Sunday, September 26, 2021

How long should a school board meeting be?

Remember when school board meetings were 90 minutes long? Sometimes less?

And now?

What's that old maxim? Work expands to fill the time allotted.

This is certainly true in Richland 2 School District.

"The Three", as Agostini, Scott (Elkins) and McFadden will be known here, have learned that they can exercise important control over The Four (and the superintendent).

All they have to do is walk out, and there is no quorum. Meeting over!

The Three are professionals, and they won't walk out unless it's important.

And if Holmes and the superintendent continue to pack board meeting agendas with everything except the kitchen sink, they should walk out at the 90-minute mark. After all, they will have been there 2-2½ hours at that point, when you add in the time for the executive session.

IF all board members read and studied their packets before the meeting and

IF all board members prepared their questions about items on the agenda, and

IF the board chair conducted the meeting with efficiency and courtesy,

the board would fly through these meetings.

You've probably heard that "if" is the biggest word in the English language.

The Three should make it clear to Holmes that they are no longer going to tolerate 2-2½-3 hour meetings after the executive session.

Get Holmes some training in how to conduct a meeting. That training should include clarification that she is never again to say, "I AM the point-of-order at this time."