The Southwest Allen County Schools board is preparing for a move - and their remote-viewing debut.

Beginning March 7, the five elected officials will no longer conduct business in the district administration building along Homestead Road. They will instead meet in a conference room at a nearby facility that houses transportation staff, Superintendent Park Ginder said Tuesday.

SACS plans to offer an option to watch meetings online - either through livestreaming or a recording - once the necessary equipment is in place, Ginder said.

"We have still not received microphones that will allow all of us to be heard in a manner that works with the camera," he said, noting the district wants to avoid audio problems that other boards have experienced. "We don't need to be seen. We need to be heard."

SACS is the only Allen County school district that doesn't offer a way to watch meetings remotely.

The 7,700-student district has been planning the move for about a year. Ginder has said the transportation conference room at 4814 Homestead Road would be equipped with as many as five screens for projection purposes and better sound, including individual microphones.

The upgrades weren't specifically for the board's benefit, Ginder has said. SACS uses the facility for professional development for employees including bus drivers, teachers and administrators.

Entry will be available at Door 2, with parking to the south or at the neighboring Aboite Elementary School, Ginder said.

The building, which was previously an elementary school, hosted some board meetings in 2021 to accommodate bigger audiences as the district considered COVID-19 protocols.

Although the March 7 moving date is firm, Ginder couldn't say whether that's when a virtual viewing option will become available.

"The move there may not coincide with our ability to broadcast," he said.