Subcommittee debates unpaid advisory appointment, directs administration to advertise advisory openings and refers parent-representation policy

The Parent and Community Outreach Subcommittee of the Fall River School Committee discussed a proposal to create an unpaid advisory position and consider the appointment of Gabriel Amaral, a parent volunteer, and voted to refer two related items to the full school committee for further consideration.

The subcommittee member who placed the item on the agenda said the role would be advisory and unpaid and was meant to “increase citizen involvement” and “help the committee and the administration to give advice.” The sponsor cited district policies (KA and KB) that call for facilitating parent involvement and shared decision-making.

Members raised concerns about attaching a person’s name to a new post and the potential political optics. One member said the district already has staff who perform financial oversight and singled out Kevin, the district finance director, saying he had “been here more than 10 years” and that they had “not seen anything but perfection” from his work. Another member said she was open to more community…