Dallas ISD Board To Spend Time Debating How Much Time Public Gets to Speak to Board

A couple of weeks back, we mentioned that the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees is considering putting a cap on how long speakers get to, ya know, speak at board meetings. Turns out -- surprise, surprise -- there's some dissent amongst the board regarding the proposal: At Thursday's...

By Robert Wilonsky

September 8, 2009

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A couple of weeks back, we mentioned that the Dallas Independent School District's board of trustees is considering putting a cap on how long speakers get to, ya know, speak at board meetings. Turns out -- surprise, surprise -- there's some dissent amongst the board regarding the proposal: At Thursday's briefing, the board will consider two versions -- one from board president Adam Medrano, and yet another from former president Jack Lowe.

Lowe, who lost the title of president in May, offers up this mathematical equation: If seven people or fewer want to speak to the board, they get three minutes each per topic; but if there are eight to 14 speakers, they'll be allocated two minutes each; 15 or more will get but 60 seconds to speak their mind. To which Medrano says, Unh-unh. His proposal allows for three minutes per speaker, no matter how many are lined up to address the board. Both men, however, are agreed on the other suggested restrictions -- including the one that calls for the ouster of "boisterous" audience members and the one that allows for the removal of media members who refuse to stay in their "designated area." Again, I blame Schutze for this.

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