School board moving time for 'citizen comments'

GAINESVILLE - The Gainesville school board plans to set aside 20 minutes for "citizen comments" at the start of its once-a-month regular meetings.

The board will convene at 7:00 on the third Monday night of each month instead of the long-established 7:30 and hear citizen comments between 7:00 and 7:20.

The "citizen comments" part of each meeting has been held as a part of the regular agenda, which will still be taken up beginnnig at 7:30 under the new format.

Schools superintendent Steve Ballowe said the board has been considering the change "for some time" and that the move is just "a matter of efficiency."

The change is effective with Monday's meeting.