The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School Board has rejected a proposed change that would have allowed it to go into executive session on a majority vote instead of a unanimous one.
At the board’s meeting Tuesday night, director Sherri Wright made a motion to require a two-thirds vote of the seven members to hold an executive session. Wright had raised the idea of making the change after a previous meeting at which she wanted to discuss certain personnel contracts in closed session but a single vote stopped that from happening. On Tuesday, Wright said the change would mean that more than a single person had to say no and would enable the board to be more responsive to citizen concerns. But director Pete Montaño argued that the new measure would cause fracturing and said it is the responsibility of the member seeking the secret session to show that it is justified. The motion failed on a 3-3 vote, with director Brian Balfour absent.
