Easton joint finance–education committee prioritizes school internet wiring, defers other work until budget referendum

The Town of Easton Board of Finance and Board of Education joint committee agreed on April 21 to prioritize upgrading internet wiring at both schools and to defer other facility actions until after the town's May 5 budget referendum. The special meeting was held at the HKMS Media Center and on Zoom and was called to order by Chairman Art Laske at 6:07 p.m.

Chairman Art Laske reviewed a memorandum of understanding that lays out how the two bodies will coordinate on school facilities and budget priorities. Dr. Jason McKinnon, the superintendent, presented a PowerPoint that listed eight candidate projects with cost estimates and photos; among those, network infrastructure upgrades and parking-lot repairs drew the most discussion.

Committee members reached broad agreement that upgrading the schools' internet wiring should be treated as the top priority, and they discussed logistics such as project timing and the expected lifespan of the upgrade. There was no formal motion recorded on the wiring project during the meeting.

Members also raised concerns about the condition of school parking lots and the potential for higher repair costs if work is delayed. Ed Nagy was asked to obtain estimates for the most problematic areas ahead of the next joint committee meeting.

The committee elected Art Laske as chair and Colin Cote as recording secretary by unanimous votes (6–0). Members agreed that no substantive action on the presented projects would be taken before the May 5 town budget referendum. The joint committee set a follow-up meeting for May 12 at 6:00 p.m. and adjourned at 6:54 p.m.

Votes at a glance: Art Laske elected Chair (6–0); Colin Cote elected Recording Secretary (6–0).