Want to relive the moment your Tacoma teen finally received his high school diploma? Kicking yourself for missing an important piece of business at the School Board meeting last week?

Soon, you can catch up on cable TV.

Starting today, Tacoma School Board meetings will be rebroadcast on the school district’s cable channel, TPS TV. Sometime next month, viewers can watch Tacoma high schools’ recent graduation ceremonies on the channel.

School board members recently voted to allow their meetings to be aired. They will show twice a day starting on the Tuesday following the meeting. Last Thursday’s board meeting, for instance, will be aired at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily until June 30, when the June 25 board meeting will begin airing.

The district doesn’t yet have the technology to broadcast meetings in real time, spokeswoman Leanna Albrecht said. That would require costly updates to the school board auditorium and technology, she said.

As it is, it will cost the district $10,000 to $15,000 up front, plus staff time to tape the meetings, upload video and prepare it for broadcast, she said.

“It’s worth it to spend that money and get that videotape out there so people can appreciate it more,” board President Kim Golding said. “It’s an opportunity for Tacoma and its neighbors to know what Tacoma and its board is doing, especially to help students be more successful and increase student achievement.”

Golding doesn’t believe airing meetings will affect board members’ behavior or how meetings are conducted. That was one of the concerns voiced last year before the City of Puyallup started televising City Council meetings.

“We’re a top-notch group,” Golding said. “I don’t think it’ll change the way we do things.”

TPS TV has traditionally aired educational tapes it has bought over the years and programming from the Puget Sound Educational Service District. But Tacoma school officials want to televise more local programs, including productions by students.

The district has begun broadcasting videotapes of student award ceremonies on TPS TV. And for the first time, the district recorded each of its just-completed high school commencement exercises for rebroadcast.

Golding said she’s most pleased that the public will get to see the student and staff recognition segments of board meetings.

“We have a lot of great students and they’re accomplishing wonderful things,” she said. “Great things are happening in Tacoma schools, and we don’t think enough people get to see what’s going on.”

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

debby.abe@thenewstribune.com

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