William Marvel: The Charade

Last week saw the shortest annual school meeting in Conway history. As it opened, 73 people sat at the head tables and in the residents' section of the Kennett auditorium. Conway's voter registration rolls then listed 7,429 names, so attendance fell below 1 percent of the eligible participants.

Only one person asked questions, wondering primarily whether the proposed teachers' contract could be found on the SAU 9 website. In an informational lapse that has seemed more frequent with SAU 9 of late, that multi-million-dollar agreement was not available for review on the night everyone was expected to deliberate on it. The superintendent had remarked, at a February meeting with the budget committee, that the details of the contract should not be revealed until after voters passed it, but her misunderstanding was quickly corrected. Still, there seemed no ambition to be too open about the phenomenal (and phenomenally expensive) health insurance plan it offers, with family deductibles of only $1,000. Marketplace suckers, eat your hearts out.