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Show Alpine meeting schedule clarified session." It's a policy Dr. Heaps says will eliminate "last minute input and politicking, but it does allow the board to function as an elected board, representing all patrons." Instead, the statement says, the lime for virtually unlimited public The President of the Alpine Board of Education has issued a statement clarifying the purpose of the district's two monthly meetings. The clarification comes in the wake of several attempts made by individuals in-dividuals to speak out at the board's first monthly meeting, a meeting board President Richard Heaps says is "to be devoted to decision making and business." The board initiated a second monthly meeting last year, "devoted to information gathering and public input," in the wake of increased public interest in the board's activities. "No elected board should make decisions in a vacuum, especially decisions which affect public monies and public welfare," Dr. Heaps says in the statement. But he goes on to clarify that the district first monthly meeting, scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month, "would be for the major purpose of making specific decisions and to formulate district policy. "All of the major decision items treated in this meeting will have received public input during previous sessions," Dr. Heaps says. "In order to streamline decision making, public input at this first meeting is restricted to a brief 'public opportunity to address the board' at the beginning of the input is the second meeting held on the fourth Tuesday, where the board "devotes almost the entire meeting to an open agenda, where patrons may air any concern of topic of interest." That is when patrons should take up issues that will be decided upon at the upcoming business meeting, Dr. Heaps says. "This second meeting, in fact, is being held as a preparation for the . business session," he says. The meeting has nor formal agenda and patrons don't need to sign up before the meeting to address the board, as they do at the business meeting. Heaps says he realizes that some people still want to get a word in at the business session before a decision is made, but that the board feels the current procedure will help it operate most effectively. "The final decision-making powers rest with the board and therecomes a time when decisions must be made," he said. "There will never be a time when all patrons will be happy with a public decision or when all citizens will feel that their input has been employed to the fullest extent." Further information concerning board meeting dates or specific agenda items may be obtained from district information specialist Michael Robinson at 756-9671. |