Dinsmore Installed as School Committee Chair

By Cynthia Drummond for BRVCA

January 15th 2025

RICHMOND – At Tuesday’s meeting of the Chariho School Committee, before a standing room - only crowd, Louise Dinsmore, of Richmond, was voted committee Chair. The vote was seven in favor, with four opposed and one abstention.

Richmond member Jessica Purcell’s nomination of Charlestown member, Linda Lyall, as Vice Chair failed. Hopkinton member Polly Hopkins then nominated recently elected Charlestown member, Laura Chapman, and the motion carried.

That vote was seven in favor, with two opposed and two abstentions.

Dinsmore is replacing fellow Republican Kathryn Colasante, who resigned in December, opening the seat for Dinsmore, who came third in the November election behind Jessica Purcell and Karen Reynolds.

While the move generated controversy in the Chariho towns and on the 12-member body, the strategy worked for Republicans, who now form the majority.

Dinsmore began her acceptance speech with a message to those who might believe that Colasante’s resignation was part of a larger plan.

“To those of you who are thinking ‘I can’t believe she’s prepared remarks. She must have pre-planned this vote with a quorum,’ colleagues who know me know that I am a planner and in the event I was elected Chair, I wanted to be sure to express the right words,” she said, before reading a prepared statement.

“Now that I have been appointed by the Richmond Town Council and sworn in, I am an equal member of this body, just like Ms. [Jessica] Purcell was when she was first appointed to this committee, and Ms. [Karen] Reynolds, when she was appointed by the Richmond Town Council several years ago,” she stated. “The community, and the School Committee, welcomed them both to this body unconditionally and without reservation, and now, I ask for that same kindness, that same grace, and that same inclusion.”

After approving the reappointments of District Clerk Angela Brasil and District Treasurer Lynn Gouvin, the committee went through a long list of subcommittees, making several changes.

Purcell, a member of the Policy Subcommittee, welcomed two new members, Laura Chapman and Patricia Pouliot. With reappointed members Purcell, Polly Hopkins, Linda Lyall and Donna Chambers, the subcommittee membership is now six.

“I was happy to see a lot of the new members stepping up into positions on subcommittees,” she said. “One of the subcommittees that I especially enjoy serving on, that I feel is important to the School Committee, is the policy subcommittee, and we had two new members join. It’s a bigger subcommittee – there will be six of us, but I anticipate we’ll have some well- rounded and robust conversations about the policy that can help move the School Committee forward and the school district forward.”

During the public forum, several speakers urged committee members to continue to prioritize Chariho’s children.

Reached Wednesday, Dinsmore said she hoped School Committee members would be able to work together.

“We have to learn to be able to talk to one another and respect each other’s’ opinions, because right now in our community, it’s very divided and I feel like there are community organizations and individuals that want to continue to divide our community and we have to be able to rise above that as public officials, as community leaders, and work together, moving forward,” she said.

Purcell agreed that School Committee collaboration would be essential to the continued success of the school district.

“I believe that’s really important and to understand that our role is to serve students and not politics,” she said. “I acknowledge that some of our members have been awaiting this moment for a long time. They have a very clear majority by political affiliation. Myself and Karen [Reynolds] are in a minority. We’re the only two Democrats on the committee, but I would expect that we can still engage in respectful discussions, based on an agenda that put the needs of our schools and our students at the forefront.”

The Budget

 Superintendent of Schools Gina Picard and Director of Administration and Finance, Gregory Zenion, presented the first iteration of the Chariho budget  for Fiscal Year 2026. Budget workshops, which are open to the public, will begin on Jan. 28.

Picard noted that, as it is every year, the budget is based on assumed state aid, because the final numbers will not be known until the state completes its budget.

“It is important to note that all numbers presented today are based on preliminary state aid projections,” she said. “We are here to provide a transparent overview and answer any questions you may have.”

Dinsmore and Chapman asked the greatest number of questions, with Dinsmore wondering why the budget had increased by 14% in just three years.

“When you look at the budget, examine the budget from Fiscal Year ’23 to Fiscal Year ’26, what’s projected, just for salaries, benefits and, sort of, the meat and potatoes of the budget, there’s a 14% increase over three years,” she said Wednesday. “So, is that sustainable for our local taxpayers, knowing that there are town budgets that go up every year, school budgets that go up every year, we have to try to balance that with affordability.”

The next budget discussion, and an opportunity to hear from state legislators, is the annual Chariho Omnibus meeting, on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. The Omnibus meeting is a requirement of the Chariho Act and will be open to the public.