A long time ago in...well...right here in Sunny Prairie, Chris Mertes and the STAR endorsed Jim McCourt for school board because..Jim McCourt’s background as a small business owner ...and his statements about bringing decorum back to the board...will be welcome at the board table.
---Sun Prairie STAR editorial 3-24-07
We're not certain which dictionary Editor Mertes uses, but our scan of a number of dictionaries indicates that that hallowed term, "decorum", means
........propriety (The quality of being proper; appropriateness), esp in behaviour or conduct
In most social circles, "appropriate behavior" would mean checking with a committee to ensure that a date works for them before announcing it, right?
But that didn't happen.
We learned this week that mass distribution e-mails were sent out to the "Parent Leadership Council" and then to all district staff, informing them that the school board's "Finance Committee had a scheduled a public hearing on the 2010-11 budget for Thursday May 20, 2010 at the Performing Arts Center in the new high school.
Sadly, they forgot to inform the members of the Finance Commitee. Well...except chair Jim McCourt. He knew.
In fact, when asked to explain the "slight", McCourt said,
" We discussed having it the same date as the parent group meeting and we also discussed having at the PAC at the new high school. When I was given that information I told Phil to run with it. "
Yes, the committee discussed "involving" the parent groups (PLC)--as well as other citizen groups. And the committe discussed holding ONE (of several) meetings at the PAC.
But the committee did not set a date.And proper etiquette is to check with those that will be involved with a meeting FIRST to ensure that they can make a particular date/time.
The big question is: if members of the PLC and district staff had not shared these e-mails with SP-EYE...would Finance Committee members (other than McCourt, and perhaps other board members Shimek and Diedrich) have ever know about the budget hearing? One would assume that MAYBE committee members would have been told at this Monday's regular Finance Committee meeting. But they should have been asked.
What we find interesting
- The meeting did not appear on BoardDocs until evening on Wednesday May 5...and still only says, "Finance Committee", with no reference to it being a public hearing on the budget.
- Mass e-mails were sent to the "Parent Leadership Council (PLC)" and all district staff, but no such e-mail was sent to the district "Key Communicators" list.
- No notice was posted in the STAR
- No notice was posted on the school district website (at least as of this morning)
- Recall that Mr. McCourt is also the chair--at least as of now--of the Community Engagement Committee. Is this really engaging the community?
- How interesting the line used in both district e-mails, " If the levy doesn't pass at the annual meeting in October, what does that mean for our schools and our students?" Is this a hearing about the budget, or advance planning to ensure whatever levy the district wants gets passed? Because those are two very separate and distinct issues.
- Why do the e-mails state that "the Finance Committee" scheduled the meeting, when it was McCourt and Phil Frei that scheduled the meeting.
So...is the idea to engage ALL of the public?
Or is it to rally certain troops to attend the annual meeting in force with the intent of never again allowing the community to do what they did last fall (vote to reduce the tax levy by $2M)
The question needs to be asked.
And it seems as if battle lines are being drawn....
Stay tuned.
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