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Barre Town Supervisory District Policy Manual

TITLE: [Bylaw: Article 4.] School Board Meetings   CODE: BE

  1. Regular Meetings: Regular meetings will be held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Barre Town School. The time and place may be changed with the consent of the School Board and with prior notice to the public of at least 24 hours.

  2. Quorum: A quorum for the transaction of business will be a majority (3 or more) of the School Board.

  3. No action of a School Board will be valid except upon the approval of the majority of the members of the School Board present at a properly called meeting. The clerk of a School Board will cause to have notice of each meeting given to each member of the School Board and the notice will specify the time, place, and purpose of each meeting. This notice is to be published at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting time.

  4. Adjourned Meetings: Any meetings of the School Board may be adjourned to any succeeding day by vote of the majority of the members in attendance at the meeting. Notice of the adjourned meeting will be given to the absent members and published in the newspaper.

  5. Order of Business:

    A. Call to Order

    B. Consent Agenda

    1. Approval of Minutes - Previous Meeting(s)

    2. Financial Statements/Warrants

    C. Visitors and Communications

    D. Action Items (Old and New)

    E. Other Items

    F.  Adjournment to Executive Session

    G. Confirm Next Meeting Date

    H. Adjournment

  6. Rules of Order: Robert’s' Rules of Order will govern the proceedings of the School Board.

  7. Public Attendance: Meetings of the School Board for transaction of business will be open to the public, except that the School Board may, by majority vote, meet in executive session to discuss such matters as provided in the Vermont State Statutes, 1VSA § 313.

  8. Public Participation in Meetings: The chairperson, at his/her discretion, may, under 5C of the Order of Business recognize members of the audience for the purpose of addressing the School Board. This time period will be in accord with Robert's Rules of Order. It is the intention of the Board to encourage public participation at its meetings. All meetings of the Board or its subcommittees will comply with Vermont Open Meeting law. When the pressure of Board business is severe, or when a large number of people wish to speak on matters before the Board, reasonable rules of participation may be used to insure that meetings are conducted in an orderly fashion and that the business at hand is completed in a timely manner.

The Board will provide opportunities for public participation at its meetings prior to Board action on any item on the Board agenda in accordance with the following procedures.

  1. Persons who may address the Board prior to Board action on items on the Board agenda:
  1. Any district resident
  2. School staff members, students, and parents
  3. Individuals who have been requested by the Superintendent or the Board to present a given  subject
  4. Person who are directly affected by the matters on the Board agenda
  5. Others at the discretion of the Board
  1. To speak to an item on the agenda:
  1. The Chairperson will ask for comments on agenda items before action is taken by the Board.
  2. When the pressure of the Board business is extreme or the number of people wishing to speak is large, the Board may authorize the Chairperson to use a speakers’ list. Members of the public will be given an opportunity to be heard on a given topic.

  1. Time limit for speakers. The Board may, when the number of people wishing to speak is large, limit the time for each speaker, and may authorize the Chair to restrict each speaker, any may authorize the Chair to restrict each speaker to one opportunity to be heard on a given topic.

  2. Public input on items not on the agenda. There will be a time set aside for public input on items not on the agenda at every regular, special, or emergency meeting of the Board. The time allotted to this item will be assigned by the Chair or the person responsible for organizing the agenda. The Chair may rule out of order any presentation to the Board which breaches the privacy or other rights of students, parents or school employees, or which does not comply with Board policy on complaints. During other portions of the meeting, the Chairperson may, with School Board approval, open a topic to discussion from the audience.

 

Subjects raised by the audience will not be formally discussed without being on the agenda in accordance with Article IV, paragraph 9.

  1. Agenda: A preliminary agenda for regular meetings will be prepared by the superintendent and Board Chairperson and forwarded through the office of the superintendent to each member of the School Board not less than 48 hours prior to the Board meeting. Items not appearing on the agenda will be considered by the Board only with the majority consent of the entire School Board.

Persons, not members of the School Board, desiring to place subjects on the agenda will submit these in writing to the superintendent five days prior to meeting date. Copies of all submitted items will be sent with the agenda whether or not the Superintendent has placed the item on the agenda.

The superintendent will prepare all agendas for meetings of the Board after consultation with the Board Chairperson. Items of business may be suggested by any Board member, staff member, student, or citizen of the district. The inclusion of items will be at the discretion of the superintendent and Board chair, unless a majority of the Board votes to place an item on the Board’s agenda.

The agenda, together with supporting materials, will be distributed to Board members approximately one week prior to regular meetings and as soon as practicable before special meetings.

Copies of the agenda will be posted in the office of the school and in identified locations throughout the community. When practicable, or in any case upon request, the press, school staff, students, community members, and concerned person will be provided with copies of the agenda in advance of regular or special meetings.

In all instances, the superintendent and Board will adhere to the provision of 1 V.S.A. $312 regarding notice and agenda distribution.

Special School Board meetings will be called by the School Board Chairperson or by a majority of the School Board members. Items for a Special School Board meeting must be submitted to the Superintendent of Schools not less than twenty-four hours prior to the meeting being called.

  1. Policy Review: The Board will review any policy rules or regulations on written request of any parent or citizen of the Town of Barre. Any policy revision, in order to be considered, must be delivered to the Board members at least 48 hours prior to the meeting and must appear on the published agenda. Proposed policy deletions, additions, or changes considered at such meeting shall be classified as "first reading" with action at subsequent meeting. There will be a minimum of thirteen (13) days between the first and second meeting. Warnings will be posted and advertised at least ten (10) days prior to the adoption.

1st Reading: 4/7/04
2nd Reading/Adopted: 5/19/04
Date Warned: 1/19/94
Dates Originally Adopted: 11/7/83; 2/2/94
Date Revised:
Legal Reference(s): 16 VSA &563; 1 VSA $312
Cross References: