Earlier Meeting Time for School Board: Yay or Nay?

East Hampton School Board meetings may start earlier, if the board moves on a recommendation from the district superintendent.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Rich Burns suggested a 6 p.m. start time for the public session of school board meetings. The earlier start time would mean executive session, during which the school board meets behind closed doors to discuss personnel matters and litigation, would begin as early as 4:30 p.m.

Burns said on Wednesday that he thought an earlier start time would be more convenient for district staff, such as school principals, who have to wait from the end of the school day for the board meeting. "I know other school districts have a 6:00 start time and seem to like it. From previous discussions, some board members were interested in starting earlier," he said.

The board currently convenes at 6:30 p.m., an hour earlier than meetings started in previous years. Earlier this school year, Burns recommended the board move the meetings from 7:30 p.m., to which the board agreed.

The latest recommendation was not met with as much enthusiasm.

Jackie Lowey, a school board member, said the current start time was already onerous given that the board has to be available for executive session an hour to an hour and a half before the public session starts. "It's already very difficult to for me to get here at 5 with kids and dinner," she said, adding that the earlier start time makes it more of a hardship on working parents who want to attend meetings.

Lowey, and other board members, said they felt the subject should be broached when the newly elected board members — JP Foster, Wendy Geehreng, and Rich Wilson — join the board in July.

Burn said he liked the idea of waiting until the new board members are in place to decide.

Meanwhile, the board did approve a resolution on Tuesday night for the reorganizational meeting to take place on July 2 at 6 p.m.

Are you in favor of an earlier meeting time? Do you want the board to keep it at 6:30 p.m. or bring back the later meeting time? Tell us in the comments below.