FRAMINGHAM – Last Tuesday, District 2 School Committee member Ricky Finlay resigned from his seat. He was elected in November 2021, and his seat was through December 31, 2023.
The eight members left on the School Committee and the 11 members of the City Council will hold a joint meeting in June of 2022 to appoint someone to fill the rest of that seat’s term.
City Clerk Lisa Ferguson said the individual who wants the seat must live in District 2, but specifically what District 2 looked like when Finlay was elected in November 2021.
District 2 is comprised of Precinct 3 and 5.
“The person filling the vacancy must be from the District that the resigned candidate was elected from,” noted the City’s posting.
[broadstreet zone=”53230″]
The position must be posted for at least 21 days but no more than 30 days.
The deadline to apply is Friday, May 27. (Note City Hall physically closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays.)
Interested candidates should send resume to: Lisa Ferguson, City Clerk laf@framinghamma.gov 150 Concord Street Room 105 Framingham, MA 01702.
“This position pays a stipend of $5,000 per year. It will be prorated from the date of the Oath of Office through December 31, 2023,” posted the City of Framingham.
“No member of the School Committee shall hold any school department position for which a salary is payable from the municipal treasury, except positions receiving a stipend. No former member of the School Committee shall hold any compensated school department office until at least one (1) year after the date on which the member’s service on the School Committee has terminated,” posted the City Clerk’s office.
[broadstreet zone=”54526″]
Finlay was appointed to that seat in spring of 2021, after the late Karen Foran Dempsey died in December 2020. And then won election for a 2-year term unopposed in November 2021.
Ironically, Finlay if he had not resigned would not be eligible to seek re-election for his District 2 seat.
Under redistricting, Finlay lives in District 1 in 2023, according to the City Clerk’s office.
And the current District 1 School Committee member Beverly Hugo resides in District 2 in 2023, according to the City Clerk’s office.
The City of Framingham, due to the 2020 census, had to redistricted its Precincts and Districts, as the City grew in size.
The City will still have 9 Districts for its 2023 election, but went from 18 to 27 Precincts. Some of those in a specific Precinct or District may have not physically moved but their residence may have moved to another District or Precinct come the November 2023 election.
[broadstreet zone=”58893″]
What are the powers of a School Committee member?
The City of Framingham has 9 School Committee members, each one presents one District, and at this time two Precincts.
According to the city “The School Committee shall have all powers which are conferred on school committees by the general laws and any additional powers and duties that may be provided by the charter, by ordinance, or otherwise and are not inconsistent with the grant of powers conferred by the general laws.”
The powers and duties of the School Committee shall include, but not limited by, the following:
1. To appoint a superintendent of the schools who shall be charged with the day-to-day administration of the school system, subject only to policy guidelines and directives adopted by the school committee and, upon the recommendation of the superintendent, to establish and appoint assistant or associate superintendents as provided in General Laws, chapter 71, section 59;
2. To make all reasonable rules and regulations for the management of the public school system and for conducting the business of the School Committee as may be considered necessary or desirable;
3. To adopt and to oversee the administration of an annual operating budget for the school department. Additional Responsibilities and Duties: 1. To become familiar with the General Laws of the Commonwealth relating to education and School Committee operations, regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, policies and procedures of the Framingham School Committee and the Framingham School Department; 2. To keep abreast of new laws and the latest research in education; 3. To have a general knowledge of the goals, objectives, and programs of the city’s public schools;
4. To work effectively with other School Committee members without trying either to dominate the School Committee or neglect his/her share of the work;
5. To respect the privileged communication that exists in executive sessions by maintaining strict confidentiality on matters discussed in these sessions, except that which becomes part of the public record, once it has been approved for release;
6. To vote and act in School Committee impartially for the good of the students;
7. To accept the will of the majority vote in all cases, and to remember that he/she is one of a team and must abide by, and carry out, all School Committee decisions once they are made;
[broadstreet zone=”58892″]
8. To represent the School Committee and the schools to the public in a way that promotes interest and support;
9. To refer questions and complaints to the proper school authorities;
10. To comply with the accepted code of ethics for School Committee members.
MetroWest Medical Center