Time for public comments may be reduced at school board sessions
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com
At a meeting last weekConejo Valley Unified school board members discussed clarifying and restricting time limits for people who speak during public comment.

The board is looking to make the following rules hard and fast: limiting each speaker to three minutes, capping the total time spent on an issue at 20 minutesand prohibiting speakers from yielding their time to others.

"The proposed changes are mostly clarifications, not changes," said Superintendent Mario Contini. "It's typical for the board to set rules or guidelines. The board can change them at any time. It requires no real amount of discussion."

But the board did allow some time for discussion of the issue at the Aug. 21 meeting. Board member Mike Dunn expressed his concern.

"The changes will lead to criticism and embarrassment directed towards the school board," said Dunn.

"The public will rightly perceive these changes as an arrogant attempt to censor public comments and suppress freedom of speech."

Members of the public spoke out against the restrictions as well. John Anderson recommended extending the time limit past three minutes for agendized items.

Suzanne Duckett called the changes "antipublic and antidemocratic."

"Free speech policy change is poorly timed," Dunn wrote in an email. "At a time when the district is supposedly seeking public input about elementary school closures, these changes would diminish public perceptions about our sincerity. If the board wants to minimize controversy and embarrassment, they will drop these changes."

Contini did acknowledge that people may have a problem with one other rule being looked at: setting a time at which speaker cards must be turned in.

"It's easier to know how many speakers are planning on speaking, so we can plan the meeting accordingly," Contini said. "People storm in, make a comment, and storm out, coming and going."

Board president Dolores Didio agreed that it's "disruptive" to have cards submitted throughout the entire meeting, but suggested maybe having two or three collection times.

Dunn requested the changes be placed on the agenda for the Sept. 4 meeting, and Didio agreed.

"We haven't come up with the exact wording or decided exactly what we're going to do," Didio said.

Dunn said later that he was pleased with the board's level of compromise and open discussion.