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Residents and school staff press supervisors to fully fund schools and allege secrecy over censure of Supervisor Quinn
Summary
Public comment filled the board chamber with teachers, parents and residents urging full funding for the school budget and accusing the board of procedural unfairness and secrecy in a prior censure of Supervisor Dan Quinn; speakers asked for town-hall dialogue, independent review and better transparency.
A lengthy public-comment period dominated the second half of the meeting. Dozens of residents, teachers and parents testified in favor of fully funding the school division's FY27 request, repeatedly citing teacher pay steps, frozen salaries and deteriorating facilities.
Teachers and parents argued that the proposed increases would stabilize staffing and protect programs. "We should be paying our teachers out of abundance, not with the scraps that are left at the end of the day," said Addison Hancock, a parent. Multiple educators said salary freezes had left teachers several steps behind on the pay scale; Shannon Brooks, a 19-year division employee, said receiving the phase-three increase would mean about $10,000 annually for her family and described the emotional strain of underpayment.
Speakers also raised two matters of board accountability. Gayen Jackman asserted that Supervisor Dan Quinn had not received adequate notice or opportunity to prepare a defense before being censured, and asked why the board had not held a public hearing or provided clearer responses. "What urgency drove the board to censor Supervisor Quinn without granting him the time he requested to prepare a defense?" Jackman asked. Charlene Moresca and others characterized the censure as retaliation and called for an independent investigation or a public town-hall to address remaining questions.
The board did not take a public action to address those allegations during the meeting; instead, after public comment, the board moved into routine administrative items and scheduled further budget work sessions. Commenters urged the board to use upcoming sessions and hearings to provide clearer, public explanations of past disciplinary steps and to prioritize school funding moving forward.
The meeting record shows the board later moved into and certified a closed session for personnel and legal matters (roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous). Several speakers explicitly requested a town-hall format so residents could ask follow-up questions and hear direct answers from supervisors.
