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Superintendent recommends digital board‑packet tool to meet open‑meetings and ADA requirements
Summary
Superintendent Rebecca Chanel told the board that scanned JPEG packets are not ADA‑compliant or searchable; she proposed moving toward a dedicated board‑packet platform (Diligent Community or similar), estimating a ballpark purchase cost around $13,000 plus subscription fees.
Superintendent Rebecca Chanel used her superintendent’s report to walk the board through problems the district faces publishing paper‑scanned board packets and the steps she is taking to meet New York open‑meetings and ADA requirements. Chanel said scanned agendas produce large JPEG documents that are not searchable or ADA‑accessible and described an interim QR/Google Drive approach the district used at the meeting to give attendees digital access.
Chanel summarized the operational burden and the tradeoffs of immediate fixes versus investing in a platform: “I think that's gonna cost us ballpark somewhere around $13,000 to purchase the technology,” she told the board, adding that a subscription model is likely and that adopting a third‑party vendor would reduce repeated manual labor.
Why it matters: New York open‑meetings guidance requires reasonable public access to meeting materials at least 24 hours before meetings; the superintendent characterized most districts as still working to meet that standard and said the district must shift from paper to digital submissions from vendors and administrators to comply routinely.
What the superintendent proposed: Chanel asked the board to consider either continuing a labor‑intensive Adobe‑based workaround or investing in a dedicated board‑packet platform (she named Diligent Community as an example). She noted the district currently relies on a small administration team and warned that building manual ADA‑compliant packets consumes staff time and increases the risk of publishing documents that are not accessible.
Board follow‑up: The superintendent said she will seek quotes and report back at the August workshop; she recommended training board members on any chosen platform and suggested the topic be part of a September open session for any policy or budget decisions.
What the public can expect: Chanel said the district will continue improving public access in the near term—using QR codes and scanned documents at meetings—while pursuing a sustainable, ADA‑compliant digital solution.
