Residents urge board to preserve public-participation time and question preschool playground cost and interim hires

Several residents used public comment to press the board on three interrelated concerns: a proposed change to public-participation rules (Policy 0167), the cost and siting of a preschool playground project, and staffing or interim-hire decisions the public regards as costly.

Tony Rosales (self-identified as Sunrise Beach resident) singled out Policy 0167 and said it "limits free speech," urging the board to reconsider language that he said would restrict rebuttal or follow-up from audience members. Rosales also asked whether the interim business-administrator selection was internal or an outside hire, flagged a reported interim pay rate of $3,250 per week (which he extrapolated to about $162,000 annually) and questioned why the assistant business administrator (named Daniel Rath on the agenda) had not been considered. Rosales urged the board to reconsider spending roughly $883,000 on preschool playground equipment at each school and suggested consolidating preschool at Mill Pond (which the administration said is the approved site) to reduce duplication.

Board members and administration responded in part: the superintendent and committee reports stated the Mill Pond playground and bathroom work are state-funded, that Mill Pond is the approved preschool host site and that some bathroom waivers were handled through the county office. Policy 0167 was described by committee leads as scheduled for a second read at the November meeting. Another commenter, Richard Bidnick, echoed concerns about reducing public-comment time and said the public participation period is a key democratic practice.

What happens next: Policy 0167 is scheduled for a second read; committee reports indicated the Mill Pond preschool playground is moving forward with state funding. The board did not take final action on the policy during the public comment period.