Huntsville Board of Education Neglects Routine Homework But Travels in Time

The Board of Education,  Huntsville City Schools, has failed to do its routine homework for six weeks. Today is July 5, 2011. As of 9:20 am, the last set of minutes posted on its website for a regularly scheduled bimonthly meeting was for May 17, 2011.

No minutes have been posted for the June 2, 2011, meeting, which included the first presentation by the “demographer,” or for the June 16, 2011, meeting which included the decision to throw some more money into the “demographer’s” boss’s coffers. Correction: The June 16 Minutes first have to be approved before posting. However, Minutes for a May 24 meeting appear on a newswire post but not on the HCS site.

No agenda has been posted for the July 7, 2011, meeting. Update: an agenda for July 7, 2011, was added to the HCS site late on July 5, 2011. However, the Board changed its Bylaws on April 21, 2011, to restrict citizen input:

“Citizen comments regarding topics on the Business Meeting agenda are permitted during the time allotted for comments as set forth in paragraph seven and shall not be permitted at any other time during the business meeting.”

The revision also states that

 ”Citizen comments on a topic germane to the Work Session agenda may be allowed at the conclusion of board member questions and comments. . .”.

I don’t know how to interpret that “may,” but I fear that “may” is not the same as “will” in this case.

Does the Board figure that if it restricts comments to “topics on the Business Meeting agenda” and Work Session agenda but doesn’t publish these agendas prior to the meeting, then pesky parents and others will stay home?

By the way, the information on the change to the Bylaws is from a newswire service (see page 10 of the 74 pp pdf) –not the Huntsville City Schools’ site.

Also appearing on the newswire are what appear to be Minutes from a May 24, 2011, meeting (page 1). First thing on its numbered list is “Minutes” including “May 27 (3 sets), May 28 (2 sets)**.”

This is interesting for several reasons. First, a May 24, 2011, meeting isn’t listed on the HCS website’s page, Minutes 2010-2011. Secondly, the double asterisks, although they appear again on page 3, are undefined. Thirdly, and most oddly, the School Board appears to be engaging in time travel. How else could Minutes for May 27 and May 28 appear in a May 24 Minutes?