Controversial appointment of former board member encounters little comment at session.
By: Jill Matthews
MONTGOMERY Two weeks after the Board of Education’s appointment of a former board member to an open position caused a stir in the township, only one person expressed an opinion on the matter to the board at its meeting Tuesday.
Fairview Road resident Maria Kauzmann said she found it "unfortunate" that board member Douglas Kling stepped down from his position so soon after the April election, and told the board its problem with communication was not disseminating information but, rather, receiving input from the public.
Board President Linda Romano told her that the board could not have forced Mr. Kling to resign earlier and that he had originally intended to step down in the fall.
And while only one person expressed an opinion on the board appointment on Tuesday, no members of the public were present for the interviews of the candidates on July 6 either.
"It is frustrating sometimes that people didn’t come out and express a strong interest and then kind of throw darts after the fact," said board member Richard Specht, who is chairing a new community relations committee the board is starting up.
Ms. Romano said that only a small group of residents are loudly voicing dissatisfaction with the board but hoped the formation of a community relations committee would help bridge the gap between the public and the board.
"I think the biggest problem we have is that people don’t understand how the school board works," she said.
Reginald Luke, board vice president, said the number of people who come out to express an opinion is not as important as what the people who do come out have to say. And, he said, people probably do not turn out because there is an implicit trust that the community has for its institutions.
But some who have expressed disappointment with the board’s communication skills cited different reasons for the poor turnout.
Robert Szigeti, who ran for a board position in April, attributed poor turnout to the public’s disgust with the board and the fact that many people are away in the summer. But, he said, more people should turn out to the meetings.
High school PTA President Susan Eatwell, speaking for herself and not the PTA, echoed Mr. Szigeti’s thoughts and said that the public will show its feelings in the next school board election. Until then, she said, everyone needs to move on.
The board is seeking volunteers for the community relations committee that will work to identify ways to open communication between the board and the public.
The committee will begin work in September and interested residents should submit a statement of interest to Assistant to the Superintendent Anne Marie Weber at [email protected]. Applicants are asked to include contact information, prior experience that may contribute to the committee’s work, the reasons they wish to participate on this committee and areas they would like the committee to examine.