The New Westminster school district’s plan to hold hybrid meetings got an unexpected early tryout at last night’s board meeting — and it went off without a hitch.
The Tuesday, March 7 meeting had been planned as a virtual meeting, and a Zoom link had been posted for members of the public to take part.
When the meeting started, though, several trustees and senior school district staff were in the boardroom at the school district offices.
Board chair Gurveen Dhaliwal explained the trustees had been at the office in a workshop and hadn’t had time to get home before the meeting began, so they opted for the hybrid system instead.
Trustees had agreed in January to have SD40 spend up to $20,000 on new video equipment that would integrate with its existing audio system and allow for a clear livestream for at-home audience members, plus virtual participation by trustees as needed.
Parents had urged the board to continue with remote participation options rather than returning to fully in-person meetings, noting the shift to remote meetings during COVID-19 had allowed for more participation by members of the public.
The short March 7 meeting ran smoothly, with trustee Danielle Connelly taking part remotely and the remainder of the board present in the office, along with senior district staff.
The at-home viewers could see and hear trustee and staff participants from the boardroom, and members of the public — including parents and New Westminster Teachers’ Union president Kristie Oxley — were able to ask questions and provide feedback remotely.
The first officially scheduled hybrid meeting of the board is set for Tuesday, April 11, when its operations committee meeting will be held starting at 6:30 p.m.
Those who want to attend will be able to show up in person at the board office (811 Ontario St.) or join remotely via Zoom.
Agendas and meeting link will be posted at the SD40 website.
📣 SOUND OFF: What do you think of the idea of hybrid meetings? Should all public bodies continue with remote participation options in the future? Send us a letter.
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