Information for Meeting of Regionalization Planning Board
Thursday October 11, 2018 6:00 PM EDT

Mahar Regional Agreement Committee

Location:
Eileen Perkins Library at Ralph C. Mahar Regional
Date:
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Time:
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Agenda details: continued discussion of items from September 27th meeting, including:
Updates from Attorney Dupere.
Broad agreement that school committee members from each town should be elected / appointed / selected by each town.
Broad agreement that school committee seats will be population based, roughly
Orange – 70%

Petersham – 10%

New Salem – 10%

Wendell – 10%
Continued discussion on two ways of achieving this, e.g.:
Non-weighted voting (10 seats, as apportioned above)
Weighted voting, with a number of options, e.g.:
Orange – 4 reps with 17.5% each

Petersham – 2 reps with 5% each

New Salem – 2 reps with 5% each

Wendell – 2 reps with 5% each
Some other arrangement that maintains weighted voting. Could each town decide how many SC members they want?
Presentation of data reflecting relative student enrollment from each town, by grade level (Oct. 1 snapshot)
How do these relative percentages compare to the population-based numbers?
Other questions or considerations that arise
Clarification and discussion of allowable methods of electing SC members
Can e.g. Wendell’s current methodology be maintained in an amended regional agreement?
Possible solutions to this challenge
Revisiting the development and passing of elementary school budgets at the SC sub-committee level:
Each town must approve?
What’s the proper role of the school council?
Future agenda items
Review of Sections II through VI.
Method by which the elementary budget(s) are proposed and approved (by SC and by towns)
Method by which the secondary budget is proposed and approved (by SC and by towns)
Other fiscal ‘cost center’ considerations (school choice, revolving funds, E&D, etc.)
Other issues.