East Kingston board to review amicus brief at special meeting after members ask to see draft

The East Kingston School Board on May 11 discussed whether to join an amicus brief supporting plaintiffs in pending litigation and decided to hold a special meeting to review the draft before committing funds or a signature.

Administration told the board the quoted cost to join the brief would be between $8,000 and $10,000 overall, to be split among participating SAU districts; the final per-district share depends on how many districts join. Several board members said they were generally supportive of the concept but did not want to sign a document they had not read. One member said, "I'd be pretty hesitant to vote for something we have not had a chance to read that's being written, you know, for all of us at this stage." The board discussed options including authorizing the chair to sign if she reviewed the draft and sharing the draft among members for a special meeting decision.

Board members noted some neighboring boards were waiting to see the brief before signing; Newfields had authorized its chair to review and sign if comfortable, and other districts planned special meetings. The board voted to post a special meeting for Monday, May 18 at 6:30 p.m. (or immediately following the joint board meeting) so members could review and decide whether to sign on. Administration said there is no cost to review the brief and that bringing the draft to a special-meeting discussion would not incur fees.

Next steps: the board will convene May 18 to review the amicus brief draft and decide whether to join; the final cost to East Kingston will depend on total districts participating.