The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School committee voted unanimously Thursday evening to appoint a 25-member, all-Island building committee to shepherd the high school’s progress toward full acceptance into a key state funding program.
At times during the online meeting, it looked as if the new body might grow to as large as 30 people, as some school committee members proposed additional candidates to the initial slate presented by high school project coordinator Sam Hart.
Other members argued for a smaller group.
“We don’t want this committee to grow out of control,” said Louis Paciello of Edgartown, who will be one of the high school committee’s delegates on the building committee.
But with six towns to represent, as well as school administration and the Island’s diverse communities, the high school committee settled on 25 members.
Forming the building committee this month is the latest in a series of benchmarks the high school must meet in order to move ahead with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which has provisionally agreed to grant up to 38 per cent of what it will cost to replace or extensively renovate the facility.
The three-town Berkshire Hills school district, which is about six months ahead of the Vineyard in the MSBA eligibility process for its high school, has a 17-member building committee, said Mr. Hart, who has been comparing notes with his counterparts at the western Massachusetts district.
Each Island town will delegate two representatives to the MVRHS building committee, except for Oak Bluffs, which will have three to reflect the impact of the school on town services.
Select boards have named 10 of the 13 so far. Aquinnah has chosen finance committee member Allen Rugg and builder James Mahoney. Chilmark’s delegation will be select board member Warren Doty and retired teacher Terry Meinelt.
From West Tisbury, select board and high school committee member Skipper Manter — who also chairs the all-Island school committee — will serve alongside architect Matt Coffey of South Mountain Company.
Oak Bluffs has named select board member Emma Green-Beach, town administrator Deborah Potter and finance committee member Dion Alley. Edgartown’s town administrator James Hagerty is one of its representatives, with the select board due to name a second, Mr. Hart said.
The Vineyard Haven select board this week postponed its choices. Town administrator John (Jay) Grande told the Gazette the high school committee’s request had reached the town late in the process and that while two candidates had come forward on short notice, there may be more.
Along with town delegates, the MSBA requires four school administrators on the building committee. Those members will include regional high school principal Sara Dingledy and facilities director Mike Taus, superintendent of schools Dr. Richard (Richie) Smith and school system finance director Mark Friedman.
In addition to these 17 core members, the building committee also will include Luciana Fuller of Oak Bluffs, a member of the high school advisory committee and a businesswoman whose company has the cleaning contract for the school; Tracey Overbeck-Stead of Vineyard Haven, chair of the school’s parent teacher student organization, and Grace Robinson, treasurer of the NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard.
A representative from the Wampanoag tribe will be named at a tribal council early next month, Mr. Hart said. The school committee also moved to ask the teachers union to appoint a member.
Retired Edgartown School principal John Stevens, who now works half-time as assistant superintendent for operations reporting to Mr. Smith, was on Mr. Hart’s slate as well.
However, high school committee vice-chair Kimberly Kirk of Edgartown lobbied strongly for Dhakir Warren, the former administrator of student affairs at the high school and now executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, as the 25th member. Agreeing that Mr. Stevens would have ample input on the building project in his administrative position, Ms. Kirk’s colleagues supported her recommendation of Mr. Warren for the committee slot.
The high school committee itself will have two delegates, instead of the three originally proposed. A second member, joining Mr. Paciello, will be named at an upcoming meeting.
The MSBA eligibility timeline concludes next May when Islanders vote on funding a feasibility study of the high school, in order to determine whether it should be renovated, completely replaced or undergo a combination of the two.
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