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After more than an hour of debate, Warsaw School Board members agreed Monday to fine tune the rules for public comment at the board's work sessions on the proposed building program.
Advocacy groups, such as Save Our School in Silver Lake or the groups supporting the building of a new auditorium or football stadium, that make presentations will be allowed to speak for 10 minutes each. Four advocacy groups will be heard at each public work session, and each group will be able to speak to the board a second time, after all groups have been heard once.
Originally, advocacy groups were not limited on the number of presentations they could make.
The issue was raised Monday by board member Brad Brail, who proposed restricting advocacy groups to one presentation each. He also suggested requests be denied from groups that are not in Warsaw Community Schools' district, and that WCS departments and department heads not be approved as advocacy groups. On the latter suggestion, Brail said he thought allowing WCS employees to make presentations could raise questions about the impartiality of board members.
However, the majority of board members disagreed with Brail, and that suggestion was not adopted. Most board members said they believe those staff members should be at the meetings.
"That's what they're there for, to really push for that department," said Craig Allebach, school board president.
The most disagreement between board members occurred during the discussion of the number of times each advocacy group could make a presentation.
Brail said if advocacy groups were cut off, group members still could speak during the individual comment portion of the work session.
He also said, "There's a point in this process where the board is ultimately going to have to make some decisions."
Cathy Folk, board member, agreed: "At some point we're going to have to draw some lines in the sand." She suggested establishing a time line for the discussion.
Roy Szymanski, the board member who represents the Silver Lake area, disagreed.
"We gotta let everybody speak," he said. "You can't tell the public, 'No, we're not gonna listen to you because we've heard enough.' That's just wrong. That's wrong."
Board member James Folk said he wanted to set a rule that if an advocacy group made a second presentation, they should have something new to say.
"I don't want to see crying and tears," he said.
The four groups that will make presentations at the Dec. 10 work session already are scheduled: advocacy groups on soccer, technology and the football stadium, and Save Our School. Those presentations will not change. Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman will notify SOS, who made a presentation at the previous meeting, that if they choose to go ahead with their second presentation, it also will be their last.
Brail's suggestion on non-local advocacy groups also was not adopted.
"If it's pertinent to that group, I think they should be allowed one outside presentation," Szymanski said. "I just want to keep the process as wide open as possible."
The board did agree that the outside group would use the advocacy group's time and that the outside group must be sponsored by a local group.
Any group that wants to address the board at a work session must submit an outline to Harman, who will put them on the agenda.
In other business, the board:
• Heard a report from Eisenhower Elementary principal Chris Gensinger and teacher Henry Zehr on using the accelerated reading program to help students and teachers find books appropriate to the student's reading level. Each book in the program has a quiz the student may take after reading the book. Each successfully completed quiz helps the child reach a preset goal for his or her reading level.
• Heard from Harman enrollment in WCS is 6,363 students, approximately 37 more than last year at this time.
• Approved a 4-4.5 percent raise for hourly non-licensed personnel, such as clerical, transportation, maintenance, food service and custodial employees.
• Approved the appointment of Tim Minear to the Winona Lake Park Board.
• Approved WCS' participation in the Indiana Bond Bank for 2002. Business manager Rande Thorpe said the way money is received from the state does not match how it must be spent. The corporation borrows money from the bond bank to cover operating expenses for the year. Brail voted against the motion.
• Accepted the resignations of Sue Neat, assistant principal at Warsaw Community High School, and Robert Harris, Lincoln Elementary principal.
School board members are: Craig Allebach, president, Brad Brail, Larry Chamberlain, Cathy Folk, James Folk, Charles Sauders and Roy Szymanski. They meet at 7 p.m. in the administration building on the third Monday of each month.
