Improving Communication in Wappingers
One of the bigger problems we have in Wappingers is simple communication.
We often don't know the good things that are students are doing, and we
feel its much too hard to get fundamental information about the workings
of our district. I propose to do two things to improve communication within
our school district. First, I propose that we find new ways to publicize
the accomplishments of our students and district. Second, I propose that
we reduce and simplify the districts public information process with the
goal of making as much non-confidential district information as we can
manage available to people without requiring them to ask for it.
The recommendations are detailed in a report: "WCSD
Communications Committee: Recommendations and Proposed Budget". As
chairperson of the district communications committee I helped frame these
recommendations. To summarize: The goal of the communication committee
is to improve, by any reasonable and cost effective means, awareness of
the activities and accomplishments of the Wappingers Central School District
and, in particular, its students. To do this, we need to do two things:
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Connect existing information about district activities and accomplishments
with cost effective means of distributing that information to the voters
of WCSD. In some cases, we need only distribute and/or repackage existing
information to existing news and information distribution outlets, including
newspapers, the local cable television public interest bulletin board,
local radio stations, and gathering places like the local public libraries
and senior centers. In other cases, we need to create information distribution
outlets, including the recently introduced district yearly calendar, a
reinitiated "Board Briefs" abstract of board meetings, a school district
newsletter distributed to the voters of WCSD, and a district electronic
bulletin board information distribution site and/or Web site. All of these
options are being actively explored and will be discussed in greater detail
below. In still other cases we may want to enable additional conduits for
interaction between the residents of Wappingers Falls and the school board
and district administration. These new conduits could include both electronic
interaction venues (electronic mail, computer conferences) and more conventional
local radio and/or community access cable phone-in show that is scheduled
in conjunction with the rebroadcast of board meetings. These interactive
venues will be the focus of future discussion and may be the subject of
future communication committee recommendations.
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Find ways to make key district information more accessible to district
stakeholders. Here, it is felt that much of the information that currently
requires freedom of information requests can be made publicly available,
at relatively low cost, using electronic venues like a district electronic
bulletin board or web site. Most district information is already prepared
in electronic form. Hence it should be possible to modify the existing
district work flow that makes all district information that does not need
to remain confidential for legal or ethical reasons available via a district
electronic bulletin board or web site. This would make it relatively easy
for district residents to get much of the information that they would like
to have concerning the performance and activities of the district.
