Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSU 63 board deadlocks on committee recall and tables acceptance of reports
Summary
The RSU 63 school board split 4–4 on a motion to recall a member from the Budget & Finance Committee and later deadlocked on accepting routine reports, leaving several items unresolved and prompting further review by subcommittees.
The RSU 63 board of directors on Oct. 27, 2025 split on key governance votes, including a failed motion to recall a member from the Budget and Finance Committee and a tied vote that left acceptance of routine reports tabled.
Board Chair Scott Walton opened the meeting at 6:33 p.m. and trustees moved immediately to procedural business. Amy Hart moved, and Rachel Downs seconded, to enter executive session under 1 M.R.S.A. § 405(6)(A) to discuss staff and personnel at 6:35 p.m.; the roll-call vote produced four yes and four no votes, so the motion failed. The minutes record the weighted-vote calculation and show the motion failed by 49.5 percent.
Later in the meeting Amy Hart moved, with a second from Brittany Wood, to recall board member Cherie Faulkner from the Budget and Finance Committee and to appoint Linda Graban in her place. Rachel Downs and Amy Hart read prepared statements criticizing board behavior, ethics and reputational concerns and cited multiple board policies; Scott Walton said recent turnover in district leadership was a direct result of board actions. The recall motion also ended in a 4–4 tie and failed.
On a separate procedural item, the board considered approval of the Sept. 22, 2025 minutes; after a requested correction the minutes were approved 8–0. But a later motion by Rachel Downs, seconded by Amy Hart, to accept the committee, administrator and superintendent reports failed on a 4–4 vote after members debated whether accepting reports implied accepting all listed old business. That item was tabled for future discussion.
The deadlocks meant no formal changes were made to committee assignments or to the standing reports that evening, and several questions were left for follow up. The meeting proceeded to other business, including facilities and ACE Committee items.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to enter executive session (personnel) — mover: Amy Hart; second: Rachel Downs; vote: 4 yes, 4 no; outcome: failed. - Motion to recall Cherie Faulkner and elect Linda Graban to Budget & Finance — mover: Amy Hart; second: Brittany Wood; vote: 4 yes, 4 no; outcome: failed. - Motion to approve Sept. 22 minutes — mover: Amy Hart; second: Linda Graban; vote: 8 yes, 0 no; outcome: approved. - Motion to accept committee/administrator/superintendent reports — mover: Rachel Downs; second: Amy Hart; vote: 4 yes, 4 no; outcome: failed and tabled.
Next steps: The board left the acceptance-of-reports item on the table for further discussion at a later meeting.
