Business stalls as Brockton School Committee fails to elect vice chair for a second night
BROCKTON – Brockton Mayor and School Committee Chair Robert Sullivan banged his gavel multiple times to maintain order during Tuesday night’s school committee meeting as the board failed to elect a new vice chair for the second time in two weeks.
The School Committee left Brockton High School’s Little Theater Jan. 9 without selecting a vice chair for 2024. The tense, emotional special committee meeting continued the vice chair election for a second night after resulting in two ties last week.
Now, after a total of six identical 4-4 votes between current Vice Chair Kathleen Ehlers and nominee Tony Rodrigues, the election will spill into the Jan. 16 regular meeting for a third night of voting.
“As a new member to this committee it is concerning and upsetting to see the state that we’re in,” said Ward 2 committee member Claudio Gomes, who was elected to his seat in November. "If we continue like this, if we don't collaborate, nothing's going to happen."
“We got to look at ourself in the mirror and look what we have done to get to the place we at now,” said fellow new committee member Ana Oliver, of Ward 3. “We need to fix the issues for our kids because they're looking at us.”
Eight Brockton residents took the microphone including BPS teachers, parents and local business owners. Some spoke in support of Rodrigues, some advised against voting for Rodrigues and others asked the committee simply to come together and find unity to make a final decision.
“All of you took an oath to be there for the kids and to represent each of the kids throughout the whole city,” said Jamie Hodges, a Brockton resident who ran against Gomes in the recent election. “It is important to remember that the intention of the school committee is the kids.”
'This isn't a good reflection': After two rounds of voting, Brockton School Committee vice chair election ends in tie
With no vice chair, what happens now?
According to attorneys for the school district, if a vice chair isn't selected, the preceding vice chair will continue their duties until a successor is elected by the board.
At the first meeting of every calendar year, the committee reorganizes and selects several committee officers for the remainder of the year. Once officers are elected, members are assigned to various subcommittees to carry out business throughout the year.
The committee must finish electing officers before subcommittees can be assigned. With the vice chair vote reaching another stalemate, some matters will be stalled until the organizational meeting, which began Jan. 3, is completed.
"What we're doing now is making us look like fools," Rodrigues said.
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What does vice chair do?
A portion of the heated discussion revolved around the role the vice chair plays in the school committee. According to the committee's policy, the vice chair takes on the responsibility of the chair - who also serves as the city's mayor - whenever that person is absent.
According to the policy updated March 16, 2021, "The vice chair of the Committee will act in the absence of the chair as presiding officer of the Committee and will perform such other duties as may be delegated or assigned to them."
The policy states that the chair's duties as presiding officer of all committee meetings include:
Call the meeting to order at the appointed time.
Announce the business to come before the Committee in its proper order.
Enforce the Committee's policies relating to the order of business and the conduct of meetings.
Recognize persons who desire to speak, and protect the speaker who has the floor from disturbance or interference.
Explain what the effect of a motion would be if this is not clear to members.
Restrict discussion to the question when a motion is before the Committee.
Answer all parliamentary inquiries.
Put motions to a vote, stating definitely and clearly the vote and result thereof
If the chair/mayor isn't present at a committee meeting, the vice chair will perform those duties. In addition, any of the chair's general responsibilities may be delegated to the vice chair, including:
Sign the instruments, acts, and orders necessary to carry out state requirements and the will of the Committee.
Consult with the Superintendent in the planning of the Committee's agendas.
Confer with the Superintendent on crucial matters that may occur between Committee meetings.
Appoint subcommittees, subject to Committee approval.
Call special meetings of the Committee as found necessary.
Be public spokesperson for the Committee at all times except as this responsibility is specifically delegated to others.
Be responsible for the orderly conduct of all Committee meetings.
The chair is allowed to vote on or abstain from any matter in front of the committee, as do all committee members, if they chose to do so.
Vice chair election deadlock
The committee voted four times Tuesday night, resulting in the same outcome with every new round. Tim Sullivan, Judy Sullivan, Ehlers and the chair voted for Ehlers, while Rodrigues, Joyce Asack, Oliver and Gomes voted for Rodrigues.
BPS has experienced a tumultuous year with the revelation of a $14.4 million budget deficit that may rise to nearly $20 million, along with various safety concerns and a lack of staff at BHS.
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"We have been through a rough, rough year," said Tim Sullivan. "I think Kathy Ehlers has held us together quite well over this past year and looks forward to doing it again in 2024."
While some committee members praised Ehlers for her performance as vice chair in 2023, other committee members said the board needed better communication across the board and with other city departments.
"You do need to be accessible," said Asack, who previously served as committee vice chair. "We need better communication."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton School Committee vice chair election reaches second stalemate
