The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis introduced the phrase, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” in the early 20th century. He also penned the term in his 1914 book, Other People’s Money.
The California Fair Political Practices Commission regulates campaign financing, conflicts of interest, lobbying and government ethics.
One tool for holding school board members accountable to the public are Statements of Economic Interests (Form 700). As school board members, we must disclose financial interests that may be affected by our decisions and file a Form 700 each March. Form 700 filings are available to the public.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Education should be the shining example of transparency for all school boards and provide greater public access. Four months ago, I asked for our school board meetings to be video-recorded and posted on the Santa Barbara County Education Office website.
Many local school districts, city councils, other county boards of education and our county Board of Supervisors live-stream board meetings in English and Spanish, and the recordings are posted for later viewing.
Local new organizations play an essential role in our democracy, keeping the public informed and our government accountable. There was a time when local newspaper reporters regularly attended public school board meetings and would report on board comments and decisions the following day, but tight budgets prevent this practice.
The county school board holds its meetings at 2 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at the county Education Office, 4400 Cathedral Oaks Road in Santa Barbara. Who knows who we prevent from attending our meetings because of time and costs, especially working parents, parents of young children and those who live long distances — like those in Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, the Santa Ynez Valley and Cuyama.
The SBCBOE serves approximately 70,000 students and 23 school districts countywide, and oversees an annual budget of $104 million in taxpayer dollars. We also set board policy, adjudicate charter school appeals and interdistrict attendance transfer appeals.
At our regular meeting on May 5, the board voted 5-2 to reject a proposal to video-record our meetings and archive videos on the SBCEO website. The board agreed to explore audio recordings at a future meeting.
During the board discussion, I took notes on board members’ comments as to the reasoning behind the “no,” which included “We are very transparent,” “You are looking for a solution where there is no problem,” “We provide minutes,” “The purpose is not a town hall meeting,” “No members of the public are asking for this,” “costs, staffing and legal implications,” “What we do is very transparent; there is a possibility of politicization, grandstanding,” “In the past 20 years, there has never been a problem.”
One board member cited Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., from a March 23 Wall Street Journal headline: “Sasse cites ‘jackassery’ in warning against cameras in Supreme Court.”
Public access to school board meetings is about inclusion. In this age of technology, I believe denying our community video-recorded meetings, especially regarding public education, will undercut the public’s faith in us.
I do not speak for the Santa Barbara County Board of Education or the Santa Barbara County Education Office.
— Los Olivos resident Michelle de Werd is a Santa Barbara County Board of Education trustee, representing District 4. The opinions expressed are her own.