You’ll have to get up with the chickens to keep an eye on the Burlington-Edison School Board’s work sessions. That doesn’t seem to make much sense for either School Board members or district residents who might want to attend.

The board recently agreed to hold its work sessions — which are open public meetings — at 5:30 a.m. once a month. The main reason is that the early hour is the only time that all the board members can consistently be there, and some members want to have more evenings free for their families. The board’s other regular meetings are all scheduled for 7 p.m. The board had met at 6 a.m. for some work sessions back in the 1990s.

The board members obviously worked hard to reach a compromise that would guarantee maximum attendance to do their important work, and they can’t all be happy about pre-dawn policy discussions. But it’s still not a good outcome.

Board members deserve credit for the commitment and effort that go into overseeing the direction of a district with some pressing financial problems. It’s commendable public service in a highly visible role. Still, it seems that having made the commitment, board members would be more inclined to bend their lives around the school district’s business, and not the other way around.

Meeting so early is a definite detriment to public participation and could create the impression, however unlikely, that the board is hoping to discourage attendance and observation. We don’t think that’s the board members’ motive, and we believe board President Liza Bott when she says that nothing devious is intended by the new meeting time.

But appearances can carry a lot of weight. And appearances are especially critical in a district that has suffered through tough bond issue defeats in 2006 and 2007 and is adjusting to a new superintendent.

Now the board is discussing another bond issue proposal, greatly reduced in scope and not including a new elementary school. The district will be asking Burlington-Edison taxpayers to back a bond issue of nearly $40 million to provide some much-needed new facilities.

Anything that works against the credibility of the board and its efforts to reach out to the district’s constituents could potentially be harmful. With another bond issue proposal coming — and 60 percent approval needed for passage — the board can’t afford a smidgen of distrust.

Meeting when most people aren’t up yet carries that risk.

• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever. Signed columns reflect the authors’ viewpoint.