After Political Squabble, Directors Approve Board to Oversee School Repairs

After a brief, but at times contentious political back and forth Tuesday night, the Board of Directors approved a 13-member committee that will be charged with implementing a plan to repair, rehabilitate and maintain the . 

The committee will be comprised of four members of the Board of Directors and Board of Education, one member of the Building Committee and four members of the public who will be approved by the majority and minority leaders of both boards.

The original proposal called for an 11-member committee, with only three members of both boards represented, but Deputy Mayor Jay Moran, a Democrat, proposed an amendment during the meeting to add one additional member of the Board of Directors and one additional member of the Board of Education to the committee for a total of 13. 

"I feel that this is not a Democratic problem, or a Republican problem, or an unaffiliated problem," Moran said. "This is the future of Manchester…it is too important to decide whether it's a D or an R next to the person's name on the committee." 

Democrats control a 6-3 majority on both the Board of Education and Board of Directors. Tuesday's vote was 5-3, with Democratic members Lisa P. O'Neill and Rudy Kissman and Republican Susan Holmes opposing the motion; Democratic Director John Topping absent. 

All three Republican members of the Board of Directors said they could not support Moran's proposal, or the initial 11-member committee outlined by General Manager Scott Shanley, because it included elected members of both boards. Republicans said they would prefer to see an entirely appointed committee in place, like the . 

"I really feel strongly that we don't have politicians on this committee," said Holmes. "I'd much rather see members of the community that have the proper skill sets around education and around facilities to be the main drivers of this committee." 

But Mayor Leo V. Diana, a Democrat, said that because of the issue and its importance to the Manchester community, everyone wanted a say. He said he himself would have liked to sit on the committee, but stepped aside to give his seat to another Democratic Director. 

"Everybody wants to be on this committee. I myself want to be on this committee," said Diana. "We have to move forward with this. This really needs action. The time to talk about it is over." 

O'Neill, a Democratic board member, said that she was "highly offended and very upset" by the Republicans' stance and that they sought to "nullify the results of the election" by removing elected officials who had been endorsed by the voters of Manchester from the decision making process. 

Shanley said that, before the committee - named the School Modernization and Reinvestment Team Revisited - could take effect the same resolution would have to be approved by the Board of Education. 

"This action that you take here needs to be consistent with the action that the board of education takes, otherwise you have formed two entirely different committees," Shanley warned. 

The committee will be financed through a $30,000 budget through the end of the current fiscal year in June, which Shanley said would allow it to engage consultants and possibly commission studies if needed. 

The School Modernization and Reinvestment Team Revisited will be charged with determining:  

• The number of schools required to provide appropriate and sustainable educational facilities for the next generation. 
• The impact of enrollment data and student demographic data on grade level configuration and racial balance in our schools.
• The impact of curriculum and instructional changes over the next 20 years on school design and functional use of school building space.
• Capital Improvements necessary for appropriate and quality space given a recommended strategy including priority immediate investments.

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Editor's Note: Manchester Patch Editor David Moran is in no way related to Deputy Mayor Jay Moran, but does think his last name is pretty cool.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the school committee vote was along party lines.