Much Ado About $4,860

After a boisterous debate, the Redding, Easton and Region 9 Boards of Education approved $4,860 for a consultant to assist the three districts' Structure and Ways of Working Committee. The committee, which first met in February, was commissioned to review the districts' current educational model and everything is running smoothly and efficiently.

The vote came with unanimous approval from Redding and Easton school boards, while Region 9 voted it down. The meeting was held in on Tuesday, March 22.

Impassioned speeches were volleyed around the meeting for about 90 minutes, with some Region 9 board members contending that hiring the consultant would be an inappropriate use of funds, that the consultant should be hired at a later date and that the committee had overstepped its boundaries by appointing the consultant without the consent of the three Boards of Education (tri-board).

Members of the Redding and Easton boards believed the consultant would provide an objective viewpoint that could help steer the tri-board into a more streamlined process.

But because the districts are also in the , Region 9 Secretary Thomas Logie argued that the new consultant would be in competition with the Superintendent Search Committee’s consultant.

“They are competitors,” Logie said, adding that “an objective source … is the best way to get information quickly” and that he saw the consultant “as a tool for the board and administration to work together.”

“I think the money is a low amount of money for what we would get,” but the timing was not right, Logie said. “I’m in favor of it, but if I vote 'no' tonight, it’s because of timing."

Daniel Underberger, chairman of the Easton Board of Education, argued in favor of the consultant.

“It will be information gathered from a very objective viewpoint that will help us, maybe, move forward,” he said. “It will help us address some of the issues that we’ve had” and also help rectify those issues, “whatever they may be."

Margot Abrams of Region 9 disagreed with her colleagues and voted in favor of the committee's request.

“[The public wants] us to pay attention to the superintendent, and not get distracted,” Abrams said. “I support the committee" and their decision to hire the consultant.

James Barickman, a member of the Redding school board, said the tri-board should judge the merits of the committee's decision based on whether it's a good use of taxpayer money.

“We want the committee to work quickly,” Barickman said.

The case against the decision

A majority of Region 9 board members felt the committee had no right to appoint a consultant without first consulting the tri-board.

“I don’t think it’s an appropriate use of public funds,” said Region 9 Chairman Mark Lewis.

Lewis also thought that the committee had overstepped its boundaries, and in a moment of heated debate, said that it had “gone rogue.”

Jess Gaspar, chairman of Redding's school board, disagreed and said that committee had to proceed in order to get things done.

But Cathy Gombos, a member of Region 9, countered back.

“It’s the wrong time to do it,” she said. "The initial proposal [for the creation of the Structure and Ways of Working Committee] never included a consultant."

Region 9 member Judith Shapiro expressed concern about the way the money was spent.

“We are considering $4,800 like it’s chump change,” she said. “Small amounts of money are very significant right now. [It’s] a highly inappropriate and untimely use of public funds."

Money for the consultant will be withdrawn from a central office account that is primarily used for legal fees, of which none have been used since July, according to Peggy Sullivan, the district's director of finance and operations.

Public comment

Mike D’Agostino of Redding likened the board’s argument to the Hatfields and the McCoys, the two infamous West Virginian families who sparred frequently in the late 1800s.

"I’d like to commend the committee; sometimes it’s thankless work,” he said. But "my main comment is please, let’s work it out. Please."

Redding resident Jeanne Wendschuh also commended the boards for their hard work.

“I’d like to reiterate that you, as boards, are elected by us to represent us,” she said.

No malice

Despite their heated debates, board members insisted that they were all friends.

“I’d like to assure the public that despite what you may have seen tonight, the fact is that at the end of the day we manage to work together most of the time,” said Chris Hocker, treasurer of the Region 9 board.

Logie said perhaps he was being naïve, "but I don’t get this air of contention."

“It’s a [testament to] the true passion of what we’re doing,” Gombos said. "Sometimes the passion comes out in different ways. I don’t think anyone has any malice."

It may have been a “tense meeting,” but Gombos said that the board would “walk away having learned a lot.”

Majority rule

The final vote on the matter was unanimous from the Redding and Easton boards, while Region 9 voted four to two, with Lewis, Gombos, Shapiro and Logie voting against the appropriation.

After the meeting, Lewis shrugged and said that end of the meeting “was what the majority wanted.”

“We each have different styles and approaches,” Lewis said, even if the board “didn’t follow proper form.”

Both sides agreed that the newly-appointed consultant, former Region 10 Superintendent Evan Pitkoff, was a very qualified and adept candidate.

A report from the consultant is due to be given to the tri-board by May 31.