Regional Agreement
Narragansett Regional School District
REGIONAL AGREEMENT AS AMENDED IN 2004
Section I. THE REGIONAL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE
(a) Name and Composition
The district shall be called the Narragansett Regional School District. The regional district school committee, herinafter sometimes referred to as the "Committee", shall consist of eight members, five of whom shall be residents of the Town of Templeton and three of whom shall be residents of the Town of Phillipston.
(b) Elected Members
(1) The members of the Committee shall be elected by all of the voters of the district at the annual town election. The term of office of each elected member shall be three years and until his successor is elected and qualified. At the first annual district election following the effective date of this amended Agreement and at every annual district election thereafter, there shall be elected one member of the Committee from the Town of Phillipston and either one or two members of the Committee from the Town of Templeton as is necessary to maintain the membership of the Committee in accordance with subsection I (a).
(2) Any person who is a resident of a member town and is qualified to vote for town officers where he resides shall be entitled to have his name printed on the ballot to be used at an annual district election if, at least thirty-five days before the date for holding such election, he shall file with the registrars of voters in the town in which he resides a written statement of his candidacy and with it a petition signed by at least thirty-five persons who reside in one or more of the member towns and who are qualified to vote for town officers where they reside. The Committee shall furnish blank certificates and petitions which shall be in substantially the following form:
STATEMENT OF CANDIDATE
I ( ), on oath declare that I reside at (number if any) on (name of street) in the town of ( ); that I am qualified to vote for town officers therein; that I am a candidate for membership on the Narragansett Regional School District School Committee for a term of (three years) (_____years to fill a vacancy) to be voted for at the annual district election to be held on Monday, the ____ day of the month of ___________, in the year____________, and I suggest that my name be printed as such candidate on the ballot to be used at said annual district election.
(Signed)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ss.
Subscribed and sworn to on this _____ day of the month of _______________, in the year ________ before me,
(Signed)
_________________________________
Justice of the Peace, or Notary Public
PETITION ACCOMPANYING STATEMENT OF CANDIDATE
Whereas (name of candidate) is a candidate for membership on the Narragansett Regional School District School Committee for a term of (three years) (____years to fill a vacancy), we, the undersigned, whose residences are as shown below and who are each qualified to vote for town officers where we reside, do hereby request that the name of said (name of candidate) as a candidate for said office be printed on the ballot to be used at the annual district election to be held on Monday, the _____ day of the month of _____________, in the year ______.
We further state that we believe him to be a good moral character and qualified to
perform the duties of the office.
The petition, which may be on one or more papers, need not be sworn to. The registrars of voters of the member towns shall cooperate with one another for the purposes of determining the sufficiency of signatures on petitions and, shall deliver such petitions and candidates' statements with written indications of the registrars' determinations to the secretary of the district at least twenty-eight days before the date for holding the annual district election. There shall not be printed on the ballot for use at such annual district election the name of any person as a candidate, unless he shall have filed, within the time herein prescribed, the statement and petition herein described.
(3) At least ten days before the date for holding the annual district election the secretary shall post in a conspicuous place in each town hall within the district the names and residences of the candidates who have duly qualified as such, as they are to appear on the ballots to be used at the annual district election, and shall cause the ballots which shall contain said names, with a designation of residence, and of the office and term of service, to be printed, and the ballots so printed shall be official and no others shall be used at the annual election, except as provided in clause (5) of this subsection. The names of candidates residing in each member town shall be arranged on the ballot alphabetically according to their surnames. There shall be printed on such ballots such directions as will aid the voter, as for example: "vote for one," "vote for not more than four," and the like.
(4) Annual district elections under this subsection shall be called by a warrant which shall be addressed to the residents of the member towns qualified to vote for town officers where they reside and signed by the chairman of the Committee and which shall set forth the date of the election, the polling places, which shall be not less than one in each member town, the hours at which the polls will be opened and closed and the number of members resident in each town who are to be elected. Notice of each election shall be given by posting a copy of the warrant attested by the secretary in at least one public place in each member town and by publishing a copy thereof at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the district seven days at least before said election. A certificate of the secretary shall be conclusive evidence of the posting and publication of the warrant. The number and location for the polling place, or places, in each member town shall be determined by the chairman of the Committee after consultation with the appropriate officials of such town; and the hours during which all the polls in the district are open shall be uniform throughout the district; provided, that they shall be opened not earlier than fifteen minutes before six o'clock in the forenoon nor later than twelve o'clock noon, and shall be kept open at least four hours, but in no event later than eight o'clock in the evening. The secretary shall be responsible for preparing the ballots used at the election, and the order of the names appearing thereon and any necessary instructions to voters shall be determined in accordance with clause (3) of this subsection. The election officials of each member town shall certify the results of the election to the Committee which shall tabulate such results at a meeting of the Committee; and the chairman of the Committee shall thereupon announce the names of the persons elected to membership on the Committee. Thereafter the certifications of the municipal election officials and the tabulations of the Committee shall be kept by the secretary with the records of the district. Promptly after their election, members of the Committee shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties by the secretary or by the municipal clerk of the town in which they reside, and in each case a record of such oath shall be made and kept by the secretary or delivered to the secretary by such clerk. Except as provided herein the election shall be conducted in each member town in the same manner as town meetings for the election of town officers. The expenses of that part of an election under this section which is conducted in member town shall be borne by such town.
(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of clauses (1), (3) and (4) of this subsection, if in any event the annual district election is to coincide with elections in the Towns of Templeton and Phillipston in all respects as to polling places and hours of voting, the Committee may arrange with the appropriate officials of the towns for the official ballots used by the towns at such elections to also contain the instructions and names of candidates for election to membership on the Committee, and no separate ballot shall then be used for the election of Committee members.
(c) Vacancies
If a vacancy occurs among the members of the Committee, the remaining members of the Committee shall select another person who is a resident of the same member town as the former member of the Committee to fill the vacancy and to serve as a member of the Committee until the next annual district election. At such election a successor shall be elected to serve the balance of the unexpired term for which the former member was serving, if any.
(d) Organization
Within 7 days after the annual district election the regional district school committee shall organize and choose by ballot a chairman from its own membership and appoint a treasurer and a secretary who may be the same person, but who need not be members of the committee. At such organization meeting or at any other meeting, the committee shall fix the time and place for its regular meetings and provide for the calling of special meetings, and may choose such other officers as it deems advisable and prescribe their powers and duties.
(e) Powers and Duties
Subject to the rights of superintendents and principals as set forth in Chapter 71 of the Acts of 1993 entitled "An Act establishing the Education Reform Act of 1993" (and amendments thereto), the regional district school committee shall have all the powers and duties conferred and imposed upon school committees by law and conferred and imposed upon it by this agreement, and such other additional powers and duties as are specified in Sections 16 to 16(I), inclusive of Chapter 71 of the General Laws of Massachusetts and any amendments thereof or additions thereto now or hereafter enacted, or as may be specified in any applicable special law.
(f) Quorum
The quorum for the transaction of business shall be a majority of the full
membership of the Committee, but a number less than the majority may adjourn.