Committee forms Marguerite Small school building committee and names School Committee chair

The Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School Committee voted May 5 to establish a school building committee to oversee the Marguerite Small Elementary School application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority and to advise the district during construction. The committee also appointed School Committee member Thomas Tolentino as the district's representative and chair of the building committee.

Superintendent Dr. Smith told the committee the district entered its MSBA eligibility period on April 1 and that the eligibility window ends on December 26; forming a school building committee is one of the required tasks during that eligibility period. The packet contained a roster of volunteers the administration recommended for slots on the building committee and the superintendent said the group provided broad representation including the current principal and teacher and parent members.

Committee members discussed whether the school committee should appoint the building committee chair or let the newly formed committee nominate its own chair. Some members said historical precedent favored appointing a committee representative; after debate the committee voted to both establish the building committee and appoint Thomas Tolentino as the school committee representative and as the chair. The motions passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

The superintendent said future additions or revisions to the building committee membership would be at the superintendent's discretion and that the district would continue recruiting additional stakeholders before finalizing the roster. As a subcommittee, the building committee will make recommendations to the full school committee, which retains final approval authority for design and bidding decisions as the project proceeds with MSBA oversight.