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Chariho committee split 5-5; motion to extend superintendent's contract fails
Summary
The Chariho Regional School Committee considered a one-year extension to Superintendent Gina Picard's contract and, after public debate and member statements both supporting and questioning her leadership, a motion to extend failed on a 5-5 vote. The chair declined to take public comment on the item, citing open-meetings concerns.
The Chariho Regional School Committee failed to approve a one-year extension of Superintendent Gina Picard's contract after a divided discussion that reflected both public praise and private concerns.
Chair Jessica Purcell opened an agenda item to consider Picard's annual contract extension; Picard's current contract runs through June 30, 2027, and the committee was asked to decide whether to extend it through June 30, 2028. Following discussion in open session — and after an executive-session performance review earlier in the month — the committee voted 5-5 on a motion to extend, which failed for lack of majority.
Why it matters: A successful extension would have signalled renewed multi-year support for the superintendent’s leadership; the tie vote leaves Picard with the remainder of her current contract but without the one-year extension the committee was asked to approve.
Positions and debate: Multiple members voiced support, citing Picard’s visibility at schools, improving district metrics and the recent strategic-plan presentation. Member Linda (last name not specified in the transcript) said Picard "wears lots of hats and is on the ground here all the time" and voted yes. Members who opposed or withheld support cited constituent feedback and concerns about academic outcomes in some grades; Member Laura said she received almost 100 emails opposed and said she would not support an extension that evening.
Public comment and procedure: Chair Jessica Purcell declined requests from members of the public to address the committee on the contract item, saying permitting public comment could create an "open meetings" risk and the superintendent had asked that a public performance discussion not be placed on the agenda. That decision drew several audible objections from the audience during the meeting.
Vote tally: In a roll-call-style sequence during the meeting the recorded positions were: Jessica Purcell (chair) — yes; Linda — yes; Karen Reynolds — yes; Craig Luzon — yes; Donna Chambers — yes; Polly Hopkins — no; Diane Tefft — no; Harvey Phelps — no; Beth Puglia — no; Tyler — no. The motion therefore failed on a 5-5 split.
Next steps: The motion's failure leaves Picard in place under the terms of her current contract through June 30, 2027. The committee did not take public comment on the matter during the meeting; several members asked for additional community feedback and suggested continued private dialogue.
Ending: The committee’s split vote sets the stage for further discussion among committee members and the public in the coming months as members weigh oversight, academic outcomes and community confidence while Picard continues in her current contract term.
