To the Editor:

I attended the evening public schools board meeting (the portion open to the public) on September 4 in the comically cramped room provided at the Valley Road building (where the Board members spread out comfortably at tables at one end of the room, while the public made-do with a shamble of available chairs at the other end — sharing space with several video cameras and a sound board engineer with a large table full of equipment, resulting in spill-out of attendees into the hall — some leaving in disgust. It does make one wonder if this is done by design, to deter a larger turnout. As the previous meeting had an identical situation (although this time, more so), you would think that arrangements would have been made to accommodate a larger gathering, as the school referendum is very clearly a hot topic at present.

The meeting had a signup of over 30 speakers (with each having an allowance of two minutes to speak — I was one of them.) While the tone and approaches to the subject at hand varied, the concern and opposition expressed to the $129 million school referendum was palpable and unanimous.

What was especially striking was the obvious disconnect (for want of a better way to interpret it … lack of interest? disdain?) between the parade of impassioned speakers and the Board. It brought to mind what could have passed for a SNL sketch; after nearly each speaker, the Board would sit quite blankly with rarely a response (and when offered, it was either a weak or patting-one’s-self-on-the-back kind). The main response was usually from Pat Sullivan, who would mostly stare downward, but would come alive to inform each speaker when their two minutes were up. Enforcement of this time limit was clearly paramount to actually taking in what people were saying as they delivered a decided drumbeat of NO to the referendum.

The citizenry of Princeton, at very least, deserve the respect and the full attention of the B.O.E. — when allowed an audience with them.

Bruce Lawton

Hawthorne Avenue