Letter: Executive Session To Ratify Amherst Educators’ Contract Was A Cowardly Act

The following letter appeared previously in The Daily Hampshire Gazette.

I was pleased to read that the contract with Amherst educators has finally been ratified by all parties [“Teachers contract done at long last,” July 13]. I am equally displeased with the way the Regional School Committee decided to meet in executive session to discuss and vote on the matter. It should be noted that only one member of the committee had the courage to vote against this action, stating that the public has the right to know how members voted.

This cowardly act by the committee denied the public the opportunity to hear the discussion to know how and why members voted as they did. This approach to the governance of our schools pinpoints the reason that the regional schools are perpetually in turmoil over issues such as the LBGTQ+ community, PFAS fields, communities of color, and the advancement of privileges for some, but not for all.

Quality education requires open and honest dialogue with all groups. The refusal to adhere to this tenet is the root cause of the frustration some members of the community hold toward the Amherst schools. It piques my suspicion that the executive session was designed to shield committee members from the public as elections draw near.

The tactics used by this committee to avoid the important and crucial decisions that lead to a quality educational system will, no doubt, continue unless attitudes and procedures on the school committee change. In future deliberations of importance, the committee must be bold, be open, be honest. Our children, our educators, and our community deserve much more than what they have delivered.

Gaylord Saulsberry

Gaylord Saulsberry is the former principal at Amherst Regional High School and a resident of Amherst.