make. After all, it’s a thankless job featuring many hours spent in committees and board meetings.
It is also a hat that one must wear 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When things are going well, chances are you will not hear a peep out of your constituents, but if you make a decision that someone disagrees with, watch out because your phone will likely ring off the hook.
Serving on a public board is also a position filled with making many tough, and often emotional, decisions that impact others in the community in which they live. Just ask members of the SAD 29 school board.
Over the past few months, the SAD 29 school board has had its fair share of difficult decisions. The topic of harvest recess drew a considerable amount of discussion from the board and the public when the school board broached it. And more recently, the school board had its hands full when the topic of closing Wellington Elementary School came to light.
Even more challenges lie down the road for SAD 29 board members as they begin the process of putting together a budget for the next school year in these uncertain economic times.
Harvest recess proved to be a contentious subject a couple of months back. At that time, the board asked farmers for their suggestions and input on the annual fall break. The board heard from many farmers who pleaded with the school board not to do away with recess. Some actually suggested it should be changed from the current one week (with an optional second week for high-schoolers) to a three-week break similar to days long ago.
Many parents have wondered why the district still breaks for harvest, especially those with younger elementary students since those students are no longer able to work in the field. Decreasing participation in harvest-related employment at the high school is another consideration the board must weigh.
Since the state Legislature is considering a bill that would change the required number of school days, SAD 29, like many other boards in the area, has yet to make a formal decision on next year’s school calendar. When they finally do act on a calendar, the harvest break is sure to be back up for discussion, with no easy answer to please those on both sides of the coin.
The issue of school closure at Wellington Elementary School also resulted in an outcry from residents in Monticello, and rightfully so. Nothing riles up a parent more than a mention of school closure.
A four-hour public meeting was held at the school where the board heard from many compassionate parents extolling the benefits of the school.
After careful deliberation, the board ultimately decided it simply did not have enough time or information to pursue closing the building for the 2011-12 school year by the April 4 deadline. It was the right decision to make in this instance. The last thing any board wants to do is make a snap decision.
Budget talks will also be heating up very soon, and the board will likely be faced with many tough fiscal decisions. So before jumping to attack an action by an elected official, ask yourself one question. Could you do a better job? If so, there are seats open every year.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer at the Houlton Pioneer Times. He can be reached at pioneertimes@nepublish.com or 532-2281.
