There shall be a School Committee of five (5) members, elected
by the voters of the Town at large, on a partisan basis. The regular
election of the School Committee members shall be held on the first
(1st) Tuesday next after the first (1st) Monday in November. Members
of said Committee shall be elected to serve four-year (4-year) terms,
with their terms arranged in such manner that three (3) members are
to be elected in November, 1994 and two (2) members are to be elected
in November, 1996. The terms of the School Committee shall begin on
the first (1st) Monday following the certification of their election.
All members of the School Committee in office at the time of the taking
effect of this Charter shall continue to serve until the expiration
of their respective terms or until their successors are elected and
qualified.
Only resident, qualified voters of the Town shall be eligible
to hold office of School Committee member. School Committee members
shall hold no other paid public office or employment in the service
of the Town, and no member of the School Committee shall be eligible
to accept any other paid appointed School Department office until
one (1) year after that member's departure from the School Committee.
The School Committee shall determine its own rules and its order
of business and the time of its meeting. Furthermore, the School Committee
shall elect from its membership a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson.
The School Committee may determine the annual salary of the
School Committee members, provided that any increase shall not become
effective until after completion of the term of any member of the
School Committee at the time the motion for said increase was approved.
In no case shall the School Committee set the rate of annual compensation
of its members at a level that will permit School Committee members
to receive an annual compensation greater than that which is in effect
during the same time period for the members of the Town Council.
[Amended 11-4-2008; 11-3-2020]
(a)
Vacancies. The office of a School Committee member shall become vacant
upon the member's death, resignation, removal from office or
forfeiture of office in any manner authorized by law.
(b)
Forfeiture of Offices. A School Committee member shall forfeit that
office if that member.
(c)
Any vacancy in the membership of the School Committee shall be filled
by the Town Council within thirty (30) days, and such person shall
serve until the next regular Town election, when the office shall
be filled for the unexpired term thereof, provided that the person
selected by the Council to fill said vacancy shall be a member of
the same political party as the person whose position he/she is selected
to fill, such political party allegiance to be verified in writing
to the President of the Town Council by the Town Party Chairperson
of such political party. If the vacancy to be filled is that of an
unaffiliated voter, the Council shall fill said vacancy with an unaffiliated
voter whose voter designation is certified by the Town Clerk prior
to appointment.
The School Committee shall:
(1)
Determine and control all policies affecting the administration,
maintenance and operation of public schools and shall have all the
powers and be subject to all duties prescribed by State law and may
provide rules and regulations for the use, operation and maintenance
of public school properties;
(2)
Have the power to inquire into the conduct of any office, department
or activity of the public schools and make investigations as to school
affairs;
(3)
Appoint and establish the compensation of a Superintendent of Schools
who shall be its chief administrative agent, and who shall have, under
the direction of the School Committee, the care and supervision of
the public schools. The Superintendent shall be subject to removal
at the discretion of the School Committee by a majority vote of its
members.
(4)
Appoint and remove all school employees upon recommendation of the
Superintendent of Schools, except as otherwise provided by State law.
Except for the purpose of inquiry, the School Committee and its members
shall deal with the administration of the public schools solely through
the Superintendent of Schools and neither the School Committee nor
any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinates of the Superintendent
of Schools, either publicly or privately.
(5)
Submit budget estimates in the same manner provided by State law
as other departments, but the budget estimates and appropriations
shall be considered by the Town Council and in the Town's budget
process in total only. The allocation of the amounts appropriated
shall be determined by the School Committee.
(6)
Prepare a complete report of its finances and activities within a
reasonable period of time after the close of each fiscal year. Such
reports shall be included as a separate section in the annual Town
report.
(7)
Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties as prescribed
by State law and as are not inconsistent with this Charter.
