Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee Appointing Committee Meeting

Good morning everyone. So, uh we're going to get started. Um this is this group hasn't met in a number of years, but this is per the um regional agreement with Greater New Bedford U Vul Tech. The appointing committee for Dartmouth representative is made up of a um selected member of the school committee, the moderator, and the chair of the select board. So, um I don't know if the three of you want to introduce

yourselves and then we can get right into it.

Um, hello. I'm Heidi Brooks. I'm the chair of the Dartmouth Select Board.

I am uh Christopher Oliver. I am representing the Dartmouth School Committee.

Morning. My name is Melissa Haskell. I'm the town moderator.

Very good. This being Let me just make sure this Oh, it is recorded. Okay. So, we have um we invited all of the candidates that um oh, this meeting is also being recorded by DCTV. Um we invited all of the candidates in who had applied. Um they're listed on the agenda. Dan Sauier had let us know that he was not able to make it. Uh and it looks like we have um three candidates

here. Pamela I do not see on here yet, but you guys can certainly get started.

So typically what um at least the select board has done when they're looking at appointments is just to go pull forward each candidate um the committee can ask some questions the candidates can tell a little about themselves and you guys can go from there. So if that sound good sounds good the first one on the agenda is Rick Avala.

Yep. How you doing? Uh my name is Rick Avaler. I I've been living in the town for almost 50 years. I'm a former graduate at Great New Beford Vogue. I taught there for 30 years. Um I'm I'm going to be honest and upfront. You know, I've been a trades person all my life. Um I have a daughter that went to Dartmouth High School and a daughter that went to New Befford Vog and they're

both great schools. I've done so much in this community with Vogue. Um you know, the council on aging years ago, they needed they had our school helped them out with plumbing. I helped out there. I helped out at the DYAA um with their canteen with the with the students there because it's non it's you know it's um you know I've done a lot in this town. I mean I've been a school

teacher for 30 years of ATP voke and I have a trade that you know I don't think there's any board members that have a trade on there and I think it's time for one. I really do. I mean I would be so excited to to take over this job. um you know to take over a guy like Mike Shay leaving that would that would be awesome to you know to take over a job from a

guy like that and all all of us as candidates should say that because he's kind of important he's been there he's been a fixture in the town of Dartmouth for a number of years and I would be ex honored I mean I coach girls softball I coach girls basketball over the years and this town I love this town and I love you know even if I didn't get this

job I would I would not be mad and not hold any any gripes I still love the town. I love that school. That school gave me everything I own in life today.

And you know, I enjoy it, you know, and I and I really mean that. I mean, there's so many good candidates and I just like you said, whatever happens happens. I'm not, you know, I'm I'm a big fan of that school, but I'm also I can work very high hard with Cindy Maron on helping out the students in Dartmouth and going over budgets and things like that that we need in this town for that

school. Um, and I want to keep the working relationship with everybody. And like you said, it's I've been nervous as anything about doing this in doing this, but you know what? I'm trying my best and I would be honored to if I if I can try to get this job and I really mean that. There's a lot of good candidates and I wish everybody luck. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Rick. Rick, in addition to coaching um, girls softball and basketball, you were also a coach at Vogue. I was a coach, a baseball coach there for 30 years. 15 years as the head coach. Um, and I would have to resign from coaching over there if I Oh, you're still coaching?

I'm still coaching. I can still I can resign. I'm I would definitely resigned um for if I did get this position. This is the position I really want. I mean, I I' I've know that building inside and out with everything that's going on in construction of the building and things like that, you know, and like I said, it hasn't been a construction person on that board in years. Um, and it's

something that I would love to do. This is, you know, my big thing in my life.

This is something I really want, you know, and I mean that I eat, sleep, and think that school. That school gave me everything I own in my life today. and I enjoy it and I enjoy everybody else and every you got so so many good candidates and LA said whatever happens happens. I I'm really thank you for this interview.

Well, thank you Rick. I'm going to go on to um just going to go in alphabetical order. So, John Oh, sorry Melissa, I'd love to be able to ask a question or two.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Mr. Avala, thank you so much for coming forward. But I know sometimes these things are nerve-wracking, so I give everyone a lot of credit for putting themselves out there. It's always tough.

Um, can you tell me a little bit about the issues that have been coming before this school committee that are particular areas of responsibility that you believe or other areas of responsibility that you believe deserve this school committee's attention?

Um, what I what I think is like you said, you know, everything school choice, you know, there a lot of schools have that and all that. Right now it's a lottery at Vogue which which you know what if that's what it's going to be like you said I had an opportunity in life to either go to Dartmouth High School or go to New Befford Vogue. Why did I ch chose New Bethford Vogue?

Because I wanted to learn a trade and you know what learning a plumbing and fight pipe fitting trade it's been nothing but good. Um and you know a lot of kids are different. They you know some kids don't want to go there and get a trade but a lot of people want to go on to college. It's whatever that individual wants to do. But I think in the aspect on the building, I can help

them out with if they decide they want to put an addition, if they decide they want to do some lighting on the fields or anything like that, I think I can help them. I I know a lot about that building. 30 years of working there.

That's been my family. It's been unbelievable. So, I just want to be upfront and whatever I can do to help out, I'll help out. And if I didn't get this and someone else got it, if they asked me some questions, I would help them tremendous. I I'm a I'm a helper. I would help people. Thank you.

And and at the end of your term, if you were to get this position at the end of your term, what would make you feel like you had been an effective member of this school committee? Like how would you define success for your?

I would, like I said, I would go in there and and try to, like you said, you got people, you got a committee from New Bedford, you got a committee from Fhaven, you got a committee from Darmouth. I mean, I want to have that working relationship with the town of Darmmouth and Vogue where I think I can help them out with a lot of different aspects of that school and I think I can

help them out with a lot of things outside of school too with with things.

I mean, council on aging. How many times have our schools helped out? I mean, there's a lot of things and I was a big part of that, you know, helping out the DYAA, putting their canteen, doing all the plumbing and doing all that. I've done a lot, you know, with that and I think we we want to have that relationship with the town of Dartmouth to help them out. You know, everybody's

budgets are getting cut, you know, and and you're you're starting to see the workforce get a little bit lower, you know, and I just think this is a good opportunity for me to apply for this. I really do.

Thank you, Mr. Aval.

Mr. Oliver.

Oh, you're muted, Chris.

Yeah, muted.

Yeah. Rookie mistake there, I guess, apparently. Uh, good morning, uh, Rick.

Appreciate you applying. Uh, just one one quick question. Uh, if you were to be appointed, uh, as Dartmouth's rec to Dartmouth's rep to the New Beth Voke School Committee, what do you see as your responsibility to the town of Dartmouth because you're you're essentially you're Dartmouth's rep just like there's reps from New Beth doing for Haven. What do you see as your responsibility uh to the town of

Dartmouth? I I really I really think you know and I'm going to say this very openly. I would love to see a kid um you know that wanted to go to Vogue and went to Voke and picked the trade and have the same things that I have like that school gave me everything I own in life today. But as far as me helping out this town, I want to make sure that we can

keep the budget low on every pupil that wants to go there. Try to keep it low.

Try to do the right things to help out the town of Dartmouth. Um, and I think me and if I did get on with and Cindy Min, I would fight hard to help her, you know, fight for our students that want to go to vote to keep the prices at low as low cost as we can, you know, and and do the do the right things. Anything that needs work in the town of Dmit that

want to go through me and, you know, myself or whoever, I I I would honor that. that I would help out as much as I can for this town to keep the numbers, keep the prices down, to help out people's budgets in the town of Damoth for those pupils.

Great. Thank you.

All right, then I'm going to move on to John Bush here.

There you are. Same thing. Could you tell us a bit of your background?

Sure. Although it uh I think it'll as regards Dartmouth is much shorter than Rick's. Um, I moved I bought a house here in 2001, moved down full-time in 2019, uh, in retirement. Um, I'm probably overeducated. I have an undergraduate degree in chem engineering and then a master's and a PhD in material science and engineering. Um, and however, I did work a trade for a while. I was I started and ran a custom

cabinet shop in Fitsburg for two years.

Um, I've always been a hands-on guy. I enjoy uh fixing things and building things. I've done my own construction projects or a DIY guy. And I saw the news uh I guess it was an email saying if you want to apply, apply. So I threw my hat in a ring, but if you were to choose me, you'd be taking a chance on an untested um uh uh I hope diamond in

the rough. I I don't know what's involved. I I'm retired. I have plenty of time. I have a good technical mind.

People tell me I'm smart. I do. Except for my wife. She'll tell you I do stupid things all the time. But uh uh I would like to get engaged with vote in some way. And maybe this committee is I don't I don't know how else to do it. But uh I love the idea of um helping young people learn practical skills and uh feel that that's um well having watched my two

kids go to public uh high school at needm where I spent 30 years uh before retiring down here they got a great education but they didn't get a great practical education and I assume the vote is more aligned towards actual hand skills doing things, learning things.

Um, to answer your your question about what would I view as a success? Well, I'd have first of all have to find out where things are. I'm not calibrated.

I've never even been in the school. I've been by it. Uh, but I've never been in it. I don't know anybody there. Um but I suppose a essential thing for that school is to keep uh keep uh in line with the trend of what's happening in uh in u in our country in our society and there uh things like um uh AI or I it are clearly growing and while we still need

carpenters and plumbers and all those are essential good skills bills ju just making sure we're also catching the cutting edge. I don't know how the CAD program is there or uh the u any of the automated assembly or robotics. I I assume there's a good program there.

There better be because that I think is the future of of what's going on. I don't know. That's a bit of a ramble. Um all right, questions.

Honored to be considered. Melissa, I I pretty much have the same questions.

How um having looked at the issues that have been before this school committee recently, are there particular issues outside of the ones that you've just talked about or areas of responsibility you believe deserve the committee's attention?

I don't my honest answer is I don't know. I don't know what's come in front of it. Um I'm sure there are I was I I spent some time on the website. Um, I don't want to wander into politics because that's dangerous turf. Uh, I applaud the the emphasis on DEI and I wonder how that's holding up and whether that's been a controversial issue. I would um like to see that uh addressed and behind

us. Not not that that may not sound right. That is to say, I'm not I don't want to go backwards. The last thing I want to do is go backwards. I want to move forward, but I I wish it didn't grab so much of the uh the spotlight. Uh now, I don't know if that's true at your school.

That's a guess. I don't know what else what else you worried about and I can comment on it. I I got a lot of learning to do before I could do anything.

Great. Thank you. And you asked my you answered my other question about success. So, I appreciate that. Thank you, Mr. Oliver.

Yeah. So I would have the same question that I had before. What do you see as your responsibility to the town of Dartmouth and your role on the New Beth Voke School Committee?

Again, I have to plead the ignorance just about I I'm willing to put in the time. If I sign up for something, I I I commit and I I consider myself more of a doer than a um a planner. I like to actually be given a project. go research how we're doing compared to the town of someplace else and or or help craft a I I don't know review the curriculum. Do I I don't know

what the issues are so I'm I can't really comment intelligently.

Fair enough. I appreciate your honesty.

Sure.

Thank you. All right. Getting long into our alphabetical order. Next is Thomas Hunt.

Mr. Hunt, tell us about yourself.

Muted.

Hit the right button here. Uh, if you didn't hear me, I began with good morning everyone. My name is attorney Thomas R. Hunt. I am um not dissimilar to John, a semi-retired individual um as a lawyer where I've been a practicing lawyer in Massachusetts for just over uh 47 years. Uh those of you who've had an opportunity to review my resume realize that I've done a fairly large amount of volunteer work. I've been

cited for my volunteerism both by the American Cancer Society, the Bristol County Probate Court um for proono work. Proono is a Latin phrase meaning representing people for free.

and also by the White House for my work with the discovering justice program of the United States uh district court.

I have been both a uh teacher in the uh uh discovering justice project at the Nandon Junior High School, Nandan Middle School, excuse me, and have also um uh been a I guess for lack of a better word, a celebrity uh jurist.

Um, I have been a jurist with the Massachusetts Bar Association High School MOO Court Competition for the last 11 years.

Um, I have also served three years as a unpaid hearing officer with the board of bar overseers.

I began and lectured the first constitutional day program in uh the history of the Bristol County DA's office when I was a superior court prosecutor there under Paul Walsh.

After many years of private practice, I decided I would do two years I would take a two-year leave of absence and um do some public service work. And as not infrequently as these things turn out, eight and a half years later, I was still there.

They kept giving me raises. Um, but I did run the constitutional day program and spoke at both Derby High School and Westport High School as part of that.

Um, I have served as special counsel to both the uh Bridgewater School Board and the Old Rochester School Board. In both of those instances, minority members of the school board felt they were being illreated by the majority member of the school board uh majority members of the Awoka school board and I gave them some advice on the open meeting law and and things of that matter. Um, and as I think many of you

know, I served 12 years as a member of the Memphis School Board, three years as chairman. I've been a resident of Dartmouth since, uh, 2020.

I have been to the school on several occasions and actually have taken two courses there, um, uh, nighttime courses there.

So I think what I would bring to this board if I have the privilege of being appointed would be some level of experience in terms of school boards and school governance, excuse me, and also u some skills as a lawyer um uh who has done a little bit of labor war but not a great deal. That was not my uh uh forte. My forte was I was a civil litigator.

Um I think you have five candidates. I've heard the first two. They are both excellent and I think anyone that you choose I think will will do a fine job for you.

Thank you. Um Miss Miss Haskell, would you have any questions?

Yes, please. Um Mr. Hunt. Um, could you also ask the answer the same question that I had earlier for the other candidates, which is having looked at the issues that are before the school committee recently, are there particular issues or areas of responsibility that you believe deserve the committee's attention?

Uh, that's an excellent question, Melissa, and I'm going to tell you my philosophy right now.

I intend if I have the privilege of being appointed to hit the ground listening. I'm not going there with any preconceptions.

Um, I was only an assistant district attorney for, I believe, seven weeks when Paul Walsh called me into his office. Told me it was the fastest promotion in the history of the Bristol County DA's office and I was going to be asked to head up the Fall River District Court prosecution unit. Um, inside baseball is the Fall River District Court was probably the most disorganized court in New England,

perhaps even in the Eastern United States, it was one of the few courts that had two campuses, uh, two buildings. And literally within hours of my appointment being known, I was inundated with faxes, phone calls, emails, people stopping me in the office wanting me to tell me their universally bad experience with that office and wanting to share with me information.

usually have a negative manner about the uh personnel in the office. And my response to every one of them was to raise my hands and say, "No, I don't want to hear it. I'm going to make my own judgments. I don't want to go in there with any preconceptions."

So, I will hit the ground listening.

I of course, as I'm sure everyone in this meeting has, I read the article in New Bethford White. Um, I think I might, if that is indeed accurate, um, I might be able to be of some assistance to the uh, school. Um, I had an excellent relationship with the Mass Teachers Association, um, when I was on the New Befford School Board was endorsed every time I ran by the Greater Newfford Cape Cod Labor Council.

So, I would think that uh, to answer your question, Melissa, I am going if I get the appointment to hit the ground listening. I have no preconceptions about any of the issues or personnel, but I will um do my very best if I have this if I receive this appointment.

Thank you. And and then my other question was at the end of your term, what would make you feel like you had been an effective member of this school comm?

Uh again, a great question. Uh I think in the first instance, you have to look at attendance. you know, unless you're going to the meetings, why even accept the appointment? That that that I know that sounds silly, but I served on the Newfford school committee. We had um excellent attendance with one exception. Um I won't mention any names. So, I would say attendance would be number one. And you know, I'm

well aware it's an eight member school board. I'm well aware I would only have one vote, but I think I have a fairly good reputation of, you know, talking to people. I was a mediator in the New Beford District Court when uh Judge Whitney was appointed. He realized his first day on the job. There were like 300 uh civil litigation matters on the list that hadn't been attended to because obviously criminal matters have

precedents. People are in jail awaiting bail. Victims are waiting for their day in court. So I was one of the ones that Judge Whitney asked to act as a volunteer administrator to resolve some of these cases. And I I'm going to guess it's only a guess, Melissa, that I probably did 30 or 40 and was able to successfully resolve every single one of them. So, I think I have a fairly good reputation of

being able to talk to people and make them feel that their point of view is being uh both considered and honored. Uh uh so I I I guess that would be my answer to your question.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Oliver, good morning Thomas. Same question as well to you. Uh what do you think what do you feel would be your responsibility to the uh town of Dartmouth and the taxpayers in this town um as your role in the New Buffford Vocational School Committee? Uh great question Chris.

Uh let me make it clear. Uh you use the word representative.

That is absolutely correct. My point of view would be I would be the town's repres one of the two two representatives to the school board. I would uh articulate the desires, wishes of the town and would to the best of my ability represent u and protect the interest of the town.

Okay. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Oh, sorry. My my watch is talking back to me. Um uh a couple of projects that are going on at Voke just um to inform uh the candidates. They have an a Voke after dark dock program that they started I think maybe two years ago and they started rightfully so with students from this um New Befford High School and basically it's to uh allow students who may not have gotten in on the lottery to

participate in vocational classes after their traditional day at New Befford High School. So, the students are brought in to Voke and their courses are run 3 to 6:00 p.m. The New Befford students had a couple of shops that they could uh choose from and this year they were able to receive certificates on completing the work in those shops. Next year, Voke will be opening up that opportunity to the Fair Haven public

schools. And Fair Haven um actually looked at their students who were not accepted into uh Vogue, pulled them to find out which was the most common shop uh or shops which was not which they did not get into. And as it turns out for for Haven, it was cosmetology.

So this year, uh, students who are at Fair Haven High School are going to be able to take a bus from Fair Haven High School to New Befford Vogue, um, and start classes every day again from 3 to 6:00 p.m. with the hope that they would be able to receive a certificate in that in that shop um, at the uh, end of the completion of that program.

on keeping in line with that Dartmouth um high school would be offer a similar opportunity during the school year of 2027208.

So a year from now Dartmouth would be um able to solicit that information from students who may not have gotten in on the lottery or who didn't even apply. uh see shop or shops that are available and um start that after dark program that may uh help with some of the lottery issues. If students um did not get in on the lottery, perhaps they have this other opportunity right now having read

articles in the newspaper, it seems to have been very successful for the students who participated from New Befford Public Schools. So I think that's a project that Vogue is undertaking that is unique and um beneficial to the residents of the three towns that it serves, the three communities it serves. So my hope is that the vocational school committee will support those efforts and in any

way, shape or form broaden the ability to offer multiple um shop options. So I'm unclear if whether Fair Haven students can just go to cosmetology or did that broaden the shops that they're offering. So that is one of the things that I hope that the vocational school committee supports.

The other thing um attorney Hunt mentioned that he had taken several uh evening courses at Vogue and right now uh Vogue does offer evening courses for um trades people to reertify in their areas of trade. However, years ago, I'm going to say everything is precoid um pre- pandemic, they offered other classes such as um upholstery. Um I think there were even a variety of um foreign language courses being offered

for adults and they have not brought those back. Um and I'm sure there's financial constraints. I don't know if there's any grant funding for that, but it's certainly something that I think for a community to engage with um the vocational building and the vocational opportunities, bringing some of those things back um sort of extracurricular for adults in our communities would be beneficial. Um

that's this isn't a personal, you know, kind of personal please.

So, um Melissa or Chris, do you have anything regarding uh Vogue that you can share with these candidates?

I think they answered all the questions that I really had about their candidacy.

All right.

Yeah, I think I'm good. Uh, Heidi, thanks for asking.

Great.

Do you want to finish it? I think or I can.

Yeah, go ahead.

All right. Um, well, thank you all for the interviews. Um, you've given us great insights. We are going to try to connect with the other members, uh, the other folks that did apply. So, we will have our decision. We got to pull the trigger on this. So, I'm hoping we'll pull the trigger next week and we will be in touch with each of you either way.

And I thank you um for joining us today on this Zoom.

Thank you.

Yeah, great meeting everyone.

Thank you very much everyone.