Mitchell Board of Education to review meeting livestream options

The Mitchell Board of Education will meet Monday to review options for live streaming its meetings, with the superintendent of the district expected to recommend to the board that the district stay with its current streaming arrangement.

The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Monday at Longfellow Elementary School.

The board discussed the issue at its October meeting and reviewed live streaming options for the meetings that included setting up its own live streaming system to broadcast its meetings. Also explored was the option of compensating the Mitchell Republic, which has been live streaming school board meetings for several months, in order to keep such live streams in front of the newspaper website paywall.

Joe Graves, superintendent, said in his agenda notes that he would recommend maintaining the status quo, which would allow the Mitchell Republic to continue to live stream the meetings but without compensation. That would mean access to the livestream would likely be open only to subscribers to the paper.

“The Daily Republic is providing this service currently and the quality of the livestreaming has increased significantly in the past few months. (Maintaining the current arrangement) costs the district nothing and so has no opportunity costs for services provided to students,” Graves said. “It allows for the board meeting ‘tour’ of facilities and supports a local business. There is no requirement for live streaming or archiving. Finally, should the newspaper discontinue this service, we can simply revisit the issue at the board’s level, when and if that occurs.”

While school board meetings are open to the public and notice of meetings, meeting agendas and the minutes of meetings are required by state law, live streaming and archiving of meetings is not.

Mitchell Republic officials said the paper would remove any paywalls in front of meeting live streams, essentially opening up access to anyone with access to the newspaper website, if the district would compensate it for the revenue lost by not requiring a subscription to view the streams. That cost would come to about $5,600 annually.

Graves said having the district live stream its own meetings is not practical for several reasons, including not having a full-time designated location for meetings, with some meetings held at different schools in the district over the course of the year.

He noted that if the board did not elect to go with his recommendation, the district would be better off not providing live streaming on its own.

“Live streaming is not required and board meetings are accessible to the public either by personally attending the meetings or by having individuals, on their own volition, live stream them,” Graves wrote.

The board is expected to make the following personnel moves:

• The new certified hires of Kindra Clark, 7th head girls basketball coach, $2,101; McKenzie Martens, 10th girls basketball coach, $3,246; Pat Moller, 10th boys basketball coach, $4,380; Riley Berggren, 8th head boys basketball coach, $2,290; Esther Witte, assistant girls basketball coach, $4,559; Heidi Cap, 8th head girls basketball coach, $2,101 and Emily Brunsing, secondary ENL 0.5 FTE, $31,870, effective Jan. 3, 2022. All hires are effective for the 2021-22 school year unless noted.

• The new classified hires of Wes Morgan, assistant boys basketball coach, $5,111; Adam Kaus, 8th assistant boys basketball coach, $1,836; Chris Weier, 7th head boys basketball coach, $2,920; Dave Brooks, 9th girls basketball coach and Crystal Larson, paraeducator at Mitchell High School, $11.75 per hour at 7 hours daily, effective Nov. 29. All hires are effective for the 2021-22 school year unless noted.

• The resignation of Alfred Herren, maintenance, effective Jan. 3, 2022.

• The retirement of Bill Oven, maintenance, effective Jan. 3, 2022.

• The new Mitchell Technical College hires of Meghen Callies, campus store and events coordinator, $28,120 (148 days), effective Nov. 29; Lisa Larson, instructional support specialist, $28,122 (129 days), effective Nov. 29; Jamie McGowan, admissions representative, $22,680 (126 days), effective Jan. 2, 2022 and Kasey Thomas, rad tech clinical adjunct spring semester, $2,800, effective Jan. 10, 2022.

• The Mitchell Technical College transfers of Melinda Bamsey, enrollment services coordinator, $40,876 and Sara Morgan, accounts payable coordinator, $40,000.

• The Mitchell Technical College contract changes for Hillary Vining, enrollment director, $54,630 (250 days); Nichole Simmermon, admissions representative, $37,575 (202 days) and Amya Swett, admissions representative, $45,700 (250 days).

Also at the meeting, the board is expected to:

• Consider revision to Board Policy 201 in order to recognize student representatives on second reading

• Consider approval of the 2021-22 school calendar.

• Hear board member reports.

• Hear the superintendent report.

• Hear public commentary.

The Mitchell Republic will live stream the meeting.