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By Dr. Rebecca Hamman
I OPPOSE the City of Stamford Board of Representative (BOR) speech restrictions in LR32.005 (Section IV.E.3 of the Board's Rules of Order—Time for Public Comment). They want to discuss potential revisions in upcoming meetings, "including but not limited to, deletion of the Rule."
Please don’t destroy democracy in Stamford by limiting public comment.
Like the Board of Education (BOE), the BOR is an elected body where public comment should always be welcomed. The first Amendment gives public this right. In addition, there should never be a limit to how many times a person can speak throughout the year.
Volunteering as an official on the Board of Education, my priority is to oversee the teaching and learning process. Although I’m sponsored by a political party, my obligation is to help supervise the superintendent and implement policy. As a governing body member, it is an honor to assist our educational leaders and workforce in becoming a healthy, vibrant district. In doing so, our Board thrives on listening to our constituents—parents, teachers, administrators, interested citizens, and most important, our students. I would never take the privilege of Public Comment away from any taxpayer who helps make Stamford the city that works. We spend approximately $21,000 per student annually. Knowing the overall BOE budget is about $360M and supports approximately 15,500 students, public opinion is vitally important in our Board’s decision-making.
The Board of Education has guidelines for the public when they speak. As elected officials, we must listen—it is our duty and obligation. The truth we need to hear is in the details that every person shares. Their concerns, compliments and/or stories matter. Because my priority is our students, not politics, the public viewpoints may even wake me up and cause me to ‘rethink’ my views. This is the beauty of democracy, community voice and working together.
As colleagues on the Board of Education, we are elected to corporately discern what is best for the decision at hand. I listen because I want to help others. We cannot ’be above the law' as public officials and silence truth. Ultimately, we are elected to bring hope to the arena we are working in.
Amendment LR32.005 should be dropped immediately. Freedom of speech—and robust discourse—should always be used to unify us, not divide us.
Thank you…
Dr. Rebecca Hamman currently serves as a member of the Stamford Board of Education. She is a career educator (teacher and administrator) and has worked 11 years elementary and 15 years secondary. Her comments are her own, and do not represent the official views of the Board of Education or its committees.
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