Should government channel televise school issues? Even a small group of people who show up for a public meeting deserve to have comments on record

Was this televised live on Educational Channel 14? When is the replay?
School board’s round table draws small crowd
BY BRETT BENNETT Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/News/66956/
The first of six planned Fayetteville Board of Education round-table meetings was attended by about five patrons Tuesday at the Woodland Junior High School cafeteria.

Set for the second Tuesday of the month, the meetings are a way for people to interact with board members about issues affecting the district. They are designed similar to the zone representative meetings held in 2006 but with more board members present.

“ I expected a very small turnout, ” board member Tim Kring said. “ It needs to build. ”

Kring said Woodland was selected as the meeting site because it is the most centrally located school to the district’s population.

As part of the meeting, Fred Turrentine, director of school plant services, gave an overview about recent building projects.

The district added new entrances and office space at Asbell Elementary, at a cost of $ 741, 000, and Woodland, at a cost of $ 902, 000.

Turrentine also outlined the green design elements that the district hopes will earn Butterfield Trail Elementary School a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U. S. Green Building Council.

The school is undergoing a planned renovation and expansion project that is expected to be finished in the summer of 2009. Some of the design elements include filtering storm water with bioswales, landscaping with drought-tolerant native plants, installing new lighting systems, and using construction materials that contain at least 10 percent recycled content. Other measures include 40 percent of construction materials being produced regionally and the roof being designed to reflect light instead of absorbing heat. The district will also get credit for the types of building insulation and materials used in the construction process and air quality at the redesigned school.

The school will be designed to house 600 students, with five kindergarten classes and four classes each for first through fifth grades, Turrentine said.

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