A new way to watch meetings

Leila Navidi

Mark Williams, left, and Kevin Robinson of Vegas PBS test the equipment used to televise a School Board meeting in June. Williams is controlling an audio and video mixing and streaming server, and Robinson is controlling four cameras in the meeting room. Last month the board meeting also was carried on a webcast.

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The debut of the Clark County School Board’s new webcast system went relatively smoothly Thursday, with solid production values balancing out minor technical glitches.

The quality of the audio and video of the School Board meeting was high. The camera operators shot close-ups of individual speakers, and on-screen graphics identified board members by name and the geographic districts they represent.

A photograph of School Board President Mary Beth Scow, who participated by telephone, appeared on screen when she spoke.

Although it was good, it was not quite TiVo. Attempts to pause the School Board meeting video were unsuccessful. Instead of resuming from the stopping point, the video would resume with live action.

Navigating away from the viewing screen (say, to check e-mail) frequently resulted in a lost connection.

Three hours into the broadcast, the School District’s Web site apologized for “technical difficulties.” But viewers who were logged on were still able to watch.

The School Board hopes eventually to rebroadcast its meetings on community and educational television channels. In the meantime, the meetings are archived at ccsd.net.

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The State Board of Education has an empty seat, and interested individuals are encouraged to throw their hats into the ring.

Greg Nyborg Nance resigned as the District 5 representative last month, citing health-related issues. Gov. Jim Gibbons is expected to appoint a replacement to serve until the next general election, in 2010.

State Board members must live in the district they represent. District 5 covers a wide swath of central Las Vegas, stretching from Harmon Avenue on the south to Gowan Road on the north. Keith Rheault, Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction, said he plans to ask parents groups and business organizations such as the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to provide possible applicants.

The State Board of Education meets once a month, alternating between Carson City and Las Vegas. Members are paid $80 per meeting. In addition to hiring the superintendent, the State Board helps develop policy on everything from charter schools to teacher-licensing requirements.

The question of who fills the vacancy could become more complicated. Nance contacted the Sun on Friday and said he wanted to rescind his resignation. His resignation, however, has been accepted and the notice of vacancy has been filed with the state.

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After enduring years of leaky toilets, broken elevators and an antiquated electrical system, the Nevada Education Department is set to move its Las Vegas staff into upgraded digs.

The new office is at 9890 S. Maryland Parkway, in a shopping center between Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Cactus Avenue. Rheault said staff will begin relocating Friday, nearly a year after the search for a new location was launched.

The department has a seven-year lease on the 12,791-square-foot office, said Jim Wells, the department’s chief financial officer. That’s a couple of years longer than usual, but Wells said the department is getting the first six months for free. After that, rent will be $1.89 per square foot, or $24,175 per month, for the next six months. The rent will increase annually by 6 cents per square foot, topping out at $2.26 in the final year of the contract.

“We think it’s a fairly decent deal,” Wells said. “We’re pretty excited.”

In addition to a consistently working elevator, the new office has a number of perks over the prior location on East Sahara Avenue. There’s plenty of parking for visitors, and the heating and cooling systems are reliable.

Additionally, the conference room has doubled in size. It will be outfitted this week with video teleconferencing equipment, paid for with $120,000 from the Legislature.

Rheault said the Education Department has to fork over about $15,000 of its own money to pay for the 11-mile move.

The department isn’t above pressing its senior staff into (relatively) hard labor. Wells, who’s based in Carson City, said he’ll be in Las Vegas on Friday to help with the move.