LONGMEADOW – Town Moderator Rebecca Townsend came before the Longmeadow School Committee on June 13 to discuss free software that is available to the town to assist in creating a stronger dialogue amongst citizens on important town issues.

The software, Townsend explained to the Committee, was developed by a researcher at the University of Warsaw, located in Poland, in conjunction with a regional municipal association and advocates for the disabled in Poland. The software was tested in over 270 cities in Poland, however it has not been tested in the United States. The lead researcher for this software approached Townsend and asked her if she would be willing to test the software in the United States, specifically Longmeadow.

“It’s a software that is distinctly qualified for use in a town that seeks to have internal collaboration among different departments in planning public consultations,” Townsend noted. She continued to explain that the software allows government officials and staff to coordinate on public consultation planning.

Currently, Townsend reminded the group that she conducts pre–Town Meeting deliberative forums on “the big issues.” She stated she enjoys these forums because they’re informal, they allow citizens to ask questions and learn more about the issues. With this software, there are two alternative options to these forums that could be explored: online deliberation through moderated text discussion, and voice-based online discussion. All three options, including the traditional in-person forums, will be available this coming fall.

Townsend explained to the Committee that they don’t have an obligation to participate if they don’t want to, however she welcomes their input and participation as the pilot topic she would like to discuss revolves around the middle schools. In regard to the middle schools she stated, “it’s a big issue,” and even though a particular proposal has not been selected or is before them, she “still likes the option of discussing what we should do,” prior to having the pressure of making a decision. The discussions, she added, are non-binding.

The software is split into two phases. The first phase is the briefing phase, which lasts for two weeks, where residents can request specific materials or documents that they think will be useful to them in making decisions or discussing the topic at hand. Residents will register online using their real name and email address. They’re then given a time frame, and then the forum/discussion period begins, which also lasts two weeks. During this time, residents will be randomly placed into small groups to discuss the topic at hand. At the end, Townsend stated the town would receive a visual mapping of the threaded arguments.

“It’s going to yield us a ton of valuable information,” Town Council Vice Chair Bronwyn Monahan stated, adding that the information they receive is simply information that provides an opportunity for the community to be engaged – not a decision.

Approximately 17 researchers from 11 different universities have agreed to donate their time on studying if this type of town-wide discussion is effective.   Townsend said she is collaborating and coordinating at both ends with the scholars to ensure that their “human subjects” protections are in place so that residents can give informed consent about participating in any surveys or interviews.

“People don’t have to do surveys or interviews, but if they wish it would help understand if the software is effective,” Townsend explained. The software is licensed under creative commons license, meaning it is not for profit.

School Committee member Kevin Shea stated that he thinks this is a “great idea,” and that it will help the Committee to have more dialogue going on with people in town.

Shea asked Townsend how this would affect open meeting laws, to which she stated she has connected with the Assistant Attorney General on the matter. Townsend explained, “The basic concern is, so if a moderator has a meeting, that does not fall under the open meeting law because I’m one person – I’m not a public body. If the School Committee has a meeting, well, you’re a public body, so there are some limitations for any boards.” Under our current law, Townsend continued,  a board or committee cannot participate in an online forum on a subject matter that they will then be deliberating on in person. However, those individuals can participate in an in-person forum.

“…the distinction the Assistant Attorney General made to me is that it’s an access issue – not everyone will have access to a computer and they can’t see their School Committee deliberate, but an in-person meeting doesn’t have that access problem,” Townsend said.

“I think it’s [the software] great – I love this idea…I think the deliberative aspect of it is so critical, I mean, that’s what democracy should be right?” School Committee member Susan Bell stated.

Superintendent Marty O’Shea weighed in; stating that he believes the middle school discussion is appropriate for this dialogue as residents will be able to discuss if the town feels there is a need and what residents want out of their middle school facilities.

In reference to the Massachusetts School Building Authority potentially approving a middle school project and how these discussions may assist, O’Shea stated, “I would say that the MSBA wants to get behind solutions that the community will get behind. If we had some evidence that the community is behind a particular solution, then that would guide or frame the discussions with the MSBA.”

O’Shea added to his point on the accessibility of the software, “We live in a world where I think people would value the convenience perhaps of having a robust, moderated, fair…it’s not a Facebook free for all, it’s moderated, it’s controlled, and it’s focused.”

The School Committee agreed that they would talk about getting a liaison from the Committee to work on this and they would be in touch with Townsend.