Wall school board meeting changes aimed at countering 'contentious behavior'

WALL TOWNSHIP – Christine Steitz has had enough.

The Wall Township Board of Education president, appointed less than three months ago, says new rules to reduce public comment time and change board meeting formats are needed to end what she calls a “relentless onslaught” of abuse from some residents.

“We have made the changes to our conduct of meetings,” said Steitz, 54, who joined the board in 2020 and recently replaced former board president Ralph Addonizio in the top spot. “I think the board is united in the desire to have a civil, productive meeting. “

Steitz said the public comment period during meetings would be reduced from five minutes to three and board members will no longer answer questions from the public during meetings.

She said only the board president will speak for the governing body during and after board meetings, a practice used in most districts.

“We are also united to being clear about what a public comment session is,” Steitz said. “The community’s chance to speak and express themselves, but not a time to have an exchange of ideas with the board. It is the opportunity for the board to listen, not to respond in that moment. Hopefully we are going have meetings with an improved climate and culture.”

But she also hopes one change, allowing comments on any topic earlier during meetings, will let residents have their say without having to wait around for hours.

“We can then address things that are brought up in the same meeting,” Steitz said. “There may be an opportunity to try and clarify things if appropriate.”

Currently, the first session, usually held within the first half hour, is limited to agenda topics. That has meant that anyone wanting to speak on a non-agenda topic had to wait until the second public comment session, often held hours later.

The changes are set to take effect at the next school board meeting on April 25.

Addonizio, who served as board president for two years prior to Steitz and remains on the governing body, said things have gotten out of hand.

“It is about decorum and respect for one another,” he said. “I respect Christine as a president and everything she is trying to do, the district has turned a corner and hopefully all good things for the future.”

But some residents, including longtime critic Betsy Cross, objected to the new limits. Cross, who won a write-in vote for a board seat in 2021 but declined to serve, has verbally attacked board members and targeted several administrators with serious claims.

"Three minutes doesn't leave enough time to just review the public information the custodian of records Brian Smyth is hiding," she said, citing the lawsuit she won against the district in 2022 after Smyth’s office wrongly redacted items from public records she had sought.

The push for less disruption follows a growing trend in Wall and other districts of attendees shouting out, calling members names and, in some cases, being removed from proceedings due to verbal abuse.

The problems increased during the height of strict Covid protocols that included a state mandate for masking at meetings, which was lifted just last year. Several districts, including Freehold Township and Marlboro, were forced to have residents removed for both refusing to wear masks and, in some cases, disrupting meetings with their opposition.

The Wall board was forced to recess meetings on several occasions in recent years when residents either refused to follow the rules or caused disruptions.

“It was more contentious behavior,” Steitz said, noting she had to recess a meeting earlier this year. “It is a relentless onslaught, to be honest. It is important that we create a more civil climate, it has to happen.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of three books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp