3 Minute Rule
BUSD’s Parent Involvement Policy – The Year in Review
At the beginning of the year, our board made no recommendations to improve upon the district’s four year old parent involvement policy. A policy that hasn’t been updated since Dr. Kayrell joined the district. Determined the policy didn’t need any improvement, the board authorized it as a valid current policy.
When I realized the administration was still reluctant to build a true collaborative approach with parents, I filed a complaint. I argued in my complaint that I wasn’t seeing the district make any effort to annually review and modify, with parents, a plan to increase parent involvement. The district provided me a stack of documentation which, they believed, proved they were doing everything they needed to be in compliance with the law and BUSD policy.
It’s a shame that our administration regularly chooses “doing enough to be in compliance” as their base standard. I hope we are all trying to teach our kids to reach for a higher standard than “Just enough to pass.”
There were a couple reasons for me to be optimistic this year. Last year, the board listened to requests from parents and teachers to add technology to every classroom for every student, not just one classroom per school. Then they directed the administration, over the objections of the cabinet and the board president, to put a smart board in each classroom. I know we are not supposed to call them smart boards but when people say to me “what’s a Promethian board?” I say a “smart board” and they all get it.
I was also hopeful when I saw the board provide a parent, Cheryl Burge, enough time to express her concerns at a board meeting. She was able to affect the discussion and the ultimate outcome of district policy at recent board meetings.
Both of these events were the result of parents and teachers coming forward in an unfamiliar, and often nerve-racking environment. It is already hard enough to present a coherent point in less than five minutes. At three minutes, less parents and teachers will even try.
Now, after all they have done to show us they want to increase parent involvement, they voted this week to limit the only way parents, and other community members have left to be heard about issues important to our families. After adding threatening statements about charges of libel to the public speaking instructions something they read to you right before you address the board, they are now allowing 40% less time to speak.
Not one board member in favor of limiting our access provided a good reason for this action. No one argued that the board meetings were running too long because of too many public speakers; because they aren’t. No one complained that people were getting up and rambling for five minutes; because no one is.
Instead, we heard the California School Board Associations recommended the shorter time limit. And we heard Margaret De Longchamp argue it was justified because other public groups used a three minute rule. The board vice president, Wayne Hackney, believes that the shorter time limit is justified because the President, at her discretion can permit some speakers to go beyond the three minutes. And this week our board president, Susie Lara, polled the surrounding communities and determined 21 out of 26 public governing bodies allow three minutes.
In my opinion, these three board members are embarrassing themselves. They are going to reduce the community’s access to the process because “others school districts honor the three minute limit” or because we may be allowed more time to speak at the blessing of the president. Board member Mark Orozco pointed out, Beaumont isn’t a large enough district that the public speakers need more limits on their time. And Janelle Poulter argued that providing more public input is what makes Beaumont special.
I wonder, if other school board’s were to jump off a cliff would ours jump too? Oh wait, I thought I was talking about my five-year-old. I better watch myself; l might be accused of libel or slander… at least, before every public speaking session, that’s what my school board threatens me with.
In 2011 BUSD has taken a step forward and two steps back from increasing parent involvement.
Ohio School Boards Association (“O.S.B.A.”)
http://www.aclu-nj.org/downloads/031407partlycloud.pdf
http://www.sog.unc.edu/sites/www.sog.unc.edu/files/bellstep.pdf
Sparta school board to vote on 3-minute cap for speakers during public meetings
Published: Sunday, August 15, 2010, 6:30 AM
By Joe Moszczynski/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger
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Google MapsThe Sparta Board of Education is considering limiting the time it allows members of the public to speak at meetings.
SPARTA — The Sparta school board is expected to vote later this month on a measure that would cap the amount of time a resident could speak out during public meetings.
The proposed bylaw, introduced by a 8-0-1 vote last month, is designed to reduce the length of public meetings, give more people a chance to be heard and limit the amount of time persistent complainers can talk at meetings, said board President Jennifer Dericks.
“It was the same two, three or four people making the same comments … they’re often rude, obnoxious and sometimes they were swearing at us,” said Dericks.
Former board member Paul Johnson, an outspoken critic of the current board, opposes the new limitations.
“People are upset and people want to know more. This is not the right thing to do,” he said.
During his 12-year tenure, Johnson said the board held two meetings per month, including a work session where no official action was taken. Information was available well in advance of the monthly public meeting, he said.
Johnson acknowledged that some speakers, including himself, sometimes repeat the same questions but claimed the repetition was justified.
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“We don’t get an answer the first time or sometimes the answer is very vague,” he said. “The board has done a disservice to the public.”
The new measure would establish two public comment periods:
• A 30-minute session at the start of a meeting that would be limited to remarks about topics on that meeting’s agenda;
• And a second 30-minute portion at the end of the meeting that would allow residents to speak about any school board business.
Under the measure, the board could extend either 30-minute session at its discretion and a three-minute cap would be placed on each speaker.
In Vernon, Sussex County’s largest school district, there is no time limit per speaker while Hopatcong, the county’s third largest district, imposes a five-minute restriction.
Both Vernon and Hopatcong give the presiding officer specific powers on handling speakers.
According to both towns’ policies, “The presiding officer may interrupt, warn or terminate a participant’s statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene or irrelevant; (and) request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum.”
Under state law, schools boards are required to have public comment portions during their meetings but limitations are “very common,” said Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association.
“It would be difficult to say that such rules are something new … we don’t recommend that boards use a certain number of minutes per speaker, etc. That’s a decision that should be made locally,” he said.
School boards face a difficult “balancing act” when determining how long residents should be allowed to speak, said Yaple.
“Boards have an obligation to allow the public to speak, but they also need to run an effective meeting that allots time for all citizens who want to speak,” he said.
Dericks said the biggest detractors in Sparta were generally ex-school board members or former employees of the school district, which is the second largest in the county with about 3,900 students.
Despite staff layoffs and drastic program reductions in Sparta due to a reduction in state aid, Dericks said one of the most common complaints was about the contents of the school district’s website.
“I really don’t care much about what’s on our website,” she said.
A public hearing on whether to adopt the measure in Sparta is scheduled to be held Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Mohawk Avenue School.
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