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Communications subcommittee adds Community Forum, plans referendum outreach and newsletter notices
Summary
The Amity Board of Education Communications Subcommittee approved minutes, added a Community Forum to the agenda for May 19, and scheduled Guard Hill consultant Cat Meskill to present a referendum communications plan at the February meeting; committee members also agreed to include calendar changes, a curriculum adoption notice and athletics recognition in the February newsletter.
The Amity Board of Education Communications Subcommittee on Monday approved its Dec. 10 minutes, added a Community Forum to the committee agenda and discussed outreach plans for the district’s upcoming referendum.
The committee chair moved to approve the minutes and recorded roll-call approvals from Kathy, Carol and Donna. Later the committee voted to amend the agenda to add a Community Forum; the amendment carried on roll call with Kathy, Carol and Donna voting yes.
Why it matters: committee members said earlier, closer timing matters for referendum messaging. Cat Meskill of Guard Hill will attend the subcommittee’s Feb. 11 meeting to present a detailed communications plan aimed at the four weeks before a referendum, and staff will coordinate outreach channels in advance.
Committee members also outlined items for the chair’s newsletter and linked web content: calendar changes including holiday and a shortened June end date (noting an impact on senior internship schedules), a brief notice that curriculum revisions will be considered in February and recognition of the baseball team’s recent achievement. The group agreed to include where the public can find curriculum materials (the December special meeting packet) and to pair social posts with longer news stories on the district website.
On curriculum, the committee discussed the adoption process: teachers draft content aligned to state standards, the curriculum council reviews materials, and the board receives items only after curriculum council approval. The committee asked that the newsletter and web posts clearly state that the February packet contains materials available to the public.
Outreach and public input: members recommended soliciting forum topic ideas through multiple channels, including adding an optional open-ended question to the district climate survey (Peter, who manages surveys, can extract that item) and a link or callout in the newsletter. They set a deadline to decide the forum topic at the March meeting so panelists can be scheduled and outreach run in April and May.
Logistics and next steps: the committee set a tentative forum date of May 19 and confirmed the subcommittee’s next meeting for Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m.; the chair noted a hard stop at 6:30 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 6:02 p.m.
Actions recorded: approval of Dec. 10 minutes; motion to amend the agenda to add a Community Forum (approved by roll call); motion to adjourn (approved without objection).
