From the desk of Mary Beaudin, Landaff Selectboard:
School District Advisory Committee
April 22, 2025
Landaff Town Hall
Members present: Brenda Dodge, Joe Wiggett, Jamie Jarvis, Mary Beaudin, Francie
Kinney, Sam Natti, John Barth, Deb Erb, Dale Locke
Public present: Paul and Alma Varcek, Matt and Molly Culver, Harry McGovern, Jason
Cartwright, Don Beaudin, Toni Butterfield
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.
Members introduced themselves. Nominations were put forth for officers on the
committee.
Dale Locke was voted chair of the committee. John Barth was voted vice chair. Mary
Beaudin was voted clerk.
Meeting rules were established and agreed upon. Primarily:
- Roll call
- Public input – limited to 3 minutes per person. Permission must be granted for
non-residents to speak unless they’re asked to speak on a subject by the
committee - New business
- Old business
- Kindness is key concerning any differences of opinion that arise.
- Committee members must notify if they will miss a meeting.
Each member was asked why he/she wished to be on the committee:
Brenda- Long time resident, attended the Blue School, has no children
Joe- Senior citizen, cares deeply about education, and the tools to deliver it
Jamie- Has two children, moved here because of what was available and the support for
education, and also concerned about taxes
Mary- Long time educator, select board member, has two grandchildren in town, wants
the best education in a fiscally responsible way, quality education is a major value factor
for towns.
Francie- Attended the Blue School, is aware of the tax implications and concerned about
communicating with the townspeople about what is needed.
Sam- Lived in town for 13 years, wants to make sure decisions are based on accurate
information and not opinions.
John- On the school board, has a child at the Blue School and one at Lisbon, wants to
look at the long term ramifications and base decisions on accurate information.
Deb- Long time resident, thinks the Blue School often acts as a talented and gifted school
as students have freedom to explore their interests more than a conventional school.
Dale- Budget committee member, wants decisions to be solely data based.
The committee then discussed specific tasks that the committee should do and what may
be helpful in accomplishing it.
Joe mentioned that printer access may be needed.
Brenda said that we need to be looking at the big picture.
Francie added that subjective opinions could be supported by data, and that subjective
ideas should not be ruled out.
John reiterated that the committee is recommending something to the school board,
however the school board could chose not to act upon it.
Deb stressed that courses and educational opportunities must be included in the scope of
the committee’s duties.
Dale wished to convey the information to the town in January so the school board is able
to act upon it.
Sam stated that deciding on the quality of education was too subjective.
Dale disagreed, saying it could be based on data.
**Jamie proposed that the committee member be tasked with finding 5 places to get
evidence regarding the three options in the warrant article.
Agreed by the committee to have that for the next meeting
** Dale proposed committee members tasked with defining a quality education by listing
up to five factors that contribute to a quality education.
Agreed by the committee to email that to committee members by May 2nd.
Public Input/ questions:
Paul Varcek: Is data being discussed in public?
Answer: Yes, it’s an open meeting. We’ll follow standard policy.
Jason Cartwright: School board doesn’t have to do a warrant article.
Can an expert in a field who is a non-resident speak?
Answer: Yes
Harry McGovern: The impact of this is long standing. There is more to this than just the
tax rate. The quality of education has long-term effects on a town. Also, once the Blue
School closes, it will not come back.
The next meeting: May 6, 2025 at 7pm at the town hall.
Meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm.
The Landaff Ledger 