Special Meeting March 6, 2025 - Public Comment
The Special BSD School Board Meeting agenda on March 6, 2025 includes two hours for public comment on the proposed Spending Reduction Plan. Each public commenter will be allowed two (2) minutes to speak.
Those who wish to provide public comment may submit their request to make public comment (online or in-person) by 4pm on Wednesday March 5th.
Requests to make public comment can be made by completing a request form.
If an in-person speaker decides to switch to providing commentary online, they would need to communicate that to Monica Niemela, Executive Team Coordinator niemelam@bsd405.org by 2:00 pm on the day of the meeting, Thursday, March 6th.
In-person comment in-person will check in by 4:55 pm on the day of the meeting. Individuals not registered in advance may register to speak in-person by 4:45 pm.
Comments regarding the proposed Spending Reduction Plan may also be sent to communityinput@bsd405.org
Public Comment Guidelines:
Public comment guidelines allow the meeting chair to terminate an individual’s statement when the allocated time has passed, to ensure that all speakers can be heard. The board will not tolerate uncivil discourse, and the meeting chair may interrupt a speaker to maintain the same level of civility the board imposes upon itself. Examples of uncivil comments include comments that:
- Are libelous or slanderous;
- Are an unwarranted invasion of privacy;
- Are obscene or indecent pursuant to the Federal Communications Act or any rule or regulation of the Federal Communications Commission;
- Violate school district policy or procedure related to harassment, intimidation, bullying, or discrimination;
- Incite an unlawful act on school premises or violate a lawful school regulation; or
- Create a material and substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the Board meeting.
Additional details can be found in Policy 1400 (PDF) and Procedure 1400P (PDF) – Meeting Conduct, Order of Business, and Quorum. While the Board will listen to all public comments carefully, the Board will not respond to comments spontaneously or without further deliberation.
It is important to note that community members have other means to share information with the Board, as well as directly with school district staff. In most cases, feedback should start with those closest to the situation or person – for example, to a teacher, principal, or program staff who can address concerns, particularly those relating to specific students or staff.
The Board has a dedicated email address (Board@bsd405.org) and voicemail (425-456-4270) for receiving communication in the senders’ language of choice that is distributed/transcribed to all Board directors and logged with staff. While individual Board directors do not usually respond directly, they do read all correspondence and ask staff to respond to administrative/operational issues. The Board also hosts school visits with the opportunity for engagement with families, students, and staff, and general community forums during the school year. Additionally, individual directors/pairs hold listening sessions and other community outreach events and serve as liaisons to several community organizations.