School board to shutter cameras for workshop meetings
Critics upset, but board president says TV makes staff 'nervous'
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

The Pleasant Valley school board voted unanimously in January that it will only televise the first meeting of each month this year.

Board President Ron Speakman said the board wanted the second meeting to be an informal workshop, which, he said, could only be held without cameras.

There are residents, however, who say the decision not to televise the meetings, especially at a time when the district faces school closures and is in the midst of a battle for unification, will hurt communication between the board and those it serves.

". . . Televising meetings seems to be of the utmost importance at a time when school closures, negotiations and budgetary issues deem that board activities be as transparent as possible," Kim Marra Stephenson said during last month's meeting. "This move would seem to conflict with the need for transparency."

Stephenson said she launched a petition by e-mail and had more than 200 Camarillo residents respond within 24 hours, calling for the board to televise all its meetings.

Stephenson said the comments she received "are intense and indicative of the passion of our community to participate in the business of our schools and that this business happen as openly as possible."

A teacher with another district, Stephenson made an unsuccessful bid for the school board in last year's election.

Speakman said in an interview earlier this week that the board can be more effective when the cameras are turned off, when members don't have to worry about politics or the possibility of being misinterpreted.

"There are times when you just need to sit and talk, have free-flowing conversation. That's difficult to do when you're televised," he said.

Speakman said that no law requires that school board meetings be televised, and the board is in full compliance with every legal mandate for transparency.

"No decision is made in private or in secret," he said.

"It's not the staff members' job to be on TV and to be asked questions and run the risk of appearing like they don't know the answer or they're unprepared. It makes them nervous; it's less effective," Speakman said.

"Would you like to have your job evaluation done on camera in front of 60,000 people? I don't think so . . . It's just the best practices for running a school district as is generally accepted by the entire education community," Speakman said.

The board meets on the first and third Thursday of each month except for April, July and December, when one meeting is held. Meetings are usually held in council chambers at city hall.

The public can attend any school board meeting, whether it's televised or not. Residents can ask for a videotaped copy of a board meeting from the district office and access the board's schedule, agenda and minutes from the district's website at www1.pvsd.k12.ca.us/pvsd/ board.html.