NCSD opens up to the public

by Michael Moore
Tuesday, June 3, 2008 1:43 PM MDT

The public’s business should be done in public.

That’s a point the Casper Journal has made in our editorials repeatedly, especially when it comes to the Natrona County School District.

Over the past two years, we have written several editorials critical of the Natrona County School Board and school district management in general. We were very vocal when we felt they were being anything but transparent when it came to the public’s business.

It’s only fair, then, to give the district credit due for its attempts to open its process and change that perception.

Over the last few months, the school board and the district have made real progress when it comes to allowing the public to observe their decision-making processes.

Some school board members have very clearly stated in open meetings that they realize they need to do a better job communicating with the public. The district, meanwhile, has done an outstanding job of using the media as a tool to let the public know about meetings it has coming up.

Each week, the district’s communications team sends out a list of meetings that are coming up in the near future, and publishes legal notices above and beyond just the usual school board meetings.

In June, the school board will meet three times at the Petroleum Club to discuss superintendent goals and evaluation planning. Those meetings are open to the public. Two years ago, we wouldn’t have known about the meetings, and the public probably wouldn’t have been welcomed with open arms.

It’s been a struggle to get to this point. It’s safe to say that at the beginning, members of the school board and union representatives didn’t understand our complaints.

At an Interest Based Agreement Process (IBAP) meeting nearly two years ago, the editors and publishers of the Casper Journal and Star-Tribune made an effort to communicate our concerns about that process, which was closed to the public, despite the fact that a quorum of school board members was in attendance.

We were repeatedly asked what we, as newspapers, would do to make sure we attended every meeting to get the entire story right. We responded repeatedly that it wasn’t about our right to report on a story; it was about the public’s right to observe a process where decisions were being made.

A meeting was held last year to discuss relocating the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds and building a school where the fairgrounds currently sit. Despite the fact that elected officials from the school district, City of Casper and Natrona County were present, we found out about it by accident.

We shared concerns about situations like that with outgoing Superintendent Jim Lowham and members of the school board. To their credit, they have responded, and have honestly addressed those concerns.

We appreciate the fact that today, more of the school district’s dealings are done in public as a way of doing business. That approach will build confidence and trust in the district’s intentions and activities across the board.

For that, we applaud their efforts.

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