Tuesday, August 05, 2014

APS Public Forum will be limited, again.

According to the APS School Board, there can be only thirty minutes allowed for public forum.  They would have you believe that the limit is imposed upon them as opposed to set by them.  They would have you believe the law "prevents" them from allowing more than thirty minutes for public forum, and from posting agendas early.  They would have you believe the law "prevents" them from allowing you to ask them legitimate questions about the public interests and about their public service.

There is a public forum scheduled for tomorrow.  There are at least three employee contracts to ratify, link, and a number of consent agenda items to blitz through.  Last on their agenda; their effort to further restrict public participation in public meetings, link.  Unlinked we far as I can tell, on APS' award winning website; the Procedural Directive upon which the Policy will rest.  You may find it here, link.

It is in the procedural directive that the media are told they're going to have to stand in the corner if they want to record anything.

It is in the procedural directive where speakers are required to; respect that (your) views and opinions may not be shared by all present.  In especially, by politicians and public servants with a record to hide.

It is in the procedural directive where they threaten to use their publicly funded private police force to enforce their "rules of decorum" above and beyond the law.

There will be a number of people who want to speak tomorrow, I among them.

We will not be given two minutes because there are too many of us, and the school board is "prevented by the law" from extending public forum.  We may not even get one minute.  The last people in line will get nothing, save a promise that if they write down what they wanted to say, the school board will read it and respond in good faith, which is bullshit.

Funny thing;
if you can find the school board's code of ethics on APS award winning website, you will find their fourth ethic is; 

Establish an open, two-way communication process with ..." interest and stake holders.  Establish open and honest two-way communication with "... all segments of the community."
which is bullshit.  Not the ethic of course, but the idea that they have any intention to ever do it.

Or, to hold themselves honestly accountable to any ethic;
any standard at all higher than the law.

Complete unmitigated, arrant, flat out bullshit.

... carry on.

No comments: