District committee proposes narrowing nepotism bar; board to review redline in July

Administrators told the Regional School District 12 board that a wholesale adoption of a model nepotism policy produced wording that conflicted with the district's bylaw and was broader than intended. Under the model language, the policy read that no family member of a board member could work in the district at all; the district's bylaw, by contrast, allows family members to work with disclosure and requires the board member to recuse themselves from related votes.

The presenter told the board the committee recommended a narrower redline: to prohibit family members of board members from serving as superintendent or district‑level administrators while leaving in place the bylaw's disclosure and recusal processes for other employment relationships. "My proposal is I don't think there shouldn't be any boundary ... I suggested to the committee that we redline it and read that no family member of the board of education could be superintendent or a district level administrator," the speaker said.

Board members cited past local practice of hiring alumni and relatives in front‑line roles with disclosure and recusal (one board member recounted a past situation where a chairman's wife served as a school secretary and the chairman recused for related votes). Members also raised a question about whether recusal can be compelled; the committee presenter said the policy would articulate best practice and devote guardrails to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

The committee will return the redlined policy for a first read at the board's July organizational meeting (the board agreed to move the meeting from July 20 to July 13). The transcript does not show the committee's full redline text in the meeting record.