School board members walk out of ad hoc budget 'meeting'

PARIS —  A heated exchange between Paris Selectboard Chair Sam Elliot and members of the SAD 17 Board of Directors resulted in board members walking out of a December 20 workshop.

Elliot organized the workshop to discuss next year's possible school budget increase, which may result in an 11 percent tax increase district-wide.

Tempers flared mid-way during the discussion, when Elliot refused attempts by audience members to speak to the group.

"This is not a public hearing," Elliot said.

"We're just dealing with the issues that we have in our towns, if we turn it into a public hearing it becomes a whole different thing."

School Board Chair Ron Kugell attempted to speak to some of the concerns raised, but Elliot refused to allow him, or other members of the audience including school board member and Waterford Finance Committee Chair Barry Patrie and Otisfield Selectman Rick Micklon to speak.

"This is not going to be a public hearing, it is not open for discussion," a visibly irritated Elliot declared.

"We'd like to help to keep the budget down and you can do that," Kugell said.

"We'll come to you and talk to you about that," Elliot responded.

"It may be too late by the time you get around to it," said Kugell before he, Patrie, Micklon and school directors Donald Gouin of Norway and Michael Dignan of Paris walked out of the building.

"You don't care about keeping the budget down, because there are things that you can do but you're too much on your high horse to listen to it and do something constructive to keep the budget down," Kugell declared, before leaving. 

"You're disrupting our meeting and we're not going to put up with that," Elliot retorted.

Near the end of the workshop, State Representative Lisa Villa, from Harrison, said it was unfortunate school board members weren't included in the discussion, particularly if they had some insight into the issues raised.

Elliot replied that he didn't want to get into a discussion about the school board's reasons for the budget increase.

The discussion was focused on the attendees responsibilities to residents and taxpayers, Elliot said – to spend the workshop debating back and forth with the "school board people" about district funding and state requirements  wouldn't be productive.

"If they were offended and left that's fine ... I don't interrupt their school board meetings and I'd ask they don't interrupt ours," Elliot said.