Board Meeting Participation
Open Meeting Protocols
General Meetings
The president (or vice-president in the absence of the president) will preside at all meetings. In the absence of both the president and the vice-president, the members present shall elect a president pro tempore who will serve only for that meeting or for that part of the meeting in which the president and vice-president are absent.
Any member of the board who wishes to make a motion, second a motion or discuss pending business will first secure recognition from the board president.
The president will present each agenda item for discussion or designate the superintendent or other staff member who will present the agenda item.
All formal actions of the board will be taken by ordinary motions unless a formal resolution is required by law. In the ordinary course of events at any meeting, the board will discuss agenda items prior to the making of a motion in order to facilitate reaching a consensus.
Executive Sessions
The board shall conduct executive sessions to discuss matters as provided by law and only for the purposes of discussion. No binding action shall be taken during executive sessions.
A motion to convene into executive session shall include a statement of: (1) the justification for closing the meeting; (2) the subjects to be discussed during the closed or executive meeting; and (3) the time and place at which the open meeting shall resume.
Before resuming open session after an executive session has expired in the Board Conference Room, the Clerk of the Board shall adhere to the following protocol:
- The clerk will announce in the SEC Room that he/she will be opening the door in “one minute.”
- The clerk will then wait until the time the executive session ends and open the door.
- If upon opening the door, but before any motions are made, the clerk determines that there are more members of the public than can comfortably fit in the Board Conference Room, the clerk will so inform the Board at that time. The Board will then move to the SEC Room to conduct the open session.
Before resuming open session after an executive session has expired in the Schmidt Room, the Clerk of the Board shall adhere to the following protocol:
- The clerk will announce in the hallway outside the room in which the board is meeting in executive session that he/she will be opening the door to resume open session in “one minute.”
- The clerk will then wait until the time the executive session ends and open the door.
- If upon opening the door, but before any motions are made, the clerk determines that there are more members of the public than can comfortably fit in the Schmidt Room, the clerk will so inform the Board at that time. The Board will then move to the SEC Room to conduct the open session.
Public Participation
The USD 305 Board of Education recognizes the value of public comment. Public Forum is an opportunity to address the Board about policy-related issues. The BOE president will consider requests to address the Board. Before attempting to resolve a problem with the Board, we encourage you to have discussed the issue with the superintendent or the appropriate staff member. To ensure that all have an opportunity to be heard, the following guidelines will be followed:
- Time Limit: Time allotted for public participation will be announced at the beginning of the meeting.
- Speaker Limits: The Board president will determine if public comments will be accepted and how long will be granted for public comments. An individual citizen’s comments will typically be limited to three minutes. If a large number of those in attendance wish to speak on the same topic, the board president may (a) reduce the time allocated to each speaker, (b) ask representatives of the group to summarize their colleagues’ statements, or if necessary, (c) limit the number of speakers.
- Avoid Repetition (see below): Unduly repetitious comments will be limited. This will be determined at the discretion of the board president.
- Registration: Each person who desires to speak must register by submitting their name, address, who they are representing, phone number and item they would like to address on the required form by noon the day prior to the meeting.
- Acceptable Topics: Public comments must be relevant to items on the board meeting agenda or to items generally within the jurisdiction of the board.
- Use the Podium/State Your Name: Each person who desires to speak will address the board from the podium and clearly state their name before presenting any remarks.
- Speaker Decorum: The board president will interrupt speakers and may remove them from the meeting if their presentation becomes disruptive. Rude behavior, profanity, slanderous remarks or personal attacks will not be tolerated.
- Board Response: Generally, there is no discussion between the speaker and the board of education. The board will not deliberate or take action regarding requests presented during public participation.
- Written Materials: If you have written comments or other materials you wish the board to receive, please submit these to the board clerk. Please do not distribute any materials directly to board members during meetings.