I searched the 131 website to find the board calendar that lists the board meeting dates for the year. It also has notations on dates that will change due to holidays.
*Jan 1st meeting will be changed till the 3rd, 2007.
I have been unable to access the board minutes, to read if there were comments of meeting dates notated. I attempted to notify someone of this problem and to get dates of other meetings not posted on the 131 website. See emails below.
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Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2006 8:54 PM
To: jroberts@d131.org Cc: cmuhammad@d131.org
Subject: Open door meetings
Hello!
I am writing you for info and realize I will probably not receive an answer till after school has resumed, and that is OK.
I have tried to access calendars and bits.....on the 131 website and I am not "authorized." I was trying to find a list of the open door meetings. I had it, but must have deleted it.
Please remind me, again.
Thanks,
~Rayanne
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Subj:RE: Open door meetings
Date:1/3/2007 10:22:30 AM Central Standard Time
From:jroberts@d131.org
Hi there
Happy New Year to you too! I have no explanation as to why this occurred. I will forward your email on to technology to see if they do. Thanks for letting me know.
Peace
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I and six other community members were not aware of the cancellation of tonight's board meeting. We were waiting at the front door of the service center. No notice was posted on the door and the door was locked. I called one of the board members home and was told it was decided at the last meeting, to not have a meeting this week.
I came home and checked the website again. I was able to access the "board bits" and minutes but found NO minutes for the last meeting that would have had the info about the cancellation.
This is so frustrating. How can we be involved, how can others become involved when the district is not "public friendly."
What use is a few "open door" meetings when everything is closed to the public. If not closed, they sure are not putting out any welcome mats.
I would describe this district as "communication challenged."
I am unsure if they don't want to communicate, don't know how, or just don't care to keep the community informed.
Aaaarrrggghhh!
11 comments:
My question to you, Veteran Tomcat, is if the school board meetings are at 7pm then why is your post stating 6:01pm? Did you get there to early, and this might be why no school board members weren't there?
Yes, the time on these postings is off. Maybe they don't have the right time zone checked.
This is from the Illinois General Assembly Public Act 094-1058 from 7/06.
(3) a summary of discussion on all matters proposed,
deliberated, or decided, and a record of any votes taken.
(b) The minutes of meetings open to the public shall be
available for public inspection within 7 days of the approval
of such minutes by the public body. Beginning July 1, 2006, at
the time it complies with the other requirements of this
subsection, a public body that has a website that the full-time
staff of the public body maintains shall post the minutes of a
regular meeting of its governing body open to the public on the
public body's website within 7 days of the approval of the
minutes by the public body. Beginning July 1, 2006, any minutes
of meetings open to the public posted on the public body's
website shall remain posted on the website for at least 60 days
after their initial posting.
(c) The verbatim record may be destroyed without
notification to or the approval of a records commission or the
State Archivist under the Local Records Act or the State
Records Act no less than 18 months after the completion of the
meeting recorded but only after:
(1) the public body approves the destruction of a
particular recording; and
(2) the public body approves minutes of the closed
meeting that meet the written minutes requirements of
subsection (a) of this Section.
(d) Each public body shall periodically, but no less than
semi-annually, meet to review minutes of all closed meetings.
At such meetings a determination shall be made, and reported in
an open session that (1) the need for confidentiality still
exists as to all or part of those minutes or (2) that the
minutes or portions thereof no longer require confidential
treatment and are available for public inspection. The failure
of a public body to strictly comply with the semi-annual review
of closed session written minutes, whether before or after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General
Assembly, shall not cause the written minutes or related
verbatim record to become public or available for inspection in
any judicial proceeding, other than a proceeding involving an
alleged violation of this Act, if the public body, within 60
days of discovering its failure to strictly comply with the
technical requirements of this subsection, reviews the closed
session minutes and determines and thereafter reports in open
session that either (1) the need for confidentiality still
exists as to all or part of the minutes or verbatim record, or
(2) that the minutes or recordings or portions thereof no
longer require confidential treatment and are available for
public inspection.
Thanks 6:12 am for the heads up.
I searched all through the settings on this blog for a way to change the time on the posts. I think I found it and I think I have changed it. I will see with the next post. I appreciate your being so observant.
I actually posted the "misinformed" at 8:01 pm.
No, Veteran Tomcat, you weren't misinformed.
You were UNinformed.
And also disrespected.
As you know, I work for several large churches. Although they are different denominations, one thing they all have in common is the way they bend over backwards to keep their members INFORMED about meetings & important decisions. After all, parishioners who feel respected and valued are more likely to contribute to the collection basket!
I would say that the School Board owes you (and others who wanted to attend last night's "meeting") an apology, but I'd be VERY surprised to hear this board apologize. And you can be sure that hundreds of taxpayers will be discussing this district's woes over coffee & donuts in east-side church fellowship halls!
AMEN, Church musician!
you said it quite well, if I do say so.
I looked on the Board of Ed Calendar on the website and this is what it said.
Aurora East Public Schools, District 131
630/299-5550
CALENDAR OF REGULAR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS
2006-2007
July 3, 2006
July 17, 2006
August 7, 2006
August 21, 2006
*September 5, 2006
September 18, 2006
October 2, 2006
October 16, 2006
November 6, 2006
November 20, 2006
December 4, 2006
December 18, 2006
*January 3, 2007
*January 16, 2007
February 5, 2007
*February 20, 2007
March 5, 2007
March 19, 2007
April 2, 2007
April 16, 2007
May 7, 2007
May 21, 2007
June 4, 2007
June 18, 2007
Note: All regular meetings are held on the first and third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., in the Board Room at the School Service Center, 417 Fifth Street, Aurora, Illinois. *Should the first or third Monday fall on a holiday the meeting is held on Tuesday or Wednesday, i.e., September 5th, January 3, January 16th and February 20th.
Presented for Adoption: June 19, 2006
© 2003 - 2007 Aurora East SD 131 > Office of the Superintendent. All Rights Reserved.
On this is does show 1/3/07 so even if the did vote at the last meeting not to have it they should have posted it on the website. The School Board is not getting very many points doing things like this.
I too looked for the minutes of the last meeting but did not see them so how would anyone know that the meeting was cancelled unless you where there. I'm sure even if the minutes where posted it wouldn't say it. After looking at some other school websites I have to say they have the worst minutes I have seen. I've looked at serveral districts both large and small and ours needs to be better than it is. If anyone wanted to go complain about a meeting how is the school board going to defend there selfs with those kind of minutes unless the do a better job with the ones they keep and just put their board bits on the website. But in all fairness they could scan the minutes and but them on the website. They should really go out to other websites and take a look at how it should be done.
I think your asking for too much from this district. Just look at their website. My kid can put together a better one. This is just an another embarrassement of this district.
I totally agree with you 9:22.
!31 does link to some great sites.
Check out some of the elementary school webpages.
What a fantatstic job some of our teachers AND grade school children have done.
It is sad to see all the clubs and sports at the elementary level listed on the websites that the district would rather sacrifice instead of a few administrative positions.
Check out Dieterich, O'Donnell and Rollins. Rollins actually has a web club and they created a very well laid out web page.
I guess that will be gone next year if our admin and board have their way. How sad!
I am having trouble posting comments. I have dial up. Is this a probelm?
I am sorry to hear CC Tomcat, you are having problems. I truly am unaware if dial up would cause a problem.
I know I usually have to type in the "word verification" a couple times before it finally posts.
Did this just happen one time/day or frequently?
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