May 28, 2003 By Kris Schiffbauer 3 min read

GEORGES TWP. – Saying they had no policy in place, the joint operating committee of the Fayette County Area Vocational-Technical School voted Tuesday to place a limit on public comment at their meetings. The committee voted 7-1 to set a three-minute time limit on individual public comments during its regular monthly meetings. It also limited the content of public comments at the beginning of the meeting to items that are listed on the agenda and left open public discussion for the end of the meetings.

John Gruskowski, a director from Albert Gallatin Area School Board, cast the dissenting vote. He said he thought the three-minute policy was OK, but thought the chairperson should have the discretion to suspend the time limit “because there are times some comment is important enough to listen to for a longer period than three minutes.”

Dorothy Grahek of Uniontown Area School Board suggested someone who has a particular issue to discuss and wants more than three minutes can ask in advance to be placed on the meeting agenda and get added time.

“The problem is, we don’t have a policy,” she said.

Confining comments at the beginning of the meeting to agenda items was an amendment to the time limit motion by Charles Castor of Uniontown Area School Board. The committee approved the amendment on a 5-3 vote, with Gruskowski and his Albert Gallatin colleagues Edward Andria and Edward Colebank voting no.

Employee representative William Trimbath asked why the committee decided to limit public comment now and reasoned their vote might have been a reaction to a crowded meeting last month.

Solicitor Gary Frankhouser said the move was not meant to be any kind of reflection on anything unique or any circumstances that occurred other than the committee’s desire to have a policy where there was none. He said a review of school boards revealed a three-minute consensus.

The committee, in another motion, voted to limit those who may attend their executive sessions to themselves, school superintendents of the home districts and vo-tech administrators.

Again, Gruskowski voted no. He said the move was too limiting and could, in effect, deny admittance to the private meetings by personnel who should be heard by the committee.

The limit on executive session attendance was an apparent result of last month’s meeting. Frankhouser said after the meeting that school board members who are not members of the joint operating committee wanted to attend executive sessions.

Among other matters, they voted to approve operation of the summer food program from June 16 to Aug. 15 but not the salaries of the staff.

The committee had called an executive session before the vote for the purpose of discussing compensation for specific positions. Chairman Angelo Giachetti, a director from Laurel Highlands School Board, said they discussed the summer food service staff salaries, and program coordinator Peggy Maimone said she should have been included in the discussion because she had relevant information.

Giachetti said the committee will meet again and vote for the salaries to be retroactive. However, Maimone said she is concerned whether the staff will work without the salaries in place.

The board tabled a vote on the final 2003-2004 budget, in the amount of $3.5 million.

Frankhouser said the committee is still discussing changes in positions that may affect the budget. He said the committee might hold a special meeting to vote on a final budget, which will then be given to the four member school boards for action.

The directors also approved a $329,492.90 budget for the school’s licensed practical nursing program. The budget includes a $200 annual increase in tuition, from $4,000 to $4,200.