We applaud the School Committee for hosting last week’s workshop, giving residents an opportunity to hear from Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, on what is and is not within the purview of a school committee. We were disappointed that only a handful of people—about 20—showed up. We thought that the 70 or so people who packed Town Hall for the Oct. 1 public forum to complain about recent School Committee actions would have made a point of going to the Nov. 8 workshop to hear the definitive word on what the committee is and is not allowed to do. And we thought that more of the 215 people who voted to censure the School Committee at October’s Special Town Meeting would have made an appearance, either as a show of support for the School Committee taking action in response to the censure, or to answer any lingering questions or concerns.

The workshop was an educational experience for all who attended, including the School Committee. When asked if the committee can conduct investigations, Koocher said it can get involved in investigations relative to possible violations of district policy, but does not have a role in addressing questions about procedures. Based on what Koocher said, the School Committee could have conducted an investigation into whether or not any policies were violated relative to the questionable SPED payments that were at the root of townspeople’s protests. But we could speculate all day on what might have happened. Instead, we need to look at what did happen and learn from it.

Koocher helped put into perspective the controversy surrounding charges of ethics violations, which helped fuel the discontent that led to the School Committee censure. “I’m aware of hundreds of complaints to the Ethics Commission,” he said. “Filing a complaint with the Ethics Commission is as easy as writing a letter.” He added that he has seen people persecuted by rumors of ethics investigations, which the commission “will neither confirm nor deny.”

We think it is time for townspeople to turn their attention to the future, instead of getting mired in events of the past. The School Committee has heard the displeasure of the citizens and is making an attempt to create a more open dialogue with the public. Now the public needs to do its part to keep the dialogue going. And in the end, if voters are not satisfied with the performance of their elected representatives, they can express their disapproval through the power of the ballot box.