Editor:

In an unsigned editorial, the Post accused the MSAD 71 School Board of nefarious activity. Using rather vague language, the Post accused the board of having a sort of meeting that was sort of behind closed doors and sort of violated the right-to-know law. The meeting was with taxpayers, who are sort of like a special interest group. The number of board members present was one less than a quorum, which, according to the Post, may or may not be evidence of a conspiracy to game the right-to-know law.

Let me say first that if this was a conspiracy, then I’m really impressed. I used to be on the board, and we couldn’t even conspire to get everyone to show up at a regular meeting. They must have convinced their families and employers that the conspiracy was more important than whatever business trips or soccer games might have been scheduled at the same time.

The sinister non-meeting was what the board calls a “summit,” which is a chance for members of the community to get together and tell board members what they think. Each summit is for a particular group of stakeholders – in this case, taxpayers. Previous summits have included a variety of groups, and anybody who lives in the district could have attended several by now.

As a former board member, I’ll lift the veil of secrecy and tell you what happens at these summits:  Community members talk, and board members listen. Depending on how many people show up, they might divide into several groups and go to separate rooms, so there are only one or two board members to a room. The whole thing is set up so that everyone will get a chance to speak and everyone will feel comfortable doing so. The board members take notes and publish a summary of the comments, but the summary doesn’t include any names.

Are the summits closed to the public? Yes, and with good reason. If you want to know what a student, a parent, or a district employee really thinks of the schools, you’re not likely to find out in a room full of administrators and reporters. And if someone complains about a particular employee, Maine law protects the employee from getting dragged through the mud in a public meeting.

Anyone can call a board member on the phone or collar one in the grocery store, and there’s no record that the conversation ever occurred. The law doesn’t require board members to take notes and file them at the district office. A summit is an efficient way to facilitate the same open communication, and it’s a lot more public than a phone call.

The anonymity of summits is apparently what rankled the Post. According to the Post, when a reporter showed up to a summit, he was told not to take notes or to publish names or quotes. Someone at the Post got offended, wrote about it anonymously, and didn’t mention the name of the reporter.  Perhaps the irony was meant to be a subtle protest.

School board summits help ensure that the board hears the voice of the community. Don’t let vague accusations from the Post convince you that something sinister is going on.

Jason Wise

Kennebunk