PORTAGE | A new paperless meeting system is on the way, but one Portage Township School Board member says it's an unnecessary expense.

"I'm not going to use the program," board member Tom Pappas said. "We're facing some tough budget problems. Ask me after March 14 and I might change my mind."

Pappas said pending changes to the state's property tax formula could result in a budget shortfall for the school system and with a $12,000 annual cost, Pappas said even that small amount of money could go toward something more relevant to children.

The Board Docs system, currently used by more than 150 school systems around the country, provides an electronic platform for the board and public to view meeting agendas and download information in real-time. Superintendent Mike Berta said the system will also help facilitate communication between the board and the administration.

Pappas was the lone vote against the system in December, when its purchase was approved. Pappas cited concerns over tapping a district technology fund for board business, a concern proved valid. The annual licensing fee will now come from an administration building line-item in the district's capital projects fund. Berta said officials from the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance and the State Board of Accounts said the expenditure is appropriate for the fund.

Under the current system, paid staff make paper copies of all agenda items and pertinent documents for board members. From there, a courier being paid a wage, plus gasoline and milage expenses, delivers the packet to any board members who don't pick them up on their own.

Pappas said he currently picks up his own information packet and has a personal e-mail address already set up where he can receive electronic copies of the documents.

Aside from giving the board advance access to the documents, the program also has a public portal to the information, giving parents, community members and the press access to documents before the meeting.

Berta said by using funds budgeted for the administration building, no money will be taken away from any classroom or student instruction.

"Part of my job is to be an agent of change," Berta said. "It is time to elevate our communication so we can communicate better as a board when the business of the board needs getting done."