These are some of the notes I took at tonight’s school board meeting. There is nothing magical about notes. I’ve taken them diligently since college. I even kept some of my notebooks for years afterward. Anyway it was much easier taking notes this month. In July I tried to take notes on my cell phone. It was a disaster.
Not much happened tonight. It was a short summer meeting and these school board members aren’t big talkers except Chair Kemp who lavishes praise on district employees at the drop of a hat. And Alanna Oswald asks questions regularly just like me. Tonight was not a question night. I only have two pages of notes and this first one includes a mock up of a business card I imagined passing out to my classes if I was a substitute teacher. I’ve dreamed of subbing for twenty years when I was a board member. That Board disapproved of such fraternization between me and the teachers. This Board has two teachers who are set to sub. So, when the agenda got to a policy change in state law regarding school board members subbing I perked up my ears.
It was in the Human Resources Committee agenda. But the pdf wouldn’t load onto my cell phone for me to read it. I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t find it. Human Resources Director, Tim Sworsky, apologized for losing his place when he too failed to locate it. You see, The school board went to “paperless” meetings. We were discussing this when I departed the board two years ago. It would supposedly save beaucoup bucks and many trees. I was old fashioned and resisted the innovation. I was secretly pleased when Mr. Sworsky was detoured in the digital world.
I came to this meeting with a note pad. Last month I had expected to find the traditional paper agenda but that was a no go. So. tonight I took notes the way I had back in college. Then the WIFI system broke down an no one at the meeting could follow the agendas on their chrome books any more. I was delighted.
Chair Kemp had come prepared. When Alanna could no longer refer to her chrome book for her Business Committee report Rosie grandly handed the forbidden paper agendas to her colleagues.
