Board Meetings

The Board of Education shall hold regular meetings throughout the year to transact such business as deemed necessary for the smooth operation of the school district. The Board will hold its regular meeting on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Board Room of the Administration Building unless otherwise specified in the publicized notice of the meeting. The time and/or location of the regular meeting may be changed with the consent of a quorum of the Board. The Board meets once a month from August to June, usually at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month unless otherwise noted. Summer meetings are held in July and August, usually at 5:30 p.m., on the second Monday of each month unless otherwise noted.

Public notice of closed meetings shall be given in accordance with Board policy and law. The motion and the vote to authorize a closed session must occur in an open session. The motion must include the specific reason for closing the meeting with reference to a specific section of the statute, and the vote on the motion must be taken by roll call and entered into the minutes. The motion will pass if a majority votes in the affirmative. Posted notice of a closed meeting will include the time, date and place of the closed meeting and the reasons for holding the meeting with reference to the specific statutory exemption under which the meeting will be closed. Only business directly related to the specific statutory exemptions provided may be discussed or voted upon at a closed meeting.

A meeting may be rescheduled or reconvened. Public notice of a rescheduled or reconvened meeting shall be given in the same manner as that for a special meeting, except that no public notice is required when the original meeting is open to the public and: is to be reconvened within 24 hours, or an announcement of the time and place of the reconvened meeting was made at the original meeting and there is no change in the agenda.

Special Board meetings may be held from time to time as circumstances may demand. Special meetings of the Board may be held at a time fixed by the Board or on the call of the president. A special meeting may also be called by at least four members of the Board. Each member shall be notified of the time, place and purpose of the meeting a reasonable amount of time in advance of the meeting. These meetings may be listed as Board Retreat, Work Session, Reorganization meetings, etc.

A special session for the Board and administration to prepare and plan for the upcoming school year, receive training, etc.

Public notice of emergency meetings shall be given as soon as practical. This shall include giving notice before the meeting to news media that have filed a written request for notice.

The Board will allow members to participate electronically in meetings where other Board members are physically present, and the Board may hold meetings where all Board members participate electronically. This participation may occur by telephone, video conference, or other electronic means. Board members may not simply vote electronically, but must: 1) be connected with the meeting throughout the discussion of business; 2) be able to hear or receive the same information as Board members physically present; and 3) participate in the discussion. If a Board member electronically joins the meeting after an item of business has been opened, the remotely located member shall not participate until the next item of business is opened. Any Board members participating electronically will be considered present. The members shall be counted present for the purpose of establishing a quorum. If a Board member participates in a meeting electronically, the Board Secretary will document this fact in the minutes. In accordance with law, Board members participating electronically may only vote in roll call votes if they are participating by videoconference or another legal exception applies. Board members who wish to participate in a meeting electronically must notify the Board president and superintendent as early as possible. The superintendent will arrange for the meeting to take place in a location with the appropriate equipment so that Board members participating in the meeting electronically may interact and the public may observe or hear the comments made in the open session. Board members participating electronically in a closed-session meeting must take measures to protect the confidentiality of the meeting and ensure that other persons will not overhear the discussion and votes. If the Board is not confident that appropriate measures have been or will be taken, the Board may refuse to allow a Board member to participate electronically in a closed session.

In order to use time within the Board meetings more efficiently, the School Board also utilizes a consent agenda whenever appropriate. Items placed on the consent agenda are routine in nature or are among the many decisions that the Board has already determined are in the domain of the administration. When the consent agenda is presented to the Board for action, the Board president will provide the opportunity for any member of the Board to request a discussion or removal of any item on the agenda. Any item requested to be removed from the consent agenda by a Board member will be placed on the regular agenda or removed from the agenda entirely, depending upon the request of the member and the Board's agreement. The remaining items on the consent agenda are then voted on and passed or denied by a single motion. The minutes of the Board meeting shall include the outcome of the vote and a list of all the items which appeared on the consent agenda.

During the portion of the Board meeting agenda designated for “Public Comment,” members of the public may address school-related matters which are not specifically related to agenda items. Comments will be limited to three (3) minutes per person. Only comments that are addressed to school-related matters will be received, but such comments need not be related to specific items on the Board's agenda for the meeting. However, the Board will not receive comments on disciplinary or other matters that are, or should be, the subject of preliminary administrative review and decision if the Board will or could be involved, at any level, as a hearing panel or reviewing authority. The president shall rule such comments out of order. The president also shall rule out of order comments that are not addressed to school-related matters and all comments that are irrelevant, repetitious or derogatory of persons, businesses or organizations. The Board will not take action on a concern at this meeting, but will direct speakers to the appropriate staff person to facilitate a response. See also Board Policy Manual, Policy BDDH-1: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS

Any patron or group of patrons desiring to be considered for placement on the agenda for the purpose of addressing the Board shall make a request to the superintendent or a Board member one week prior to the regular Board meeting. The request shall be submitted in sufficient detail to explain fully the issue(s) to be discussed. The Board reserves the right to limit the number of and speaking time of spokespersons appearing before the Board. Unless unusual circumstances dictate otherwise, the Board will not make a decision on an issue(s) presented by an individual or group during that particular meeting. The Board reserves the right to waive formalities in emergency situations, within the limitations of state statutes.