Sunday, May 1, 2011

Remember the School District Policy Committee meeting conflict?

While I was making a pdf (why isn't the School District doing that?) of the May 3 Policy Committee meeting agenda for lebocitizens.com, I noticed this:


Policy Committee meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. in Conference Room B, Mt. Lebanon High School, unless otherwise noted.


Remember how I have been asking for volunteers to record the 4:30 meeting since it conflicts with residents' work schedules?  The Policy Committee meetings have been officially changed to 4:30 p.m.  Great.  These meetings are very important.  They represent the reason for the School Board's existence. 
One of the School Board Operating Principles is to 


Establish the parameters under which the district operates by creating policy consistent with law, community expectations and educational excellence to achieve goals represented by the strategic plan.


How can the School Board create policies consistent of community expectations, when the community can't take time off from work to comment?
They advocate transparency and encourage citizen participation, but schedule the most important committee meetings during standard work hours. The Commission just started to broadcast the Discussion sessions (Commissioner DeIuliis was the only commissioner to vote against this) and now, the School District has the Policy meetings scheduled for 4:30 every month.  How about moving them to the High School Library, Folks?  Broadcast those meetings for the community.  You did away with the Audit and Finance Committee meetings, and now you are making it virtually impossible to attend Policy Committee meetings.

Update 3:49 p.m.: PSBA Board Standards & Code

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

And while you are on the topic of transparency, where are the results of the December Harris Survey?
They spent approx. $20,000 in an effort to collect public opinion and 6 months later we've heard nothing?
- Giffen Good

Lebo Citizens said...

Giffen Good,
I asked Dr. Steinhauer at a February meeting, I believe, and was told that they were still analyzing the data. Doesn't sound good, does it?
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Doesn't look good, they're still trying to figure out how they missed the numbers on the renovation by - how many millions?!
- Giffen Good

Anonymous said...

This might be a silly suggestion.
Why not release the survey numbers and let taxpayers come to their own conclusions.
Dick Saunders

john Ewing said...

Check Out these Events:

October 2004 – PG – Cost $50 Mil -$70 Mil for HS

November 2004 – Hoffman confirms PG cost range

December 2004 – Walton – Cost might be $100 Mil

January 2005 – Hoffman asks for Curriculum Specifications (After the cost is stated)

June 11, 2008 – Almanac – DeJong - $100 Mil in 2006

July 3, 2008 - Trib – Cost won’t be $100 Mil (Cappucci)

So cost went down from December 2004 to July 3, 2008

July 10, 2008 - PG – Cost $120 Mil

July 22, 2008 – Public Forum – Cost $131 Mil

July 3, 2008 - July 22, - cost rose $31 Mil (in 19 days)

April 2011 - Referendum Limit $131,000.000
(Posti)

John Ewing