Public commenters press board for budget clarity, transparency and stronger science representation at alumni events
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Summary
Public commenters at the meeting urged faster answers to budget questions, questioned whether proceeds from selling district land could be used across subsequent budgets, accused the district of not posting meeting information 48 hours in advance and criticized an alumni event for lacking science-career representation.
Two members of the public used the comment period to press the board on budget transparency and career-education offerings.
Alex Hayes, identifying himself from Oakhurst, told the board he was still awaiting answers to questions posed two weeks earlier and requested the superintendent contact him by Friday. Hayes asked for specifics on budget cuts, whether proceeds from selling district land could be applied to subsequent budgets, and whether the district had considered increasing rental fees or cutting travel allowances to generate savings. Hayes also alleged the agenda and meeting log-on links were not posted the required 48 hours before the meeting.
Keith Chapman, a virtual commenter, criticized an alumni-panel event for having no science-career representatives and said the absence undermined the district's competitiveness; he also called proposed tax increases of 6'to—6 percent "insane."
Board response and context: the administration and board members acknowledged the comments and said administrators have been responding to individual constituents. The transcript shows the administration later explained a new online legal-notices page and links to the state portal for aggregated notices, but the transcript does not record a direct, on-the-spot rebuttal or resolution of Hayes's statutory-timing allegation.
Next steps: the public comment period closed after the two speakers. Hayes asked for a superintendent response before the district's spring break; the transcript does not record whether that outreach occurred.
Representative quotes: "I can't wait to hear what exactly was cut," Hayes said, pressing for line-item detail. Chapman said parents "can't believe we're considering raising budgets, tax increase 6 to 8%. That's insane."
