To the Editor:
My name is Christopher Munoz, and I am a candidate for a two-year Term for Bayonne Board of Education Trustee.
I have always believed in sustainability and transparency. If you go to the Bayonne Board of Education meetings, neither one of these exist. It’s time for the Bayonne Board of Education to come out of the darkness into the 21st-century.
1. I have noticed from meetings that agendas are not readily available to the public. They have resolutions and paperwork taped to the wall or on the corkboard.
2. Bayonne Board of Education meetings are not regularly televised.
3. All records are kept by stenotype machine.
I am proposing the following changes be made to the Bayonne Board of Education meeting process that are both eco friendly and transparent, and if elected, I will advocate for these changes to be adopted.
1. All Bayonne Board of Education meeting agendas should be posted on the Bayonne Board of Education website for a minimum of 24 hours before a Bayonne Board of Education meeting.
2. All Bayonne Board of Education meetings should be recorded with video and audio equipment.
3. All Bayonne Board of Education meetings should be broadcasted on channel 77 or 78 for a period of two weeks after said meeting, and all meetings should be uploaded to YouTube via secure channel such as BoardDocs, or the Bayonne Board of Education can create its own YouTube channel.
In a recent survey that my campaign conducted, 100 percent of the survey participants indicated that they would watch Board of Education meetings that were televised on Channel 77 or YouTube. One of the goals of the Bayonne Board of Education should be to have an informed community.
The cost would be minimal for the district as the district already has a media productions coordinator, video and audio equipment, and editing equipment.
In addition, OPRA requests would decline because the transparency that the community seeks is there.
The following proposed changes are not only eco friendly but the cost is nominal and creates transparency amongst the public. A well-informed community leads to transparency, constructive dialogue, and progress for the Bayonne community.
CHRISTOPHER MUNOZ
Candidate, Board of Education