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Residents, parents press Chariho committee on superintendent decision and civility during public forum
Summary
At the June 17 Chariho school committee meeting, several residents criticized the decision not to extend a contract and urged greater transparency and civility; Chair Louise Dinsmore defended her record and asked the community to stop spreading personal attacks.
Several residents used the public forum at the Chariho Regional School District’s June 17 school committee meeting to press for transparency about a personnel decision and to call for civility in community discourse.
“By voting against the contract extension, members have knowingly created instability in our schools,” said Heidi Fee, who urged the committee to keep the Freedom to Read Act and current library-media policy intact while also explaining concerns about the superintendent’s contract. Fee asked the committee to provide public reasons if a high-profile contract was not extended.
Other speakers described painful personal experiences they said informed their opinions. Scott Daigle recounted safety and communication problems involving his special-needs son, and said he supported the committee’s decision to end the superintendent’s contract: “I feel as if it was the right move,” he said.
Chair Louise Dinsmore responded at length, identifying herself and defending both her conduct and the committee’s role. Dinsmore said an anonymous email circulated to the Providence Public Library had criticized her business because she took a “Moms for Liberty” pledge and that false claims had been made about her son. “Not only is this untrue but extremely hurtful,” she said, calling for the community and its organizations to “recommit ourselves to treating each other with respect and kindness.”
Several speakers urged the committee to focus on students and the district’s long-term needs. Catherine Gibson, speaking as a community member, said the committee’s first obligation is to students, including those with disabilities and students from struggling families: “When students come first, test scores rise. Teacher morale improves.”
The meeting’s public forum also included calls for more transparency in district decision-making, requests for updates on an elementary building study and expressions of gratitude for successful administrative responses to enrollment questions. Superintendent Gina Picard confirmed the elementary planning stage 1 was approved and outlined the state-stage timeline and next steps for architect selection.
The meeting record shows no vote or formal policy change resulted directly from the public comments; committee business proceeded after the forum and the group approved multiple policies, grants and MOUs during the same session.
