Change the date of school hearing

4/11/07
The Bridgeport City Council should show some respect for the school system and change the date of a public hearing on the education budget.
The council will hold the hearing Friday night in City Hall to discuss school spending for the next fiscal year. Friday also happens to be the last day of school before the annual April vacation. It's disrespectful; the city should encourage as much public participation as possible, not bury the hearing at a time and date that will attract the fewest people.
School board Vice President Maximino Medina Jr. is right to express his concerns. "This is outrageous, even by Bridgeport standards," he said, calling the hearing date an "insult" to parents. He's correct, and it ought to be changed.
For a city that proclaims itself in the midst of a renaissance — and that never tires of asking for more money — transparency should be the rule. Throw open all the books, let the sunshine in and reduce the suspicion that officials are trying to put something over on people. Deliberately scheduling hearings to attract fewer people has the opposite effect, and only increases concerns that, as Medina said, the council wants "to continue to do business the old-fashioned way, where they decide that the children are the enemy and not the ones to be protected."
There's an easy solution here. Change the date of the hearing, and make it clear the city wants to hear from as many people as possible. Parents and children here deserve at least that much.