To cut down on waste, the Consolidated High School District 230 board has started using digital records instead of the seemingly endless stacks of paper that used to pile up on members' work stations during the meetings.

Board Vice President Mike Hastings said the idea came from several conventions that board members had attended.

The board used laptops and the digital information for the first time at the Aug. 26 meeting. There was a glitch or two, and a couple of pauses while board members were scrolling to find what they needed, but otherwise things went smoothly.

"It was our first time and it was a learning experience for everyone," D230 Superintendent James Gay said. "But for the first time, it went better than I thought. We've done this in a very economical way."

Private companies can charge more than $12,000 for software to schools and municipalities to help run paperless meetings. But the district had its own IT staff work out a system for free, putting all of the information on a PDF.

jvorva@tribune.comMore