P0200 Board of Education Agendas and Minutes

The Board shall meet in regular session at least once each month and shall schedule other meetings as are necessary. The procedures for BOE agendas and general information about Board meetings are set forth in this policy. The Clerk of the Board shall establish a 24-month calendar of Board of Education meetings each July. Once adopted, this calendar will be changed only by a majority vote of the Board, except in case of special.

Administrative Implemental Procedures

1. Location, Time, and Types of Board Meetings
   1. Regular Meetings and Agenda Workshops
      1. Each July, the Board shall adopt a resolution specifying when and where Agenda Workshops (defined below) and Regular Meetings (defined below) will occur.
      2. An Agenda Workshop will ordinarily occur the Friday before each Regular Meeting. The Board may adjourn into Executive Session (see AIP 12) at an Agenda Workshop, but shall not otherwise vote or take binding action.
      3. The BOE agenda file shall be provided electronically to Board of Education members no later than the morning of the day before the Agenda Workshop. The full BOE agenda shall be published electronically prior to the Regular Meeting, along with any appendices comprised of “public records” as the term is defined under the Kansas Open Records Act.
      4. The Board shall meet not less than once per month.
   2. Special meetings
      A board member has the right to receive written notice of the time, place, and purpose of a special meeting not less than two calendar days prior to the date of the meeting. However, the right to receive this notice can be waived. As long as four board members sign the waiver, a special meeting can be held.
   3. “Days” as used in this policy refers to calendar days unless otherwise stated. When calculating a period of time, the day of the event that triggers the beginning of the period should be excluded from the calculation.
   4. Special meetings may be called at any time by the Board President or by joint action of any three Board members. Written notice, stating the time and place of any special meeting and the purpose for which it is called, shall, unless waived, be given each member of the Board at least two days in advance of such meeting. No business other than that stated in the notice of such meeting shall be transacted at such meeting. Public comment will be allowed only during Public Communications on topics that pertain to agenda items on the special agenda, excluding Executive Session (See AIP 11b of this BOE Policy 0200).
2. Notice of Board Meetings
   1. All meetings shall be conducted in compliance with the Kansas Open Meetings Act (KOMA) and all Board members share responsibility for conforming their own conduct to the requirements of KOMA. Board members shall receive KOMA training annually.
   2. The Clerk shall ordinarily notify each Board member of the date and time of all Regular Meetings, Agenda Workshops, and Special Meetings.
   3. Notice of Regular Meetings and Agenda Workshops shall ordinarily be sent not less than four (4) days in advance, identifying the date, time, and place of each such meeting.
   4. Notice of any Special Meeting stating the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting shall be sent at least two (2) days in advance. The Board may not transact any business at a Special Meeting that has not been disclosed in advance on the notice.
   5. Meeting notices shall be sent to all Board members and all persons who have requested notice, and shall be posted on the District’s website.
3. BOE Agenda and Appendices
   1. The Superintendent and the Superintendent’s designee(s), if any, shall review and approve all items to appear on the agenda for a Regular Meeting, with approval from the Board President. District staff shall ordinarily submit proposed agenda items to the Clerk not less than ten (10) days before the Regular Meeting where those items will be considered.
4. Items may be added to the Board’s agenda for a Regular Meeting after the preceding Agenda Workshop has already occurred only if these items are of an emergency nature and are authorized by the Superintendent, and approved by the Board President. c. Agenda Planning. The Superintendent, the President, the Vice-President, the immediate past-President, other designated administration staff, and the Clerk of the Board shall meet to review the agenda of a regular meeting prior to publication. Order of Board Meeting Business
   1. Regular Board Meetings shall ordinarily proceed according to the order shown on the agenda. The order may be changed at the discretion of the presiding officer, unless a majority of the Board objects.
   2. The Agenda for a Regular Board Meeting may include items such as the following:
      1. Public Comment
         1. See AIP 10 below.
      2. Consent
         1. Routine items of business will be placed on the agenda under Consent.
         2. A Board member may ask at the Agenda Workshop that an item be pulled from Consent and considered separately at the next Regular Meeting. The President shall decide where on the agenda of the Regular Meeting items pulled from the Consent agenda will be taken up.
         3. In order to make efficient use of time and avoid prolonging Regular Meetings unnecessarily, Board members will seek to present questions and resolve concerns related to Consent agenda items at the Agenda Workshop preceding the Regular Meeting.
      3. Superintendent’s Report.
         1. The Superintendent’s Report may include updates on items relevant to the Board of Education.
      4. BOE Reports, Requests for Information, and Requests for Agenda Items.
         1. Board members may give reports regarding district education-related items.
         2. Board members may also make requests pursuant to BOE Policy P0275.
      5. Union Reports
         1. A representative of the United Teachers of Wichita and a representative of the Service Employees International United may separately address the Board concerning subjects of mutual interest shared by the unions and the Board.
      6. New Business.
         1. Agenda items may be introduced by any Board member under New Business.
         2. No action shall be taken on these items except on rare occasions when the matter is time-sensitive and when the majority of the Board votes to take up the item.
         3. Upon the majority vote to do so, the Board may take action on such item.
5. General Meeting Procedures
   1. 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 immediate past-President will preside.
   2. Any member of the Board who wishes to make a motion, second a motion, or discuss pending business will first secure recognition of the Board President.
   3. All formal actions of the Board will be taken by ordinary motions unless a formal resolution or roll call vote is required by law or preferred by the Board.
6. Discussion of an Agenda Item
   1. It is not necessary for a motion to be before the Board in order to discuss an agenda item. In the ordinary course of events:
      1. The Board President will request the item.
      2. The Clerk of the Board will read the item.
      3. At the request of the presiding officer or Superintendent, the responsible staff member who submitted the item may explain the item or respond to questions from the Board.
      4. Board members will discuss the item, if so desired.
      5. A Board member will present the motion and receive a second. A Board member making a motion may subsequently speak for or against that motion.
      6. Board members will further discuss the item, if so desired.
      7. The President or a Board member will call for the vote.
7. Full and Open Discussion
   1. Board meetings shall encourage full and open discussion. Debate by Board members shall not be unreasonably restricted; however, the presiding officer shall ensure that the Board conducts its meeting in an efficient and effective fashion, with due regard for decorum.
   2. The presiding officer has the authority to use processes that encourage full Board participation in an equitable manner, i.e., calling on Board members to ask if they have comments or questions, round robin questioning, or setting time limits on Board members’ comments. The procedures and guidelines described in this policy are to ensure equitable participation by Board members.
8. Motions
   1. The following motions will be in order:
      1. To recess;
      2. To take action;
      3. To amend a motion to take action, but this amending motion will be disposed of before any other motion to amend the main motion will be in order;
      4. If the Board member who made the main motion accepts the amended motion, the amended motion will take precedence over the main motion.
      5. If the Board member who made the main motion does not accept the amended motion, the Board President will call the question of the Board as to whether the amended motion should be accepted or not accepted.
      6. If the amended motion is accepted, it will take precedence over the main motion. If the amended motion is not accepted, the main motion will take precedence.
   2. A Board member’s vote on the acceptance/non-acceptance of amendment does not obligate the Board member to vote in a particular way on the amendment to which the motion applies.
   3. To defer action, either indefinitely or to a specific time, date, and place;
   4. To go into Executive Session; and
   5. To adjourn, either indefinitely or to a specific time, date, and place.
9. Board Voting
   1. Voting shall be conducted by an electronic voting system, provided it is operable.
   2. The vote or the failure to vote of each member shall be recorded in the minutes.
   3. If a Board member announces a conflict of interest concerning an item before the Board, that member is recommended to leave the meeting until voting by non-abstaining members has concluded. The minutes will show the member has declared a conflict of interest, left the meeting, the time the board member departed, and the time the board member returned to the meeting. The vote will reflect only those members present during the vote
   4. Any member who abstains from voting for any reason shall be deemed to have voted against the motion or resolution.
   5. A majority of the full membership of the Board shall constitute a quorum for conducting any business of the school district, and the vote of a majority of the full membership of the Board shall be required for the passage of any motion or resolution.
   6. Members must be physically present at Board of Education meetings to vote on agenda items but may participate in discussions via teleconference.
   7. In the event a Board member is unable to be present to vote on a specific item, that Board member may request to the Board President that the item be deferred. This request may be granted unless by delaying the vote, it would result in a loss of funding, conflict with Board policy, or result in other unfavorable consequences to the issue or project.
   8. A board member has a conflict of interest when they or their spouse has a “substantial interest” in the subject matter of a transaction being voted on by the Board, as defined and determined by K.S.A. 75-4301a et seq.
10. Public Comment: Speaking Privilege of Non-members
    1. KOMA does not require the Board to take public comment, though the Board recognizes the importance of allowing public comment.
    2. Public comment will be allowed only at Regular Meetings and Special Meetings. Public comment at a Regular Meeting must be addressed to agenda items or topics that are within the jurisdiction of the Board generally. Public comment at a Special Meeting will be limited to the topics identified in the meeting notice.
    3. Public comment shall be limited to ten (10) speakers at any meeting. Speakers will address the Board at the podium or other place in the meeting room designated by the presiding officer.
    4. All speakers will address the Board during the Public Comment section of the agenda.
    5. Registering for Public Comment
       1. A member of the public who desires to address the Board must register with the Clerk of the Board not later than noon on the day of the Regular Meeting, or else by speaking to the Clerk at the site of the meeting not less than ten minutes prior to the beginning of the meeting. Members of the public who wish to address the Board must provide their name, address, phone number (if available), and identify the topic of their comments. Speakers will not be allowed to register by proxy, except as an ADA/Section 504 accommodation. Unless specified in the meeting agenda or meeting notice, the privilege of addressing the Board will be limited to district stakeholders.
       2. If an elementary or middle school student wishes to address the Board, both the student and their parent/guardian must register, and the parent/guardian must accompany the student to the Board meeting.
       3. At the time of registration, speakers will be notified that their comments should be limited to the registered topic and should not include personnel matters and/or issues that would violate the privacy of students.
       4. Speakers who wish to provide Board members with handouts must bring twelve (12) copies for the clerk to distribute to Board members.
       5. Speakers are limited to three (3) minutes, which time limit will be enforced by the presiding officer. Speakers will be taken on a first come, first serve basis until the maximum is reached. Persons who registered with the Clerk’s office prior to noon on the day of the Board meeting will have their names, addresses, and topics listed on the agenda published on the district website.
       6. When several members of one group or organization wish to speak to the Board concerning a specific topic, the group shall appoint a spokesperson to conserve time.
       7. The Board of Education will not permit attacks by public speakers on the personal integrity, character, or competency of any employee or student of USD 259. Speakers shall maintain an appropriate level of decorum, courtesy and professionalism in their comments to the Board.
       8. Any speaker who has previously failed to conform to the requirements of this policy, or whose statements, conduct, or other circumstances suggest that they may disrupt the orderly conduct of a Board meeting, may be barred from addressing the Board.
    6. Other communication to the Board
       1. Members of the public may contact Board members using contact information available on the district website, phone directories, or from the Clerk of the Board’s office. Anonymous messages submitted to district employees will not be forwarded to Board members.
11. Interference with the Conduct of Public Business at Board of Education Meetings
    1. Persons attending Board meetings shall not interfere with orderly conduct of the meeting. Prohibited interference includes, without limitation, any activity that impedes, disrupts, or hinders the conduct of any meeting, such as unsolicited comments or remarks, heckling, stamping of feet, whistling, clapping, yells, or exclamations of approbation or disapproval. Board security may remove any person whose conduct interferes with a Board meeting.
12. Executive Session
    1. The Board may recess (not adjourn) to Executive Session, upon formal motion made, seconded, and passed. The motion for the Executive Session shall include a statement of (1) the justification for closing the meeting, (2) the subjects to be discussed during the Executive Session, and (3) the time and place at which the open meeting shall resume. Executive Session shall be closed to the public. No binding action shall be taken during Executive Sessions, and these sessions shall not be used as a subterfuge to defeat the purposes of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Discussion during the closed or Executive Session shall be limited to those subjects stated in the motion, and Executive Sessions shall in all other respects be conducted in conformity with the requirements of the Kansas Open Meetings Act.
    2. No subjects shall be discussed at any closed or Executive Session except as permitted by KOMA. Justifications for an Executive Session include:
       1. Personnel matters for non-elected personnel;
       2. Consultation with an attorney which would be deemed privileged in attorney-client relationship;
       3. Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative or representatives of the body or agency;
       4. Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts, and individual proprietorships;
       5. Matters relating to actions adversely or favorably affecting a person as a student;
       6. Preliminary discussion relating to the acquisition of real property;
       7. Matters relating to the security of the Board, the school(s), school buildings or facilities, or the information system of the school(s).
13. BOE Meeting Minutes and Approval of Minutes
    1. The Clerk of the Board will provide Board members, Superintendent, and designated administration staff a draft of the unapproved minutes within two (2) business days following the meeting for which those minutes pertain. Minutes of a Board meeting will be placed on the Consent agenda for the next consecutive regular or special Board meeting. Unapproved minutes will also be published in the Appendices of the next BOE Agenda.
    2. BOE Minutes become the official record of a Board meeting only after the Board approves those minutes. Board members may vote on the minutes of a meeting they did not attend.
14. Authority of Board Members
    1. Board members have authority only when acting as a Board of Education legally in session. Board action is taken and decisions are made solely by majority vote conducted in conformity with Board policy and the law, and the Board shall not be bound in any way by any statement or action by any individual Board member or employee except pursuant to authority granted by Board action. Board members shall recognize the authority of the Board and abide by Board decisions once made.

The Board attorney has approved this policy in form and content.

Latest Revision Date: February 2025

Previous Revision Date: October 2022

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