It’s hard to tell just from the account of Monday’s Lawrence school board meeting whether the public has reason to be concerned, but a board member walking out of a meeting in protest doesn’t seem like a positive indicator.

Board member Leonard Ortiz reportedly left in the middle of Monday’s meeting in protest of what he saw as unfair and disrespectful treatment from school district staff and fellow board members. The incident was prompted by the scheduling of a study session to accommodate Board Member Sue Morgan, who had few times available to meet in November, at a time when Ortiz could not attend.

Ortiz left the meeting saying, “If you don’t feel I’m needed tomorrow, then I don’t feel like I’m needed here tonight.” He later told a reporter, “It seemed it was more important for Sue Morgan to be there than for me to be there. I just felt invalued.”

Now, maybe Ortiz was just having a bad day and overreacted a bit to the situation. Because of busy schedules, board members say it’s not unusual for meetings to be scheduled when the whole board can’t attend.

On the other hand, the fact that Ortiz would react so strongly to what he perceived to be a slight from fellow board members may be an indication that Ortiz sees a pattern of disrespect from fellow board members or that the board isn’t working as well together as district patrons would like. In the end, the board wisely decided to take the advice of Supt. Randy Weseman and seek a new meeting time when all seven board members thought they could attend.

Although it may not be unusual for the board to meet without all of its members, it certainly is preferable to set meeting times when everyone can attend. The study session in question is being called to discuss school boundaries and a proposed bond issue for facility improvements, matters that deserve the attention and input of the entire board.

Maybe Ortiz’s outburst isn’t a big deal or at least is an issue that can be relatively easily resolved. Ortiz is not even halfway through his four-year term on the board and, especially as the city approaches a probable bond issue, it’s important for board members to be working together in a cooperative and united fashion.