March 28, 2024

School Committee Incorrectly Named in Open Meeting Complaint

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The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District was “erroneously named” in an Open Meeting Law complaint filed with the state Attorney General’s office, says the legal counsel for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District.

Rehoboth Finance Committee Chairman Michael Deignan’s December 17 complaint claimed the district did not provide proper notification of a meeting of the advisory finance committee on December 16.  “The purpose of this committee is to “review and make recommendations on the tentative and final capital and operating budgets” of the district, according to the regional agreement.

Deignan alleged the meeting was not posted 48 hours in advance as required by law. The OML requires meeting notifications be posted in each member community of the regional school district. “It is my belief the violation was willful and intentional,” Deignan wrote.

In a January 3 letter to Deignan, attorney Rosann DiPietro explained the Advisory Finance Committee is not a committee of the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee. DiPietro noted the regional school district “has no role or authority in populating the Advisory Finance Committee” and the Regional Agreement “provides no authority to the Regional School District to conduct the meetings of the Advisory Finance Committee.”

Deignan’s complaint was not served to School Committee Chairperson Katherine Cooper and was “therefore, procedurally out of order,” according to DiPietro.

No response to Deignan’s complaint is required by the School Committee, DiPietro said, adding the School Committee has requested an extension of time from the attorney general’s office to respond to the complaint, if the attorney general determines a response from the committee is necessary.

Dighton-Rehoboth School Superintendent Anthony Azar called Deignan’s complaint “another diversionary tactic to avoid meaningful dialogue for our FY’ 2021 budget discussions.”



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