The Christina Board of Education voted yes for a settlement with the 15 charter schools suing them and the Delaware Dept. of Education over exclusions in the local funding formula. Board member Fred Polaski made a motion to approve the settlement. Board member John Young said two hours isn’t enough time to digest the entire settlement. He said he wasn’t happy with the way things went down and the short notice to come up with an answer. Shirley Saffer, another board member, agreed with Young’s assessment of the situation. The vote came down to 4 yes and 3 no. The three no votes were cast by Board President Elizabeth Paige and members Young and Saffer. The yes votes belonged to Vice-President George Evans and members Fred Polaski, Harrie-Ellen Minnehan and Meg Mason.
UPDATED: The 15 Delaware charter schools must also vote on the settlement by tomorrow, December 1st. One of the conditions of the motion was that the settlement be made public once it is signed.
No details were given about the actual settlement or how much the settlement was for. I firmly believe that settlement should be made available to the public since it will be paid for out of taxpayer funds. Without knowing the details of the settlement, I think agreeing to settle is not a wise move.
Many legislators showed up for the decision: Senator David Sokola, Rep. Paul Baumbach, and Rep. Ed Osienski. Baumbach left before the board came out of executive session.
A special thanks to my ace reporter who was at the meeting! You are awesome!
The Season Of Myths 
Reblogged this on DelawareFirstState and commented:
Christina Board voted on charter school settlement
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WHAT! “No details were given about the actual settlement or how much the settlement was for.” If they (The Board) are voting on a settlement, then the negotiations are over and the document in question becomes public. The settlement should have been posted on Board Docs for public scrutiny prior to any vote. I guess it’s time for a FOIA complaint?
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3 board members voted to settle without knowing the details of the settlement?
On what did they base a “yes” vote?
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I believe they saw the settlement but can’t discuss it publicly until ALL parties sign. Four members voted yes on the settlement.
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Who were the 3 no votes?
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Never mind. Saw the rest of your post.
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it’s not a settlement until its signed by both parties. It’s just an offer and as such it’s legal negotiations which are protected by executive sessions and attorney/client privilege. Hell, in an offer turned signed settlement, there can exist a confidentiality agreement that keeps the public from ever seeing it. It appears that this won’t be the case here…
I want to see the terms, too. But, won’t have that privilege until everyone signs on. The best I can do is hope it doesn’t bankrupt the district. I want to be able to sell my house some day.
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