lot to be said for this continuity of how people are getting their meetings whether it's Town weather School we've always kind of acted together and to not be in stuff and be splitting virtual and in-person although I acknowledge both sides and I can see both sides it's going to keep it simplified and right now there's so much communication and too much commute there's too much communication I think a lot of people get bombarded so by keeping it simple and saying we're in person we're not in person we're doing it virtually Justice the town is doing it virtually there will be printouts just keeping it as simple as possible I would think would would help with Windows already crazy time alright so anybody else want to make any comments before I make a motion here or less obvious ones make a motion alright so like I said we have to figure this out as a team and and you know you have to all leave our opinions on the on the screen here when we sign off for tonight so I make a motion to move for with the combined town in school voting plan as presented with the exception of making the change for March 10th and using the school to do the drive thru voting and with that motion I would also like to make a motion to extend the motion to include a backup plan if for whatever reason question one is voted no it does not published on that page we should have a back-up plan to do a in-person boat moderated if this fails with question 1 in person and will be sure to make sure we can have the safe covid precautions and safety and all that in intact to do that I think you need a date with your emotion for that Back-up Plan Dean that's the only thing I could copy that so if voting is on March 10th which is a Wednesday I would say that a in-person vote on Sears March 10th so I'll save marks which is the Friday which is our typical day normally so if if we get voted no then I recommend we use are normally plan annual district meeting March 12th at 7 is there any notice it has to go out to the public on actually have a meeting with the what's the notice it needs to be given you think you have reposting requirement Dean and if you were going I have a backup date for embarrassing I would I would offer that you consider maybe April 3rd which is a Saturday and I think I think the way I would it proposes that you if it sells the school board convenes and says we're going to have a we're going to vote on having an alternate alternative session in person on as Bob says April 3rd yeah you can't make that motion first of all I'm just I'm just giving you so I don't want to reconvene I want us to make a decision on the back of playing tonight with the motions cuz I don't want to die I want to be left hanging with the bag I get I Get Enough we get enough phone calls and I like I like trying to take a couple of times. emotions Robbie no scratch that for you to make a motion to accept the plan as presented with the following changes March 10th will be the voting date drive-thru the Westmoreland School that's the only change on the proposed plan from the town the details and in for the school board if we can if you can replicate Peter what what Chesterfield did and if you have to create anything that's a you or myself or Rob or whatever let's get that squared away that be great preciate coordinating appreciate you guys coordinating that and then I'd also add that motion that if article one fails on the board weren't Osteen and voting process we would have a in-person voting warn article approval on April 3rd which is a Saturday at 10 a.m. on second thought any any discussion turn off point of discussion if it plays out that way and it gets voted down and we go to the April 3rd date is Peter going to abandon and make us I'll work with you guys will figure it out gopher looking in the April chances are we can we can figure it out Outdoors at that point it will at least give us a couple weeks and hopefully more heat it called we can do this guy's you can do this all right all in favor had to do a roll call on this one. Dean free bi Maddie Maddie Stuart High Daphne Jim Carrey's 402 proceed with the drive-thru loading and if for some reason I think it's the first question not the first warn article Pete just to be clear it's not it's not a boring article on approval of the process if the process vote fails then the school district will convene an in-person meeting on April 3rd at 10 a.m. yes that's what I meant thank you well we've been saying article all night Dino fall to your own and I didn't step in early I should have Artistry clarifying is the first question on the alternative ballads correct Warren article Latuda question okay our agenda item number three is covered how to go to my other computer and pull up the yeah that you have that agenda handy. I think we have a do we have a non-public to talk about no okay so item for anything else other and then item 5 is non public session so if we don't have anything from a staff Personnel or negotiation topic to cover the true mark write make a motion to adjourn at 7th real during the meeting at 7:38 thank you thank you everybody thank you all have a good night

Listed in Westmoreland School District

Video Gallery

Westmoreland School Board - Special Meeting for January 27, 2021

Popular Videos