Ever thought about serving on Medfield School Committee?

Do you care about Medfield schools? Do you think you'd be a good addition to the School Committee? An interim vacancy exists, and anyone interested now has a little more time to step forward.

It was recently learned from Board of Selectmen Chairman Mike Marcucci via e-mail that nominations for candidates would be taken from the floor at the joint Medfield School Committee/Board of Selectmen “special election”, 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Medfield Town House in Chenery Hall. This update extends the application period first announced by School Committee Chair Anna Mae O’Shea Brooke that set Friday, Oct. 12 as the deadline for letters of interest.

Position is an important one

An interim Medfield School Committee member will fill the vacant seat through most of the school budgeting process and until the March town election, at which time that person will have the option of running for a three-year term of office.

In addition to developing and adopting the budget, school boards are responsible for employing the superintendent; developing and adopting policies and curriculum; overseeing facilities issues; and adopting collective bargaining agreements, according to the National School Board Association.

In 1826, Massachusetts was at the forefront of creating local governance of schools when it formally established the system of "school committees" to have “the general charge and superintendence” of all the public schools of the town, according to NSBA. "Over time, this model spread to the rest of the nation, ensuring that local citizens would have a direct voice in the development and governance of their public schools," the association explains on its website.

After initial approval by Medfield School Committee, at the June 2018 Town Meeting, voters approved a 6.16 percent FY19 school budget increase and a $1 million capital budget outlay for the Dale Street Feasibility Study. The school operating budget is typically the largest portion of the overall town operating budget.

More information on the role of the School Committee in Massachusetts can be found here.

References:

Sept. 17 School Committee meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aScX70Bet7I&t=3846s (1:01:47)

Sept. 4 School Committee meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok64rRCgutk (1:17:20) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LdTOMt47i-GZqKgVGhBIanOkLCaErOvM (meeting minutes)

MA General Law on process for filling interim board vacancy: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter41/Section11