On Monday, December 8, 2008, at 6 p.m. the trustees of Coeur d’Alene School District 271 will hold an important meeting at the Midtown Meeting Center, 5th and Linden in Coeur d’Alene.  The first business item on the agenda is the Finance Panel recommendations.  Unfortunately, the agenda includes no opportunity for public questions and comments after the Panel’s report.

Readers may recall that after conducting a series of forums with the public and amid concerns that district money may not have been spent wisely or appropriately, Superintendent Hazel Baumen appointed a Financial Review Committee to make recommendations to the school board.  The panel consists of five people from outside the school district and two school district officials. That panel’s recommendation will be made at this meeting.

I hope the Board of Trustees will distribute printed copies of the Committee’s complete report as well as its findings and recommendations to everyone attending the meeting. This will give interested community members a chance to study them and then return to later board meetings to make comments and ask questions.