by Dennis Dalman – news@thenewsleaders.com
Video recordings of Sartell-St. Stephen School Board meetings can now be viewed online by the public.
It is one of several efforts by the new school board to open up communications between the board and the public it serves.
The regular monthly board meetings are taped, and the video is then uploaded to the district’s webpage within 48 hours of the meeting. Links to the video can be found at www.vimeo.com/isd748.
“The ability to have our community watch school-board meetings at their convenience will continue to support enhanced communication efforts,” School Board Chair Michelle Meyer stated in a webpage memo. “We realize everyone may not be able to make Monday night meetings but are still interested in the happenings of our district. This addition will allow for more information to be accessed by our community in a timely manner.”
Superintendent Joe Hill said he also believes online access to meetings will be a big plus.
“This is a progressive means to enhance communication with our community in the 21st Century,” he stated in a memo. “This aligns well with Vision 2015 in supporting and enhancing open and responsive communication, which allows for greater community engagement.”
Three other efforts by the board to keep lines of communication open are these:
1.) The addition of a student representative to sit on the board in a non-voting, advisory capacity. (See related story in this newspaper.)
2.) Occasional question-answer sessions for the public, most recently at Liquid Assets coffee shop in Sartell.
3.) The scheduling of occasional meetings in St. Stephen. The April meeting will be held there at 6 p.m. Monday, April 15 at St. Stephen City Hall.