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Mount Vernon board votes 3‑1 to request equal representation on RSU strategic planning committee
Summary
After debate over proportional versus equal representation, the Select Board voted 3‑1 to send a letter to the RSU asking that the strategic planning committee include equal representation from each of the four towns; proponents cited precedent for equal representation in high‑stakes school decisions and opponents said representation is rightly proportional to student population and property value.
Mount Vernon Select Board members voted 3‑1 on Tuesday to send a letter to the RSU strategic planning committee requesting equal town representation for the strategic planning process.
Chair (Speaker 2) introduced the agenda item and said the town should seek equal representation so that decisions about elementary schools and other high‑stakes items are not dominated by larger towns. Peggy Stockford moved that the board write a letter requesting equal representation; after discussion the motion passed 3 in favor, 1 opposed.
During the debate, a board member opposing the motion said the RSU had been set up with representation that is 50% based on property value and 50% on student population and argued that proportional representation reflects those metrics and should remain. Kathy Jacobs, who identified herself as Mount Vernon's RSU representative with nine years of service, said she had not previously felt unheard on the board and described the RSU’s consultant‑led application process for the strategic planning committee. Another resident and former board member noted there is precedent for equal representation on school matters and observed that a supermajority—two‑thirds—is required to close a school under the statutory process cited in meeting discussion.
The board recorded the vote as 3‑in‑favor and 1‑opposed. The chair said the letter expresses Mount Vernon's position even if it may not by itself change the RSU's consultant‑driven selection process.
No further formal action on RSU membership was taken; the board said it will monitor the RSU application's timeline and encourage residents to apply for the strategic planning committee.
