The Legislative & Contract Subcommittee discussed whether to appoint a delegate and alternate to the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) and reviewed the organization's resolutions.
No one on the subcommittee had signed up to attend the MASC general meeting, and members said that, as a result, they could not identify a delegate. "If nobody signed up to go, I don't know how we we don't just pick somebody out the hat and say you gotta go," the chair said, prompting a discussion about whether to appoint a delegate or at minimum to take a position on the resolutions.
Attorney Ian Keith reminded the group that MASC resolutions can be amended on the floor and recommended committee members review the resolutions ahead of any vote. Members noted that most resolutions were reauthorizations of previously approved items; the only new resolution identified in the meeting packet was a proposal to remove body-mass-index (BMI) testing from schools. "There's only 1 new resolution, and that is the removal of the BMI testing from schools," a committee member said.
The subcommittee agreed to send the resolutions and a link to members, to ask the athletic department and administration to contact local booster organizations and stakeholders for input, and to place the resolutions on the full school committee agenda as a discussion item rather than seeking an immediate vote. If the district could not field a delegate, members said they would at least provide a written position on resolutions they wished to support or oppose.
Ending: The subcommittee did not appoint a delegate. It directed staff to circulate the MASC resolutions and to schedule a discussion on the full committee agenda so members and community stakeholders can weigh in before any formal positions are taken.