Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Meeting Recordings Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Taylor School Board to post meeting recordings online after FOIA appeals
Summary
The Taylor School District Board voted 7-0 to direct the superintendent to post past and future board meeting recordings on the district website, after resolving two FOIA fee appeals (one denied, one fee waived). The board also approved routine conference requests and entered a closed session before adjourning.
At its Jan. 21, 2026 meeting, the Taylor School District Board of Education unanimously approved a directive ordering the superintendent to post board meeting recordings on the district website, including past recordings where available and future meetings in full, excluding closed sessions. The board set a target completion date of March 1, 2026.
The vote followed public comments urging greater transparency and two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) fee appeals. The board denied FOIA Fee Appeal #1 (a request related to Sex Education Advisory Board records) by a 6-1 vote, upholding the district's estimated fee of $72. The board granted FOIA Fee Appeal #2, related to 2025 board meeting recordings, and waived the estimated fee of $182.22 in full by a 7-0 vote.
Vice President Korey Morris and other board members handled procedural motions approving several overnight conference requests for Career and Technical Education staff to attend state conferences in late January, February and April; those motions passed unanimously. The board also approved a Wayne RESA School Board Recognition Month resolution and a routine consent agenda covering minutes, bills, personnel reports, field trips and conferences.
During public comment, multiple residents and online participants pressed the district to post recordings and questioned redaction practices and fees. The district's counsel explained the basis for the FOIA fee estimates—work for search, review and redaction—and the IT Director described workload and logistical considerations for converting and posting prior recordings. A staff member and a Career Center teacher offered student help to support video processing.
Board member Justin Mordarski moved the posting directive, seconded by Kathie Fields. The motion authorizes and directs the superintendent to publish recordings "in their entirety (from call to order to adjournment), including public comment; exclude closed sessions," and sets a March 1, 2026 completion target. Superintendent Michael Wegher will oversee implementation.
The meeting included a superintendent's report noting a Taylor High School Marching Band & Color Guard information meeting scheduled for Jan. 26 at 6:00 PM, a West Middle School pipe burst that required restoration work, and a reminder about the state's limit of six snow days and the factors used to decide cancellations. The board later entered a closed session pursuant to section 8(c) of the Open Meetings Act at 7:42 PM and returned at 9:17 PM; the meeting adjourned at 9:17 PM.
Next regular business is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2026, when the board will reconvene with student representatives and routine agenda items.
