The only way for the item calling for withdrawal to be placed on the warrant is for the selectmen to put it there, even though they were the ones who signed the settlement on behalf of the town in the first place.
The most recent edition of the Bold Eagle, the student newspaper for Mount Everett Regional School, ran a front-page news story and an editorial on the controversy surrounding two administrators and the school committee.
It was that kind of night. Indeed, the atmosphere was tense enough that two Sheffield police officers were called to observe the school committee meeting lest things get out of control.
Brenda Olivieri alleges that Southern Berkshire Regional School District Superintendent Beth Regulbuto has "created a culture of fear and intimidation," resulting in retaliatory action against her "for reporting unlawful conduct."
The district has been battered by challenges and tragedies over the last few years, including declining enrollments that have caused Southern Berkshire to consider consolidating with the Berkshire Hills Regional School District in Great Barrington.
For a variety of technical reasons, four Sheffield candidates were on the ballot for three seats. But voters were instructed to "vote for not more than two,” and those two with the most support were automatically re-elected.
Earlier in the meeting, there had been other surprises: Sears and Chairperson Bonnie Silvers, both of Sheffield, had been ousted from their leadership positions on the committee. Adding to the committee's woes was that the vote was taken in open session, but by use of a secret ballot -- a clear violation of the state's Open Meeting Laws.
There was also considerable grumbling about Berkshire County being included in the Albany, New York, television market, resulting in very few stations from Springfield or Boston in the channel line-up and, therefore, a dearth of news coverage concerning Massachusetts.
The open meeting training sessions are part of an effort by the attorney general’s office to assist public bodies and members of the public in understanding and complying with the requirements of the state’s Open Meeting Law.
