Somerset School Board votes 7-0 to deny petition to move household to neighboring district

The Somerset School Board voted unanimously to deny a petition from a local family seeking to transfer their home out of the Somerset School District and into a neighboring district. The board recorded the outcome as a 7-0 voice vote against the petition.

During public comment, Andrea Newman urged the board to approve her family's request, saying the change "serves the best interest of our children's educational welfare" and citing differences in course offerings and special education capacity between the two districts. Newman referenced state statute language the petitioners said governs appeals of district boundary changes.

Another commenter, Terence Stman, told the board he had attended the district's February 10 work session seeking clarification and left concerned that the board appeared unfamiliar with the petition prior to it appearing on the agenda. Board members questioned whether approving the request would create a geographic "island" inside Somerset's borders and flagged precedent and tax-base considerations as reasons to deny the petition.

Board members also noted the February 1 deadline referenced in the state statute, saying the deadline is written into state law and not within the superintendent's authority to waive. After discussion about map boundaries and the potential for future similar requests, a motion to deny the petition was made, seconded, and adopted by the board.

The board did not adopt the petition; the denial means the family may pursue any statutory appeals available outside the board's action, including appeals to the school district boundary appeals board as described by commenters.

The board recorded the motion’s passage and then moved on to the next agenda item.