New School Board Adopts Old Methods

No public input was permitted at the Granville School Board's work session Wednesday evening. For nearly three hours they discussed the agreement worked out by Scot Prebles with William Kraner, but they didn't consider any input from citizens present at the meeting.

The agreement calls for a limit of 275 single-family homes averaging $450,000 and 150 one-bedroom or two-bedroom condominium units. Mr Kraner agrees to try to get Newark to give up half of the tax revenue from the commercial development. Do you think they will?

The building restrictions apply only to the land south of Price Road. The 175 acres north of Price Road are not included in the agreement and can be developed in any manner Mr. Kraner may see fit. Oh, but he did agree to "keep the District informed of any future development in that area."

Under the terms of the agreement, Granville Schools agreed to immediately withdraw the proposal for the transfer of the property to Newark Schools as proposed in their Resolution 8.06. Also, the Board agreed they will not take any further action on the property for 99 years.

Board Member John Kralovec moved and Amy Deeds seconded to table a decision until some minor legal details could be worked out, discussion with the Newark Board could take place assuring them that this in no way should be seen as a compromise of the 2005 Granville-Newark transfer agreement, and the public could have time to understand the agreement and give the Board input. The motion failed to pass 3 to 2. Tony Bekerley, Nicole Jardell, and Clarke Berdan voted against.

They voted against permitting the public to participate in the decision. They did so even though the three new members were elected, in large part, because they promised to make the School Board decisions more transparent. They promised to include the public in their deliberations. What was Nicole Jardell thinking? 

Tony Beckerley said, "We were all elected and we represent these people and we can sign it."

On a motion by Tony Bekerley, the Board voted 4 to 1 to authorize the Superintendent to sign the agreement with Kraner. Amy Deeds voted against it.

Our new school board has resorted to the old methods of the old school board. During the work session, not one of them suggested that they should permit the members of the public who were present to speak. Indeed, they voted 3 to 2 to carry on without public input - their legal right, of course - but... 

Only Amy Deeds stood up for us.

And, there were citizens at that work session. I was there. Why didn't they ask if I had any comments? Not because it's me, but because citizens were there. Why didn't they ask if the others had any thoughts about the issue?

Sure, normally there is not an agenda item for public comment at work sessions, but why not ask for more input? Are they afraid of what I or others might have said? Are they so all-powerful that they refuse to acknowledge that others might have a good suggestion? Are they so out of touch with reality that they don't know we want to participate in their decisions? After all, we pay the bills. We vote for the levies, or not.

So, it's out with the old and in with the old.