BESE Conference Calls

State education board members Carolyn Hill and Lottie Beebe tell The News-Star in Monroe that they refused to participate in recent conference calls for board members because they consider them an attempt to violate the open meetings law.
Last Sunday -- two days before a vote accountability standards for private schools admitting voucher students -- Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members were invited to join one of two conference calls with education officials and Superintendent John White. The newspaper reports that such calls were also scheduled earlier this year when BESE voted on school funding.
Beebe questioned the calls during Tuesday's meeting, but an attorney said they were legal.
BESE Executive Director Catherine Pozniak said she monitors calls to ensure they never include a quorum of the board.