In 2021, under the leadership of Chair Holly Kopp, MSAD 75 School Board hired a guided series of workshops to improve our cooperation, civility and respect for one another in 2021. We voted on a new policy to call one another out if a board member broke one of our policies in board meetings.

When Steve Connolly began as superintendent, he preempted the board’s next planned workshop, which was to continue focus on our own improved board functioning. Connolly threw out our agenda and directed the meeting to his own evaluation, taking over the management of our self evaluation of our board functioning. The fragile interboard discussions of demonstrating respect for different opinions was lost. Very few board members thought about how they could improve their own behavior to show all members respect, courtesy and interest in others perspective.

School board work is cooperative, takes large amounts of time and late-night meetings, and is focused first on the business side of staffing, financing and operating schools, secondly on polices and legal issues. Parents are encouraged to speak to the board at any meeting, since they have a needed perspective for the board to hear.

I left the board because late-night meetings, and my sense of responsibility for reading vast amounts of policies, curriculum and budget materials and following fast-paced meetings was exhausting my health. Superintendent Connolly has been creative and hardworking in difficult times, when finding bus drivers, educational technicians and obtaining new school buses is extremely difficult. I no longer respected Superintendent Connolly as being able to listen to and help our school leaders, including the board, to make our best decisions.

Nancy Chandler,
former MSAD 75 School Board member