TV or not TV? The question
facing the E.B. Board of Ed.
Board members hear
from public on benefits
of televising meetings
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — While many have said they support the idea of the Board of Education televising its meetings, the board itself remains undecided on the issue.
Several members of the board and the public urged a vote on the issue at the board’s July 25 meeting, but a majority of the board members present favored a further evaluation of the proposal, and voted to delay a decision until a later meeting.
Board members Patrick Sirr, Charles King and Michael Danatos were in favor of voting to televise the meetings, while board President Michael Baker and members Jodi Doud, Holly Howard and Vicki Becker voted to hold off on the vote.
Members Susan Lamond and Dennis Lai were not present at the meeting.
The board heard from about 15 residents during the public portion who urged members to televise board meetings. Some said they believed that airing meetings on EB-TV would enable more people to be aware of important school board matters, while others claimed school budgets would stand a better chance of being passed in the April elections if the board had added exposure.
Some also asked if board meeting agendas can be made more accessible to the public.
Anthony Riccobono, a former East Brunswick Township councilman who is running for council this fall as a Republican, asked the board to place meeting agendas on EB-TV well in advance of the meetings.
"It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do," he said. "It doesn’t cost you a dime."
"Why should we have to come down here five minutes before it starts for an agenda?" he asked. "EB-TV is there for you."
Baker responded that agendas will be available on the school district’s official Web site, as well as on EB-TV. He also said residents can access them well before meetings because copies are sent to the township clerk and the library, and are also available at the board offices.
Riccobono said that, while he was a councilman, he was opposed to the idea of televising council meetings. He said he felt at the time that residents who had concerns about public speaking would be too intimidated to speak to the council if they were going to be seen on TV.
However, he congratulated Mayor William Neary at the July 22 council meeting, for deciding a few years ago to televise council meetings. Neary, who was a councilman at the time of Riccobono’s opposition to airing meetings, took umbrage with the comment. He said he made a motion at the time to have meetings televised, but could not get a second from Riccobono or any other Republican council member. His tongue-in-cheek remark thanking Riccobono was for his refusal to second the motion.
When he became mayor, Neary authorized all meetings to be on television in order to promote open government.
"The benefits far outweigh the negative aspects of what I thought was going to happen," Riccobono told the school board last week.
Resident Hyam Merson told the board there are numerous residents at the township’s senior center who would like to know what is going on with school issues.
"There’s no reason why you should keep us in the dark," he said.
One reason some seniors vote against school budgets is because they has not been properly explained to them, which is another reason for the board to take to the airwaves, Merson said. He noted that many seniors do not drive at night, making it difficult for them to get to meetings.
Robert Tagliente, another Republican candidate for council, said it would be easier to get people to watch meetings on television than it would be to get them to attend.
Resident Steven Weintraub said it was not just the usual board critics who were calling for the change.
"It’s not just the usual suspects, but everybody who wants these meetings televised," he said, noting that his daily commute to work in New York City makes attending board meetings cumbersome.
"I can’t see any reason … why they shouldn’t be televised," he said.
One member of the public, however, questioned whether the board was being led in the right direction.
David Seiden, a former school board member, said he felt televising board meetings would contribute to making the board political in nature. He also questioned whether there was any evidence to support the claim that televising meetings would help pass school budgets.
Michele Strubeck, another resident, said the meetings should be televised simply so that more people will know what is going on.
"If you want them to vote ‘yes’ [on the budget], you’ve got to educate them," she said.
Board members’ reactions to the statements were mixed, with some members saying that listening to the public’s comments convinced them to at least consider changing their views.
King, however, said he has long sought to have the meetings televised. He said the idea has been criticized by others because they felt it would inspire some "crazies" to speak more at meetings. Regardless, he said, all people have the right to speak to the board. Furthermore, he said the board can use the forum to demonstrate the quality of the school district.
Doud said one of her concerns was with the cost of televising the meetings. Officials estimated that it may cost an initial $25,000 in equipment and other expenses to start televising meetings, and then $300 per month thereafter, primarily for staffing.
She also said she was concerned that district parents who might be discussing sensitive issues regarding their children would be televised.
Howard said she needed more time to think about the issue.
"It would be irresponsible if we make a knee-jerk reaction," she said.
Becker said she feared the camera would become a "10th board member," and that it could influence what board members would say about issues. Regardless, she said she was impressed by the arguments she heard from the public, and would consider them in making her decision.
Baker said he was not yet prepared to vote, as he still had several questions about the issue.
He said he would like to see the Township Council, which earlier last week passed a resolution urging the board to air meetings, help to pay the costs of televising meetings.
"I’d like to set a date where we once and for all make a decision," he said.
That date has been set for Sept. 12.