The item was on the agenda for the beginning of the meeting. Board Chair Teresa Holmes blew right past it and never mentioned it that night.
The Minutes of the December 14, 2021 board meeting were presented to the board for approval at the January 11, 2022 board meeting. The Minutes included the ESSER 3 Public Input Session. That Session had never been held. How could it be in the Minutes?
I believe it was Trustee Lindsay Agostini who tried to amend the Minutes in January, because the Public Input Session had not been held. Her motion to amend was defeated.
Trustee Agostini raised the question at last night's board meeting about why the Public Input Session had not been held.
Media head Libby Roof answered for the District and said no one had signed up to speak that night.
Well, THAT is a No Pass.
The Public Input Session was had been scheduled. Obviously, it was required, or it never would have been on the agenda. The Chair should have called the agenda item and announced that the Public Input Session was open.
The Chair should have announced that no one had signed up ahead of time, and she should have asked if anyone wished to speak. The proper wording would have been: "The public input session is now open. Does anyone wish to speak? (Pause) Does anyone wish to speak? (Pause) Does anyone wish to speak? (Pause). In the absense of any member of the public wishing to speak, the public input session is now closed. The next item of business is ___."
This is a very basic parliamentary procedure.
How was anyone even to know that the public input session was to be held and what input was being solicited? Perhaps I missed the District's information and announcement.
Even if no one signed up ahead of time, the session should have been called and then, after no one wished to speak, closed.
Public bodies should not sweep away required public input sessions.
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