Time for thanks, and maybe a change back

It’s a time of thanksgiving, and there is much to be thankful for in our community, state and country. We live in a safe community, a community that is willing to help others and one that is a good place in which to raise our children and grandchildren.
    And, it’s one, in most cases, where communication is important.
    Chase County Schools Activities Director put an exclamation point on that when he addressed the board of education at last week’s meeting. He said we have so much to be thankful for here.
    Before the meeting, the entire school board and administration were in the auditorium where they watched the FFA parli pro team give a demonstration on what won them the national title this year. Hauxwell didn’t forget to emphasize all of the studying and hard work the FFA team members put in up to a year ago, leading up to the national competition and title.
    But that was just one example Hauxwell gave, as he added a long list of other student achievements and gifts to the school for which we should be grateful.
    It was also a year ago, in November 2018, when the board of education adopted a policy that limited the time when the public can provide input at their meetings. I’m thankful that we can still attend public meetings like school board, yet allowing a patron or reporter to speak only during a “public comment” time early in the meeting does nothing to promote communication that was supposedly so important as voiced by the previous superintendent.
    This newspaper has also had issues with incomplete posted meeting agendas, and at times, no attachments that provide the reporter information to follow along during the discussion.
    A lot has happened at Chase County Schools the past year, leading up to an incomplete audit that resulted in the school’s November funds being withheld by the state. There was little talk about that or communication about it until the letter arrived, and we learned of it through the county treasurer.
    Did all this happen because of a change in policy on how meetings are run? Probably not entirely. Yet, I have to go back to an editorial from November 2018 when I wrote: “Loss of rights usually does not happen in one sweep, such as passing a board policy. Rather, it’s a slippery slope.”
    If our board is interested in communication and building on what seems to be a good start with our new interim superintendent, we urge them to return to a more open meeting structure like all of the other boards in this community. Change back the policy you adopted last year.
    That would be something to be thankful for.