School Board Clashes Over Whether To Livestream Meetings In Hoboken: Here's Why

HOBOKEN, NJ — The Hoboken City Council streams its meetings live on Facebook, so should the school board do the same?

There's apparently a difference of opinion within the nine-member Hoboken Board of Education.

The difference came to light recently because of the upcoming school board election on Nov. 8.

Right now, members of both of the slates in the race — who are competing for three seats on the nine-member board — say they're in favor of livestreaming board meetings.

Only one of the slates in the race contains a current board member. That's Alex De La Torre, who's been on the board for four years.

De La Torre's "Leadership That Listens" slate recently said, as part of their platform, that they'd like to see board meetings livestreamed, if elected.

But this begs the question: Has De La Torre tried to do this during his term? And can it happen before the election?

De La Torre responded recently by saying that some members of the board disagree with him.

"Yes, the district has live streamed during the pandemic and events, including some for the referendum," he said. "Right now in the current board makeup, I am in the minority in wanting meetings live streamed. My slatemates and I feel strongly that it is important to reach as many citizens as possible in real-time."

He is running on a ticket with two parents who are not current board members.

He added, "We acknowledge live-streaming BOE meetings has different risks than City Council or other boards and will be flexible in our approach to gaining consent from the majority of the board."

Sharyn Angley, the current board president, said Thursday that there's a reason for the difference.

She said, "Our district prides itself on the way it dealt with the pandemic, being in person for all Board of Education meetings with the exception of some in spring 2020 and for providing in-person education to our students five days/week throughout the entire 2020-21 school year. We encourage residents to attend board meetings, and for those who can't, our meetings are posted the following day to the Hoboken Board of Education YouTube channel."

(See coverage of a recent meeting here.)

Angley added, "There is a big difference between municipalities and school districts when it comes to livestreaming meetings, and it is not something that should be taken lightly. School districts are not political entities, nor should meetings be made to create a political environment."

She said, "The anonymity and safety of our students, and their information is our priority. Because this has become a topic of discussion generally, the board can and may revisit it with input from the board attorney and with an eye to the purpose of the board in serving our children."

Some members of the public aren't so sure the board has allowed dissenting opinions. One resident posted a letter in August saying almost every board vote has been 9-0.

The slate opposing Leadership That Listens — called Kids First — says they're all in favor of streaming the meetings. They said that in-person attendance at board meetings is low.

"We think livestreaming the BOE meeting is a great way to engage the community," said the slate in a statement Thursday. "Current attendance at Board of Education meetings is incredibly low, often only a handful of community members are in the audience. We believe the low attendance may be due to a lack of community input in decisions made by the current board members."

They added, "The current board generally votes the same on all proposed ideas. Given these factors, residents may feel there is little reason to attend, as decisions are made in a silo with little discussion or debate.

"The Kids First team is adamant that the success of our school is rooted in collaboration and community involvement. We not only believe the meetings should be livestreamed, we want to actively encourage participation. We are looking forward to opening the discussion, learning from our community ideas and expertise and making the school better for all of our kids through collaboration."

A referendum in January on a $241 school renovation and construction project drew heated debate, but only 17 percent of registered voters pulled the lever. The turnout was still higher than some school board elections.

What do you think? Got a letter about the upcoming election? You can post it yourself on Hoboken Patch anytime, 24/7. Follow these directions for posting an article (they work for Hoboken or any NJ town).

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• READ MORE: 'Leadership' Slate Releases Platform In Hoboken School Board Race
• READ MORE: 'Kids First' Slate Announces Policies
• READ MORE: Principals Switched In Hoboken Public Schools