SANTA ANA : School Board Weighs 10 P.M. Adjournment

The school district tonight will consider a plan that would end board meetings at 10 p.m.

A second proposal would require board members to ask the superintendent for specialized information and, in turn, be notified of all such requests.

Santa Ana Unified School District officials say meetings that last beyond 10 p.m. are more difficult for the public to participate in, and place an added burden on staff members.

However, the new rules would allow board members to extend the 10 p.m. deadline if a majority agrees. Otherwise, unfinished business will be continued at another board meeting.

The board meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Closed sessions to discuss legal and other matters often begin by 5 p.m. and the public portions begin at 7 p.m. The board sometimes stays in session until midnight.

Audrey Yamagata-Noji, the school board president, said the proposal was sparked by a recent string of meetings that lasted until 1 a.m. or later.

The proposal to require board members to ask the superintendent for information requiring research would change current practice under which board members seek such material from individual departments.

Yamagata-Noji said that method is too informal.