- B
- Board Governance and Operations
File: BM (pdf)
Adopted: March 9, 2010, November 8, 2011, January 9, 2024
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS
Board Members take action through votes taken in public meetings. Board Members are expected to attend all regularly scheduled Board meetings insofar as possible and to be informed concerning the issues to be considered at those meetings.
All meetings of three or more members of the Board at which any public business is discussed or any formal action may be taken shall be open to the public at all times except for periods in which the Board is in executive session.
No business may be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of four Board Members in attendance physically or electronically in accordance with Board Policy.
Regular Meetings
Regular meetings of the Board of Education shall be held in the Boardroom of the administration building at 6500 Arapahoe Road in Boulder, Colorado, unless otherwise noticed.
Meetings of the Board shall be held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, and will begin at the time noticed.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board are meetings not scheduled on the Board’s annual calendar for the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Special meetings may be called by the Board president at any time and shall be called by the president upon the written request of a majority of the members.
The Secretary of the Board shall be responsible for giving a written notice of any special meeting to each Board Member at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting if mailed or emailed, and 24 hours in advance if hand-delivered personally to the member. The notice must contain time, place and purpose of the meeting and names of the members requesting the meeting.
Any member may waive notice of a special meeting at any time before, during or after such meeting, and attendance at a special meeting shall be deemed to be a waiver. If any member has not received adequate notice and refuses to waive such notice, the meeting will not be held.
No business other than that stated in the notice of the meeting shall be transacted unless all members are present and agree to consider and transact other business.
Work Sessions and Retreats
To create opportunities for deeper consideration of issues, planning, brainstorming and thoughtful discussion the Board may schedule work sessions or retreats, which shall be open to the public. Work sessions and retreats may be part of a regular Board meeting or a special meeting that may be held on any day or time. No action shall be taken during such work sessions or retreats. Public notice shall be provided in accordance with the law.
Agenda
To expedite the Board's proceedings and provide a framework for the orderly conduct of business, the Superintendent in cooperation with the Board president, after consultation with the other board members, shall prepare an agenda outlining the matters to be brought to Board’s attention at meetings.
The Board shall follow the order of business set by the agenda unless the order is altered or new items added by vote of the Board during the meeting. The Board may add to or take action on matters not appearing on the posted agenda at regular meetings only by majority vote of Board Members present and in accordance with applicable law. The Board may add items not appearing on the posted agenda of a special meeting only to the extent permitted by applicable law and when all Board Members are present and cast a unanimous vote.
A consent grouping on the agenda shall be used for those items that usually do not require discussion or explanation as to the reason for Board action. Any Board Member may request the withdrawal of any item under the consent grouping for independent consideration.
The order of business at regular meetings shall be as follows:
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Call to order
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Roll call
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Land acknowledgement
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Announcement of Board procedures
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Approval of agenda
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Superintendent’s report
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Public hearing and/or public participation
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Committee reports (if needed)
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Board communication
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Information
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Action items – consent grouping
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Action items
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Study items
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Future agenda request
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Adjournment
Executive session may be included at any time in the agenda in order to best meet the Board’s needs and in accordance with applicable law.
Rules of Order
Except as otherwise specified by state law or Board policies pertaining to its own operating procedures, the Board shall operate by the rules prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, as those rules can reasonably be applied to the conduct of school board business. It shall be the responsibility of the Board president to utilize such rules when appropriate to do so.
Required Public Notice of School Board Meetings
The Board shall give full and timely notice to the public of any meeting of three or more Board Members at which public business may be discussed or any formal action taken, including regular, special, and work session meetings and retreats.
At a minimum, the Board shall post notice of regular and special meetings on the District’s website and the designated public place no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the scheduled meeting. The Board’s notice shall include specific agenda information where possible.
At its first regular meeting of the calendar year, the Board shall designate the public place or places at which notice of all Board meetings shall be posted. In the event such action is not taken annually, the designated public place(s) used in the previous year shall continue as the official posting sites.
The School District shall maintain a list of persons who, within the previous two years, have requested notification of all meetings or of meetings when certain specified policies will be discussed. These individuals will be provided reasonable advance notification of such Board meetings.
Notice to the Board
The Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee shall make the agenda, together with meeting materials and the minutes of the last regular meeting, available to Board Members no later than 72 hours before the next regular meeting.
Voting
All voting shall be by roll call alphabetically with each member present voting "Aye" or “No” or the equivalent “Yes” or "No". Only the election of the president and vice president may be by secret ballot. To pass, any motion must be approved by a majority of the members present except as state law or policies of the Board may require a majority of full membership or a two-thirds majority.
A member may abstain from voting only if excused by the Board for good cause. A Board Member who has a personal or private interest in any proposed or pending matter that presents a conflict of interest in accordance with Board policy shall disclose such interest and shall not vote unless participation is necessary to obtain a quorum or otherwise enable the Board to act. Under such circumstances, the member shall comply with all requirements of Board policy and state law.
Recordings and Minutes
A recording shall be made of regular and special meetings at which votes are taken or as otherwise required by law and at a minimum, shall be an audio recording. Recordings shall be maintained for at least 90 days.
Minutes of any Board meeting at which the adoption of any policy or formal action occurs or could occur shall be taken and promptly recorded. Such records shall be open to public inspection. The minutes shall include:
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The nature of the meeting, whether regular or special; time and place; members present.
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A record of all actions taken by the Board, the motion, the name of the member making the motion and seconding it; the record of the vote, with the vote of each member recorded. Reports and documents related to a formal motion may be omitted if they are referred to by title and date.
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A record of all business that comes before the Board through reports of the Superintendent and others and through communications from the staff and the public.
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The names of all persons who speak before the Board and the topic of their remarks.
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A record that an executive session was held, including the names of those present and the topic of discussion, unless including names of individuals would reveal information that should remain confidential, and the specific citation to the statute that authorizes the Board to meet in executive session.
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The topic of the discussion at the executive session as well as the amount of time each topic was discussed while the Board was meeting in executive session. The minutes along with the amount of time each topic was discussed must be posted on the website of the Board not later than ten business days following the meeting at which the minutes are approved by the Board.
The official minutes shall be signed by the secretary. Following their approval, the official copy also shall be signed by the President of the Board of Education.
The official minutes shall be in the custody of the Board Secretary and shall be made available to the public on the website and upon request at the administrative offices of the School District.
End of File: BM