School panel hesitant on livestreaming board meetings

Advocate surprised at resistance, lack of research
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

SHAWANO — The idea of livestreaming Shawano School Board meetings was not greeted with enthusiasm Monday, much to the dismay of the local resident who pitched the idea.

The matter went before Shawano School District’s policy and curriculum committee, and members expressed concern that having board members conducting business live and on camera for full board meetings and committee meetings would curtail discussions and not be cost effective for the district.

Speaking after the committee meeting, Shelby Kaveinga, a former teacher and the Shawano resident who suggested that the board livestream its meetings, expressed irritation at not only the chilly reception the idea received, but that it took this long to get a public airing. Kaveinga said the idea had been brought forward months ago, only to be delayed.

“I was surprised there wasn’t more discussion,” Kaveinga said. “I figured they would have done their research and brought information forward to share.”

Kaveinga was hopeful that, if the district did livestream its meetings, it would get community members more involved and create a richer dialogue as the board tackles education matters. She noted that even though the name has “live” in it, community members unable to view the meetings at their designated times could still view them later if the district kept an archive.

“All of the districts I’ve looked into, they archive them. They stream them live, and you can view them on their websites,” Kaveinga said. “They have written notes that you can read, so there are many avenues to access the information, whether it’s live or catching up later.”

During the committee meeting, board member Mart Grams said the school districts that he researched archive their meetings on their websites.

“That takes up a lot of space,” Grams said.

He added there was a concern that the streaming might inadvertently be left on if the board has to go into a closed session.

“Sometimes that stymies the conversation,” Grams said.

Board member Diane Hoffman, the committee’s chairwoman, echoed Grams’ sentiment about livestreaming stymieing conversation, but she was also concerned the video meetings could be used out of context.

“The dialogue isn’t as real,” Hoffman said.

The committee’s comments surprised Kaveinga. She challenged the assertion that livestreaming the meetings would curtail discussion of issues.

“Your concern should be no different than somebody sitting here and watching you guys,” Kaveinga said. “Your conversation shouldn’t be stymied by me sitting here in the audience or if 100 people showed up. If you livestream it, and one person watches it or 500 people watch, your conversation should be the same, regardless of the means by which we’re receiving it.”

Kaveinga said she reached out to school districts who livestream their meetings as well, and she didn’t find the resistance to the method of recording.

“They are all in favor of it,” Kaveinga said. “They all support it and say it creates a transparency with the community.”

Kaveinga noted that the bulk of the discussions on many issues brought before the school board are hashed out in committees, like at the meeting held Monday, which leaves many who attend the full board meetings confused about the details on the issues.

“Those are yeah and nay decisions, but what happens here (in committee meetings) affects me as a parent and as a community member,” Kaveinga said. “To attend today, I had to get a babysitter to watch my children so I could come, just so I could have an idea of what’s going on in my district. This is a very simple solution to allow people to feel more connected to you and what you’re doing in this district.”

Kaveinga said she has the backing of other members in the community who have posted concerns about school district issues on Facebook and other social media platforms.

Hoffman said she’d received word from school board president Tyler Schmidt that some school districts had started the livestreaming but later shut it down. When asked by Kaveinga which districts did that, Hoffman could not provide specifics.

Kaveinga said her research showed only one district shutting down livestreaming, and the reason was it was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act in that the district could not provide closed captioning on the videos.

Superintendent Randi Anderson suggested that research be done to find out what costs and technology would be involved with livestreaming meetings, especially with a convention for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards coming up. She expressed concern about livestreaming through social media platforms and suggested instead that meetings could be recorded and utilized through cable channel 99, which she said is available for the district’s use.

Kaveinga suggested the board members go one step further and speak with teachers, staff, parents and other community members to get their thoughts about whether livestreaming is a good idea.

“They elected you to these positions,” Kaveinga said. “Let’s see what they think.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com

Check out NEW Media's main page and vote on a poll regarding the livestreaming issue.