Meeting Minutes
To Be Simplified
Simple and to the point, without room for editorializing: that is how the West Windsor-Plainsboro school board will be keeping the minutes of its meetings.
The school board decided on January 26 to limit the content in its minutes to avoid the hours it takes to transcribe verbatim the dialogue during public comment, which has spanned a few hours during recent meetings, and the debates that occasionally result over the meaning and context of some comments. It would be a “bare bones summary,” as board member Todd Hochman referred to the new practice.
According to board Vice President Robert Johnson, the board is only required by law to report official action. The Sunshine Law and Roberts’ Rules of Order say nothing about having to include detailed comments from each individual resident, he said.
“It is not the intention of the minutes to be a report of what the public said,” Johnson said, adding that allowing for a broader description of residents’ comments would open the door for editorializing — specifically, when it comes to trying to determine the meaning behind some statements and trying to depict the intended message.
The discussion of the meeting minutes was sparked by a resident’s complaint that her comments were written out of context and not fully reported in a copy of the minutes she reviewed, said board President Hemant Marathe.
Johnson said that he read the Roberts’ Rules and the Sunshine Law, which never “intended [the minutes] to be verbatim.”
Board member Randall Tucker said that while he agreed that trying to capture verbatim was too extensive, “I think it’s worth recognizing that members of the public did come out,” he said, adding that it takes courage to come and speak before the board. He asked that the board include names and a general summary of the comments.
Board member Ellen Walsh said “an attempt to be all-inclusive could get us into difficulty.” Board member Tony Fleres said “it’s very easy to misquote people or misunderstand them.”
Hochman said that if residents speak during the meeting, they should be recognized. He pointed out that usually, board meetings are not well-attended and there is hardly any comment. “I think we need a middle ground here.”
The board decided to list the names of residents who spoke and whether they were in favor of or against an issue.
