BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- A pitch to move Massena Central School board meetings back to room 314 failed during a recent board meeting. 

Board President Paul Haggett suggested the change, citing concerns of dialogue and communication  due to the layout of the auditorium. 

Officials opted to move board of education meetings to the auditorium last year due to excessive heat in June 2024. 

In July 2024, board members approved a measure to permanently keep the meetings in the auditorium, saying the location offered better climate control and a more comfortable space for attendees as well. 

Haggett said during a recent board meeting he was concerned board members would not be able to easily converse as they previously did in room 314. 

He acknowledged the auditorium is a better option during the summer months due in part to the air conditioning available, however he said he "missed the days of being able to not have to crane" his neck to have a conversation with fellow board members. 

“I think, and this is my opinion only, this is just too big of a room. It’s not conducive to conversation. It’s not conducive to debate. It’s difficult to see and interact with one another, and I frankly think going back to room-number 314 is a better solution for most of our board meetings," Haggett said. 

However, board members said they felt the auditorium was easier for people to access, as well as for Chris Lincoln to live stream the district's meetings. 

Board member Joyce Giroux said initial discussions last year involved concerns about public accessibility, with the auditorium being easier to walk to given the proximity to the main doors of the high school. 

“It’s easier to walk into here with my limitations. Also, I don’t find it too big. It feels like church where everybody sits in the back. Maybe if everybody sat in the front, it would be better perhaps. But, I don’t mind leaning over and talking. I find the sound quality here is better,” she said.

Board member Patricia Murphy agreed with Giroux, adding that seats in the auditorium are more comfortable for attendees, especially given the extended nature of some meetings. 

She also noted that staff do not have to set up and take down chairs and a podium in the auditorium as well. 

“There’s a lot that had to go into that. It seems like this is, as Joyce said, a much more accessible place and I don’t have a problem with having our meetings here. If you really hate it, I guess I can go to another location at least some of the time. But, I enjoy this. I don’t know about anybody else, but I think it’s been very nice,” Murphy said. 

Board member Robert LeBlanc also supported the idea of remaining in the auditorium, suggesting that improved sound, more comfortable seating and air conditioning has improved meetings that are now more comfortable for the public to view. 

From a virtual standpoint, LeBlanc said audio and visual components have improved.

"I think the problem started with the microphone. Once we started bringing the microphone and the camera, now we’re accommodating the camera and microphone. I feel like we’re having a meeting for the public and not a meeting among ourselves by sitting in front of a camera and sitting in front of the people instead of sitting in front of each other," he said. 

LeBlanc questioned whether the idea to change the meeting location was to better the experience for the public or the board itself, leading Vice President Kevin Perretta to suggest possibly moving the board onstage. 

“I think that if we were in a more compact formation, whether it’s a U or a V or whatever the letter of the alphabet we want to use, then, yes, I do think that would be an improvement over some of us being 45 feet apart from others, " Haggett said.

Board members appeared agreeable to the idea, suggesting they would trial the change during the next meeting.

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