Speak your mind ...
By Dawn Keller
Staff writer
dkeller@observer-reporter.com
Fort Cherry School District changed its policy regarding public comment at Monday’s meeting.
Residents can comment about items on the board meeting agenda without putting those thoughts in writing. However, the board wants residents to put comments about items not on the agenda in writing seven days before the meeting.
It’s a change to the existing policy but not to the practice of the board. The board has allowed residents to speak about any issue even though its policy stated that comments must be put in writing seven days before a scheduled meeting.
The board changed the policy Monday after a few meetings discussing how public comments should be handled. It approved updates to two policies – one about public participation and one about conduct of meetings.
Fort Cherry will make meeting agendas available 72 hours before the meeting, both on the district’s Web site at www.fortcherry.org and at district administrative offices.
Asked how residents are supposed to put comments about non-agenda items in writing seven days in advance when they won’t know what’s on the agenda until three days before the meeting, board President Bruce Sharpnack said, “That’s a good question.”
He said the purpose of the seven-day requirement is so the board can be aware of any documentation residents want to provide about a topic. About five days before every board meeting, administrators mail members a packet detailing what is on the agenda, he said.
The updated policy does allow residents who haven’t given written comments to speak about non-agenda items at the end of each meeting with the permission of the presiding officer.
Sharpnack said there will be flexibility for issues that come up unexpectedly.
The policy also calls for questions to go through the chain of command before coming to the board.
Meeting minutes also will be available in the board secretary’s office and posted on the Web site within four business days of approval. The posts on the Web site are subject to the best effort of the staff, according to the policy.
Read the the two Fort Cherry policies at
www.observer-reporter.com/OR/sourcedoc/.
Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://orbehindthedesk.blogspot.com/
Staff writer
dkeller@observer-reporter.com
Fort Cherry School District changed its policy regarding public comment at Monday’s meeting.
Residents can comment about items on the board meeting agenda without putting those thoughts in writing. However, the board wants residents to put comments about items not on the agenda in writing seven days before the meeting.
It’s a change to the existing policy but not to the practice of the board. The board has allowed residents to speak about any issue even though its policy stated that comments must be put in writing seven days before a scheduled meeting.
The board changed the policy Monday after a few meetings discussing how public comments should be handled. It approved updates to two policies – one about public participation and one about conduct of meetings.
Fort Cherry will make meeting agendas available 72 hours before the meeting, both on the district’s Web site at www.fortcherry.org and at district administrative offices.
Asked how residents are supposed to put comments about non-agenda items in writing seven days in advance when they won’t know what’s on the agenda until three days before the meeting, board President Bruce Sharpnack said, “That’s a good question.”
He said the purpose of the seven-day requirement is so the board can be aware of any documentation residents want to provide about a topic. About five days before every board meeting, administrators mail members a packet detailing what is on the agenda, he said.
The updated policy does allow residents who haven’t given written comments to speak about non-agenda items at the end of each meeting with the permission of the presiding officer.
Sharpnack said there will be flexibility for issues that come up unexpectedly.
The policy also calls for questions to go through the chain of command before coming to the board.
Meeting minutes also will be available in the board secretary’s office and posted on the Web site within four business days of approval. The posts on the Web site are subject to the best effort of the staff, according to the policy.
Read the the two Fort Cherry policies at
www.observer-reporter.com/OR/sourcedoc/.
Join the Observer-Reporter’s conversation about education at our blog at http://orbehindthedesk.blogspot.com/
posted by Dawn Keller at
2:32 PM
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