If you are a close reader of this blog, you are likely aware of the controversy involving the North Kingstown School Committee and the termination of its school custodians. But maybe you are not aware of just how acrimonious the relationships are between the members of the school committee members are themselves. The video clip below is a taste of how dysfunctional this committee has become. If you like, you can see the entire video at the school department website by following this link.
Watching this, one is struck by the absolute disrespect shown to the school committee member who is speaking, Melvoid Benson. Not only does the chair of the committee, Kimberly Page, interrupt her several times, she then allows John Boscardin to unload on Mrs. Benson, a senior citizen, before finally calling a recess. Is it any wonder the workers were treated so poorly when the committee members treat each other this way?
Lost in the “buffoonery” of Mr. Boscardin’s rude outburst is what appears to be his admission of a violation of the open meetings laws. Starting at about 1:45 in the video above is the following exchange:
Boscardin: “All week we’ve been talking about this.”
Voice off camera: “Who’s been talking about it all week?”
Boscardin: “One on one we have, on the phone, in person.”
If their “one on one” conversations have added up to a quorum number of school committee members, that may be a violation of the open meetings laws. Certainly the spirit of the law is to require that ALL deliberations by members of a public body take place in public. The public policy statement of R.I.G.L § 42-46-1 reads, “It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens be advised of and aware of the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy”
To the eyes of this East Bay observer, the NK school committee members aren’t disrespectful only to each other, but also to the citizens of North Kingstown who deserve better than to have their elected officials engage in back-room closed-door conversations.
Wow, great point. No wonder why folks were so angry.
There’s money involved in so-called privatization. Incentives, as they are viewed by those who receive them, probably lubricate things and persuade minds.
Could that be why some are so rude and mannerless in a public forum? Desperation for whatever is behind Door Number Three?