Monday, September 19, 2011

Boston School Committee tonight

The Boston School Committee meets tonight for several items of enormous controversy (and apologies for the lack of links; I wouldn't know any of this were I not on list-servs. Globe? Herald? Where are you guys?). At a meeting where the time was changed at the last minute (or beyond it? Is that a time change that's kosher under the Open Meeting law?), the Boston School Committee will take up the District-Charter School Compact (see Jim Horn on this, as well as for a posting of the agenda). Citizens for Public Schools has a pertinent question:
This looks like a one-sided agreement benefitting charter schools at the expense of the district students. The public needs to know what financial arrangements have been made in order for these changes to take place. The Gates Foundation has given grants to other school systems in exchange for similar compacts. Is this the case in Boston? How much money has been promised? And for what purposes? Where is the public oversight and accountability?
(Does Boston approve all grants publicly? The agenda implies they do. Watch this one.)
They also are taking up their new rules to forward, it is said, "civility" in their meetings. It includes the following provision:
No demonstration of approval or disapproval from members of the public will be permitted in the chamber or meeting space (including signs, Banners, prolonged Booing, props etc.). And if such demonstrations are made the meeting will be stopped.
Recall that Boston does not have an elected School Committee. If the members of the public do not like the actions of the School Committee, they have no power to vote members off.
So now they're restricted from demonstrating "approval or disapproval"? And we're still calling this a public meeting?

No comments: