Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public comments at Stillwater board meeting urge electric buses, STEM space and ask for review of school library materials
Summary
Four speakers used the public comment period to press the board on electric school buses and federal funding, request dedicated STEM space at the new high school, report concerns about potentially explicit classroom materials and propose a resolution opposing DEI programs.
During the public comment portion of the Stillwater Public Schools meeting, four members of the public raised separate concerns: advocacy for electric school buses and federal funding, a request for dedicated space for STEM extracurriculars at the new high school, a request for a board response to alleged graphic material in schoolbooks, and a citizen resolution opposing DEI-type programming.
Deanna Homer urged the district to pursue electric school buses and to pursue available federal funding. Homer cited global and national health statistics and referred to the EPA's Clean School Bus program, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act as sources of support for electric heavy-duty vehicles. She told the board she would provide written materials for staff and said the EPA program had been awarded IRA funds and that rounds of grants remain scheduled; she added she would continue to "agitate" the issue.
Stacy Laxton, speaking as a community member and STEM advocate, requested the board's support to allocate floor space at the new high school campus for robotics and STEM extracurricular programming. Laxton said Stillwater students had recently hosted tournaments and that the district should ensure dedicated, accessible space so extracurricular STEM activities can expand.
Dr. Erin Means asked the board to respond to a concern she raised at a prior meeting about books she described as containing "graphic" sexual content. She said she had filed the district form and requested a written report from the board on whether any such books or materials remained available to students; she said she had not yet received a reply and asked that staff provide a response to the address on her speaker form.
John Chaffe read a citizen-drafted resolution asking the board to encourage administrators, counselors and teachers to read a book he recommended (Dr. Carol M. Swain's The Adversity of Diversity) and to consider unity-focused training. He asked the board to place the resolution on the agenda for the board's March 11 meeting; Chaffe also expressed that he believed the board had not responded to an earlier request.
Board procedure note The board reiterated its public-comment rules: speakers have three minutes, the board will not respond or discuss items raised outside the regular agenda because of Open Meetings Act constraints, and discussion of personnel is not permitted during public comment. Speakers were advised that materials could be supplied to the board in writing.
Ending Speakers left written materials for staff in several cases, and the board said staff would collect submissions. The comments were informational; no board action was taken during the meeting as a result of the public comments.
