Generally
All Board meetings must be open to the public and held in a place available to the public. All persons are permitted to attend any public meeting except as otherwise provided by law. The right to attend Board meetings includes the right to record and share the proceedings. The Board may establish reasonable rules and regulations in order to minimize the possibility of disrupting the meeting.
Agenda
Prior to a Board meeting, the Superintendent will distribute to each Board member the appropriate materials concerning items on the agenda.
Board meeting agendas are prepared by the Board President, the Superintendent, and the Assistant to the Board. The Board President and Superintendent determine agenda content and the Assistant to the Board prepares the actual agenda and accompanying support materials. Board members may present agenda items to the Board President for consideration upon agreement of at least four Board members that such items should be placed on the agenda.
Legally mandated Board content includes:
- Review/adoption/recommendation of policies/bylaws;
- Personnel transactions;
- Budget;
- Financial reports;
- Expenditure requests exceeding the annually competitive bidding threshold identified by the Revised School Code;
- Collective bargaining agreements;
- Bond/millage requests;
- Legal action;
- Real estate transactions; and
- Public comment periods.
Agenda content that falls within the purview of the Board includes:
- Superintendent's report;
- Secretary's report;
- Student remiss;
- Committee reports;
- Staff/employee recognition;
- Strategic planning updates;
- Bond issue updates;
- Actions upon committee recommendations; and
- Any other content not listed above.
Consent Agenda
The President may place routine matters in a single consent agenda item to be voted on by the Board. Any Board member may request that a consent item be removed and considered separately at any time prior to final vote on the Consent Agenda. The Consent Agenda grouping will include:
- Board meeting minutes;
- Board committee reports and action items;
- Personnel transactions;
- Business items (e.g., purchases, financial reports, etc.); and
- Motions and resolutions.
Notices to the Public
Notices and agendas of meetings are posted prior to meeting on the District's website and at its administrative building. The public has a right to request copies of any Board documents that are created, issued, or disseminated on a regular basis, such as: notices of scheduled Board meetings, Board Committee meetings (if such meetings are posted by Board policy) agendas, minutes, and newsletters. Requests for public documents must be submitted to the District's FOIA Coordinator and will be provided pursuant to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.
Rules of Order
Board meetings will be governed by the following rules of procedure:
Presiding Officer
- The President (or Vice-President in the absence of the President) shall preside at all meetings. In the absence of both the President and VicePresident, the members present shall elect a President pro tempore who will serve as the presiding officer for only that meeting or for a part of the meeting in which the President and Vice President are absent.
- The Presiding Officer will either introduce and present each agenda item for discussion or will introduce and then designate the Superintendent or other staff member to present the agenda item. Following its presentation, an agenda item may be opened for discussion by the Presiding Officer. Except where permission is otherwise granted by the Presiding Officer, discussion of opened agenda items will be limited to Board members.
- The Presiding Officer is responsible for enforcing these rules of procedure and conducting meetings in a manner which preserves order and decorum. Board members and others in attendance at a meeting will comply with the direction of the Presiding Officer.
Quorum
- A majority of the members elected to and serving on the Board will constitute a quorum. To the extent permitted by law, members may participate in meetings via remote means such as telephone conference calls, computer web cam, or a teleconference arrangement. Members participating remotely will be counted as "present" for purposes of establishing a quorum.
Motions and Resolutions
- The Board will take all formal actions by verbal motion unless a formal resolution is required by law or otherwise desired. Generally, resolutions are reserved for more important or complex questions, or when greater formality is desired. All resolutions will be reduced to writing prior to adoption by the Board.
- Any Board member who wishes to make a motion, second a motion, or discuss pending business ·will first secure recognition of the Presiding Officer. Except where permission is otherwise granted by the Presiding Officer, discussion of a motion before the Board or other pending business is limited to Board members.
- A motion must be before the Board in order to vote on an agenda item that has been presented by the Presiding Officer for consideration. Discussion of an agenda item may be held prior to a motion to vote. No motion will be adopted by the Board until stated by the Presiding Officer. Any motion may be withdrawn by the sponsor at any time before decision or amendment by the Board.
- Motions will be required in order to:
- Take action.
- Call the question (end debate on a pending question and bring the issue to vote immediately).
- Amend or modify a motion made to take action, but such amending motion will be disposed of before any other motion to amend or modify the original motion will be permitted. Once approved by the Board, a motion to amend or modify a motion may be combined with the original motion.
- Lay on the table for subsequent consideration at the same meeting.
- Postpone action to a specific time, date, and place or until occurrence of a condition or event.
- Refer or re-refer a matter to a Board committee.
- Postpone indefinitely. A motion to postpone indefinitely the further consideration of any motion, resolution, or other matter will require the affirmative vote of the Board and the vote upon such a motion may not be reconsidered.
- Reconsider a vote (including a vote resulting in a tie) or other action that has been taken by the Board, but only if no action has been taken in reliance upon such vote or action. Any Board member may move for reconsideration of a vote or action at the same meeting the vote or action was made or at the next regular meeting of the Board, but at no other subsequent meeting. No vote or other action may be reconsidered more than once. A motion to reconsider requires the affirmative vote of the Board. When a motion to reconsider fails, it cannot be renewed. This does not preclude the Board from again dealing with an issue, policy, decision, or other action based upon significant new information unavailable to the Board when the decision or other action was initially taken.
- Enter into closed session consistent with the Open Meetings Act, MCL 15.261, et seq.
- Call a recess at the discretion of the Presiding Officer.
- Adjourn. A motion to adjourn will always be in order and shall be decided without debate.
- With the exception of a motion to adjourn, a motion to lay on the table for subsequent consideration, a motion to postpone action to a specific time, date, and place, or until occurrence of a condition or event, each of the motions listed above may be subjected to discussion or debate by the Board.
Rules of Procedure
- In no event will the Board adopt or otherwise use Robeli's Rules of Order or any other standard code of parliamentary procedure.
Voting Method
The Board takes action by way of motions. No motion may be acted upon until it has been duly supported or seconded by a Board member.
The vote on all motions will be by "yes" and "no" and will be taken by a show of hands, voice vote, or a roll call vote as directed by the Presiding Officer, provided that the vote of each member is recorded. If a member is participating remotely, all votes will be taken by voice. There will be no "secret" ballots. No motion will be valid unless approved at a meeting of the Board and a proper record is made of the vote.
In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, each Board member's vote must be made in a public session in order to be counted. No votes of any kind will be allowed outside of public sessions or in closed sessions of the Board. Following each vote, the Presiding Officer will announce whether the motion passed or failed. Following a vote, each Board member may explain their vote for the record.
In situations in which a specified number of affirmative votes is required by law or these Bylaws, and abstentions have been noted, the motion shall fail if the specified number of affirmative votes have not been cast. In situations in which there is a tie vote and the abstention represents the deciding vote, the motion shall fail for lack of a majority.
Voting and Calling of Roll
Voting
- No action shall be valid unless voted at an official meeting of the Board of Education and a proper record be made of the vote.
- Board members must vote on all issues unless required to abstain by law or Board policies1900- Contracts and Board Member Disclosure Obligations and 1950- Board Member Conflict oflnterest, Ethics, and Responsibilities.
- In the rare event that a Board member believes they have the right or obligation to abstain from voting, the Board member will consult with the President and legal counsel, if necessary. The Board member may explain the reason for the abstention and the reason must be affirmed by the President.
- The Secretary of the Board or Assistant to the Board will call the roll on every action of the Board involving the incurrence of financial liabilities or the expenditure of money.
Calling the Roll
The Secretary of the Board or the Assistant to the Board will call roll by members' last names only, as follows:
- In all cases involving the calling of the roll, the Board President shall be called last.
- At the annual organizational meeting, the roll will be called in alphabetical order.
- At the first meeting following the annual organizational meeting, the calling of the roll shall begin with the second Board member on the alphabetical listing. Other Board members will vote according to the regular sequence on the alphabetical listing, except that the Board member who voted first at the last official meeting will vote immediately prior to the Board President at the next official meeting.
- In further official Board meetings, the calling of the roll will be similarly patterned beginning with each succeeding member in alphabetical order. In cases of official vacancies, appointments, or the election of candidates to the Board of Education, the calling of the roll will be adjusted accordingly.
- Any Board member may request that their vote be changed so long as the request is made prior to the next order of business.
- After the first vote is given, no Board member is entitled to speak on the question, nor may any motion be in order until such roll call is completed and the result declared.
Reconsideration
When a vote (including a vote resulting in a tie) or other action has been taken by the Board, provided no action has been taken in reliance upon such vote or action, such vote or other action may be reconsidered in accordance with the reconsideration process set forth in this policy.