BRING YOUR CARDS AND PITCH A TENT - BE DETERMINED

If you've been following the saga of the Land Transfer issue and the SAD63 School Board, you realize that this coming night's School Board meeting at the Holden School - 6:30pm - should be interesting. Obviously it's an important issue to the Boards of Selectmen from the towns of Eddington and Clifton who represent the taxpayers of those towns (see my last posting which will fill you in on their joint meeting which was attended by the Holden Town Manager - John Butts. Apologies extended to omitting the "s" at the end of his name in the previous posting.)

Following that meeting (Wednesday, the 23rd) School Board Vice Chair, Therese Anderson - rep from Eddington asked Karen Clark, rep from Eddington and former Vice Chair, to contact School Board Chair Don Varnum, rep from Holden, and Interim Superintendent Ray Hart (not a resident of any of the towns in SAD63) of the decisions of the Selectmen from both Eddington and Clifton. Anderson told Clark to convey to Varnum and Hart they could call her (Anderson) if they (Varnum and Hart) had any questions with the information Clark was providing.

Thoughts on the part of this writer: Why didn't Anderson do her own communicating? Even if it needed to be by telephone. She's the new Vice Chair and she was at the joint meeting. And she was much more vocal in the meeting than Clark. And Anderson was more than willing to take Clark's position as Vice Chair - at Varnum's instigation. So why should Clark be Anderson's messenger?

Needless to say, Varnum and Hart were not all that pleased with the message/information delivered by Clark. It would be interesting to know if they followed up with any calls to Anderson. It will also be interesting to watch the voting on Monday night.

It will also be interesting to see WHEN the land transfer issue comes up on the agenda.

It seems some terribly important business needs to be discussed in Executive Session BEFORE the regular agenda - with the Board's attorney regarding the ongoing lawsuit involving the former superintendent, Louise Reagan. One wouldn't want to think this Executive Session will be used to try to delay the regular session to such a point as to (hopefully?) get those of the public waiting for the regular agenda to give up and go home would it? I've been at School Board meetings in the past when such Executive Sessions have lasted up to an hour. And I've been told there have been other such sessions that have lasted longer (where Board members have been rumored to simply sit in the room doing nothing but check to see if members of the public have left).

If such shenanigans are planned for this coming night, IT WOULD NOT BE WISE. There is an opportunity before the School Board to address some distrust that has been created because of the handling of this land transfer matter. It was described in the previous posting so I will not go into it here. But ANY actions Monday night that are perceived as a "delay and stall" tactic in order to make an end run move in order to push that entire land transfer through at this time will create such distrust and anger in the towns of Eddington and Clifton that those who are responsible may reap more than they will want to have to explain to their constituents in the future.

It is bad enough - and one would have to think it was done intentionally (because how could anyone be so stupid) - to put this issue near the very end of the regular agenda as it is. Reality being what it is, and feelings running the way they are, the more irritated the Selectmen and women become, the more entrenched they may be regarding future issues as they relate to SAD63.

The Selectmen/Town Managers are already aware that they are not receiving monthly Financial Reports from the School Board. They are already aware they have had to request copies of the 2007-2008 Audit (and this blog will be addressing that issue next week). NOTE: It will be interesting to see if there is an August Financial Statement presented at Monday night's meeting. Chances are there won't be. Even though the Business Office now has an additional part-time position in the budget to help the Business Manager get caught up with her work.

When Clifton, with a population of only 752 (and that includes every man, woman and child) is having to pay nearly $50,000 a month to meet its School Budget assessment - and when Eddington's overall property taxes are 51 percent consumed by the SAD63 assessment, these town representatives should be treated with more respect that the current School Board Chair is according them.

So, I won't be leaving before the entire agenda is completed, Mr. Chairman. And I won't be leaving until the meeting is CLOSED so that I can be sure there won't be a "reconsideration of a vote" once interested parties have left. I'm prepared to set up a card party in the back of the room for as long as any Executive Session IS in session and to wait out the results of the entire Board Meeting just to see what IS (and isn't) going on.

As just another example of the fiscal responsibility of this elected body, this school consolidation penalty waiver is only for ONE year - not two as some people think. (The original version of the bill written in the Legislature was for two years but the Governor wouldn't sign that version. The version he did sign was for one year only.) So if the people of this state do not vote in November to repeal school consolidation, SAD63 better have a state-approved plan for the people to vote on before January 2010 that can go into effect by July 2010. And there has still been no RSU committee appointed by Mr. Varnum to even get started on such a plan. He's just sent out letters to Orrington and Dedham asking if THEY think SAD63 should have a meeting (with them?). Depending on how this land issue matter is handled Monday night, Mr. Varnum may have a bigger problem on his hand with Eddington and Clifton than just Orrington and Dedham when it comes to any school consolidation.

I hope the members of the public will be joining us Monday night - for as long as it lasts. It should be interesting.