POLAND — Regional School Unit 16 Directors Ed Rabasco and Emily Rinchich, both of Poland, met Tuesday night with the Select Board about a district pamphlet that urged residents to vote against having a final referendum on the school budget.
Any change in the voting procedure would begin next year for Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland.
The pamphlet, slated to be used as an informational tool, was rejected by the district’s board of directors at last week’s meeting.
Rinchich said the pamphlet was to be informative with no “nefarious intent.”
Selectperson Mary-Beth Taylor disagreed, saying it was “so biased, but to say it was informative, that pamphlet it’s hard to think it wasn’t a push one way or the other from the administration.”
“It seems like the administration was wanting not to have the whole public vote but just whoever was at the meeting where the budget is being presented, which I think is really sacrificing the people’s vote,” Taylor said in referencing the tri-town district vote that is held one evening in the Poland Regional High School auditorium.
Taylor said maybe a pamphlet should be produced explaining all the budget articles and not just about one article.
Select Board Chairman Stephen Robinson added, “Pamphlets and all the other information that is sent out ahead of time needs to be informative and not give an opinion. … If the RSU board of directors wants to put in an opinion that’s fine, but they should put the opinion out at the time of voting and not in the informational pamphlet.”
Rabasco said a new informational guide is being generated.
In other business, the Select Board:
• Voted to contract Gendron and Gendron to rebuild the Poland section of Lewiston Junction Road to the same standard and time as the Auburn section.
• Endorsed a contract with the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office beginning July 1 for $438,357.
• Approved a 10-year franchise agreement with Spectrum Communications.
• Appointed Janice Kimball to the Budget Committee.
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