Forum Saturday will discuss money, goals for Geneva schools

The Geneva school district administration is conducting a two-hour forum Saturday on the district's long-range finances and educational goals. A group critical of the district's spending hopes the forum will become a regular thing.

The meeting is at 8:30 a.m. at Geneva Middle School South, 1415 Viking Drive.

School board members are expected to attend, and can speak if they wish, but it is not a school board meeting.

Geneva TaxFACTS, a group that has questioned the district on taxes, spending and debt, has been urging its members to attend the forum. FACTS stands for For Accountable Controlled Spending. It was organized by resident Bob McQuillan. McQuillan once ran for school board, and is currently running for the Republican nomination for the State House 50th District seat.

"A strong turnout will reinforce the idea of having regular meetings between the public, the school board and the school administration," read an e-mail sent Friday to its subscribers. The group has suggested having informal "coffees" with residents.

@H3:The group has also criticized the board's policies for addressing the board at regular meetings. The board's bylaws state, "Participants shall direct all comments to the board and not to staff or other participants. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer; no person may address or question board members individually."

It is the board's practice to simply receive comments at meetings at two preset times during regular meetings. The policies frustrate guests who want to ask questions particularly of one person, or obtain an answer from officials right then.

Board member Leslie Juby pointed out the district has had community forums on "hot events," such as setting attendance boundaries for schools or making plans to renovate, expand or build facilities. Board members also meet with all the schools' PTOs and booster groups.

"But I can understand their frustration with coming to the (regular) meetings and not engaging us in dialogue," Juby said, noting the purpose of board meetings is to conduct business, that other civic bodies such as the city council engage audience members and that the policy was in place before she was elected. "When I sat in the audience and asked questions, I'm not sure I got answers either."