News

Wadensten defends board’s right to set policy

By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
NEWPORT — The Newport School Board approved the hiring of three new teachers at its meeting on Thursday, Aug. 8.

They included Dominick King, long-term sub, social studies, Newport High School, Providence College, Masters Degree, Step 2, $38,101.

Margaret Greene, sixth grade math, Steubenville University, Bachelors Degree, Step 14, $50,826.

Graham Scott, pre engineering, Sugar River Valley Technical Center, UVM, Bachelors Degree, Step 1, $34,707.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Brendan Minnihan said the number of teachers remaining to be hired is less than 10. Included are three or four at the high school, two or three at Richards and one for CTE

At the end of the 2018-19 school year there were 27 teacher positions open in the Newport School District.

Newport resident Bert Spaulding Sr., presented the board with a petition for a Special School District meeting in an effort to get voter support for elimination of the new three-minute speaking limit by citizens attending school board meetings.

Spaulding led a petition drive that secured 70 signatures of Newport registered voters supporting the special school district meeting.

When Spaulding found out that if Board Chairman Linda Wadensten read his petition into the minutes of the board meeting the time used would be charged against his three-minute speaking limit. “Don’t bother,” he told Wadensten.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Wadensten said Newport has looked at other school districts around the state. “We are one of the last to set a policy of three minutes with a one-minute rebuttal,” she stated.

“We are not impeding anyone’s right to speak. It is not up to the pubic to change our policy. Voting yes or no would have no bearing on the board. It is up to the board to change the policy,” Wadensten continued.

She said there are case laws out there that uphold school policy. She suggested that the people who signed the petition be called to let them know what they have signed. ”This is not a public meeting, it is a business meeting,” Wadensten stated.

“I don’t want people to become discouraged and not come to talk at our meetings,” she said.

Three representatives of the Newport School Boards Association attended the meeting to review the process involved in searching for a new Superintendent of Schools for Newport.

Dr. John Freeman, Superintendent of Schools in Pittsfield, will work with the Newport School Board representatives during the search process.

“This is not the easiest time to a hire a superintendent,” Freeman said.

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