Apologies to the Public

The following letter was submitted to Attleboro-Seekonk Patch following an interview request about parents' comments at last week's Attleboro School Committee meeting. Go for more on the parents' comments:

If anyone feels that certain members of the Attleboro School Committee are behaving in an unprofessional way during recent meetings, you have my sincere apologies. This is directly and solely my fault. As the chairman of the Attleboro School Committee, it is my responsibility to run a productive and respectful meeting.

I do ask the public to understand that with the elected title of school committee member comes great responsibility. The committee's direct responsibilities are to oversee all areas of finance, curriculum and policy in working collaboration with the administration.

I have always tried to run the meetings in a way that recognizes the fact that I am serving with eight other elected officials. The fact that all nine members may not agree on how a particular item of concern is addressed is not necessarily a counterproductive thing, but rather an opinion of an elected voice serving their constituents.

I will always try to improve, in all areas, in how I conduct committee meetings, and welcome the positive as well as the negative feedback. I owe it to the committee members I serve with and the public at large to look for areas of self-improvement.

Respectfully,
Michael Tyler
Chairman, Attleboro School Committee