I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kathy Knecht for proving herself as a person out to learn and acquire as much knowledge as she can to help her carry out her board duties effectively. This was nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in her recent motion for a five minute recess made to President Galbraith after two hours, twenty one minutes into the board meeting. The motion was never seconded because Mrs. Galbraith immediately informed Mrs. Knecht that there was a motion on the table, and it would be out of order, arguing that a recess motion does not supersede another motion on the floor. Mrs. Knecht attempted to clarify that the opposite is true, but we all know that members of the "old" board could not care less about anyone's opinions but there own. Let's debunk Mrs. Galbraith's argument, and forever put it to rest.
What does Robert's Rules of Order really say? Here it is:
"Robert's Rules of Order" specifically states that a recess motion is a privileged motion. A privileged motion does not relate to the pending motion but is for special matters of immediate importance arising in the meeting. Webster's New World "Robert's Rules of Order Simplified and Applied" Second Edition, Page 111.
Mrs. Knecht, please pat yourself on the back! You may be new to the board, but your knowlege of Robert's Rules is already surpassing that of the president of the board, Mrs. Galbraith! The community could not be more impressed. May the truth prevail!
(: Dominic
Friday, May 25, 2007
Diane Douglas: Solidifying Your Freedom of Speech
Please allow me to forever put to rest the "Request for Public Comment" argument once and for all. Some members of the "old" board say the freedom for members of the public to address (state concerns to) the board was always clearly mentioned in the meeting agendas, while others assert it was never there. Please look at the following agendas and my commentary that follows, the first from the 2006 "old" board, and the second from a recent 2007 "new" board, both copied directly from the PUSD website:
AGENDA
Peoria Unified School District No. 11
District Administration Center
6330 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, Arizona 85306
April 25, 2006
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Board Room
7:00 p.m.
1.
Call to Order
2.
Opening Exercises
A. Moment of Silence
B. Pledge of Allegiance
3.
Board and Staff Recognitions: The purpose of this item is for Board members and staff to publicly recognize schools, groups or individuals who have made a contribution to the District.
A. Recognition of Shaun Yingling, Youth of the Year/Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix
B. Recognition of Susan Schmit, Outstanding Student Council Advisor/Arizona Association of Student Councils
C. Introduction of Newly Appointed Administrators
D. Other Recognitions by Board and Staff
4.
Report on Upcoming Meetings and Events
5.
Request for Agenda Items for Future Governing Board Meetings
6.
Report on Local, State and Federal Legislative Issues and Activities
*7.
Consideration of Action Agenda Items for Submission to Arizona School Boards Association for 2007 Legislative Agenda 2007
*8.
Consideration of Intergovernmental Agreement with Maricopa County for Use of District Facilities
*9.
Consideration of EBT/CIGNA Rates and Plan Document Changes for 2006-2007
*10.
Consideration of Language Change to Governing Board Policy Section 2.5.4 – Public Access to Governing Board and District Records
*11.
Consideration to Set Cost for Providing Printed and Electronic Documents as a Result of Public Records Requests
*12.
Consideration of Revisions to Governing Board Policy Section 6 – Goals and Objectives for Facilities and Related Changes to Policy Section 2.3.4 – Governing Board Advisory Committees
*13.
Consideration of Recommendations for Future Elementary Schools and Establishment of Elementary Attendance Boundary Review Committee
A. Site Location and Design of Elementary School #31
B. Site Location and Design of Elementary School #32
C. Establishment of Committee to Review Elementary Attendance Boundaries for Central and Southern Areas of the District
*14.
Consideration of Alternative Payment Option for Developer Assistance Agreement Contributions
*15.
Consideration of Developer Assistance Agreement Submitted by Montalbano Homes of Arizona, Inc.
16.
Discussion of Facilities Planning and Construction Report
A. School Facilities Board Projects
B. Bond Projects
*17.
Consideration of the Consent Agenda: The following items are considered to be routine or have been previously reviewed by the Governing Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless there is a request for clarification of an item or a request from any member of the Governing Board or other individual in attendance that an item be removed from the consent agenda.
A. Minutes of Special Board Meeting held on April 4, 2006 and Regular Board Meeting held on April 13, 2006
B. Ratification of the Human Resources Report
C. Donations Report
D. Travel Requests
E. Ratification of Voucher Report
F. Sole Source Provider for District Math Supplemental Materials, File #67-05
18.
Further Discussion of Agenda Items: The purpose of this item is to readdress items considered earlier on the agenda.
*19.
Adjournment
Now, an agenda from the new board:
AGENDA
Peoria Unified School District No. 11
District Administration Center
6330 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, Arizona 85306
May 22, 2007
BOARD RECEPTION
FOR RETIRING PEORIA DISTRICT EMPLOYEES
DAC Training Center
5:30 p.m.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Board Room
7:00 p.m.
1.
Call to Order
Individuals wishing to address the Governing Board on any agenda item should fill out a Public Comment Request Form available in the Lobby and turn it in to the Board Clerk or Superintendent prior to the start of the meeting.
2.
Opening Exercises
A. Moment of Silence
B. Pledge of Allegiance
3.
Board and Staff Recognitions: The purpose of this item is for Board members and staff to publicly recognize schools, groups or individuals who have made a contribution to the District.
A. Recognition of District Patriotic Speech Contest Winners
B. Recognitions by Board and Staff
4.
Public Comment: Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.01(G) this agenda item provides an Open Call to the Public allowing individuals to address the Governing Board on any issue within the jurisdiction of the Board. Individual comment will be limited to three minutes. Statute prohibits the Governing Board from discussing an item that is not on the agenda but individual members of the Governing Board may respond to criticism, ask staff to review a matter or ask that a matter be put on a future Board agenda.
5.
Report on Upcoming Meetings and Events
6.
Request for Agenda Items for Future Governing Board Meetings
*7.
Consideration of Protocol for Conducting Governing Board Meeting Agenda Item for Public Comment
*8.
Consideration of Protocol for Formatting Governing Board Meeting Agenda Items for Possible Action
*9.
Consideration of Recommendations for Administrative Appointments for 2007-08
10.
Report on Local, State and Federal Legislative Issues and Activities
*11.
Consideration of Attendance for Board Members at the Arizona School Boards Association Delegate Assembly, June 23, 2007, and Appoint Delegate and Alternate to the Assembly
12.
Discussion on Closed Campus Student Protest
*13.
Ratification of Closed Campus Policy Adopted May 8, 2007 to Begin with the 2007-08 School Year
*14.
Consideration of the Consent Agenda: The following items are considered to be routine or have been previously reviewed by the Governing Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless there is a request for clarification of an item or a request from any member of the Governing Board or other individual in attendance that an item be removed from the consent agenda.
A. Minutes of Regular Board Meeting held on May 8, 2007 and Special Board Meeting on May 15, 2007
B. Ratification of the Human Resources Report
C. Donations Report
D. Travel Requests
E. Ratification of Voucher Report
F. Food Service Financial Report for the Month Ending April 30, 2007
G. Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with the Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, PUSD File #78-13
H. Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with S.A.V.E. (Strategic Alliance of Volume Expenditures), PUSD File #78-14
I. Peoria District Gifted Services Scope and Sequence
J. Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Peoria for Field Lighting System at Sunrise Mountain High School
15.
Discussion on Facilities Planning and Construction Report
A. School Facilities Board Projects
B. Bond Projects
C. Information Management and Technology Projects
D. Peoria High School Master Plan Presentation
E. Future Use of Peoria High School Old Main Building and the Potential for Evaluation as a Historic Property Under the Arizona Register of Historic Places
*16.
Consideration of Acceptance of Transportation Administration and Mechanic Service Facility
*17.
Consideration of the Revised District Performance Pay Plan
18.
Update on Job Fair and Current Hiring Status
19.
Further Discussion of Agenda Items: The purpose of this item is to readdress items considered earlier on the agenda.
*20.
Adjournment
Now, let's see. I don't want you to just take my word for it; I want you to analyze this one for yourself. From the first agenda, dated April 25th, 2006, can you find a single item that clearly states a "call to the public"? Look harder! One board member recently chastised board member Diane Douglas, insisting emphatically that "the opportunity for public input was always on the agenda", and was "quite clearly there". Have you found it yet? Neither have I! And neither did Mrs. Douglas, who was still made out to be a liar for stating it never existed! Now, before you decide who is telling the truth, and who wants the public to be allowed input, you may have caught a few other things, specifically items ten and eleven on the agenda. This same meeting on April 25th, 2006 was the meeting where the old board actually further restricted public access to district materials by imposing costs for retreiving information at a higher rate than most copying stores charge to make copies! Guess who the ONLY board member was who opposed this increase in public information retrieval fees? Diane Douglas, who opposed it because of the unreasonable cost and deterrent effect it would have on the public having access to district information!
Now, look at the second agenda, dated May 22nd, 2007. Can you find any section under the new board's revised agenda that says "public comment" in a clearly defined manner? Item four should scream it at you just the same it does to me. Guess who made sure that item is now part of the PUSD's agendas? Mrs. Douglas, who wanted input from the PUSD public to be integrated into the board meetings! This was voted by the old board on December 12, 2006. Why did the old board find it necessary to do this, if it already existed!? They did it right before the end of the "old" board simply so they could prevent Diane Douglas, Kathy Knecht, and Rick Murphy from taking credit for it the next month in January. It simply never existed prior to the very END of the old board's reign. Memo to some board members: the public is now fully informed, and will not be deceived by the falsehoods you promote, any longer.
What's more: Just take a quick glance under item one, "call to order", from each agenda. Did you notice the "new" board's agenda is different in that the EXACT STEPS NECESSARY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ARE COMPLETELY SPELLED OUT?! I did too! Now, have you decided who is telling the truth in this argument! It is quite clear. Despite being made out to be a liar about this, Mrs. Douglas, time and again, proves her integrity. She is a true representative of the PUSD community. Kudos to you, Mrs. Douglas, for serving, with distinction, on a board that has some members who appear to have nothing better to do than continue to distort public perception and deceive the PUSD public. The public is behind you.
You may locate these agendas on PUSD's own website. Look for yourself! This item can now be forever rested as a true victory for freedom of speech in our district, brought to you by Mrs. Douglas. It has been an uphill battle for her since she took office in January of 2005, but the public is now truly afforded an opportunity to speak and be heard. Take advantage of this new freedom yourself! May the truth prevail!
(: Dominic
AGENDA
Peoria Unified School District No. 11
District Administration Center
6330 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, Arizona 85306
April 25, 2006
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Board Room
7:00 p.m.
1.
Call to Order
2.
Opening Exercises
A. Moment of Silence
B. Pledge of Allegiance
3.
Board and Staff Recognitions: The purpose of this item is for Board members and staff to publicly recognize schools, groups or individuals who have made a contribution to the District.
A. Recognition of Shaun Yingling, Youth of the Year/Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix
B. Recognition of Susan Schmit, Outstanding Student Council Advisor/Arizona Association of Student Councils
C. Introduction of Newly Appointed Administrators
D. Other Recognitions by Board and Staff
4.
Report on Upcoming Meetings and Events
5.
Request for Agenda Items for Future Governing Board Meetings
6.
Report on Local, State and Federal Legislative Issues and Activities
*7.
Consideration of Action Agenda Items for Submission to Arizona School Boards Association for 2007 Legislative Agenda 2007
*8.
Consideration of Intergovernmental Agreement with Maricopa County for Use of District Facilities
*9.
Consideration of EBT/CIGNA Rates and Plan Document Changes for 2006-2007
*10.
Consideration of Language Change to Governing Board Policy Section 2.5.4 – Public Access to Governing Board and District Records
*11.
Consideration to Set Cost for Providing Printed and Electronic Documents as a Result of Public Records Requests
*12.
Consideration of Revisions to Governing Board Policy Section 6 – Goals and Objectives for Facilities and Related Changes to Policy Section 2.3.4 – Governing Board Advisory Committees
*13.
Consideration of Recommendations for Future Elementary Schools and Establishment of Elementary Attendance Boundary Review Committee
A. Site Location and Design of Elementary School #31
B. Site Location and Design of Elementary School #32
C. Establishment of Committee to Review Elementary Attendance Boundaries for Central and Southern Areas of the District
*14.
Consideration of Alternative Payment Option for Developer Assistance Agreement Contributions
*15.
Consideration of Developer Assistance Agreement Submitted by Montalbano Homes of Arizona, Inc.
16.
Discussion of Facilities Planning and Construction Report
A. School Facilities Board Projects
B. Bond Projects
*17.
Consideration of the Consent Agenda: The following items are considered to be routine or have been previously reviewed by the Governing Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless there is a request for clarification of an item or a request from any member of the Governing Board or other individual in attendance that an item be removed from the consent agenda.
A. Minutes of Special Board Meeting held on April 4, 2006 and Regular Board Meeting held on April 13, 2006
B. Ratification of the Human Resources Report
C. Donations Report
D. Travel Requests
E. Ratification of Voucher Report
F. Sole Source Provider for District Math Supplemental Materials, File #67-05
18.
Further Discussion of Agenda Items: The purpose of this item is to readdress items considered earlier on the agenda.
*19.
Adjournment
Now, an agenda from the new board:
AGENDA
Peoria Unified School District No. 11
District Administration Center
6330 W. Thunderbird Rd., Glendale, Arizona 85306
May 22, 2007
BOARD RECEPTION
FOR RETIRING PEORIA DISTRICT EMPLOYEES
DAC Training Center
5:30 p.m.
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
Board Room
7:00 p.m.
1.
Call to Order
Individuals wishing to address the Governing Board on any agenda item should fill out a Public Comment Request Form available in the Lobby and turn it in to the Board Clerk or Superintendent prior to the start of the meeting.
2.
Opening Exercises
A. Moment of Silence
B. Pledge of Allegiance
3.
Board and Staff Recognitions: The purpose of this item is for Board members and staff to publicly recognize schools, groups or individuals who have made a contribution to the District.
A. Recognition of District Patriotic Speech Contest Winners
B. Recognitions by Board and Staff
4.
Public Comment: Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.01(G) this agenda item provides an Open Call to the Public allowing individuals to address the Governing Board on any issue within the jurisdiction of the Board. Individual comment will be limited to three minutes. Statute prohibits the Governing Board from discussing an item that is not on the agenda but individual members of the Governing Board may respond to criticism, ask staff to review a matter or ask that a matter be put on a future Board agenda.
5.
Report on Upcoming Meetings and Events
6.
Request for Agenda Items for Future Governing Board Meetings
*7.
Consideration of Protocol for Conducting Governing Board Meeting Agenda Item for Public Comment
*8.
Consideration of Protocol for Formatting Governing Board Meeting Agenda Items for Possible Action
*9.
Consideration of Recommendations for Administrative Appointments for 2007-08
10.
Report on Local, State and Federal Legislative Issues and Activities
*11.
Consideration of Attendance for Board Members at the Arizona School Boards Association Delegate Assembly, June 23, 2007, and Appoint Delegate and Alternate to the Assembly
12.
Discussion on Closed Campus Student Protest
*13.
Ratification of Closed Campus Policy Adopted May 8, 2007 to Begin with the 2007-08 School Year
*14.
Consideration of the Consent Agenda: The following items are considered to be routine or have been previously reviewed by the Governing Board and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless there is a request for clarification of an item or a request from any member of the Governing Board or other individual in attendance that an item be removed from the consent agenda.
A. Minutes of Regular Board Meeting held on May 8, 2007 and Special Board Meeting on May 15, 2007
B. Ratification of the Human Resources Report
C. Donations Report
D. Travel Requests
E. Ratification of Voucher Report
F. Food Service Financial Report for the Month Ending April 30, 2007
G. Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with the Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, PUSD File #78-13
H. Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with S.A.V.E. (Strategic Alliance of Volume Expenditures), PUSD File #78-14
I. Peoria District Gifted Services Scope and Sequence
J. Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Peoria for Field Lighting System at Sunrise Mountain High School
15.
Discussion on Facilities Planning and Construction Report
A. School Facilities Board Projects
B. Bond Projects
C. Information Management and Technology Projects
D. Peoria High School Master Plan Presentation
E. Future Use of Peoria High School Old Main Building and the Potential for Evaluation as a Historic Property Under the Arizona Register of Historic Places
*16.
Consideration of Acceptance of Transportation Administration and Mechanic Service Facility
*17.
Consideration of the Revised District Performance Pay Plan
18.
Update on Job Fair and Current Hiring Status
19.
Further Discussion of Agenda Items: The purpose of this item is to readdress items considered earlier on the agenda.
*20.
Adjournment
Now, let's see. I don't want you to just take my word for it; I want you to analyze this one for yourself. From the first agenda, dated April 25th, 2006, can you find a single item that clearly states a "call to the public"? Look harder! One board member recently chastised board member Diane Douglas, insisting emphatically that "the opportunity for public input was always on the agenda", and was "quite clearly there". Have you found it yet? Neither have I! And neither did Mrs. Douglas, who was still made out to be a liar for stating it never existed! Now, before you decide who is telling the truth, and who wants the public to be allowed input, you may have caught a few other things, specifically items ten and eleven on the agenda. This same meeting on April 25th, 2006 was the meeting where the old board actually further restricted public access to district materials by imposing costs for retreiving information at a higher rate than most copying stores charge to make copies! Guess who the ONLY board member was who opposed this increase in public information retrieval fees? Diane Douglas, who opposed it because of the unreasonable cost and deterrent effect it would have on the public having access to district information!
Now, look at the second agenda, dated May 22nd, 2007. Can you find any section under the new board's revised agenda that says "public comment" in a clearly defined manner? Item four should scream it at you just the same it does to me. Guess who made sure that item is now part of the PUSD's agendas? Mrs. Douglas, who wanted input from the PUSD public to be integrated into the board meetings! This was voted by the old board on December 12, 2006. Why did the old board find it necessary to do this, if it already existed!? They did it right before the end of the "old" board simply so they could prevent Diane Douglas, Kathy Knecht, and Rick Murphy from taking credit for it the next month in January. It simply never existed prior to the very END of the old board's reign. Memo to some board members: the public is now fully informed, and will not be deceived by the falsehoods you promote, any longer.
What's more: Just take a quick glance under item one, "call to order", from each agenda. Did you notice the "new" board's agenda is different in that the EXACT STEPS NECESSARY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ARE COMPLETELY SPELLED OUT?! I did too! Now, have you decided who is telling the truth in this argument! It is quite clear. Despite being made out to be a liar about this, Mrs. Douglas, time and again, proves her integrity. She is a true representative of the PUSD community. Kudos to you, Mrs. Douglas, for serving, with distinction, on a board that has some members who appear to have nothing better to do than continue to distort public perception and deceive the PUSD public. The public is behind you.
You may locate these agendas on PUSD's own website. Look for yourself! This item can now be forever rested as a true victory for freedom of speech in our district, brought to you by Mrs. Douglas. It has been an uphill battle for her since she took office in January of 2005, but the public is now truly afforded an opportunity to speak and be heard. Take advantage of this new freedom yourself! May the truth prevail!
(: Dominic
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