Duxbury School Committee members engaged in a productive discussion last night about the SC’s three subcommittees: Budget, Negotiations, and Policy. I had requested the item be placed on the meeting agenda so that members could talk about each subcommittee’s charge—or purpose—before reorganizing and electing folks to sit on them.

I also thought having this discussion was important because for the most part our subcommittees had not been assigned formal charges when they were created. A misstep in procedure to be sure—but certainly fixable!

Earlier in the day, I drafted 2-3 sample charges for each subcommittee and shared them in the meeting, just to get the conversation going.

Rather than take time to pore over the language, we resolved to have members think about the charges offline so we could pick up the discussion at a future date.

A Partnership with the Selectboard?

In an earlier post, I talked about the Duxbury Selectboard’s priorities for the year ahead. One goal that stood out to me is the Selectboard’s plan to take an earlier and more active role in the FY2027 budgeting process. I see this goal not only as a positive step for our town—but also as an opportunity for the Duxbury School Committee and the SB to work together on long-term and holistic budget priorities.

In my view, our budget subcommittee could lead the charge in this area, which is why I included the following language in the draft:

“… the [Budget] Subcommittee will also engage collaboratively with the Selectboard and Town Manager to better understand the overall municipal fiscal picture, including projected revenues, fixed costs, and shared priorities. The Subcommittee will represent the School Committee’s perspective in these discussions and ensure that school-specific financial considerations are clearly communicated and understood within the broader town context.”

I look forward to the SC’s continued discussions about our subcommittees and how they can be assigned to create stronger connective tissue with other Duxbury committees, and of course, the public.

Speaking of which… if you have thoughts or ideas about subcommittees, working groups, or other entities that could be created for the betterment of our community, please feel free to reach out!

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Note: The views and opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the official policies, positions, or endorsements of the Duxbury School Committee. For official information about Duxbury Public Schools and the Duxbury School Committee, please visit duxbury.k12.ma.us.