A recent breakout discussion format during a Springfield Public Schools board meeting may have violated Oregon public meetings law, because the public could not access the full conversation.
At an Oct. 27 work session, school board members broke out into three, rotating small groups to talk with administrators. Brian Richardson, Springfield Public Schools’ director of communications and community engagement, called it a “world café”-style discussion, and said the format was meant to facilitate better conversation among board members and administrators.
Oregon law requires public meetings to be open to the public, and the district says it is in compliance with the law. But the nature of Monday’s simultaneous small-group conversations made it impossible for the public to hear most of the discussion…