Pontiac School District Pontiac Board of Education voted to enter - TopicsExpress



          

Pontiac School District Pontiac Board of Education voted to enter a consent agreement with the state in answer to the four options given by Gov. Rick Snyder after he declared the district in financial emergency. The board voted unanimously against appealing Snyder’s determination of financial emergency, which was based on a list of major financial problems including a deficit that has grown to $37.7 million while the district has been operating under a deficit elimination plan. Trustees then voted five to two before an audience of more than 30 worried teachers to go with the consent agreement thereby avoiding the only other options: emergency manager, Chapter 9 bankruptcy or mediation to reach a deal with vendors that are owed $33 million. “I would try just about anything to avoid going to an emergency manager,” said Trustee Matte Hatchet, who made the motions against the hearing and for the consent agenda option. “This is the option that gives us the most leverage and ... allows us to move ahead.” The option leaves the door open so the board can still maintain some authority and input into the decision making,” Hatchett said. At the request of Interim Superintendent Kelley William’s, school attorney Darryl Segars explained that the consent agreement is a form of an emergency manager. However, it gives the district the possibility of having a say in who the person will be with the power and who will be making the decision. At the same time, the board was advised that if the consent agreement isn’t followed, the state will have the right to put the district in one of the other options, such as the emergency manager. Williams recommended the consent agenda to be negotiated with the state because she said the state is offering assistance to the district to ensure the district opens in the fall. “None of them are great scenarios. But we must choose and ... one will be in the best interest of the students,” she said before the vote. The board’s vote came close to 7 p.m. Friday after a meeting behind closed doors that started at 4 p.m. with Segars, who was to present a written opinion of which options the board should take. An Oakland Press reporter objected to the meeting being closed, saying the topic of the attorney’s opinion did not meet the intent of the Open Meetings Act, especially since it was addressing the public letter of the governor. The allowable topics for closed meetings include a lawsuit, personnel, property sale and contract negotiations. However, the board’s services office maintained legal advice was provided that said the law allows for a closed meeting under attorney-client privilege if the attorney is issuing a written opinion on any topic. Trustee Brenda Carter left the closed meeting saying she did not want to violate the Open Meetings Act. Sometime later, Trustee Sherman Williams also left the meeting saying there was some question about whether the meeting had been posted correctly. The meeting was posted as a special meeting with a closed session of attorney-client privilege. Although it indicated there would be an action item and board comments and announcements, the agenda did not mention the topic of the meeting. In response, after trustees returned to the meeting room and reopened the meeting around 6 p.m., they voted to amend the agenda to include the two action items. There was also a disagreement on the part of trustees and the attorney over whether Pontiac schools will be the first school district to operate under a consent agenda.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 13:39:44 +0000

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