It looks to me as if the special election for the spring override for the Newburyport schools could be a go.

Last night the Newburyport School Committee answered many of the Newburyport City Council’s questions.

1) The Newburyport School Committee voted for Superintendent’s Kevin Lyons’ reconfiguration plan.

2) The Newburyport School Committee voted on what exactly would be in the override. (Please see Editor’s Note)

3) According to the Newburyport Daily News April 3, 2007, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability “told the committee that the district’s performance is disappointing, and in several cases is in violation of state law.” Not a good report.

And it appears that the city of Newburyport might now pay for the special election. The money would come out of the city’s coffers and not the Newburyport School Committee’s coffer’s. Therefore a transfer would not be necessary.

If a transfer was necessary, the special election would need 8 votes to occur.

With the money possibly coming out of the city’s coffer’s, the special election would only need 6 votes to take place.

And it is my understanding that at least a couple of the Newburyport City Councilors were satisfied after last night’s Newburyport School Committee meeting. The Newburyport School Committee may have the 6 votes needed to have the spring special election happen.

Mary Eaton
Newburyport

(Editor’s Note: Press here to see the items that Newburyport School Committee voted in for the proposed $1.58M Override.)