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Manchester Essex committee charges communications subcommittee after campaign-finance advisory finding
Summary
The school committee voted to charge its Policy & Advocacy subcommittee with drafting a communications plan and approved a separate motion to publish a monthly factual written update, following a review that found one earlier district mailing could be read as non-neutral under campaign finance rules.
The Manchester Essex Regional School Committee on Oct. 7 voted to charge its Policy & Advocacy subcommittee with drafting a district communications plan and approved a second motion to establish a monthly written update to be produced in partnership with the superintendent.
The two motions grew out of discussion about how the committee communicates with the public and what counts as neutral, factual material. The first motion directs the subcommittee to prepare a communications plan for approval by the full committee. The second motion, which passed unanimously, requires a designated school committee member working with the superintendent to produce a monthly draft to be presented for approval at the committee's first business meeting each month and then distributed via district channels and local media.
Supporters said the motions are intended to increase transparency and consistent factual outreach. "This will be a condensed version of the minutes," a committee member said when describing the planned monthly communication.
The measures followed an earlier campaign-finance review after a district communication sent ahead of an Essex ballot question was interpreted by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance as risking non-neutrality because it used a closed parent distribution list and included wording the office said could be read as not strictly neutral. The superintendent told the committee the office cited MGL 5318B as a relevant statute about what towns may publish in voter information materials; no fines were assessed and staff were advised to consult the office on future ballot-related messaging.
Committee members debated the boundary between factual information and advocacy, especially around ballot initiatives. One member urged caution that staff not be put in a position to send material that could be seen as advocacy; others said the district had a responsibility to keep residents informed and that the subcommittee should help define appropriate, factual content.
The motions require the subcommittee to define scope and priorities; the monthly communication will be approved by the full committee before dissemination. The committee said it will consult the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and legal counsel to avoid future violations.
The committee also discussed using MSBA and other resources to review outreach around building projects and plans to consult those offices before sending ballot-related materials.
