There's been no love lost lately between two members of the South Bend School Board. Last week they did some public bickering. Wednesday night they were back together working in the same room.
The fighting reached a boiling point last Friday. When Board President Roger Parent asked Vice President Bill Sniadecki to resign. Sniadecki refused. It all stemmed from an argument over whether the board broke the "sunshine-rule" during an executive session. So we wondered how things would play out Wednesday night at the regularly scheduled board meeting.
Board President Roger Parent and Vice President Bill Sniadecki sat next to each other like they normally do. There were no signs of the public spat that had continued just Wednesday afternoon when President Roger Parent sent a memo saying from now on Executive Sessions will be recorded and that quote, "Hopefully, this will encourage Board Member Bill Sniadecki to express his concerns about any issue being discussed during the executive session instead of improperly after the session is over. "
Sniadecki told us Wednesday night he didn't know about that memo but now he'd look into it. "I'm gonna check on the legality of taping executive sessions." As for the bickering as a whole and the affect it has on the board getting work done, Sniadecki said, "It's definitely a distraction." But Sniadecki said they're moving on now. "I think it's all done with. I think everybody's hopefully back to what we're supposed to be doing."
Board President Roger Parent said he didn't want to comment on the bickering. He said it's not between him and Sniadecki but instead between Sniadecki and the board. Either way those who attended Wednesday night's board meeting say they're not happy with the drama, especially school bus driver Don Ruszkowski. "It's kind of disheartening to see the disrespect among the school board members."
There's other issues they'd like to see as the center of attention.
