Break the board's silence

Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/12/06

The Lakewood Board of Education's refusal to allow public comment at some of its meetings has prompted state Sen. Robert W. Singer, R-Ocean, to start drafting legislation to require school boards to allow comment at all their meetings. It's the appropriate response to the board's sorry record of barring public comment at anything but its regularly scheduled meetings.

That this legislation is needed at all is regrettable. And it should be a major source of embarrassment for Lakewood school board members, who are elected to serve the public. Listening to concerns from the public and responding to their questions are part of the job, whenever they meet.

The distinction board president Chet Galdo has drawn between the regular monthly meetings and emergency meetings doesn't hold water. A meeting is a meeting, whatever adjective board members apply to it. The vital subject matter under consideration at some special meetings is even more reason to allow public comment.

As it is, the board does not engage the public at regular meetings but merely refers their concerns to the appropriate administrator for action at some later time. This thwarts open public discussion of board issues.

Township Committeeman Charles Cunliffe has asked Singer, also a township committeeman, to add to his legislation a requirement that a school board's Web site post meeting agendas at least 48 hours before the meetings and post minutes from previous meetings. It's a great idea. The Township Committee does it; the school board should use its online capabilities, too. The board members shouldn't wait for a state law to tell them how to conduct meetings and encourage public input.

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CPMA Comment:

This should be a lesson to our board about editing video and limiting public comment.