Keeping the Public Informed

Community meetings may never be the same. In the past, you had to be within range to drive to the meeting location. If it was a popular meeting, maybe you had to stand. Maybe you could see and hear, or maybe not.

But the pandemic has changed all that. One of the interesting projects Bauhaus Media picked up during the Covid quarantine period is “State of the District Meetings” for the San Antonio Independent School District. This series of meetings, hosted by Superintendent Pedro Martinez, along with school principals and board members, are intended to update parents and taxpayers about fulfillment of the 2016 and 2020 bond issues.

District administrators knew this had to be done right, so they called in the professionals at Bauhaus Media. The requirements were complicated. The meetings would have multiple speakers, slide shows, playbacks, and Q&As, along with live translation in Spanish and sign language. This would include a multi-camera shoot, be broadcast to a large auditorium on projection screens, and simultaneously live-streamed to a remote audience of people who preferred or needed to watch from their homes or offices.

The meetings are being held from 5 to 7 p.m. on different dates on eight high school campuses across the district.

Bond 2016 and Bond 2020 were approved by voters to renovate, replace, overhaul, upgrade and in some cases build completely new campuses that adhere to modern learning standards. These improvements seek to give SAISD students world-class learning spaces including larger classrooms that meet or exceed state guidelines.

Overall, district master planning to unify campus buildings across SAISD’s more than 90 campuses will involve updating science labs, special education, fine arts, athletic and general education spaces. The renovations overhaul kitchens and cafeterias for student dining. Restrooms, sprinkler systems, roofs, lighting, heating and air conditioning, as well as other infrastructure that keep SAISD schools running smoothly.

So, keeping parents and taxpayers informed is critical. By using the latest technology, SAISD has expanded access to these live meetings and, hopefully, are keeping more people informed.