KCAT to Videotape School Board Meetings

trustees approved Tuesday evening a contract with —the Comcast community access station that operates on the campus—to videotape and post on their channel the remainder of their meetings during the 2011-12 school year.

According to the contract presented to trustees by , the station will also provide opportunities for students to learn how to offer the video recording and posting services to the community, thus reducing costs.

The services are expected to begin Jan. 17, 2012 and end June 30, 2012 and will include all board meetings until then.

Cost of the service will be $75 an hour per meeting, including time station employees will need to set up and taken down the videotaping equipment, the contract said. Good news is that the first two meetings will be free.

If the board chooses to hold meetings at a location with videotaping equipment, there will be no set-up and take-down charges, Mistele said in a memo to trustees.

will act as a consultant during the duration of the contract and the station will provide two staff members on site during the filming of meetings.

Mistele has said in a staff report the cost to televise 15 meetings would cost the district about $5,250. Any contract over $1,000 requires board approval in the district, according to a staff report.

The district will also have to spend money upgrading its sound system at both Los Gatos and Saratoga high school libraries, where it usually holds its meetings.

KCAT has been providing production services to Los Gatos High School for some time. It has aired several sporting events, including water polo, basketball and wrestling matches and the graduation ceremony in May, Bryan said.

The station has also launched a 15-minute live newscast using student reporters and crew at no cost.