The School Committee Communication Subcommittee met to discuss updates and strategies on communication, including improving the efficiency of responses to public comment.
To make sure the voices of Marblehead residents are heard, committee members Brian Ota and Al Williams discussed ways to revise the public comment process to give everyone an opportunity to contribute.
“There’s a public, not just us,” Williams said. “Most open meetings I’ve been associated with, there’s the public comment with no follow up and I find that frustrating, as I’m sure some of our community members do.”
They plan to present some ideas and initiate further discussions with the School Committee, aiming to develop a plan that addresses concerns fairly.
“Oftentimes people are talking over each other during a discussion and that’s why I really think it needs to go back to if you want to raise a comment, the chair recognizes that,” Ota said. “You have to raise your hand so the chair recognizes you and then you get to speak your peace without being interrupted.”
Williams suggested having a social media presence, particularly on Facebook, emphasizing the recent increase in community communication on the platform. Ota said they can set this up one of two ways.
“We publish our articles and there’s no discussion, no follow up, no comments,” Ota said. “Or you do the one where you do a Facebook posting and then you allow comments so you see how the public reacted to it.”
Currently, the School Committee website is being updated to include additional bulletins and more detailed points, such as moving the Marblehead Education Association negotiation status to its own separate bullet. Ota and Williams plan to bring up all the points discussed in the subcommittee meeting to the school committee for further input.