Dist. 211 details system for broadcasting meetings

The Palatine-Schaumburg Township School District 211 board of education thinks that television, well, should be educational.

The board is continuing to investigate the feasibility of showing video recordings of its meetings on public access television.

A four-camera system costing $26,000 was detailed Thursday. A camera operator would be paid $140 per meeting.

Board members Lynn Davis and Barbara Strauss voted against investigating the proposal further. Strauss, an Inverness resident, reasoned it would be difficult to show broadcasts to residents in her town since only a small portion of it is in Dist. 211. Most of Inverness is in Barrington District 220.

Board member Susan Kenly-Rupnow said the recordings would be edited. Palatine officials in June suffered scrutiny after a recorded meeting was shown on cable without a heated exchange between two councilmen. Officials blamed a "software glitch" for the result.

Board member Bill Lloyd suggested the meetings also be available on the district's Web site. While Thursday's proposal did not detail so-called "on-demand" viewings, it could be a future possibility.

The village of Hoffman Estates is in the process of setting up cameras to show its village board meetings. The village of Schaumburg has no plans to show meetings, and Palatine already shows them.