Guidelines for Making a Statement at the Buffalo Board of Education Board meetings are held the 2nd and
nd 4th Wednesday of each month at 801 City Hall at 5:30pm. You must call the Board of Education office and ask to be put on the speakers list by NOON the Tuesday before the Wednesday Board meeting. The number to call is:8163567. When you call, you will be asked for your name, affiliation (parent, concerned citizen, etc.), and topic you will be speaking on. When presenting your topic, keep it to a few words (i.e. transportation issues or school lunches) Speakers are scheduled early on the agenda. However, if there is a long speakers list and/or the Board has a critical issue to discuss, they may go into executive session and you will have to wait. You should be prepared to speak right away, or to have to wait. FYI, Board meetings can run upwards towards three hours. You will have three minutes to present your issue of concern, so plan accordingly. There is currently a large ticking clock on a screen that shows you how much time you have left. If you do go over, it is rare that you will be cut off immediately, but do attempt to prepare a statement that is brief and to the point. Be aware that the meetings and your comments are being recorded, and may be on public access TV and documented in the Buffalo News and/or other print and online media.
Some guideline for an effective presentation: Avoid general complaints (our kids are failing) or a list of grievances (teachers are bad, the food is terrible, the bus is always late) that do not allow for meaningful and immediate follow up by the Board of Education. Speak to your direct and personal experience and be specific. In my case, a bus incident with my four year old daughter highlighted safety issues regarding school transportation protocol and personnel. In this way, you can use your story as an illustrative example of a problem you want to address. Understand your objective- is it merely to put something on the record, plant a seed of an idea, or do you want something? If you want something, propose possible solutions. In the case of my bus incident, I suggested ideas such as: (1) the smallest children be placed on their own little bus or (2) more bus aides be hired or (3) that cameras and other technology were not caring for our children in real time and that there should be an emphasis on making sure our children had adequate supervision by an actual person at all times or (4) that we get back to neighborhood schools so our children are not outside of our neighborhood and we decrease dependency on bussing. You may also want to make a general statement, i.e: This situation that occurred was totally unacceptable and I want to know what will be done to ensure that this doesnt happen to my child or any other child again. Or you may have a specific request for a policy or protocol: I am asking the Board to remove vending machines with soda and candy from all schools.
Once you make your statement, you will return to your seat, and then the Superintendent will address ALL speakers once they have all had a chance to speak. Stay and wait for your response. If you have an issue that you feel other parents have as well, organize yourselves and all go to a meeting together. If get enough people speaking on a topic (around 30), the Board will schedule a meeting specifically to talk with you about this issue.
