<p>The selectmen and school committee will meet Tuesday to discuss how to start over with the school building project.</p>
The Tisbury selectmen and school committee are set to meet Tuesday to discuss a new school building project. The joint meeting will mark the first formal conversation between the two boards since the $46.6 million school building project failed at the ballot box in April.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at the Katharine Cornell Theatre.
There remains tension as town leaders decide the best course for starting over after formally withdrawing from the Massachusetts School Building Authority process last month.
At the selectmen’s meeting this week, board member Tristan Israel presented a draft mission statement with a suggested guideline of $27 million as a starting point for spending on a new school project.
At a school committee meeting a week ago Colleen McAndrews, who led the school building committee for two years, suggested that if a new committee is formed it should be a fresh start.
“I feel strongly that no members of the same committee should be on the new one [excepting the principal and the superintendent],” Mrs. McAndrews said.
School committee members have repeatedly called for leadership from the selectmen following the failed vote. But selectman Melinda Loberg, who attended the meeting, said the sentiment goes both ways.
“Without strong participation from the school committee, we won’t be successful at all. I would not see this as something selectmen will be in charge of,” she said.
School committee chairman Amy Houghton said it was unclear who should take initiative.
“In some ways, the school committee has felt beholden to selectmen to move this forward,” she said.
All the issues are expected to be part of the discussion at the meeting Tuesday. The meeting is open to the public.
Comments
Here is a huge opertunity to
Tom Engley West TisburyHere is a huge opertunity to start over and get the regional school built on the high school land. I spent two days in the Tisbury school taking a food safety course last week. I also spent k-8 there a million years ago. Do it there in a few years when done turn the VH OB EDG WT AND CHILMARK INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND CHILMARk could be sold to the Chilmark film festival. I really think it’s time and people would support it.
A regional built school on
Dreamers VHA regional built school on high school land to make a regional middle school will never happen.
So lets deal with reality, that being Israel tosses aside a 32 mil project that he torpedo'd with zero leadership skills and then suggest a 27 million cap? Really? His 5 million difference will be eaten up with pre work needed for the new school. Good luck.
"“I feel strongly that no
Islander Too"“I feel strongly that no members of the same committee should be on the new one [excepting the principal and the superintendent],” Mrs. McAndrews said."
Amen to that.
I love a new start! A year
Really?! Vineyard HavenI love a new start! A year ago in the Tisbury School library at a joint meeting of the school committee, selectmen, building commitee, etc Tristan had no number and no guidance. Now we have a number but no idea where it came from, but hey we actually have a number. A month and a half ago Ms. Loberg wanted regionalization in her letter to the newspaper. Last week she changed to support this new direction. This quick flip flop is a head scratcher, but hey leaders change their minds. It was a 3 year process and suddenly there is a unified position from the selectmen. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad they finally arrived somewhere they can support. But we wasted 3 years, a lot of taxpayer money that they should be the stewards for and a lot of volunteer manpower hours. The feds just upped the interest rate for the second time this year. By the time we borrow, our total may inch closer to the failed number. I look forward to participating in the challlenging years ahead. Especially as this plan will compete for money for a town hall.
If the plan is to put kids in
Voting no on other projects till this is resolved VHIf the plan is to put kids in trailers for two or three years (or one) while they build a school that doesn't meet the standards I'm voting no. But I'm voting no on everything else too because this needs to be the priority. In the mean time the price will go up due to tariffs. Way to go. And I don't want to hear a word from the Selectmen about regionalization unless they get on record the opinion of the other towns leadership on that. Show me that's an actual possibility before using it as an excuse. Show me how one more school on the island would solve the problem of a 90 year old foundation, and that it is actually feasible, and I will start considering that. Till then I'm voting no on everything. School that meets the standard without trailers. That's what I'll vote for.
At least it should be
Tom Engley West TisburyAt least it should be considered. And I use my name dreamers
The state needs more sales
Ken Edg.The state needs more sales tax revenue so they can cover more of the expense. Taxing internet sales from out of state would be a big one. The supreme court still hasnt decided that one. As far as interest rates go the higher the rate the less the cost. Easy money drives up the cost as we have seen in the real estate boom.
Have all the nay sayers out
Consider VHHave all the nay sayers out ever thought that we have a great opportunity to think outside the box and create a fantastic new and old school setting
Yes! The TSBC and the MSBA
Keeping it Real MVYes! The TSBC and the MSBA exhausted all options and came up with a design that kept many of the old and married it with the new. As well as Educational learning environments that are forward thinking, safe for kids and support the educational needs of all types of learners. Compromising on those issues are not a place we should cut corners and think out side of the box without true facts.
Add new comment