Jordan Board of Education will be spending fewer meeting minutes listening to gripes and kudos from parents and teachers.
In a unanimous vote this week, the board adopted new rules that limit public comments to 45 minutes per meeting -- unless there is a scheduled public hearing -- and slash speaking times from three to two minutes per person.
The changes were made after 500-plus people, upset at a proposal to cut 250 teaching jobs, overwhelmed a February board meeting with nearly four hours of comment. The board suspended its regular business that night.
"We literally do come to a halt if the board can't approve new hires, construction projects, maintenance work and [purchases of] supplies," said Jordan spokeswoman Melinda Colton. "A board meeting is a meeting held in public. It's not a public hearing. ... There might be a misperception."
Luana Moulton, a West Jordan mom with three kids in Jordan schools, said she understands the board's need for order, but hopes everyone gets a chance to chime in on district challenges.
"Parents need to be heard," she said.
Jordan's new guidelines, Colton said, worked "very well" at this week's board meeting.
"It was a little more civil," she said. "Everyone who signed up to speak got to speak."
In addition to the 45-minute comment period, Colton said patrons of the district can contact their board members by phone, e-mail or written letters. Those methods, she said, offer something that meetings often don't - --- a chance for board members to respond.
The new rules:
» Limit public comment to 45 minutes per meeting, unless the comments are given during advertised public hearings.
» Cut the speaking time from three to two minutes per person.
» Prohibit statements regarding the character, professional competence or physical or mental health of an individual.
» State that people who disrupt board meetings through "applause, cheering, jeering or personal outbursts" will be removed by "appropriate legal means."
» Limit attendance to the seating capacity of the room in which the meeting is held. The board will attempt to accommodate overflow seating.
The Jordan Education Foundation has created a new program for donors who want to put money exclusively toward paying teachers' salaries.
The HOT (Help Our Teachers) fund was established after Luana Moulton, a West Jordan parent, wondered if parents could help prevent a potential loss of 250 teachers next year. Moulton hopes other parents, students and business leaders will help her fill the $30 million budget hole.
To learn more » Visit http://jordaneducationfoundation.org.
