Following a few meetings that left members of the public unhappy with procedures, Starkville school board officials are meeting tonight for a lesson on how to do things better.
The school board will meet at 6 p.m. in the Greensboro Center Auditorium, a room big enough to hold as many members of the public as want to come. The board”s usual meeting room seats 40 and is strictly enforced.
A school resource officer has been on hand to forbid entrance to the boardroom when capacity has been reached. Extra audience members are left to stand in the hallway, trying to hear proceedings inside the room.
In another recent incident, a member of the audience was escorted off premises by police when she declined to give up the floor after four minutes of prepared comments. She had about one more minute of remarks to make.
She had not been given a time limit when she was placed on the agenda, but then-board president Pickett Wilson said she exceeded the standard three-minute limit the board imposes.
These and other recent incidents have left many dissatisfied with their voice in the public school district. In response, Board President Keith Coble asked Mike Waldrop, executive director of the Mississippi School Boards Association, to make a presentation on school board governance and the superintendent search.
The board is trying to establish the protocol by which they will replace former superintendent Judy Couey, who they led to resign in April.
After the presentations, the board will discuss whether to use the school board association”s full or abbreviated superintendent search services. There is no place on the agenda for public input.
Columbus schools also is searching for a new superintendent. The school board tapped Ray and Associates, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the job, at a cost of about $15,000.
The Mississippi School Boards Association asked Columbus schools for a total of $9,500 for their services.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.