RSU 40/MSAD 40 policy committee elects new leaders, reviews multiple board policies and forwards social-media changes to the board

The RSU 40/MSAD 40 policy committee on a recorded meeting elected Richard Hart chair after an initial nomination for Ben Stichte failed, and chose Timothy Woods as vice chair in a 4–3 vote. The committee also reviewed a set of board-level policies, voted to mark several as reviewed with minor edits, and forwarded an amended social-media policy to the full board for first reading.

The meeting opened with nominations for chair. After the first nomination for Ben Stichte failed on a 3–4 ballot, the committee voted 4–3 to elect Richard Hart as chair. Timothy Woods won the vice-chair position on a separate 4–3 vote.

Committee members then moved through a packed policy packet. On electronic communications (policy BEA), a committee member cautioned that "anything you put in writing could end up on the front page of the newspaper," and members voted 7–0 to mark BEA as reviewed and place a new three‑year review date.

A long discussion on social media (policy BED) focused on removing platform-specific references and avoiding dated language. Members agreed to simplify the first paragraph to read generally about "social media" rather than list platforms; the committee voted 7–0 to forward the revised BED to the board for first reading.

Members debated the executive-session policy (BEC), with some preferring the district's longer, more detailed current language and others favoring a shorter sample. Because of legal and procedural considerations — including counsel review and the committee's advisory (nonbinding) role to the board — the committee voted 7–0 to table BEC until legal staff can confirm whether the committee's preferred text is consistent with statute and practice.

The group also handled procedural housekeeping: a motion to mark a set of policies as reviewed with two technical edits (change wording in letter E to "policy changes" and change the preposition in letter H from "in" to "by") passed 7–0, and staff agreed to produce the policy manual in a clearer redline/strike-through format for future meetings.

The meeting closed with a request that the district website be updated to show the current policy committee roster and with routine logistical matters about distributing digital and printed materials.

Votes at a glance: Ben Stichte for chair (failed) — 3 yes, 4 no; Richard Hart for chair (passed) — 4 yes, 3 no; Timothy Woods for vice chair (passed) — 4 yes, 3 no; Motion to table student-representative policy (passed) — 7 yes, 0 no; Mark BEA as reviewed (passed) — 7 yes, 0 no; Simplify BED to "social media" and forward to board (passed) — 7 yes, 0 no; Table BEC for legal review (passed) — 7 yes, 0 no; Mark policies reviewed with two updates (passed) — 7 yes, 0 no.

What happens next: The committee will provide redlined documents showing deletions and additions for members before the next meeting, legal counsel will review the executive-session language, and the full board will receive the revised social-media policy for first reading.