POLL: Framingham School Committee: Stay at 6 Members or Appoint for 7 Members?
School Committee voted 5-1 Thursday to recommend to Selectmen not to replace the vacated seat by the resignation of Rick Finlay. Tell us your thoughts on 6 or 7 members!
Framingham School Committee voted 5-1 Thursday night to recommend to Selectmen not to appoint someone to the vacated seat by the resignation of Rick Finlay.
State law calls for the School Committee to notify the Selectmen within 30 days of the resignation. The law states that the remaining School Committee members and members of the Board of Selectmen would appoint an School Committee member until the next election (April 3).
School Committee Chair Beverly Hugo told her fellow committee members, based on advice from several sources, she believes the law is "vague" and that the School Committee could opt not to appoint someone.
In the next few months before the April 3 town election, the School Committee will be preparing and voting on a budget for fiscal year 2012 to present to Town Meeting and hiring a new superintendent of schools to replace Steven Hiersche, who is leaving at the end of his contract in June.
School Committee members debated whether they needed the "seventh man" before the election last night. Framingham Patch was live blogging. You can read the full discussion here.
School Committee member Michael Bower was the lone no vote. He had suggested that there are many "experienced" ex-School Committee members in Framingham who might be willing to serve until April 3, and not be interested in running for the one-year seat in the Town Election.
Bower said it was important to have seven members just in case of a tie vote. (Ties could also be broken by the Town Manager, or current interim Town Manager.)
School Committee member Adam Blumer said if it came down to a 3-3 vote for a new superintendent of schools, perhaps it might be best to hire neither than to try to break a tie.
Mike Bower
8:30 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
I would like to offer one clarification for my fellow Patch readers. The Town Manager or his or her designee does have a vote on ratification of school department contracts. In the event the School Committee were to settle an agreement in the next 3 months and the vote were tie, the Town Manager could cast the decisive vote. As the School Committee has yet to choose a new attorney to handle the negotiations, I believe it is highly unlikely that a contact settlement will occur before the Town election in April when a seventh member will join the board. The Town Manager does not have a vote on any other matter before the School Committee; i.e. the appointment of the new Superintendent of Schools, budget matters, capital project lists, policy changes, rebuilding priorities, Horace Mann charter, I.B., STEM, and a whole host of other matters. Therefore tie votes are a possibility. Mike Bower, School Committee Member, speaking only for myself.
Susan Petroni
8:41 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Mike: Thanks for the clarification!
Gina Fishman
12:14 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
And it is for the reason of a potential "tie" on the other matters that Mike mentions that I would like to see a 7th member appointed to the SC as soon as possible.
Andrea Dunne Adrian
1:33 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Thanks, Mike, for the clarification above, and for having the courage to "stand alone". We are always better off with 7 committee members.
Jim Rizoli
3:22 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
The more the merrier.....
I look at it this way....would it make things better or worse?
If it won't make things worse than what's the harm of having 7.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Nick Roney
4:01 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
More than merrier? Would you be happy with 50 board members?
7's too many to begin with. Too much yapping and nothing gets done. 3 or 5 would be ideal. Adding a new person for a handful of meetings is more trouble than it's worth.
Jim Rizoli
4:54 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
Nick....I don't care if there are fifty as long as the job gets done.
But your point is well taken....in this town there seems to be a lot of talking and nothing getting done, with 5,7, or hundred....in some things anyway.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Lloyd Kaye
3:50 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Just from an administrative view...a 7th makes sense....