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Wayne select board votes to send RSU 38 letter seeking equal town representation on strategic-planning committee
Summary
After debate about process and who should name town representatives, the Wayne Select Board voted 4-0 to send a letter to the RSU 38 superintendent asking that the district give equal numbers of representatives to each member town and that Wayne town officials select the town's representatives; the board instructed staff to revise order of points and circulate the letter for signatures.
The Select Board debated how Wayne should be represented on an RSU 38 strategic-planning committee and ultimately voted to send a formal letter to the RSU superintendent outlining two requests: that each of the district's four member towns have an equal number of representatives on the strategic-planning committee and that Wayne's representatives be selected by local Wayne officials rather than solely by district consultants.
Henry Steck read a drafted letter to "Doctor Smith and the RSU 38 board of directors" that said, in part, "Wayne's representatives on the strategic planning committee should be selected by Wayne Town officials" and that "each of the four member towns should have an equal number of town representatives on the committee." Board members discussed whether the select board or the local school committee should make the final selections and whether the letter should put equal representation or local selection first.
Lauren/Lauren Mateoer (new member) pushed for placing the equal-representation request first, saying, "If we don't have equal representation on this plan, then I frankly don't see the point of participating at all." Others said they preferred leading with the more readily agreed-upon request to have the town nominate representatives. After discussion and an amendment to reverse the order of the two main points, the board voted to send the revised letter and asked the town manager to reorder the sections and circulate a version for signatures; the motion passed with a recorded 4-0 tally.
Board members noted a separate, ongoing selection process described by RSU staff and consultants: the district plans to host an online interest form and compile applicants for the plan-to-plan committee to review. The board recorded that its letter states the town's preference for local selection and equal representation while acknowledging the RSU's ultimate authority on committee composition.
The board asked the local school committee and plan-to-plan committee to review applicants and to present recommended names for the board's approval at a future meeting if necessary.
