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Residents press finance subcommittee for Ashby representation; committee adds liaison and hears AES concerns
Summary
Public commenters urged continued attention to Ashby Elementary School and asked that Ashby have a finance subcommittee liaison; the subcommittee said it had asked Carrie Battersby to serve and that the appointment will be confirmed at the August full committee meeting.
Public commenters and committee members addressed community representation and the future of Ashby Elementary School during the finance subcommittee meeting.
An Ashby resident who served as the town’s appointed finance representative said she would like to continue in the role so Ashby “have adequate representation.” Another public commenter who identified herself as an Ashby resident called it “discouraging” to read meeting minutes that said “too much time has been wasted on talking about Ashby Elementary.” A public commenter in Maine raised concerns about Ashby’s status and asked who will cover operating costs if the building remains unused.
The committee said it has reached out to Carrie Battersby to serve as the Ashby liaison and that she has agreed to listen in pending a formal vote by the full school committee at its Aug. 12 meeting. Committee members clarified that community liaisons are nonvoting and would have access to public documents but not to executive-session materials.
On related education staffing questions, a public commenter asked whether one-time FY25 funds could be used to add short-term classroom support to address large class sizes. The administration said staff would cost out options and return to the committee. Assistant Superintendent Gary Bavaro Reese and Superintendent Brad Morgan said administrators can explore using preschool revolving funds, school-choice funds or federal special-education allocations to cover temporary paraprofessional support without changing the approved municipal budget, when appropriate.
Why it matters: Committee membership and liaison representation determine which town perspectives are heard during finance deliberations. Public concern about Ashby Elementary’s condition and possible re-use or maintenance costs surfaced repeatedly during the meeting and was recorded for follow-up.
Next steps: The committee said it will proceed with outreach for the Ashby liaison, and administrators will review classroom-support cost options and report back at the August meeting.
