School board should follow the rules

It’s a head-slapper to look on as the Mat-Su Borough School District Board of Education grapples over the governance of its gavel.

A change in procedure a couple years ago allows the board president to participate in meeting discussions while presiding over the meeting. This is a deviation from Robert’s Rules of Order, which says the president may participate in discussion but must relinquish his or her gavel for that time.

It’s a good rule and makes sense. A board president with the ability to participate and hold sway over how the discussion moves along has too much power.

Recognizing the Mat-Su School District board erred in turning away from Robert’s Rules, board member Jim Colver wants the old policy reinstated. He is correct, and we find it curious not all school board members favor the move.

President Sarah Welton says she wouldn’t have agreed to be president if she weren’t allowed to participate in and run meetings. She was elected to serve her district like any other board member, so muzzling her from participation would leave her district underserved.

The problem with that argument is there is nothing in Robert’s Rules of Order that say she would give up any opportunity to participate in discussions and debate. To do so, she would have to hand off the gavel to another board member for the time of her participation. Surely among seven board members, 14 hands and a spirit of cooperation are enough for all to be heard.

It’s really a silly debate, more appropriate for the playground than the meeting room. Fact is, the school board should never have deviated from Robert’s Rules of Order in the first place. We thank Colver for bringing this to our attention so it can be corrected.

We preach sharing and fair play in our classrooms every day. Now is an opportunity for our school board to show a little leadership by example.