School Board Member Won't Run

According to the Journal link sub. helpful

"A Northeast Heights school board member says
he won't seek re-election next year because of an
increase in the number of board meetings.

Gordon Rowe, who has represented the Far
Northeast Heights since 2003, said the "traveling
end of it is an issue,"

Often, he has attended meetings via telephone.

"We don't need meetings four days a week.
All these meetings distract time and resources from
the professional staff," he said.

Board President Mary Lee Martin, who has been on
the board for 20 years, agreed that the number of
meetings has increased.

"He is correct; there are more," Martin said.
"And we're trying to get rid of them."

For instance, after former Superintendent Elizabeth
Everitt announced her resignation last summer, the
board scheduled weekly meetings for updates on the
search process.

Martin said those meetings became an agenda-setting
meeting for the regular meetings, and were then
changed to allow votes to be taken."

Board members are paid, pretty well,
to attend meetings.