Glen Ellyn District 41 not ready to stream meeting video
Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 school board members are setting aside a proposal to broadcast board meetings live via the Internet, saying the cost outweighs the benefits and there isn't a need for it.
Board members initially were interested in the idea of live streaming video of their meetings or posting video recordings of meetings online to allow more residents to keep up with district issues. The district already posts an audio recording of meetings after the fact in addition to making meeting minutes available.
However, staff projections presented Monday indicated the startup cost could be at least $12,000 to purchase video equipment and contract with a vendor to provide the streaming service, plus an annual operating cost of as much as $999 to maintain the vendor contract, according to board documents.
Some board members said they thought the proposition was too expensive and that there wasn't a demonstrated need for it.
Board member Erica Nelson said she wasn't sure the district needed to broadcast board meetings and suggested the board consider posting video recordings of meetings, which would be less expensive.
"If we were to entertain maybe testing video … and then see what the response was in terms of people watching or whatever, then we could see what that cost might be," she said.
Neighboring Glenbard High School District 87 and Glen Ellyn District 89 do not provide audio or video recordings of their board meetings to the public. Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200 provides video recordings but does not live stream.
Chief Communications Officer Erika Krehbiel said that in 2015 the district has had 84 hits on audio recordings of board meetings.
"I kind of feel like we have a solution that we're looking for a problem for," school board member Dean Elger said. "But also I think it adds a level of complexity to each one of these meetings. … I don't think there's a lot of demand for this."
The board will revisit the topic at a future meeting when board President John Kenwood is present.