The Echo

Dear Christina,

I'd like to share some personal thoughts with you:

After several months of equipment setbacks, the Christina Board of Education digitally recorded its first Monthly Business Meeting last night.  The recording, an unofficial record and specifically not the official minutes of meeting, is scheduled to become available to the Christna community via the Christina website on Friday (barring any issues that may rise during the upload.)  Going forward, the board will continue to approve the official written minutes of the meetings as required by state law.  Officially approved minutes are available via the district website.  UPDATE: Digital Recording is online HERE, http://www.christina.k12.de.us/BOE/AgendasMinutes.htm

In keeping with its updated policy, the board will digitally record all future regularly scheduled monthly business meetings.  Workshops, which are run in a more interactive format, will not be recorded unless the board designates its desire to record specific meetings. 

The recordings are a courtesy that the Christina Board has chosen to extend to our constituents in our effort to increase transparency in public policy.   Should there be an equipment failure during a recorded meeting, the meeting will progress as planned as the importance of board business supercedes the reliability of equipment. 

I think most in Christina are excited to be leading the way in the digital age - opening doors of communication and accessibility.   I wish to express personal gratitude to Delaware's House of Representatives and those elected officials who have introduced a bill to compel the State Board of Education to follow the path paved by Christina and Red Clay by recording their meetings and making those files accessible to all Delawareans.  I urge all of Delaware's legislators to affirm this bill and move it quickly through the Legislature.  It's the right thing and the right time.  If we are to move education forward in Delaware, we must do so in the light of day.  

Thank You to Christina's administration for supporting this policy change and making this project reality!

Elizabeth