AMHERST SEEKS CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE VACANCY

Source: amherstma.gov

The Town Council and School Committee will hold joint meetings to fill a School Committee vacancy on April 14 at 6:00 PM and April 16 at 6:00 PM in the Town Room of Town Hall.  The vacancy was created when Eric Nakajima resigned effective March 1. 

Candidate Statements of Interest are due by 4:00 PM, March 31, 2020. This deadline cannot be extended.  A Statement of Interest must be submitted in order for a candidate to be considered. Candidates must be physically present at the public interviews at the scheduled special meetings in order to be considered.  Statements of Interest will be available to the public on the Town web site and as part of the Town Council and School Committee meeting packet materials for the special April 14, 2020 and April 16, 2020 meetings. Email (preferred) or hard copy Statements of Interest must be sent to Clerk of the Town Council Athena O’Keeffe at Amherst Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave, Amherst MA 01002. 

Statements of Interest should not exceed one single sided 8.5 x 11 page (12-point font) and shall include candidate contact information, including name, address of voter registration, email, and at least one telephone number, reasons the candidate wishes to serve on the Amherst School Committee, and the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Resumes and attachments will not be accepted. A description of the Amherst School Committee responsibilities and expectations is also available on the Town Website.

On the Wednesday prior to the scheduled special meetings, the Town Council President will send an email providing all candidates, all members of the Amherst School Committee, and all Town Council members with a description of the process adopted by the Town Council so all are aware of the how the vacancy will be filled. The email will also include the candidates’ Statements of Interest, a description of the Amherst School Committee’s responsibilities and expectations, and questions for the candidates that will be posed in a public interview at the joint meetings.  This material will also be available in the Town Council’s meeting packet materials for the April 14, 2020 and the April 16, 2020 meetings.

Interviews to fill the vacancy on the Amherst School Committee will be conducted on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, 6:00 PM and if necessary on April 16, 2020 at 6:00 PM at special joint meetings of the Amherst Town Council and  the Amherst School Committee. Amherst Media will broadcast the meeting(s) live on channel 17. Public comment will not be part of these special meetings.

Amherst Home Rule Charter, Section 4.1.c, and MGL Chapter 41 Section 11 govern vacancies in elected Town-wide office other than the Town Council. Law requires a roll call vote of both bodies, and the winning candidate must receive a majority of votes of the remaining filled seats on both boards. Under the law, absences and abstentions do not affect that requirement, so at least nine positive votes must be made for the selected individual, regardless of how many members of the Town Council and Amherst School Committee are present.

The selected individual will be sworn in by the Town Clerk at Amherst Town Hall during business hours as soon as possible and will serve until newly elected members of the Amherst School Committee are sworn in on Monday, January 3, 2022. If the selected individual also wishes to be on the November 2, 2021 ballot for a two-year term, s/he must follow the same process as any other candidate for Town-wide office.  Per the Amherst Home Rule Charter, the individual will not be listed on the ballot as “a candidate for re-election”.

The new Amherst School Committee member also serves on the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee. Depending on schedules and interest, the new Amherst School Committee member may also serve as a member on either the Town of Amherst Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC) and/or the Town of Amherst Budget Coordinating Group (BCG).

For additional information contact: Athena O’Keeffe: (okeeffea@amherstma.gov), Clerk of the Town Council | Phone (413) 259-3209