The Bentonville School Board has some pressing issues to address in the next few months, not to mention some bridges to rebuild with patrons who say their voices haven’t been heard. So board members should take great care when reviewing the board’s policies regarding public comment sessions during regularboard meetings.
At a School Board retreat Oct. 26, board members batted around the idea of “reviewing” their policies in eff ect when residents ask to address them during public meetings.
Currently, members of the public are asked to sign up to make comments and arelimited to three minutes. Tony Prothro, an assistant executive director of the Arkansas School Boards Association who facilitated the retreat, suggested the board might want to consider tightening up those rules.
“You really put your district in trouble with a full open mic,” Prothro said.
But we’d suggest a diff erent take: “You really put your district in trouble when you create the perception you’re not listening.”
Bentonville knows a thing or two about that.
Among the options suggested as topics for review were asking patrons to fill out a form before they speak, including the subject matter of what they want to discuss. The board could also limit public comment to items scheduled to come up on that meeting’s agenda.
And, of course, Prothro reminded them the board isn’t required to have a public comment section.
To their credit, no Bentonville board member even remotely suggested taking things that far.
But a couple did show some interest in having commenters fill out a form and announce what they want to discuss.
Grant Lightle, a newly elected member of the board, struck a more populist tone, saying he’d have a problem with anything that might restrict what patrons can say.
With that, we agree, especially in Bentonville’s situation. The district is struggling with what to do about a massive overcrowding problem, particularly at its high school. Twice voters have rejected millage increases that would have built a second high school in the district, but according to surveys, most patron want two smaller high schools rather than one massive one. The community showed staunch opposition to a plan floated by the administration last year to build a ninth-grade center instead of a full high school. Many of the people who spoke out said they didn’t think the administration or the board were listening to them.
To establish trust and begin building consensus to go forward, the district can’t afford to do anything that might be interpreted as restricting the public’s ability to address the school board.
So, by all means review the policies. But take great care before instituting changes that make it harder for Bentonville residents to tell you what they think.
CASUALTIES OF WAR
To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Northwest Arkansas Times is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Riley G.
Stephens, 39, of Tolar, Texas, died Sept. 28 in Wardak, Afghanistan, of wounds suff ered from enemy small-arms fire. Stephens wasassigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 11/03/2012