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Rep. Olsen proposes local votes and administrative hearings before school closures; judge warns Rule 75 language could cause court confusion
Summary
Representative Olsen presented two amendments to H.955 to require either local votes or an administrative hearing before a school may be closed. Chief Superior Judge Thomas Zone warned inserting Rule 75 into statute could create procedural confusion and many duplicative appeals; the committee straw-polled both amendments unfriendly.
Representative Ross (Kate?) Olsen presented two proposed amendments to H.955 intended to give affected communities a stronger formal role before a school is closed.
Olsen told the House Education Committee the first amendment would require a vote by the electorate where a school is located (or, in multi-town districts, by the towns that feed the school) before a board could carry out a closure. The sponsor said the intent is to ensure "meaningful votes before their school might be closed" and to require boards to post a report laying out rationale and factors considered (educational value, financial viability, capital costs, transportation, staffing) and to provide an opportunity for…
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