Revisions expected to bring district up to date
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
From teaching to technology, officials within the Waterford Graded School District are in the midst of a wholesale overhaul of the School Board’s policies, which touch on a range of issues impacting students, staffers and the entire community.
WGSD has been contracting with Neola, an Ohio-based firm that specializes in board bylaws and policies. Neola’s experts work with school districts across the U.S.
While some issues, such as federal mandates, are one-size-fits-all, the company ensures districts’ board policies reflect specific state statutes and, when permissible under state and federal laws, reflect the values and desires of a specific community.
WGSD District Administrator Ed Brzinski reviewed a group of policies that were set for revision at a Policy and Curriculum Committee meeting Nov. 7.
Much of WGSD’s changes are related to outdated policies that might not reflect new state laws. In the hopes of making the policies easily consumable by residents and the district’s decision-makers, Brzinski said he also is trying to eliminate redundant information whenever possible.
At this week’s meeting, committee members delved into a number of topics, including the board’s relations with the media and the relatively new phenomenon of social media.
In recent years, issues within WGSD have stirred the emotions of board members, candidates, parents and other groups. An exodus of several teachers is among one of the hot-button issues that drew attention.
Brzinski said board member should feel comfortable sharing their views through whatever avenue desired, but he offered a caveat: “It shouldn’t be on behalf of the entire board.”
Technology was a topic that frequently sprouted up during this week’s discussion. Amid a brief review of WGSD’s open records policy, officials discussed some of the more modern forms of communication, including texting.
Email has long been considered a form of open records, and board members are encouraged to continue conducting all district business on their designated account.
Brzinski and other officials are considering striking some language, including the use of a personal digital assistant, or PDA, because the technology is heading toward extinction. With the revised board policies set to be in place for the next 10 to 15 years, Brzinski said it is possible references of PDAs could be scrubbed from the mainstream vernacular within that time frame.
Updated language of what kind of communication does and does not constitute a public record is being inserted into the district’s policies.
“I think it’s good to have it all laid out so we have a tool to look at,” board member Jordan Karweik said. “That way, everybody knows.”
The board also considered tweaking its committee structure. Brzinski asked elected officials if they would like to continue having a Technology Committee, which meets periodically.
A firm decision on whether it should stay or be dismantled will be determined on a later date.
“Some of it has been about the financial impact,” board member Tom Hoffman said of the rationale behind having a Technology Committee. “In some ways, it’s sort of created its own animal.”
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