By Patrick Adrian
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NEWPORT — A new state-approved alternative approach to holding school budget deliberations has some residents and school officials concerned, citing a potential to disenfranchise voters or delay the approval of the next school budget.
H.B. 1129, approved last year, allows school boards the option to provide a virtual budget deliberation meeting as an alternative to the traditional in-person format, as a health precaution amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
This process, which the Claremont and Newport School Boards individually adopted last week, replaces the single-day, in-person deliberative meeting with a two-session format held over a three-day period via remote technology, including Zoom and telephone.
In the first session, which would be held on a Monday, the school board will present each article on the school warrant, similarly to the traditional format. Following that session, voters will have three days to submit questions, comments or recommendations — including proposals to adjust the budget amount — via email, phone or text message or another means of digital communication.
In the second session, to be held on the first Thursday following the first session, the school board will read each public message into record. Then the board will deliberate the content of the public’s feedback, including whether to adjust the amount of the main budget proposal.
But some citizens contend that this process undercuts the spirit and intent of the deliberative session, as it denies local voters a major opportunity for direct input.
“We have lost our deliberative session as we know it,” said Newport resident Bert Spaulding on Monday.
A central concern, according to Spaulding, is the likely impact this will have to the community’s ability to alter the school budget proposal. State law allows a registered voter at the deliberative session to motion for an increase or decrease to the amount, of or up to 10%, to the proposed operating budget. If seconded by another participant, this motion is discussed and then voted upon by registered voters in attendance. The motion must receive a two-third majority in votes to pass.
Under the virtual model, the school board would make the decision, presumably based upon the received feedback from voters, whether to adjust that budget. Spaulding said he highly doubted the Newport School Board would take such an action.
Even elected officials expressed concern about H.B. 1129 having an adverse impact on the democratic process.
“On face value, in [my] opinion, this seems to be a bit of a travesty of how we normally do things,” said Newport Selectperson Barry Connell.
Connell, the former superintendent of Newport schools, recommended that the select board meet with Newport Board Chair Linda Wadensten and Superintendent Brendan Minnihan to learn more about the board’s decision.
Some Claremont School Board members expressed reservations about switching to the virtual format, despite the board’s vote of 6-1 to switch to virtual.
“People show up to deliberate,” said board member Jason Benware on Wednesday, Jan. 13. “And even if you put something down on paper that is your idea then, oftentimes people’s ideas change throughout that session.”
Under the virtual format, those ideas of voters cannot change on record and the lack of a true deliberation makes such change unlikely, Benware said.
Another risk comes from a provision in H.B. 1129 that allows voters to later reject the validity of the virtual process on School Voting Day, which would require the school board to hold a new deliberative session and another vote on the warrant.
“There is the possibility that if we do not have a traditional deliberative session, some of our residents won’t approve the process,” said Claremont School Board Chair Frank Sprague.
According to Matt Upton, attorney for the district, an additional question will appear on the ballot of districts who chose the virtual deliberative format. This additional question asks if the voter approved the meeting process to finalize this ballot. If the majority of voters vote No, the school district will have until Sept. 1 to hold a new deliberative session and warrant vote.
Some Claremont School Board members felt the auditorium at Stevens High School was ample enough in space to safely hold its annual deliberation, especially given that turnout is typically low unless there is a highly contentious budget question.
But board members were also concerned that the district’s moderator Tracey Pope said she would be unable to run the meeting if it was held in-person due to her vulnerable immune system.
Additionally, several board members wanted to ensure a voting option by drive-thru, which required adopting the virtual deliberative format.
The change in deliberative session could arguably have more impact in Newport, whose voters have used the deliberation to reduce the proposed budget. Last year, Newport voters reduced the proposed operating budget by $1.2 million, a reduction of 10%. This year the proposed school budget has an estimated tax impact of $3.94 per $100,000 of assessed property value. The proposed budget next year, while actually less in spending than the current year, anticipates severe revenue losses in state aid and out-of-district tuition.
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