Reports that the nine-person school committee plans to vote on Nov. 3 whether to circumvent spring 2026 town meetings in favor of an Islandwide simple majority vote to gain final approval of the planned high school renovation are deeply disturbing and revealing.

Given the extra effort and expense required to hold a special Islandwide election, its only purpose would be to disenfranchise voters from towns where support for the project might be in question.

Rather than plotting election maneuvers to impose the project and millions of dollars of debt upon certain towns against their voters’ wishes, the school committee should focus its energies on making sure the project is worthy of each town’s support.

This regional district election maneuver has been rarely used and never on our Island. Pursuit of such to gain approval for our Island’s biggest ever capital project would be certain to create long-lasting discord.

Approval of the project should remain congruent with its funding, which is allocated by town rather than uniformly across our Island.

If the school committee fears one or more towns may not support the renovation, they should consider why, and then ask, “How can we earn their support?” Not “How can we mute their voices?”

Jamie O’Brien

Aquinnah