Got a question about Federal Way schools? Connect with the superintendent

Federal Way School District Superintendent Tom Murphy participated in his first live blog on Wednesday.

The blog, which is a first for the district and one of the first in the state, was geared as a way for the superintendent to reach out to the community.

The session, which lasted from 7 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10, gave community members a chance to ask the superintendent questions on everything from funding to safety at Todd Beamer High School.

“I really enjoyed it,” Murphy said afterward. “I was able to interact almost instantly, which was very very cool. It’s an excellent way to have an exchange.”

Murphy also said he was busy answering questions for the whole hour. So far, he hasn’t heard of any difficulties on either the district’s end or with the public who wanted to ask questions.

The district already plans to continue the blogs, probably about once a month. However, district officials do expect more participation and interest in talking to the superintendent as the budget gets closer to finalization. The district may increase frequency of blogs during that time, perhaps every other week or weekly.

“I was very impressed with how easy it was,” Murphy said.

Murphy had joked about being technologically challenged at the last school board meeting when he told board members about his blog.

“I can’t text message, I don’t have teenagers to teach me,” Murphy said. “Then Sandy mentioned this podcasting and I didn’t get that…If I like this blogging, you might be sorry.”

To see a transcript of the blog, go to http://www.fwps.org/info/liveblog/ and hit replay.