SF hopes streaming school board meetings will improve behavior

San Francisco School Board meetings have long been available to citizens through public radio, but that's going to change soon.

According to a report by the S.F. Examiner, parents will be able to catch the facial expressions, protest placards and PowerPoint presentations at meetings without even showing up for a meeting. The bimonthly meetings will all be taped live and aired on the city’s SFGTV cable station or through streaming video over the Internet.

Although Board of Education President Norman Yee doesn't think airing the meetings will change parent participation, he does feel that the cameras might change the board’s decorum, which has occasionally fallen out of line during heated debates.

“It might be helpful, in the long run, when people are aware that people will see them on TV, they may be even more respectful of each other’s opinions,” Yee said.

The $130,000 program is funded by taxpayer dollars. The school district's Department of Technology and Internet Services will pay for the $26,000 annual staffing expenses.