Thursday, January 17, 2013
Kern Community College District (KCCD) is saving time, taxpayer dollars, and the environment with its new eGovernance initiative.
The new system will replace the costly method of compiling, printing, binding, and distributing paper agenda packets by hand. It also enables the district to maximize the effectiveness of its board meetings with increased transparency, providing a basis for better and more open communication with the public, while increasing productivity and saving thousands of dollars annually.
The paperless meeting solution—\BoardDocs"—was initially developed in 2000 for a Georgia school district. Since then, nearly 600 governing bodies nationwide have adopted the system. By making meeting agendas and supporting documents available on the Internet, KCCD will be able to distribute documents associated with board meetings more quickly and efficiently at a reduced cost to the district.
Electronic distribution also provides public access via the KCCD's website to agenda items and other board-related information, allowing interested parties to review information prior to board meetings. After the meeting, individuals can review the agenda items and see what action was taken by the board, complete with voting results. All documents associated with the meeting are automatically archived and can be accessed by meeting date or by using the system's comprehensive search feature.
Additionally, BoardDocs will increase the amount of time board members have to review agenda information, enabling them to better prepare for meetings. Under the old paper system, the meeting packet could not be distributed until every document had been prepared, submitted, and approved. Once all the documents were submitted, staff members would typically spend three days assembling the documents into packets before distributing them to the board members. Through the MetaSearch feature, Board members will also have access to best practices from other districts that are using the system, allowing them to gain important knowledge about initiatives other boards have considered and implemented.
The new eGovernance features will be accessible for public access via the district's website www.kccd.edu February 7.
For further information, please contact Natalie Dorrell, Public Information (760) 384-6260