I was notified by Peter Demling, chair of the Union 26 School Committee, via email on August 15, that there will be a virtual joint meeting of the Union 26* and Regional School Committees on Thursday, August 17, starting at 5:45 PM. He indicated that the meeting would be posted as an Executive session “in accordance with MGL c 30A section 21(a), to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with nonunion personnel, Michael Morris, with no intention of returning to open session.”
The email further indicated that more information would be shared with SC members in the Executive Session, and was signed by Demling and Regional School Committee Chair Ben Herrington.
You may be wondering, “What is this all about?” I am wondering the same. I have not been given any other information by Chairs Demling or Herrington about what this last-minute meeting will be about. I was not contacted ahead of time as to whether I am available to attend. In fact, I have gone to considerable lengths to change my weekend travel plans (since March, my daughter and I have had an out-of-state trip planned for which we were supposed to leave Thursday evening; I was supposed to be on an airplane on Thursday evening).
Though the committees will vote on entering Executive Session, the meeting will open publicly, and the public may attend (virtually). You can access the Google Meet link in the meeting posting. (It is not very intuitive, but you click the Video button to enter the Google Meet.)
*See my blog post Amherst has two school committees? for a refresher on what the Union 26 School Committee is.
Jennifer Shiao's School Committee Blog 