We have talked a lot about this lately as a board and I am not sure if I have a better understanding of it or am more confused than I was a month ago. I like to think that I am a pretty decent communicator. My wife and daughter may disagree with that, but that is a whole other conversation.
Some board members do not like the use of blogs by Mr. Sobol and myself. Yet, I hear from many citizens that they like reading them as a way to learn about issues, learn what is happening with the board and to get our individual take/stance on things. Personally, when I am posting about board happenings I try to keep them as true and factual as possible and then input my opinions later in the post.
When we met with our legal counsel for the district he stated that blogs are a way to communicate and the board had no governance over their operation. He also warned Peter and I, since we are the only 2 members with blogs at that this time, to be careful how we present issues and our opinions. Basically make sure that it is clear when something is our opinion and not a board action or thought.
What does communication mean to each of you as it relates between the school district and the general public? Do you like reading blogs? Does the district do a good job of disseminating information thru the website and by sending items home with students? Are there other things that the board or the district can do to improve the transparency of operations?
Some board members have mentioned they would like to see public listening sessions or town hall type meetings or something similar to those. This may be a time set aside at a board meeting or a special meeting. Details and format would have to be worked out, but my understanding is a more relaxed informal dialogue between board members and citizens. Is this something that the citizens are interested in?
Please give me some feed back on what you think about the communication either from the district administration or the school board and any thoughts you have on how to improve it or if the listening sessions are a good idea.
I really like the blogs that Peter and you have since the information is available much faster than on the school web site. I think that as long as you are clear about facts vs. opinion, then that is fine. It would be nice if the information from the school board were posted to the school web site in a more timely manner. I like that both your blogs and the school web site (agendas & minutes) have RSS feeds. I'm sure others prefer different forms of communication, but I rely quite a bit on an RSS reader to aggregate information from different sources since I think it's an efficient way to stay informed. That's just my 2 cents worth. Thanks for blogging. :)
ReplyDeleteCindy Gramann
I like the blogs because not only does it show your opinion but the opinions of the public at large (or at least some of the more vocal ones).
ReplyDeleteI have found that the Herald INdependent has stepped up its game a bit but sometimes there are weeks delay in information being put out.
Also, the district does a poor job of informing people with their website. They have to wait months to post information (ie that they need people to second prior minutes before posting) and by then you miss things like "we will discuss this next meeting" but you don't see the information until after "the next meeting" (due to seconding minutes). I think I found it disturbing how little infomration the parents were given as far as giving them information on listening sessions for the ad hoc committee this past year for instance. There were so many families that missed the news completely. It seems that you have to WORK at finding information or finding someone "in the know". Maybe some say that is part of being a responsible voter/citizen but I think people shouldn't have to work that hard.