BOE president responds to ‘outrageous’ comments

PINE PLAINS — During the Pine Plains Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 7, board president Bruce Kimball started the meeting by addressing three points that were raised during the public comments segment of the previous BOE meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 24.The first comment that Kimball addressed was about the length of the new bus routes. The speaker said that his child spends 40 minutes on the bus even though he lives only a few blocks from the school.Kimball said that he does not doubt the length of time that particular child spends on the bus, but pointed out that “as a result of the efforts of our transportation department, the average bus run today is actually shorter than the routes prior to the reconfiguration.”Kimball went on to say that the primary concern for bus routes is safety, but the district also tries to keep the route short and efficient. Kimball further explained that the district would need to purchase more buses and hire more drivers to shorten the bus route any more.The second comment that Kimball responded to was one that called the reconfiguration of the elementary schools a “disaster.” Kimball strongly disagreed with that description.He said that the reconfiguration improved the programs and saved the district roughly $280,000 per year by using staff members and materials more efficiently.“To me, this is a win-win result and far from being a disaster. It is a real success story,” said Kimball.The third comment alleged that the majority of the community was opposed to the reconfiguration of the elementary schools.Kimball said that the Board of Education members voted unanimously in favor of the reconfiguration. During the election that followed the reconfiguration, three board members were re-elected to their positions by the public.“I believe that election was indicative of the support we had for our decision,” said Kimball.While addressing those points, Kimball also explained the board’s feelings toward the public comments segments of the meetings.“We believe communication with the public is essential. Communicating is, however, a two-way street. It requires both speaking and listening,” he said.Kimball said that as a member of the board, he is constrained in how he can respond to comments made during the public comments portion of the meeting, but he felt that he needs to respond to “outrageous” comments.

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