Paul A. Tichinin, Superintendent of Schools*

Education recognizes its responsibility to comment on the finding and

The regular meetings of the Mendocino County Board of Education are held on the 2nd Monday of each month beginning at 10:00 a.m. The County Board makes a point of being available to the constituents of this County by holding its meetings throughout the County at different district sites throughout the school year. A schedule of our meetings and locations is available at www.mcoe.us. With regard to the start time of County Board meetings, the County Board, over the years, has discussed the option of moving the start time to later in the day. Thus far the Board has found that many community members appreciate that meetings are held throughout the county and this directly meets their needs for availability. Over the years, employees have attended our meetings and we certainly welcome their attendance. However, it needs to be understood that employment issues must be directed to the County Superintendent and not the County Board. Further Analysis of Recommendation #9

This recommendation references meetings of MCOE. It is assumed, for purposes of this response that the Grand Jury meant meetings of the Mendocino County Board of Education. In that context, the schedule of County Board meetings is a topic on an annual basis -typically in December. However, in light of the Grand Jury recommendation, the County Board will have an agenda item within the next 6 months to review the issue of the start time of County Board meetings.