MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
Meetings of the Board are conducted for the purpose of carrying on the business of the schools. The meetings are usually held in public with a few exceptions or exemptions. Only Board members have the authority to make and second motions, and vote on issues before the Board. The Board may establish rules for its own government and determine procedures that will be followed during Board meetings. Meetings may be closed to the public to allow the Board to discuss a specific topic from a narrow list of reasons and following the procedures defined by law ( See Policy No. 204.4).
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
PUBLICATION OF FINANCIAL RECORDS
Each month the schedule of bills allowed by the board shall be published in a newspaper designated as a newspaper for official publication. Annually, the total salaries paid to school district personnel regularly employed by the school district shall also be published in a newspaper designated as a newspaper for official publication.
It shall be the responsibility of the board secretary to publish in concert with this policy.
Approved: February 8, 1988
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
OPEN MEETINGS
A gathering of a majority of board members in which deliberation of an issue within the jurisdiction of the board takes place is a board meeting. A gathering for the purpose of social or ministerial action shall not constitute a board meeting unless a discussion of policy takes place. Meetings of the board shall be conducted in an open meeting unless a closed session is authorized by law.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
Revised: August 9, 1993
REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS
Unless the board adopts and publicizes an alternative date or time at its organizational meeting, or within forty-eight (48) hours prior to the meeting, regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held on the third Monday of each month. All meetings shall be held in the meeting place officially designated by the board in regular session. Public notice of each regular meeting of the board shall be provided in the manner described in Policy No. 204. 7, Notice for Board Meetings.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
Revised: April 14, 1997
October, 2008
SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS
Special meetings may be called by vote of the Board of Directors, or by the president or the secretary upon the written request of a majority of the members of the Board. The agenda for special meetings shall be limited to the item or items for which the special meeting is called.
Emergency Meeting
The Board may meet on an emergency basis without a twenty-four hour advance notice for good cause when the notice requirements are impossible or impractical. However, the Board should give as much advance notice of an emergency meeting as is reasonably possible.
Notice for special and emergency meetings shall be given in the manner described in Policy No. 204.7, Notice for Board Meetings.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
CLOSED SESSIONS
Generally, board meetings shall be open meetings, unless a closed session is provided for by law. The board shall hold a closed session in the situations stated below.
Exceptions to the Open Meetings Law
Closed sessions take place as part of an open meeting. The item for discussion in the closed session shall be listed as part of the tentative agenda on the public notice. The motion for a closed session, stating the purpose for the closed session, shall be made and seconded during the open meeting. A minimum of two-thirds of the board, or all of the board members present, must vote in favor of the motion on a roll call vote. Closed sessions shall be tape recorded and have detailed minutes kept by the board secretary. Final action on matters discussed in the closed session shall be taken in a open meeting.
The minutes and the tape recording will restate the motion made in the open meeting, the roll call vote, the members present, and the time the closed session began and ended. The tape recordings and the written minutes shall be kept for one year from the date of the meeting. Real estate related minutes and tapes will be made public after the real estate transactions completed.
The detailed minutes and tape recording shall be sealed and shall not be public records open to public inspection. The minutes and tape recording shall only be opened upon court order in an action to enforce the requirements of the open meetings law. The board has complete discretion as to who may be present at a closed session.
Reasons for the board entering into a closed session from an open meeting include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. To review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential or to be kept confidential as a condition for the board’s possession or receipt of federal funds.
2. To discuss strategy with legal counsel in matters presently in litigation, or where litigation is imminent, if disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the board.
3. To discuss whether to conduct a hearing for suspension or expulsion of a student, unless an open meeting is requested by the student or the parent of the student.
4. To evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge is being considered when a closed session is necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session.
5. To discuss the purchase of particular real estate, but only when premature disclosures could be reasonably expected to increase the price the board would have to pay for the property.
Exemptions to the Open Meetings Law
Board meetings at which a quorum is not present, or gatherings of the board for purely ministerial or social purposes when there is no discussion of policy or no intent to avoid the purposes of the open meetings law, are exempt from the open meetings law requirements. Since gatherings of this type are exempt from the open meetings requirements, they can be held without public notice, be separate from an open meeting, be held without taping the gathering or taking minutes, and be held without a vote or motion. The board may hold an exempt session for the following:
1. negotiating sessions, strategy meetings of public employers or employee organizations, mediation and the deliberative process of arbitration;
2. to discuss strategy in matters relating to employment conditions of employees not covered by the collective bargaining law; and
3. to conduct a private hearing relating to the recommended termination of a teacher's contract. However, the private hearing in the teacher’s contract termination shall be recorded verbatim by a court reporter.
Approved: Aug. 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
Revised: Aug. 9, 1993
ANNUAL MEETING
Each year after August 31 and prior to the organizational meeting of the board, the board will hold its annual meeting.
At the annual meeting, the board will examine the financial books and settle the secretary's and treasurer's statements for the fiscal year ending the preceding June 30. As part of the annual reports, the treasurer will present affidavits from depository banks.
The board, at this meeting, will also appoint a board secretary and a treasurer. In the board's discretion, one individual may serve as both the secretary and treasurer. The board may also appoint the board's legal counsel.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code §§ 279.3, .33 (2003).
Cross Reference: 202.4 Secretary of the Board
202.5 Treasurer of the Board
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: February 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
Revised: August 20, 2001
September 15, 2003
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF THE BOARD
The Board shall hold its organizational meeting each year at its regular meeting in September on the third Monday of the month. The old school board shall transfer materials, including the board policy manual, and responsibility to the new school board.
The purpose of the meeting is to transfer material and responsibility from the retiring Board to the new Board. At the meeting, the Board will elect a president, who will hold office for one year. Once elected, the president will be entitled to vote on all matters before the Board.
The election of the president and other officers of the Board may, if the Board so chooses, be by written ballot; however, each member will identify his/her ballot. Each ballot will be attributed as it is tallied, in order to comply with the requirements of the Open Meetings Law.
Meeting Procedure
The organizational meeting of the Board will be held in two parts; the final meeting of the retiring board, and the organizational meeting of the new Board.
1. Final Meeting of the Retiring Board
(1) Call to order
(2) Roll call
(3) Approval of minutes of previous meeting(s)
(4) Communications
(5) Audience to visitors
(6) Unfinished business
(a) Current claims and accounts (for the retiring Board to authorize)
(b) Other items: if any member of the Board feels that the Board should consider any unfinished business, the member should address the issue at this time.
(7) Review of election results: the district secretary will present the official report on the latest election; the county auditor provides the official tally. Official results are recorded in the minutes.
(8) Adjournment of the retiring board, “sine die.”
2. Organizational Meeting of the New Board
(1 and 2) Call to order and roll call.
(3) Oath of office. The district secretary will administer the oath to new members. (See Policy No. 204.15, Board Member Oath of Office.)
(4) Selection of a president “pro tem.” The chair will call for nominations; nominations need not be seconded. If only one member is nominated, a motion may be made to appoint that person by acclamation in a voice vote; if more than one person is nominated, a recorded vote is required.
(5) Election of a president of the Board. The president pro tem calls for nominations; nominations need not be seconded. If only one member is nominated, a motion calling for a unanimous ballot may be presented, and carried by unanimous voice vote. If the voice vote is not unanimous, or if more than one member is nominated, the voting may be done by signed ballot. The secretary will announce the result of the vote, and the newly elected president will assume the chair.
Other items of business at the organizational meeting may include;
(6) Resolution of appreciation recognizing the public service rendered by retiring Board members.
(7) Determination of dates, times, and places for regular meetings of the Board.
(8) Resolution to define the operating rules and practices that will be followed by the new Board.
(9) Appointment of legal counsel for the school district and the Board.
(10) Communications.
(11) Audience to visitors.
(12) Superintendent’s report.
(13) Adjournment.
Vacancies in Officer Positions
If any office of the Board should become vacant between organizational meetings, such office will be filled by the remaining members of the Board in the same fashion as outlined in the policy above.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
NOTICE FOR BOARD MEETINGS
Public notice of regular or special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be provided by posting the agenda on a bulletin board at the central administration office and at the site of the Board meeting. Notice shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the commencement of each meeting, and should include the time, date, place, and tentative agenda. Notice shall be provided to the news media and to others who have filed a request for notice with the secretary of the Board. All requests for notice must be renewed annually.
Notice of the call of a special meeting shall be given to each Board member at least 24 hours before the meeting. The notice shall specify the time, date, place, and purpose (tentative agenda) of the meeting. Attendance at the special meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice.
An emergency meeting may be called with less that 24-hour notice when the Board is required to meet for good cause to take immediate action. In an emergency, when it is not possible to give 24 hours notice, the Board secretary will notify the media who have requested notification, by telephone, and post the meeting notice, as far in advance of the meeting as possible. The minutes of such an “emergency” meeting should clearly state the good cause justifying the emergency meeting.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
QUORUM FOR BOARD MEETINGS
The majority of the full membership of the Board of Directors constitutes a quorum and must be present for the transaction of business. An affirmative vote of those present and voting shall be sufficient to pass any motion or take any action, unless the law or Board policy requires the vote of a greater number in a particular case.
A quorum need not be present to adjourn a meeting.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: February 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
RULES OF ORDER
The Board shall follow Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, latest edition as modified by this policy and subsequent rule.
The purpose of modified rules adopted by the Board are:
1. To establish guidelines by which the business of the governing board can be conducted in a regular and internally consistent manner;
2. To organize the meeting so that all necessary matters can be brought to the Board and that decisions of the Board can be made in an orderly and reasonable manner;
3. To insure that members of the board, concentrating on the substantive issues at hand, have the necessary information to make decisions, and to insure adequate discussion of decisions to be made.
4. To insure that meetings and actions of the Board are conducted so as to be informative to the staff and the public, and to produce a clear record of actions taken and decisions made.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
RULES OF ORDER
The following rules of procedure have been adopted by the Board at the annual organizational meeting:
1. Board members need not rise to gain the recognition of the chair.
2. All motions will be made as a positive action.
3. A motion will be adopted or carried if it receives an affirmative vote from more than half of the votes cast. Only “yes” and “no” votes are counted in this calculation. It should be noted that some motions require larger numbers of affirmative votes, such as to move into a closed session.
4. All motions shall receive a second, prior to opening the issue for discussion of the board. If a motion does not receive a second, the chair may declare the motion dead for lack of a second.
5. The chair may decide the order in which board members will be recognized to address an issue. An attempt should be made to alternate between pro and con positions.
6. The chair shall rule on all motions that come before the Board.
7. The chair may rule on points of order brought before the Board.
8. The chair shall have complete authority to recognize any member of the audience regarding a request to participate in the board meeting. Members of the public who wish to participate shall follow the procedures outlined in Policy No. 204.14.
9. The chair has the authority to declare a recess at any time for the purpose of restoring decorum to the meeting.
10. The order in which names will be called for roll call votes will be as follows:
a. All board members will be listed in alphabetical order by last name.
b. All roll call votes will be called in alphabetical order by last name.
c. The first roll call vote will begin at the top of the list and proceed down. The second roll call vote will begin with the second name and proceed down the list, with the last name called to be the first person called on the previous vote.
d. A person’s absence, or presence, will have no effect on the rotation.
e. The Board president’s name is placed in the rotation and receives no preferential treatment due to elected position.
f. The Board secretary will maintain the record of rotation for roll call votes. The sequence will continue from meeting to meeting.
11. The chair has the same authority and responsibility as each board member to vote on all issues.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
BOARD MEETING AGENDA
The tentative agenda for each board meeting shall state the topics for discussion and action at the board meeting. The agenda is part of the public notice of the board meeting and will be posted and distributed.
Persons wishing to place an item on the agenda must make a request to the superintendent prior to the posting of the public notice. The person making the request must state the person’s name, address, purpose of the presentation action desired and pertinent background information. Requests received after the deadline may only be added to the agenda for good cause.
The tentative agenda and supporting documents shall be sent to the board members a minimum of two days prior to the scheduled board meeting. These documents are the private property of the board member.
The board shall take action only on these agenda items, on the tentative agenda posted with the public notice. Items added to the agenda may be discussed or taken under advisement by the board. If an added item is acted upon, the minutes of the board meeting shall state the reason for immediate action. The board shall exercise this discretionary authority with great care.
It shall be the responsibility of the board president and superintendent to develop the agenda for each board meeting.
Approved: December 14, 1992
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
ORDER OF REGULAR BUSINESS MEETINGS
The order of business at regular board meetings shall be established by mutual agreement between the superintendent and the president of the board.
1) CALL TO ORDER
2) DETERMINE A QUORUM
3) ADOPT AGENDA
4) WELCOME/PATRON COMMENT
5) APPROVAL OF MINUTES
6) BILLS AND CLAIMS
7) FINANCIAL REPORTS
8) TRANSPORTATION REPORT
9) HMS PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
10) OLD BUSINESS
11) NEW BUSINESS
12) PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS
13) POLICIES
Review (no action)
First Reading (no action)
Second Reading (Board will take action)
14) PERSONNEL
15) SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
16) ADJOURN
The tentative agenda, required by the Open Meetings Law to be included with the notice given at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting, shall be specific enough to properly inform the public of the business before the Board. The tentative agenda can be amended within the 24-hour notice period only if good cause exists requiring action on additional matters. If such matters are added, a statement to that effect shall be entered in the minutes, and as much advance notice as possible should be given to the public and the media. This is not meant to prevent the Board or members of the public or the staff from introducing items for discussion only; action on discussion items, however, must normally be deferred to a subsequent meeting when the legally required notice can be given.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September, 2008
January 20, 2014
Revised: April 14, 1997
PARTICIPATION BY THE PUBLIC
The Board encourages public attendance and participation in its board meetings. The Board meets on a regular schedule of open public meetings to conduct the official business of the school district. The public is asked to recognize that time limitations require the board adopt procedures to assure an orderly process during the meeting.
In order to assist the Chair, persons who wish to address the Board should fill out a card which is provided at the door. The person’s name and the subject of his/her remarks should be noted. These should be given to the secretary prior to the meeting. If the stated subject is on the agenda, the speaker will be heard at the time that agenda item is initially brought up for discussion by the Board. Other speakers will also be recognized if time permits. To insure fairness and efficiency, speakers are asked to keep comments as brief as possible, not to exceed four minutes.
Only those individuals recognized by the chair shall be permitted to participate in the discussion. Any attempt by persons not so recognized to discuss any motion before the Board, is out of order.
It shall be in order for the members of the Board, after first gaining recognition of the chair, to interrupt the speaker to ask questions and clarify the discussion.
The chair shall permit and conduct adequate discussion of each item by Board members, staff and audience. In general, no more than twenty minutes will be allowed for public comments. Should additional time be needed, a motion to extend the discussion time may be made by any Board member.
If a topic is not on the agenda, persons may address the Board in the Public Forum item of the agenda. If an issue is raised which will require the preparation of an agenda item, it will be referred to the superintendent for such preparation, and the person raising the issue will be informed of the meeting when it will appear on the agenda.
Extended discussion or action on any item can only take place with items on the agenda, not discussion.
Complaints by a person addressing the Board concerning an employee of the district should follow the Policy No. 204.12.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
OATH OF OFFICE, BOARD MEMBERS
The oath may be administered by a qualified Board member or by the Board secretary during the Board meeting, usually the organizational meeting, in the following form:
“Do you solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Iowa, and that you will faithfully and impartially, to the best of your ability, discharge the duties of the office of ________________________________ (naming the office) in _____________________________________ (naming the district) as now and hereafter required by law?
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
PUBLIC HEARINGS
In conducting public hearings required by law, and any other hearings as it deems advisable, the Board will adhere strictly to any statutory requirements that apply to the specific type of hearing and shall seek to conduct the hearings in a fair, open, and objective manner, giving all persons involved an equal opportunity to be heard.
The president of the Board, or another member at his/her and the Board’s approval, will preside at hearings before the Board.
At the beginning of the proceedings, the attending public will be informed of particular rules that it will be following in regard to questions, remarks, rebuttals, time limitations, or other rules necessary to give everyone an opportunity to be heard.
In conformance with customary hearing procedures, statements and supporting information will be presented first by the Board President, or by others on behalf of the Board. To address the Board, citizens must be recognized by the chair, and all remarks must be addressed to the chair and be germane to the topic.
Approved: August 12, 1985
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014
WORK SESSIONS
The board, as a decision making body, is confronted with a continuing flow of problems, issues and needs which require action. While the board is determined to expedite its business, it is also mindful of the importance of planning, brainstorming and thoughtful discussion without action. Therefore, the board may schedule work sessions and retreats in order to provide its members and the administration with just such opportunities. The board has the authority to hire an outside facilitator to assist them in work sessions.
Topics for discussion and study will be announced publicly, and work sessions and retreats will be conducted in open session. However, no board action will take place at the work session.
Approved: August 9, 1993
Reviewed: Feb. 10, 1997
March 12, 2001
December 19, 2005
September 2008
January 20, 2014