Surrealistic Spending…
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I recieved a call from a friend who went to a Hudson School Board meeting for the first time. He said they were voting on the 55 Million dollar budget. Man I wish I went. He said he sat away from the “citizen” group, all by himself. He said he just sat there and took notes. In a nutshell, he was flabbergasted by what went on. Basically, he said the citizens were denied the right to ask questions dealing with a 55 Million Dollar Budget, by the way, that was passed, after hearing questions from the citizens that the school board refused to answer. He said the budget was rubber stamped 5-0. He said he was not up on “Robert’s Rules“, but it looked like the citizens were taken advantage of. He got to breifly speak with some of the citizens after the meeting in the parking lot. He said he got some of their names. He didn’t tell me any details, but he did say that the whole experience was surrealistic. I’m going to investigate further and will report on it later. How can $55,000,000 dollars get such an easy passage without allowing citizen input? I’ll find out more later when I actually call some of those citizens and get to the bottom of this. 55 Million Rubber Stamped!
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The first question to be answered regarding the School District of Hudson, Board of Education special meeting is what, exactly, is this ‘special meeting?’ Does the meeting have to comply with the Wisconsin Open Meetings law? Does it have to comport with the policies set forth by the school board itself in conducting its own meetings? Does the mere fact that this meeting was held not as a regular monthly meeting, but a meeting to finish the last regular monthly meeting mean that Roberts Rules simply do not apply?
That’s a good start on the procedural side of the issue. Then we can get to the duty and responsibility of a school board when it passes the largest budget in its sordid and polemic history.
As Drudge would say….’developing.’
I have seen the board president responses to questions about conducting the school board meetings.
She state’s that “the school district has a policy governing school board meetings and also has a public participation guide. Unless otherwise provided, the board conducts its business following “Robert’s Rules of Order”. The meeting last night from what I’ve heard followed neither, the Rules of Order or the Participation Guide.
I’m sure when the taping is aired, everyone will get a glimpse of what is really happening in this district. Another note about the president’s actions at the meetings; if the only recourse is to go to the president, then in essence, there are no rules or policies. A person can not have it both ways.
It is inconceivable that a person is supposed to show up at a 90 minute annual meeting and in 20 minutes analyze a $53,000,000 budget comparing numbers from last year, etc.
The annual meeting had no register or sign in. I spoke to someone that was at that meeting and they were talking to someone from Stillwater, MN. How many people in that voice vote did not even reside in the district? How many were under the age of 18? How many were there? What are their names? These questions can and will not ever be able to be answered because the annual meeting has no legal basis. Let’s face it, you have to be 18 years old and reside in the district. If you can’t prove that, why even hold the meeting?
If this is indeed the annual meeting where the yearly budget is approved, the audience is in charge. The first order of business to vote for a chairman (for that night only). The school board is then part of the audience and Roberts Rules of Order establishes the order of the meeting.
All questions are in order and the chairman is usually not the school board chairman.
THIS IS AN OPEN MEETING, no if or buts about it. WI Statutes section 19.85(1)