I'm surprised by Mr. Baker's comments in his "Southern Tioga's black eye" letter to the editor because they're not factually accurate. The board is accepting comments on all topics, including the school closure and building project issues. To find out for yourself, visit the district website and view the agendas - there were two comment periods during the Sept. 17 and Oct. 1 meetings.
However, the problem with accepting comments outside the Section 780 process is that the comments won't be part of the official record that the district will submit to Pennsylvania Department of Education. Thus, to ensure that all voices are heard on these issues, I encouraged concerned residents to respect the process and submit written comments by noon on Oct. 4.
For background, the Section 780 public hearing on the school closure issue was held on Sept. 4. The written comment period opened Sept. 4 and continued until Oct. 4. Then, the board must wait until Dec. 3 to vote on the issue.
The time between Oct. 4 and Dec. 3 is called a "cooling off period". I also encourage folks to respect the cooling off period to provide everyone time to digest the comments, for the administration to answer questions, and the directors to make calm, rational decisions.
Heidi I. Jones
Blossburg
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