How many in the Zoom audience? 854

Last night's audience for the June 30, 2020 school board meeting probably surprised everyone.

When the meeting started (officially) at 4:32PM, there were 110 online, as indicated by the counter at the upper left of the screen. The board quickly adjourned, as scheduled, to Executive Session.

When the open session reconvened at 5:00PM, there were 332 present.

At about 5:10PM, it was announced that the Board had lavished the superintendent with an Overall Distinguished Evaluation and extended his contract by a year to June 30, 2024. By that time there were 573 attending.

During the discussion prior to voting on the superintendent's evaluation, Trustee Agostini commented on how she had been treated by the superintendent following her resignation as Secretary in the spring of 2019. She commented that he had been inequitable and unprofessional in his manner toward her. Readers can look back to previous blogposts that examine why Mrs. Agostini resigned. Her integrity and high standards were the basis of refusing to attest to illegal signatures on, and statements in, official bond documents. (Following her resignation, James Shadd was appointed Secretary and quickly signed the same documents with the discrepancies uncorrected.)

And then the vote was taken on his evaluation: 6-1  Thank you, Mrs. Agostini, for being willing to speak up and say the important things that need to be said.

The Zoom audience reached a peak of 854 last night.