The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Brooke R. during the 2008-2009 League.
Mission: Observe - Local Meeting
On June 11, 2009, I drove to downtown Kalamazoo to attend a Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education Meeting. Although I had friends who were school board members, I had never attended a meeting before, and I was interested to see what was in store.
When I entered the meeting room, there were several rows of chairs set up. I chose a seat near the middle of the aisle so I could see well. Aside from me, there were perhaps fifteen other people in attendance.
About five minutes after 7 p.m., the meeting was called to order. Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, and then attendance was taken. Of the eight board members, seven were present. Following attendance, several announcements were made. A senior who had done well in basketball was honored, and circled the room, shaking the hands of the board members. A team who had won a local science competition was next, and was once again applauded. As those who had been honored left, so did most of those in attendance. For the rest of the meeting, only 2 other people remained.
The board went through the standard motions and went over previous meetings and decisions. Then, a man from the audience rose and recommended purchasing a number of graphing calculators. The committee listened, and the man took his seat. Then, another man addressed the committee, advising funding for a new building. Once again the committee silently heard his speech, and he returned to his seat.
Next, the president of the school board addressed the 3 people in the audience. She told us if we would like to address the board, we may do so now. No one rose, and the meeting moved on.
There were three items on the agenda that were voted on. First, a preliminary budget for the next school year was adopted. Next, a resolution authorizing issuance of notes in anticipation of state school aid was approved. Finally, the "2009-2010 Michigan High School Athletic Association Membership Resolution" was adopted. After each item was read, someone would present it to the board and ask for questions. Each item was adopted unanimously.
After the board had voted, other issues were brought up by board members. Of the seven present members, two were especially vocal. Near the end of the meeting, a rather heated discussion rose about whether the school board president should be elected or whether members of the board should simply rotate. Some felt elections created unnecessary tension and prevented the board from working together well. They believed it was impossible to avoid resentment from those who had not been chosen. Others preferred the election system, feeling the board should choose its leader.
The meeting awkwardly ended with one board member suggesting a "private" meeting about a certain issue. Another member called them out on their secrecy and boldly stated that everything needed to be done in public. This caused embarrassed mumblings from the member explaining "That's not really what I meant…".
It was very interesting to see what a school board meeting was like. I had heard from friends on school boards that relationships are often strained between members, and I definitely felt tension during the meeting. However, I had also heard that members were most careful to check their words when they had an audience, and I certainly noticed more than a few cautious glances toward those of us watching as the board members spoke. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and learned more about how schools are run in Kalamazoo.
