Photo: The new school rendered. KAESTLE BOOS ASSOCIATES
The Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District is sponsoring a public forum dubbed “Minuteman: Facts and Future,” on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.
The forum will include a presentation, panel discussion, and question and answer period to provide Town Meeting Members and citizens an opportunity to discuss the town’s upcoming vote to either stay or leave the District,
“We’ll outline the facts about our new building and the positive impact it will have on students in the member towns in our District,” said Ed Bouquillon, Minuteman’s superintendent. “And we’ll talk about what makes a Minuteman education unique, including the broad array of career and technical education programming that we offer.”
The forum is open to the public.
On Sept. 20, voters in the Minuteman District voted 12,160 in favor to 5,321 opposed to supporting the construction of a new High School. Belmont voters rejected the offer by an equally large percentage margin.
Following the vote, the Belmont Selectmen called a Special Town Meeting on Oct. 19 to ask Belmont Town Meeting members to vote to withdraw from the Minuteman District. A two-thirds vote is required by the members to pull out of the district.
Hi,
As just about everyone knows, on September 20, 2016,
Belmont voters sent a resounding message to Town
Meeting that they will not support a 30 year debt
exclusion for a new Minuteman Vocational/Tech School
because they do not want to pay for this very expensive
Project. Therefore, I believe that Town Meeting Members
are now absolutely bound by that September 20th vote,
and are therefore required to abide by the will of the
people and vote in favor of withdrawing from the District.
The citizens of Belmont have spoken. We have refused to
fund this project by voting “NO” to a thirty year debt exclusion.
Without funding, the question begs to be asked, just exactly
how would Town Meeting go about financing our share of the
approximately $145 Million Dollar Minuteman High if they, in
defiance of the electorate, do not vote a 2/3 majority to leave
the District on October 19th?
Since we already voted “NO” to a debt exclusion, the Town can’t
come back and ask us to take another vote. The Town could try
to pass another Proposition 2 1/2 override, but everyone knows
that won’t pass. So then, what’s left?
What are we supposed to do, cut back on existing town
services or lay off town employees in order to pay off this
30 year debt along with the associated increased tuition
costs that Member Towns are required to pay over
Non-Member Towns?
Are we supposed to possibly risk sacrificing a 30 year debt
exclusion passing for a new Belmont High School that we
desperately need?
Town Meeting has a fiduciary responsibility to our town. I
believe that If they have no way to fund this Project then
Town Meeting Members must vote to leave the District.
As was thoroughly discussed, researched and argued prior
to the September 20th vote for the 30 year debt exclusion,
the Belmont School Department will continue to completely
support the Vocational/Technical aspirations of our Belmont
Students, just as they always have.
Of course everyone would have loved to support this, but the
existing Project is just too costly and the town’s people have
already voted “No.” For this reason, I believe that Town Meeting
has no other legal option, but to vote to leave the District as
required.