'Kinder, gentler board meetings'

It's just a small procedural change, but it might lead to more amicable meetings.

The Flathead County Planning Board recently changed its rules to reduce the adversarial nature of some discussions. Public comments are no longer divided into separate camps of proponents and opponents; instead, it's just a general public-comment period for anyone who has something to say on a given issue.

The aim was for "kinder, gentler planning board meetings," in the words of board member Jeff Larson.

That's a laudable goal considering the contentious, pitched-battle atmosphere that has surrounded some issues.

The new procedure had its first test Thursday night and it apparently achieved its goal of more civil discourse.

The rule change, combined with four new faces on the nine-member planning board starting in January, may herald a more citizen-friendly atmosphere for board deliberations.

A welcome move by the state will mean more highway dollars for Kalispell and Whitefish roads.

By changing the funding formula for urban highways, the Montana Transportation Commission has given a big boost to local road projects.

Kalispell's highway allocation will more than double - from $455,000 to $994,000 per year. Whitefish highway money will rise from $130,000 to about $170,000.

The infusion of new money will be especially beneficial for Kalispell, which now will be able to proceed on long-awaited improvements on Meridian Road between U.S. 93 and U.S. 2.

A recent study declared that American children are lagging in math skills, compared to those in other industrialized nations.

The Program for International Student Assessment, which tested 15-year-olds in 39 nations, concluded that the problem reached across the board - in geometry, algebra, statistics and computation.

That's not surprising, but the answer is not necessarily that American schools are bad, but rather than they are inconsistent.

It turns out that white students in the United States actually scored above average, while blacks and hispanics scored below the average. That means we are looking at the same old problem we have always had of trying to equalize education opportunities for the poorest Americans in urban and rural Southern settings with those of the top-notch schools in the suburbs and small cities such as Kalispell.

We should not lose hope that our system can achieve the desired results. It can. American education remains strong. But as the minority presence grows in this country, we must step up our efforts to bring quality education to everyone.

This is championship weekend in college football - and not just for the Montana Grizzlies.

Helena's Carroll College also is playing for a national title in Tennessee. The Fighting Saints are going for their third straight NAIA trophy on Saturday.

Let's hope the Saints and Griz both win it all this weekend.