Upcoming Special Town School District Meeting
Tuesday, August 4 at 7PM - in the Robinson School Multipurpose Room
At the June 24, 2015 Robinson Elementary School Board meeting, the board received a petition requesting a change from the current Town Meeting format for voting on the Robinson School budget, to an Australian ballot format.
The petition read: “Shall the Town of Starksboro vote to have the elementary Robinson School’s budget voted on by Australian ballot?”
Once the Robinson Board received the petition, which had been certified by the Starksboro Town Clerk, we followed Vermont Statute (17 VSA 2643), which indicated that we needed to warn a Special Meeting within 15 days, and to hold the meeting no fewer than 30 and no more than 40 days after the warning was posted. The Starksboro Special Town School District Meeting will take place on Tuesday August 4, 2015 at 7:00 PM in the Robinson Multipurpose Room.
The petitioners raise an important question for our town – one that the town has considered several times in the past. Voting by Australian ballot, (as we do for elected officials, and for the Mt. Abraham school budget) means that registered voters would vote on the Robinson School Budget by secret paper ballot at the polls (which are typically open from 7AM to 7PM) on Vermont’s Town Meeting Day – the first Tuesday in March. Voters would also have the option to vote, in advance, by absentee ballot. Those who favor Australian ballot believe that it is the fairest approach because it enables all registered voters to have equal opportunity to vote, including those who have to work, or are out of town on whatever day and time are chosen by Starksboro to hold its Town Meeting.
Those who believe that we should continue to vote on the Robinson School budget on the floor of Town Meeting also have strong concerns about fairness. It was that concern that led the town, 20 years ago, to move its Town Meeting from Vermont’s Town Meeting day (a Tuesday) to a Saturday, in the belief that more voters would be able to attend. Proponents of voting on Starksboro’s elementary school budget “on the floor” maintain that this approach enables citizens to consider, question and understand the varied perspectives and points of view of their neighbors. They also believe that it enables voters to make corrections and adjustments (up or down) to the bottom line of the budget that is being presented by the elected School Board. They maintain that voting during Town Meeting gives citizens more information, and more choices than just “yes” or “no”.
All aspects of this question are important for our town to consider. We hope you will plan to attend the meeting on Tuesday August 4, 2015, at 7:00 PM in the Robinson Multipurpose Room, so that we can engage each other in discussion and come to a decision.
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