header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
February 8
1990 - Rock 'n' Roller Del Shannon, whose hit "Runaway" topped the charts in April 1961, found dead at home in Sand Canyon [story]
Del Shannon


| Monday, Jul 13, 2020
meetings
Kindergarteners and first graders at Rosedell Elementary School in Saugus applaud 100-year-old Wilbur Vidito on a recent pre-pandemic visit. | File photo: Cory Rubin / The Signal.

 

While three Santa Clarita Valley school districts have decided to record and publish videos of their governing board meetings, the Saugus Union School District and Newhall School District have held off on making a similar decision.

The SUSD and NSD boards offer the public access to their meetings through Zoom during the meeting. However, both governing boards have so far held off on making them available online after the meeting.

The SUSD board, which governs approximately 10,100 students in 15 schools, tabled an agenda item Tuesday on the subject, according to Superintendent Colleen Hawkins.

Newhall School District governing board President Sue Solomon indicated in an email Thursday that the board hadn’t yet deemed that necessary, when reached for comment this week.

“At the present time, the Newhall School board has not determined a special or specific need for the recording of the meetings,” said Solomon, later adding, “The Newhall School board has a commitment to transparency and public involvement. If necessary, the recording of meetings can be reconsidered in the future.”

The SUSD board hadn’t made a final determination on the subject of making the recordings available, Hawkins said. Board members questioned whether they’d have to continue the Zoom meetings after quarantine, how the recordings would be made available; compliance with state guidelines; and how would closed captioning work, Hawkins said. There was no mention as to whether any of the other districts that do record and publish had been contacted regarding how to solve any potential issues around those topics.

“The Saugus board continues to be committed to transparency and we’re looking forward to continuing the discussion about recording the virtual board meetings,” said SUSD board President Julie Olsen via email on Friday. “At the next regular board meeting when the item returns, we’ll look at available formats and other important considerations such as where recordings would be hosted, related costs, how to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and more.”

“We decided to table it and bring it back for discussion on (July 21) with some answers to some of those questions,” said Hawkins.

Although not required, the William S. Hart Union High School District, Sulphur Springs Union School District and Castaic Union School District have all made the decision to publish video recordings of their governing board meetings.

Hart District board President Linda Storli said she directed district staff to record the Zoom meetings and put them on YouTube in the interest of transparency.

“I think for parents to be able to watch it the next morning, or when they’re off work the next day just makes sense,” said Storli, in regards to the decision to publish the meetings, adding that students and stakeholders have a right to know what’s going on with their schools and taxpayer money. “We’re elected officials, so we should stand behind what we said, and if we say something wrong we should fix it.”

Fred Malcomb, Castaic school board president, agreed that publishing the video record of the meetings was in the best interest of transparency.

“We wanted our community, our parents and students to know what was going on in real time and they could actually join on YouTube to view the board meetings,” said Malcomb. “When you get away from that in-person environment, sometimes you get your community feeling detached. And we didn’t want that to happen during these times.”

Malcomb added the board had not yet made a decision on whether the video recording will continue once the board returns to in-person meetings. However, while the meetings remain virtual and on Zoom, the decision to record was “not at all” an inconvenience to the district.

“The hardest part to the whole thing … has been some people struggle with (technology),” said Malcomb. “But we have awesome support with (Del Hickman, the district network supervisor), and he has no problem reaching out and helping people.”

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

1 Comment

  1. Dale Gerstel says:

    If we pay taxesto employ these member ,we should all be able to watch and see what is going on in these meetings.

Leave a Comment


LOCAL SCHOOL LINKS
Related Content
LATEST SCHOOL NEWS
Friday, Feb 7, 2025
The Saugus Union School District Asset Management Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Friday, Feb 7, 2025
The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5 p.m.
Friday, Feb 7, 2025
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced that the La Mesa Junior High School Counseling Department has been designated a Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program.
Tuesday, Feb 4, 2025
Valencia High School’s Pride of the Vikings Color Guard will host the Winter Guard Association of Southern California Classification and Debut Show, featuring 39 high school color guard teams from across Southern California.
Friday, Jan 31, 2025
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board of Trustees will be held Tuesday, Feb. 4 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1990 - Rock 'n' Roller Del Shannon, whose hit "Runaway" topped the charts in April 1961, found dead at home in Sand Canyon [story]
Del Shannon
The Saugus Union School District Asset Management Committee will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
Feb. 12: Saugus School District Asset Management Committee Meeting
The Castaic Union School District Governing Board will hold its regular meeting Thursday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 5 p.m.
Feb. 13: Castaic School Board to Receive Chiquita Canyon Landfill Update
The Santa Clarita Master Chorale, led by Artistic Director Allan Robert Petker, is currently in its 25th anniversary season celebrating its mission to bring fine choral music to the Santa Clarita Valley community.
March 9: Santa Clarita Master Chorale Presents ‘Silver Serenade’
The Santa Clarita City Council will hold a special meeting in closed session to negotiate the purchase of parcels of land at 5:30 p.m. in the Carl Boyer Room at City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Feb. 11: City Council to Negotiate Land Purchases
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a business meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12, beginning at 5 p.m. The board will first meet in closed session at 4 p.m.
Jan. 12: COC Board Considers 2025 Goals, Affordable Student Housing
The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center in Valencia will offer a special Valentine’s Day Sweet Hearts Skate on Friday, Feb. 14.
Feb. 14: Sweet Hearts Skate Event at The Cube
Broken Leg Theatre has announced its upcoming production of the critically-acclaimed play, "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike," written by Christopher Durang. Durang is a master of comedy and winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play.
Feb. 14-16: ‘Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike’ at The MAIN
Join the Valley Industry Association for a special Cocktails & Conversation event hosting Director of Economic Development of city of Santa Clarita, Tom Cole, Thursday, Feb. 27, from 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Feb. 27: VIA Cocktails & Conversation With Tom Cole
The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation has announced that Natalie Vowell will assume the new Vice President of Business Development position for the Santa Clarita Valley.
SCVEDC Names Natalie Vowell New VP of Business
The Child & Family Center’s Pathways to Recovery Program, in partnership with the city of Santa Clarita, will host a special SCORE Scholarship Program sign-up event on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 3-6 p.m. in the Child & Family lobby.
Feb. 11: SCORE Scholarship Sign-Up Event
The city of Santa Clarita has announced a recap of the stats for another successful Holiday Light Tour, which brought joy and holiday cheer to residents and visitors alike.
Holiday Light Tour Recap, Golden Ticket Giveaway Winner
The city of Santa Clarita has announced the return of SENSES Block Party to Main Street in the Old Town Newhall Arts and Entertainment District for another year of high-energy fun. SENSES is held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month starting March 20.
March 20: SENSES Returns to Old Town Newhall
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced that the La Mesa Junior High School Counseling Department has been designated a Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program.
La Mesa Junior High Earns Recognition for Counseling Program
Dr. Thea Sweo Alvarado, former dean of instruction at Pasadena City College, has been named interim assistant superintendent/vice president of instruction at College of the Canyons.
Sweo Alvarado Named COC Interim Assistant Superintendent/VP of Instruction
Beginning Saturday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, March 2, customers in Santa Clarita Valley can donate to Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clarita Valley during checkout at their local Ross Dress for Less store.
Ross Fundraiser Benefits SCV Boys & Girls Club
Single Mothers Outreach has announced the gala celebration, "Cheers to 30 Years" will be an anniversary party held 7 p.m. Friday, May 9 at Sand Canyon Country Club.
May 9: Single Mothers Outreach Celebrates ‘Cheers to 30 Years’
Braden Van Groningen had 19 kills to lead The Master's University men's volleyball team in a four-set win over the Vanguard Lions Thursday, Feb. 6 in Costa Mesa.
Mustangs Beat Old Rival
The newest members of The Master's University Hall of Honor represent a clear theme: unforgettable excellence in cross country and track and field and an undeniable commitment to Christ and Scripture.
TMU Announces 2025 Hall of Honor Inductees
College of the Canyons men's basketball claimed a third straight conference victory on Wednesday, Feb. 5, this time storming past host Glendale College 77-70 behind a game-high 15 points from Gilad Ziegel.
Canyons Claims Third Straight Conference Win, 77-70 at Glendale
1919 - First publication of weekly Newhall Signal newspaper, $2 a year [story]
Signal Century
Autonomous vehicles under testing permits have collectively covered over 4 million miles on California’s public roads from Dec. 1, 2023, to Nov. 30, 2024, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has announced.
Over Four Million Test Miles Logged in State by Autonomous Vehicles
Federal, state and local agencies will come together to host an informative webinar, "Understanding Air Quality After the L.A. Fires" on air quality impacts in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Feb. 10: Understanding Air Quality After the L.A. Fires
The Santa Clarita College of the Canyons Performing Arts Center will host singer and musician, John Waite, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Feb. 21: Santa Clarita PAC Presents Singer John Waite
SCVNews.com