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Board Debates Public's Role

Board Debates Public's Role image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
October
Year
1972
Copyright
Copyright Protected
Rights Held By
Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Following a lengthy discussion about a ' proposal to limit the public speaking time at Ann Arbor Board of Education meetings, the board set up a four-man committee to develop a second compromise resolution. The board discussed one compromise resolution submitted by Trustee Cecil Warner to limit the public speaking time to 45 minutes during the "Questions, Comments and Petition" portion the beginning of the regular meeting agenda, the last 15 minutes of the meeting and at special briefing sessions devoted to certain topics. Warner submitted his first proposal Sept. 20 and it was discussed by the Board. Compromises Warner o f f e re d last night included exceptions to the general rule that the public would not particípate in regular briefing meetings. Now the public may respond to each item on the briefing agenda. The exceptions include: - Allowing the public to speak to the board at the beginning of the briefing meeting if no regular meeting is held during the evening. ' -■CitízenTÍ'paOTcipating on a Board of Education committee may speak to the board during a briefing meeting when the subject of their committee's charge is on the agenda. - The board may cali for comments from a member of the audience during a briefing session if it is feit the person, because of expertise, may have information pertinent to the subject. Trustee Henry Johnson expressed concern the last exception would "open a can of worms." He questioned tha difficulty of the board determining who in the audience has the expertise to speak to a certain agenda item. Another compromise included in Warner's new proposal was a change in when persons could notify the secretary of the board that they wanted to speak at the regular business meeting. Previously Warner had suggested citizens interested in speaking should contact the secretary by noon of the day of the meeting. Persons who did not make prior arrangements to speak could speak during the last 15 minute of the meeting. Warner's change would require sons wishing to speak to the board to cali or write to the secretary by noon of the day of the meeting if the meeting agenda for a Wednesday session is distributed on Monday and by 5 p.m. Tuesday if the agenda is distributed on Friday. The rationale for limiting speaking time, as presented two weeks ago and last night, was that many times the board has found itself making deeisions late in the evening or early in the morning because the public discussion was not limited. Warner said last night sometimes the 15th or 16th person responding to an item would repeat what the first citizen speaker said. During the discussion Warner said perhaps speaking time could be limited to 30 minutes during the regular meeting and 30 to 45 minutes at the briefing session. Trustee Robert Conn said he has asked the administration to compile a complaint directory where persons can find whom to cali in the administration when they have complaints and thus relieve ithe board of some complaints. ■ Warner countered with a statement that the board did have such a system until it abolished the record-a-comment program last fall. The committee members to study Warner's recommendation are Warner, Larry Stewart, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, Trustee Charles Good and Supt. R. Bruce McPherson. The League of Women Voters of Ann Arbor and the Human Rights Party (HRP) both expressed concern over the proposed changes to limit public participation time. Elizabeth Kummer, 2222 Fuller Rd., second vice president for the LWV, said the board should enforce the presently established length of speaking times. She added if packets and agendas were available to board members and the public the Friday preceding the meeting, persons might have more time to prepare and it would take less time at the meeting having items explained. Mrs. Kummer said some matters which are brought to the board meetings could be handled at another level.