School board meetings in Fairfield will open earlier starting in June, and the date of meetings may be changed after a trial run by trustees.

The school board voted last week to start meetings at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. beginning in June.

Part of the reason for starting meetings earlier is to allow time for public comments as a part of the agenda, another change formalized by the board last week.

Trustees unaimously approved a 30-minute public comments section for all meetings.

Rules for pubic comments are a 5-minute time limit for each speaker, and delegations of more than five persons must appoint one person as a spokesman.

Particpants must sign up for their turns five minutes before the board meeting starts.

The comment period may not be used to solve a matter outside existing channels of resolution, and may not directly target individuals.

Trustees last week discussed changing board meetings from Tuesday to either Monday or Thursday. Purpose of considering the change from Tuesday evenings is because the current setting conflicts with varsity athletic competitions and with Fairfield city council meetings.

Fairfield board members may try different meeting days for a short time before deciding whether, or not, to change.

A budget amendment to move $63,000 from instruction to techology to replace a fiber optic cable serving the elementary school was recommended by superintendent Katie Ryan and approved by the board.

The meeting last week started with awarding certificates of merit to Fairfield FFA students on judging teams that performed well in competitions, and certificates of merit to three Fairfield high school students who have qualified for the Texas High School Rodeo Association championship rodeo.

FFA judging teams recognized were:

—Floriculture—Morgan Fuller, Kathleen Chappell, Chelsea Farrell and Ashlee McGowan.

—Land—Jack Wright, James Sherman, Kory Jumper and Jacob Cain.

—Horse—Robin Davis, Ashley Cannon, Cooper Vandiver and Jaymi McLeod.

—Livestock—Jaelan Gilbreath, Cory Black, Daniel Wood and Kayse Kirgan.

—Wool—Joe Moore, Haley Plemmons, Kendall Villarreal and Zach Henery.

Receiving certificates of achievement for rodeo accomplishments were Cally Hardwick, Cooper Vandiver, Robin Davis and Jaymi McLeod.

A list of students transfering to Fairfield schools, those students who live outside the district but attend school here, was approved and the list is closed for the 2009-2010 year. Any further transfer requests will be considered on a space available basis.

The board accepted resignations from fifth grade science teacher Carol Chappell and kindergarten teacher Kelly Wren, and approved hiring Shetonia Brackens Scires as a second grade teacher.