The Millburn Board of Education approved to change its agenda to allow public comment on any issue earlier in its meetings. The new format will only be for the first meeting of the month.

"We got feedback that sometimes people can't get to meetings at a specific time  or they can't wait until the end of the meeting" Superintendent Dr. James Crisfield said. "We need to counter balance that with the board conducting it's business." 

The board made this change as a way to accommodate parents who've been unable to voice their opinion in meetings because the unrestricted public comment was too late. 

"I think its a good compromise," board member Regina Truitt said. "They [residents] can come here without worrying about missing their opportunity."

Crisfield said the format of the second meeting will remain the same. That meeting will try to handle more of the district's business though, allowing the first meeting to be more like an open forum. 

Before this change, the agenda had two sections of public comment. The first round was limited to items on the agenda and the second was for any other issues. Both parts of the meeting are limited to 30 minutes, although the board rarely enforces this restriction.

"I think we've heard a lot about this topic and I think it's a good response," board member Jean Pasternak said. 

The change will take effect in the first meeting of next month on Oct. 8.