I dunno about you but I am tired, at School Board meetings, in asking my Elected Representatives questions about the operation and Policies of the District. As long time readers know, it’s now personal – I’m fully invested as the Grandson is now in Kindergarten. And we, TMEW and I, are responsible for raising him to be a responsible citizen. As you all well know, it is hard to make educated decisions when your Elected Representatives refuse to answer such questions posed to them.
And it happens not just in my town but in almost every town in NH as well. Indeed, all over the nation.
So, here’s a model Warrant article that you can use. Just remember that the due date for getting signatures and getting them into the District to get on the ballot (mine is January 11, 2022):
PETITION FOR SCHOOL WARRANT ARTICLE
To the Town of <INSERT NAME HERE> School Board and School Administrative Unit <INSERT SAU # HERE> –
We, the undersigned duly registered voters in the Town of <INSERT NAME HERE>, New Hampshire, hereby petition and apply for the insertion of the following petition warrant article in the School District Election scheduled for __________________, 2022:
“Shall we adopt the following provisions to be applicable to the Town of Gilford School Board and School Administrative Unit 73, effective immediately upon passage by a majority of the votes cast in the election:
During any public meeting held by the school board there shall be, on the agenda for each such meeting, a designated time period for interactive questions from the public and answers from the board, with sufficient time allotted to hear comments, questions, and complaints from members of the public. The public must be able to sign up to speak at the meeting, or otherwise be given time to speak during the meeting, where they may comment or ask questions. And during any public meeting held by a school board or the school administrative unit, elected members of the school board, and any other school administrators present, shall respond publicly and substantively, at such meeting and without obfuscation or delay, with as much detail as known at the time, to comments, questions, and complaints from any members of the public assembled at such a meeting.”
When Elected Representatives make themselves, on purpose, unavailable to the people, they have become tyrannical (and in almost every case, aloof and condescending). When this happens, it is time to remind them that they represent us in Governance – not Ruling us as Subjects.
Let me know if you actually decide to get this put on your ballot (SB2 towns) or into your Town Meeting (“traditional” towns).
(H/T: to Norm for “legal wording” assistance)