The Board of Education meeting at the Atkinson school was marked by rudeness on the part of the district clerk, Mary Bediako and finger pointing and belligerence by the board’s self-appointed sergeant at arms, board member Ron Ellerbe. After the board finished with the evening's formal agenda, former school board candidate and respected Latino leader, Eloy Yndigoyn, made his way up to the clerk and took exception to her giggling, laughing, and unprofessional demeanor during the preceding action part of the meeting. Yndigoyn asked Bediako why she though it was necessary to act like a fool, disrespecting the residents. Ellerbe said Yndigoyn was out of line and his question was rude. Yndigoyn said the district clerk shouldn't be acting like that and she was rude. Ellerbe began pointing his finger at Yndigoyn and repeating the word rude over and over. When FNYN agreed that Bediako's behavior was out of order, Ellerbe called your reporter a parasite.

This important board meeting was once again marked by a woefully ill prepared board. As has become common practice, Bediako, with the full sanction of the superintendent and the board, prepared an incomplete agenda, not even including the dates of the minutes that were subject to approval. Board president Grover, who has been a member of the board for five years, continues to ask Bediako what the practice of the board has been, even though he has been on the board longer than she has been in the district. Besides not having numerous board minutes available for inspection, as are available in most other districts, the clerk and the board didn't have one copy among them.

The budget transfer document, detailing the budget transfers, was not available. Should the public want a copy of any of the aforementioned documents, the district residents are charged for them, if they can obtain them at all.

The first resident to question the board was community leader Ray Hawkins, who was instrumental in filing the people’s proposition with the district clerk. Hawkins asked Grover if he was going to discuss the proposition tonight. Grover said, "I will not discuss it tonight. There is no resolution prepared for that."

Your reporter was next up to the microphone, asking Grover, "Could you tell me what minutes you are approving tonight and why they are not on the agenda?" Grover did not explain why the dates were not listed on the agenda and when your reporter asked to see the minutes Bediako said, "Mr. Grover, I don’t have copies of the minutes here." When your reporter asked Board President Grover how he and the clerk could come to the meeting without the minutes and not prepared, he explained that the minutes are not attached to the agenda. When your reporter asked to see the minutes, Grover said, "I don’t have them here." Your reporter, who has been attending school board meetings for eight years, cannot remember a time when the board approved minutes that neither they nor the administration had in their possession at the time of approval. Legally, it is impossible for them to approve minutes that they don't have in their possession.

The evening's agenda required a resolution allowing the district to accept gifts. It has always been the policy of the district to list on the agenda who was giving the gift, its value and a description of the gift. The clerk prepared the agenda without these listings. Grover didn’t know whether the public was usually informed of the nature of the gifts. The clerk told him these items were always explained in the agenda. Grover seemed surprised.

Your reporter asked for a copy of the budget that was being accepted by the board, asking, "Where is the budget?" Grover said, "The budget is being approved tonight based on a schedule set up by the state. It’s a formality that we accept the budget tonight." Your reporter pointed out that the assistant superintendent of business, Kishore Kuncham, said at the last board meeting, that the budget would be handed out tonight. "He is on tape saying that. Either he doesn’t know what he is talking about, or you don’t," your reporter told the board.

Bediako pointed out that the budget has to be available for inspection twenty five days before the budget vote. Your reporter said, "Mam'am, Mr. Kuncham said it would be here tonight. I would like to know where the budget is and why the board hasn’t made sure it is here?" Grover said, "I don’t remember him saying that." Mr. Grover then said, "I don’t want to be accused of not supplying the information. "I’ll mail the budget to anyone who wants it."

Community leader, Eloy Yndigoyn, was next to address the board. "The people have signed to put a resolution on the ballot and I hope you do it. You hide a lot of things and the people need the information," he said.

Robert Finch was next to address the board. "I understand that the resolution that Mr. Lilker was talking about is not going to be put on the ballot. Is that correct?" Grover said, "That is correct." Finch responded, "I'm one who got signatures from residents who want to see that resolution on the ballot. What is your reasoning for not putting it on the ballot?" Grover responded in doublespeak. "These items that you are asking for and I've said this before, do not take the fact that we are not going to put these on the ballot, that we don't support what you are asking for."

Finch responded, "This is the people of the village saying that they want to see this on the ballot. Who are you? Are you the judge and the jury? Let me know. The people don't have a say so. I'm demanding that this be put on the ballot. If the people elected you and this is what they are asking you to do, I wish to see that happen."

The May 16th ballot will have three separate items on it. The choice of trustees, the "yes" or "no" vote on the bond and the "yes" or "no" vote on the budget.

Grover responded to Finch. "This is not to be taken that we don't support these items. The ballot has enough on it. It is not necessary to confuse the people further."

Finch said, "The people must elect other members of this community and start taking these people off this board."

Andrew Belfi tried to speak about the bond and was told by Grover he could talk about it during the next portion of the meeting. Ellerbe, who never speaks unless it is to tell people not to speak, told Mr. Belfi that this was not the appropriate format. Mr. Belfi said he would wait.

After the board breezed through the agenda, without comment or discussion, Grover pronounced, "The board does support the minutes going on the web site. The board of education does support our meetings being posted on the location on the web site. The board of Education does support our policy manual being posted on the web site. We do not support our meetings being videotaped. We do not feel that it creates a comfortable environment for conversation between parents and the board. The reason that we voted not to put that on the ballot is because that if it was voted yes, these meetings would then be videotaped and we would have no say over that." Grover stated that the Board did support the other items and would move forward with them. Grover then repeated that the Board did not support the videotaping of their meetings. Grover never explained when the board discussed the people's proposition. It was clearly not discussed at any open meeting since it was filed with the clerk.

Your reporter then pointed out that anybody could videotape the meetings. Grover said, "You could video tape the meetings. I have no problem with that." FNNY responded, "Then it shouldn't be a problem at all." Your reporter pointed out that when Grover had earlier explained the reasons the board would not put the proposition on the ballot, it seemed that the main reason was that people didn't put their address on the petition. Grover said, "I'm making a clarification. There is still a board meeting going on here."

Your reporter continued. "I will suggest this to you Mr. Grover. Any proposition that goes on the ballot, you could vote to put it on. Grover said, "That's true." Your reporter continued, "So that clearly is a ludicrous statement. The people wanted it on and you decided you didn't want it and you decided not to put it on. Instead of giving everybody in this room the choice to vote on something, you decided they couldn't do it because you didn't like it. And that is not the purpose of propositions and that wasn't the intent of the law."

Eloy Yndigoyn then asked, "If you agree with all the issues that we are trying to put on the proposition, why is it that you are not doing it now? Grover said it was because the web site was new.

PTA co- president Stephanie Cieslik said, "As a parent, I like the fact that the board meetings would be videotaped, because the kids that do the participation in government projects would be able to review the tapes in the library, rather than staying out late at night."

VP Al Renken joined the discussion by saying, "There is probably an answer to everyone of those formats presented in that resolution. I think there were some positive comments that were made in that resolution that should be looked at by the board in a work session and possibly adopted. Some place in-between there is an answer." Renken did not point out that board meeting agendas are never made public before the meetings and that public comment is not permitted at board work sessions.

The second half of the monthly action meetings have for years been characterized by the public getting the opportunity to question the board on any issue. This evenings meeting format was changed seemingly by magic. The board never discussed any changes of format in the public eye.

Mr. Finch asked if the public was ever asked if they wanted to change the format of the meeting. Grover answered, "I've been trying to change the format of the meeting. I have to respond and it doesn't give the rest of the board members an opportunity to respond." Grover said every administrator was in attendance, failing to mention the absence of the assistant superintendent of business, Kishore Kuncham. Mr. Grover also failed to state that he does not encourage other members of the board to participate, nor has the board encouraged or allowed superintendent Moffett to answer any questions.