Penn Hills board takes hours to arrive at vote on comment limits

[HopefulInPh]

By Tony LaRussa
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 9, 2010


The Penn Hills school board and residents on Tuesday consumed a sizable chunk of a more than four-hour meeting before the board voted against a measure aimed at reducing the length of meetings by placing greater limits on public comment.

The proposal from interim Superintendent Stephen Vak would have eliminated the practice of allowing residents to speak on agenda items after board members have commented on them, but before a vote has been cast.

Vak has said the change would have brought Penn Hills into line with other districts' policies.

The change, which would have limited public comment to four minutes at the beginning of meetings, was defeated by a 7-2 margin, with Margie Krogh and President Joseph Bailey casting the dissenting votes.

Several board members questioned the wisdom of requiring the public to come up with questions before matters have been brought up for consideration.

"The public's voice and comments could give me additional information and thoughts that might influence my decision," said board member Donald Kuhn Jr., who read from a prepared statement. "I need to hear that information in public, when the subject is on the floor. Not privately or after the vote is taken."
Kuhn questioned language in the proposal stating that the current practice "has been determined to cause unnecessary delay and hinder the board of school directors' ability to carry on its regular business."

"Since when is accountability to the public a hindrance? Public input is not a hindrance," he said. "I am not voting to stifle and suppress public comment."

Board member Robert Hudak questioned the fairness of limiting individual comment to a single, four-minute period when so much business is handled at board meetings.


"Some school districts have maybe a three page agenda," Hudak said. "For some unknown reason, the Penn Hills School District has anywhere from three- to 15-page agendas."

Kuhn noted that Tuesday's agenda contained 40 measures for board action and votes to spend more than $3.6 million.

Krogh said the policy was suggested because a lot of the comments at public meetings are repetitive.

"We love hearing from the public," she said. "But sometimes we hear the same thing over and over again from the same few people."

Krogh suggested that the board limit public comment at its regular business meetings and consider holding town-hall style meetings to give residents more input on important issues.

Resident Heather Hoolahan, a former school board member who frequently comments or seeks clarification on board action, said she believed the board would benefit by leaving the policy alone.

"We have the appearance that we are not hiding anything," she said.