Transparency revisited in Talawanda school board meetings

The two-month-old recommendation that Talawanda School Board meetings be recorded and posted online was revisited in a recent meeting that took place on Monday, Sept. 17.

A member of the Oxford League of Women Voters, Prue Dana, requested the board meetings be recorded and posted online.

"The Oxford League of Women Voters believes that our fundamental principles are parallel with the request," Dana said, "Our democratic society depends upon informed and active participation in government."

Board member Patrick Meade advocated for the recording and posting videos of the Talawanda School Board meetings.

Meade first promoted the motion to provide audio and videotaping of board meetings, with board member Chris Otto following suit, at the July 16, 2018 meeting.

However, with little discussion, the school board voted 3-2 against it.

There are various reasons listed for the meetings to be videotaped and posted online: to provide transparency of choices made, to inform citizens, educators, students and parents of the school of discussions and actions made by the school board and to allow those who miss a meeting for personal reasons a way to be briefed of decisions made.

The Talawanda School Board provides summaries and highlights of each public session meeting, while the executive session is private and unavailable to the public. These summaries are posted on the Talawanda School District website after each meeting with brief descriptions of topics brought up in the Public Session, as well as limited information about the board member's opinions on each topic.

The Talawanda School Board meets monthly and discusses topics regarding the school's financing and donations, diversity and equality, facilities, educational reports, student achievements and future board meetings.

haubence@miamioh.edu