Region One: Still seeking an end to piles and piles of paper

FALLS VILLAGE — The Region One Board of Education is having difficulty adapting to the ideal of the paperless meeting.So much so, in fact, that at the regular monthly meeting Monday, Jan. 7, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Gale Toensing of Falls Village proposed rescinding the board’s earlier decision to have a paperless meeting (with all materials sent to members electronically). Region One board meetings typically include a fairly thick chunk of paper for members (and press), with reports from the superintendent and assistant superintendent; the high school principal and athletic director; copies of policies under discussion; reports and updates from the business manager; requests for field trip approvals; lists of coaches to be hired; and more.Jonathan Moore of Kent was behind the idea, saying he had identified substantial savings throughout the Region One budget if the use of paper could be reduced or eliminated, and urged the board to set an example.But Toensing said the change “is clearly not working the way it was intended.”She observed that none of the board members present were using their computers (although Mike Flint, the alternate for Salisbury, was in fact using a tablet device).“I think we’re not ready for paperless yet.”Marilyn Yerks of Sharon seconded Toensing’s motion.Laura Freund of North Canaan wasn’t enthusiastic either. She said a paperless meeting should be a goal to work toward. “To do it all of a sudden is hard on us.”Moore was not present to speak up for the paperless meeting idea, but Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain said, “If you can be patient with us, I think we can get there, but with a paper backup.”Toensing and Yerks both said they preferred paper copies, in order to take notes and compare budget numbers. Toensing noted that Chairman Phil Hart wasn’t using an electronic device either.Flint said he thought it “foolish” to abruptly end the paperless experiment, and in the end he, Hart and Freund voted to continue it, prevailing over Toensing and Yerks.