Oconto Falls School Board to return to video

Livestream coverage of Oconto Falls School Board meetings will probably resume, after several members of the public expressed an interest.

The public had access to live video of board meetings from late March through July, when the board was meeting via Zoom video conferencing technology because of COVID-19 concerns. The live feed ended when the board returned to gathering in person.

The Aug. 17, Sept. 2 and Sept. 14 meetings were held in the high school auditorium with social distancing measures in place: The board met on stage at desks spaced at least six feet apart, every other seat in the auditorium was blocked with yellow caution tape, and all participants and observers were required to wear face masks.

Superintendent Dean Hess told board members Sept. 14 that he had fielded about a half-dozen inquiries from district residents asking that the video feed be continued.

“When we were doing live streaming, it wasn’t uncommon to have 200-plus people who were joining in and viewing our board meetings,” Hess said, comparing that with the dozen or so spectators scattered around the auditorium, most of them district personnel.

At one point during the July 29 meeting, when the board was deciding on a return-to-school plan for the fall, the Times Herald noted that YouTube listed 246 viewers were watching the live feed.

“I would say the positive side to that is we are constantly trying to reach out and communicate,” Hess said. “It’s very evident (that with live coverage) there’s a lot more people walking away knowledgeable as to the various things that you as a board are discussing and taking action on.”

The board did agree that the public comment portion of the meetings should be done face to face. About 75 minutes of that July 29 meeting was devoted to reading letters that had been submitted by community members, students and staff.

Hess said he will work with staff to set up a video feed for future meetings. The board usually meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month, with occasional special meetings.