MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead School Committee addressed questions about school buildings, a flag policy, diversity, equity and inclusion, special education and potential budget cuts during the first of what are planned to be multiple “conversations” with the community after hundreds of residents signed an open “lack of confidence” letter toward the Committee earlier in February.
The 90-minute session was a largely cordial, freewheeling exchange between Committee members and those asking questions that drew more than 150 viewers online.
The Committee noted at the beginning of the meeting that members would not be able to answer questions specific to students or personnel — including the reasons behind the “separation” between the district and former Superintendent John Buckey this past summer, which was subject to a “non-disparaging agreement” signed as part of Buckey’s departure.
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(Also on Patch: Embattled Marblehead School Committee Public ‘Conversation’ Set)
“I hope folks understand that any decision we can make in public we make in public,” School Committee member Alison Taylor said. “There are things that we can’t do. I understand the anger behind that. I’ve said it a hundred times. I am going to say it again. That does not mean that we’re failing. Just because you don’t like the decision doesn’t mean we’re failing because we can’t tell you more about it from a legal perspective.
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“I am not discounting the frustration with that.”
In response to a question of whether the school department should turn over empty schools to be sold to offset the current school budget crunch, School Committee member Jennifer Schaeffner noted that money from a potential school building sale would go to the town general fund and would not necessarily go back to the school budget.
Chair Sarah Fox said the Committee has weighed the potential of school population increases in the future because once the schools are repurposed “we won’t get them back.”
“I also want to note that selling a school and getting a half-a-million dollars is not funding our schools,” Fox said of the budget implications. “A half-a-million-dollar infusion one year isn’t saving our staff. That’s not the fix we need here. We need a comprehensive look at the financial disaster our town is in.”
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In response to a question on how to gain support for a potential tax override and additional school funding given the town’s aging population, Fox said: “Just because you don’t have students that go to our schools doesn’t mean that the value of our schools doesn’t affect you or your home values.”
“There’s a moral obligation to provide good access to education,” Fox said. “We, as a community, should all embrace that. If that’s not enough, if you all want to get down to brass tacks, there is a point where the rubber meets the road (on declining home values) … and that’s when your schools aren’t funded.”
Schaeffner said a final determination has not been made on a tax override request this spring at this point of the budget process given that the schools are being asked to propose a “level-services” budget, as well as a “level-funded” budget that would actually require $2.3 million in cuts.
“It’s really up to the community to decide if they want an override,” Schaeffner said of the budget hearing process. “There could be an overwhelming amount of people in our community who come to (the public hearing) on March 21st and demand that we ask for more money from the town through one method, which is a Proposition 2 1/2 override.
“Then we would be compelled to respond to that.”
Two high school students asked questions on a pending flag policy and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Schaeffner said a subcommittee is formulating a policy that the Committee told was necessary in order to enforce which flags can be allowed on school property and which can be denied.
“There was a lot of talk about the diversity, equity and inclusion work that is being done (at Wednesday’s school budget workshop) in the schools today,” Taylor said on DEI initiatives. “It’s something that we want to expand upon and compound upon as we move forward because they discussed a lot of the great things. I understand that a DEI coordinator was requested in previous budgets — not approved — but there is still a lot of work going on at each of our schools.”
In a question about special education, it was noted that the School Committee does not have the purview to manage the day-to-day operations of the student services staff but that the stories told during a School Committee meeting in December were “gut-wrenching,” according to Taylor.
“Once it got brought to our attention, hopefully, you feel that we gave it the diligence that it needed,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, you feel that our teachers felt that it did.
“I remain standing with our teachers always. I really hope that people understand that as soon as we did understand that there was a situation we did something about it and we did as much as we can from our purview.”
Asked to give themselves grades on their performances in light of concerns raised in the “lack of confidence” letter, School Committee members gave themselves grades in the B- and B range.
“I don’t think we have unbecoming behavior,” Taylor said. “I think someone noted earlier that we conduct ourselves well. Are we perfect? No. Nobody is. I don’t think anyone in this room is. I don’t think anyone expects that. Hopefully, you don’t.
“I am really proud of us because sometimes it’s hard to sit here week after week (amid harsh criticism). We do the best we can. At the end of the day, we are human. We are people. I try to remember that and I try to conduct myself that way and respond (to criticism) in kind.”
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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