Televising board meetings will facilitate open gov’t

Televising board meetings
will facilitate open gov’t

The question currently facing the East Brunswick Board of Education is whether it could better serve the public by televising its meetings.

It’s an idea that a newly elected member of the school board, Michael Danatos, suggested last week in a letter printed on this editorial page, and it’s an issue that the Township Council brought up at its meeting last week and unanimously supported.

The proposal is hard to argue against. In a community where school board issues — particularly the annual budget and its seemingly inevitable defeat at the polls — have become the subjects of heated public debates, why not bring school board discussions and actions more into the public eye? Why not make it easier for senior citizens, commuters and everyone else to see these meetings, and watch what goes into decisions that affect their children’s education and their taxes?

That said, there is something else to consider. Given the fact that the board has brought a substantial tax increase in each of the past two years and has been called upon to cut spending and produce a leaner budget, it’s somewhat ironic now to turn around and ask its members to approve a new expense — tens of thousands in startup costs to televise meetings, and thousands more each year to continue the broadcasting.

Still, the school board ought to begin airing meetings. In time, and in the grand scheme of things, it will be worth the expense for the community.

The Township Council began airing its meetings a few years back, and much of the community does, in fact, watch those meetings, or at least it tunes in when the people know there’s something of interest happening. The township is better off for it, too.

That is the question facing the school board, despite the fact that school board President Michael Baker has chosen to question whether this newspaper should have run statements in Danatos’ letter last week.

In his letter, Danatos asked why he wasn’t made aware of a raise that was negotiated for the school superintendent prior to Danatos’ election and included in the school chief’s new contract, voted on last month. Danatos did not suggest anything illegal took place, but merely said the example shows there is room for more public involvement in that process, and in board business in general.

Baker states that, by printing Danatos’ letter, our editorial page may have created the implication that the process of increasing the salary was inappropriate. He says it is "the responsibility of our print media to be careful regarding the perceptions that they may create."

In this instance, we say Baker is completely off base.

We believe Danatos had the right to offer the example in constructively criticizing the board’s actions. We were happy to print his view, as this newspaper is a forum that is open to all who want to make public statements or engage in debates regarding important community issues. What we don’t print are thoughts that are libelous in nature or clearly in bad taste.

We are, in fact, careful regarding the perceptions we create, and we’re also proud to print an opinion that may go against the grain, regardless of whether it sits well with a certain community leader or group.

The last thing this newspaper needs is a letters-to-the-editor policy that allows only letters Michael Baker approves of.