Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Procedure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSU 63 meeting ends after tied vote on postponement over Maine DOE 'weighted votes' email
Summary
A Nov. 24 RSU 63 board meeting at Holbrook Middle School ended at 6:21 p.m. after a motion to postpone the meeting while the board reviewed an email from the Maine Department of Education about 'weighted votes' failed on a 4-4 tie; several members left afterward, and quorum was lost.
At 6:00 p.m. Nov. 24, Board Chair Scott Walton said he could not call the RSU 63 board meeting to order because there were not enough members for a quorum. At 6:02 p.m. four members arrived and Walton called the meeting to order at Holbrook Middle School.
Linda Graban, a board member from the Town of Clifton, asked the board to reschedule the meeting after the board had just received an email from Paula Gravelle at the Maine Department of Education concerning 'weighted votes.' Cherie Faulkner moved, and Graban seconded, to table the meeting to a later date so the full board could review the DOE guidance; the motion cited an email Superintendent Sheila Caldwell had shared with the board.
Amy Hart, a board member from the Town of Holden, said there was 'nothing to discuss' and called the issue a mistake originating in 2009. Superintendent Sheila Caldwell read the email from Paula Gravelle and said she wanted the entire board to have the information before taking further action. Rachel Downs, a board member from the Town of Eddington, said the error was made at the Department of Education and argued there was no need to postpone the meeting. Cherie Faulkner said the timing of the DOE notice was 'incredibly questionable.'
The motion to table the meeting failed on a tie vote, 4-4. Shortly after, at 6:16 p.m., Graban, Faulkner and Heather Grass left the meeting. Rachel Downs moved, seconded by Amy Hart, to add 'Resume Public Session' after Executive Session; no vote was taken on that amendment. Heather Lander left at 6:19 p.m., and the meeting ended at 6:21 p.m. when quorum was lost. Hart apologized to the public for the time spent.
The minutes were recorded and signed by Interim Superintendent Sheila Caldwell and later marked 'APPROVED and ACCEPTED' on Feb. 2, 2026. The board did not adopt any policy changes or formal actions regarding weighted votes during the Nov. 24 meeting.
Authorities referenced in the meeting included an email from the Maine Department of Education (Paula Gravelle) that Superintendent Caldwell read to the board. The board requested but did not receive minutes from 2009 at the Nov. 24 session.
