Bill will require school boards to post recordings of meetings

School boards would have to post recordings of their meetings within seven days of their occurrence under a bill headed to Gov. Tina Kotek.

Senate Bill 1502 cleared the House on a 55-1 vote on Monday, March 4. The Senate approved it Feb. 21 on a 29-1 vote.

Its chief sponsor was Senate President Rob Wagner, a Democrat from Lake Oswego who sat on the Lake Oswego School Board from 2017 until he became Senate majority leader in spring 2020.

"This bill will improve the transparency of our education boards, grant greater access to busy parents and community members, and promote equity by ensuring everyone can stay engaged,” Wagner said in a statement after the original Senate vote.

"I'm grateful to my Republican colleagues who worked with me to ensure this bill will improve transparency across the state without overburdening our small school districts."

The bill would take effect by default on Jan. 1; it does not specify a different date.

The bill would impose a requirement for governing boards of school districts, education service districts, 17 community colleges and seven state universities to post audio or video recordings within seven days of the meetings. The postings are on their websites or social media accounts.

It seeks to bring some uniformity to a myriad of practices among Oregon's 191 school districts.

The bill excludes districts with 50 or fewer students. The original proposal would have required livestreaming and acceptance of remote testimony, but both were dropped in a Senate committee. Audio recordings are acceptable in communities without sufficient broadband service to support video recordings.

The Legislature routinely accepts remote testimony at committee hearings, which also are livestreamed and archived.

Excluded from the recording requirement are closed-door (executive) sessions that governing boards can call to consider specified issues under state law.

“Ultimately, it’s good for kids,” said Rep. Emily McIntire, a Republican from Eagle Point who continues to sit on her local school board.

The lone dissenter was Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, who said she was concerned about a school board member’s comments being taken out of context of the entire meeting.

pwong@pamplinmedia.com