The Board of Education is supporting the latest version of a nonlapsing account policy that received input from a workgroup made up of representatives from multiple town boards, and from the school district’s legal counsel.

The nonlapsing account policy workgroup had members from the Boards of Finance, Education, and the Legislative Council.

The school board first took up the workgroup’s version of a policy governing the nonlapsing account at its October 19 meeting. That evening, Board of Education Chair Michelle Embree Ku said she sent the workgroup version to the district legal counsel for review. She then forwarded the legal counsel’s version of the policy to school board members.

While the school board discussed both versions of the policy at its October 19 meeting, it delayed a decision about which version of the policy to support until its November 3 meeting, to give school board members time to compare the two versions of the policy.

At that meeting, which was livestreamed and archived for those who could not attend, Ku explained that the Board of Finance reviewed the policy and adopted the workgroup’s version of the policy with two changes.

“So the Legislative Council will be waiting to see what we come up with this evening,” Ku said. “I would like to try to find something that all of our boards can agree on.”

Before school board members unanimously approved supporting the legal counsel’s version of the policy, they discussed their individual support for both versions.

Member Rebekah Harriman recommended focusing the discussion on the workgroup’s version, with the finance board’s approved changes.

Workgroup member Debbie Leidlein said while working to create their version of the policy, she anticipated it would later go before legal counsel for formal recommendations.

Leidlein said she was grateful for the version submitted to legal counsel along with updated wording that would “avoid any pitfalls.”

“I am totally in support of how legal counsel amended the document and trust wholeheartedly in the advice of the legal counsel,” she added.

Member Deborra Zukowski said she agreed with Leidlein, adding that the “language is very fine.”

“I was very impressed with the legal version, and think it is much crisper, much tighter, and much more understandable,” said Zukowski.

Ku said that she felt there was some “ambiguous language” in the original workgroup version and found the legal counsel’s version was “much more clear.”

Board of Education Vice Chair Dan Delia made a motion to accept the nonlapsing education fund policy as amended by the district’s attorney. After other failed motions, the school board approved an amended version of the legal counsel’s recommended policy.

Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.