In an effort to promote clarity with the community, the Scarborough School Board would like to offer the following points of information to the citizens of Scarborough.

School board meetings are board meetings conducted in a public setting. They are not public meetings. They are meetings to conduct the business of the board, in public. While this is true, we continue to encourage and promote the need for the community to engage themselves in the work of the school system and the school board.

An agenda is published in advance of each meeting in accordance with board policy (BEDH). The board meets to conduct business on the first Thursday of the month. School board workshops are held once a month on the third Thursday of the month. Finance meetings are usually held one hour prior to our business meetings. Scarborough citizens are welcome to attend all school board meetings.

The Scarborough School Board and its finance committee meets for many hours each school year specifically to address the issues of financing the schools utilizing the resources provided to us by the voters. We challenge our administrators to seek ways to conserve costs, eliminate wants and address needs. Voters and only voters ultimately have the power to determine our spending each year.

Wentworth School was built by this community, not solely by the school board. The specifics of the building were developed by a group of 40-plus members of the Scarborough community, including business representatives, citizen volunteers and school staff and leadership. The whole project came in at a reduced cost to citizens of $3 million. The building committee presented the concept and the cost of the school to the voters and they approved it by a two-to-one margin.

As elected officials, Scarborough School Board members are all professionals, with a high degree of commitment to not only Scarborough students but to Scarborough residents through operating and overseeing a fiscally responsible public education.

Jodi Shea, Christine Massengill, Chris Caiazzo, Kelly Murphy, Jackie Perry, Jane Leng, Donna Beeley

Scarborough School Board members