As the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School’s ninth graduating class prepares for commencement tomorrow, this small community will celebrate the achievements of its largest group ever — nine students, fittingly.

Tisbury selectmen this week responded sharply to criticism of their style of management, following accusations of secrecy in relation to police chief John Cashin’s departure, and broader criticism about undue interference in the affairs of town departments.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting of the selectmen, board chairman Tristan Israel gave a spirited defense of the board and its actions, saying he believed the town to be the most open on the Island.

As Edgartown announced a special town meeting to pay its share of running costs for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, selectman Arthur Smadbeck issued a scathing review of the planning agency’s behavior and budgeting process this week, bluntly questioning its continued usefulness as a regional body.

“Let’s analyze it,” he told the Gazette this week. “It’s based on a very unfair formula, and Edgartown pays more than one third of the whole budget, so are we getting our money’s worth?

Corrections

A headline on a story about health insurance changes on the Vineyard published in last Friday’s Gazette was inaccurate; the changes do not mean that 1,500 Islanders will be without health insurance.

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A story in the Tuesday Gazette about Sengekontacket Pond carried the wrong last name for one of the quahaugers interviewed for the story. His name is David Oliveira.

The Gazette regrets the errors.

Aquarium Passes