roll please. >> Mr. Cohen >> here. >> Mr. Corey >> here. >> Mr. Hayward >> here. >> Miss Parlamus >> here. >> Dr. Poochie Bender >> here. >> Miss Stevenson >> here. >> Mr. Tang >> here. Miss Calves,
>> Dr. Robinson >> here. >> We have a quorum. >> Thank you. >> Uh, Miss Parlament, are you able to lead us through the flag salute? >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Adequate notice of meeting in accordance with open public meetings act PL1 1975 chapter 231 as amended by PL 2025 chapter 72. Adequate notice of this
meeting was provided on March 3rd, 2026 by posting the notice on the Glenrock Public Schools website where legal notices and advertisements are listed. Mr. Tang, are you able to read the mission statement, please? Y the Glenro School District found
funded on principles of education partnership with supportive community provides an exceptional education to all students to cultivate resilient respons responsible and engaged global citizens.
>> Thank you. Um so welcome back um everybody from uh school break. It was wonderful. Um do you have anything for us? I have a very short report for you because we have other people doing presentations and I don't want to take up their time. So um first of all
everybody welcome back. I hope everybody had happy and healthy holidays if they celebrate them and if not just had a nice restful week. Uh we are back in full swing here in the schools. All the sport spring sports are busy. It's hard to find a parking spot in the afternoon now. I don't know how many of you
experienced that today. Um, and uh, you know, I always tell the new teachers once once you get to spring break, which is a good long haul. By the time you blink it, the year's over. So, things are going to come at us fast and furious for the rest of the year. And, um, it's always a good time and busy time. Lots of fun things happening in the school
year for moving on. So, that's really all I'm going to talk about right now and just pass it on to our presentations. And so, the first one, uh, Dr. Daniel is going to present for a couple of our students here. Can you hear me? Okay. Good evening everyone.
A National Merit finalist is a high achieving high school student recognized through the National Merit Scholarship Program, a national academic competition based primarily on top scores of the PSAT. Students first qualify as semi-
finalists, typically among top 1% in their state, and then meet additional academic application, and testing requirements to advance to finalist standing, achieved by only a select group of students nationwide. This accomplishment reflects the
dedication, hard work, and academic excellence, and places two of our students among the top students in the country for this program. Congratulations to John Merchant and Joseph Hugh on being named national merit finalists for the Glenrock School
District. Dr. Robertson, I have the uh esteemed pleasure of introducing a couple of our students uh this evening who um I've had the pleasure of working with over the last couple of months. um put together uh an idea that they had um and bring it
to uh fruition and they're here tonight to present that idea to the board. Um and I know you will find them as uh convincing and uh astute and prepared as I have in every meeting that we've had
together. With that, come on forward and make your pitch. As I like to say, Glenrock meets Shark Tank. >> Um, good evening members of the board of education. My name is Jasnik Cochar,
representing the Glenrock Students for Service Club, a club composed of students whose goal is to better the school and the Glenrock community through outreach programs and volunteering. Along with me are Nikos Mallister and Aaron Arona uh who have also been working alongside myself and Miss Walter to create a better
environment for students and staff in the Glenrock Middle and High School. Tonight we are presenting our proposal for a studentrun vending machine initiative. Our goal is to establish a substant sustainable student operated program that not only funds student activities and programs but also
provides the opportunity for interested students to immerse themselves in authentic hands-on experiences in business operations. financial management and leadership. We are seeking your support and resources to make this vision a reality. The Glenrock Students for Service Club
proposes launching a student operated vending machine through a $7,655 loan provided by the board of education to create a reliable self-sustaining funding stream for student programs. This initiative is designed to generate consistent revenue. First to repay the
loan and then to directly support the clubs, leadership initiatives, and community projects while also providing students with handon hands-on experience in business operations, financial management, and entrepreneurship. Supported by studentled fundraising efforts, including Chick-fil-A
initiative. This proposal reflects strong financial planning and a clear commitment to long-term impact. While Glenrock offers a wide range of student activities and programs, many of these rely on inconsistent and infrequent fundraising efforts, which
makes it difficult to sustain and grow these initiatives over time. At the same time, access to drinks and snacks throughout the school day is very limited outside of lunch periods, which impacts both student convenience and overall experience. Additionally, previous vending machines in the school are currently out of order, creating a
gap that has not yet been addressed. These machines need to be replaced with more modern, reliable alternatives that better meet the needs of today's students and staff. Together, these challenges highlight an opportunity to introduce a solution that address both funding and accessibility in a
sustainable way. We are formally requesting a loan of $7,655. This funding will cover the vending machine itself, initial inventory provided by Pmptonian, and a card reader payment system. The loan will be repaid
from vending machine profits, making it a self-sustaining investment. Additional funding sources have been identified to reduce the loan amount, including ongoing students for service fundraising efforts and profit from our upcoming Chick-fil-A fundraiser. This approach demonstrates our proactive planning and
commitment to minimizing financial risk for this school. The vending machine operations will be managed by a student vending committee composed of students for service members and any interested students. This committee will work under the supervision of our faculty adviser, Miss
Walter, to ensure accountability and proper oversight. Students will track sales, manage inventory, and record profits while presenting monthly reports to the board of education. Pmptonian, our vendor, will handle restocking and provide detailed sales and inventory
reports, allowing students to practice interpreting real world business data. This creates an invaluable learning opportunity in budgeting, financial accountability, supply management, and entrepreneurship. With the help of Mr. Canelis, we have identified the final location for the
vending machine. The sports lobby is the most ideal location due to consistent foot traffic throughout the day, after school activities, athletic practices, community events, and summer programs. This location ensures both visibility and supervision while maximizing sales opportunities. Through this hightraic
area, we aim to create a sustainable revenue stream and integrate the machine into daily student routines. The vending machine will feature a diverse selection of snacks and beverages, balancing popular student favorites with nutritious options. Snack options include granola bars, protein
bars, baked chips, trail mix, crackers, candy, and packaged baked goods. Drinks will remain non-caffeinated, including vitamin drinks, juice, sports drinks, and sparkling water, protein shakes, and water. Pricing will remain studentfriendly, ranging from $2.50 to
$4.50, 50 cents, ensuring there is no competition with other onampus options. Additionally, we will match our prices to Pmptonian's pre-established pricing options in the school cafeteria. By combining healthy and popular choices, we ensure that the the machine meets a
wide range of student preferences while adhering to school nutrition guidelines. based on updated updated projections which are grounded in student-driven data collected through a schoolwide survey from grades 6 through 11 supported by a marketing class competition that helped generate over
200 responses on demand pricing and product preferences. We anticipate selling approximately 150 snacks and 75 drinks per day, resulting in a total of about 225 items sold daily with an average price of $3 per item. This would
generate approximately $650 in daily revenue, which translates to an estimated monthly revenue of $13,000 over the course of a 20-day school school month. After accounting for product costs, which are approximately 50% of revenue, as well as maintenance
and service fees, the estimated monthly profit is $5,000. These projections demonstrate a strong and sustainable financial model that supports that supports both loan repayment and long-term funding for student programs. With an estimated monthly profit of
$5,000, we can have accelerated loan repayment timeline of approximately 5 years. But in order to maintain a responsible approach, we continue to present a more conservative repayment estimate when discussing this proposal. This ensures that even under lower sales conditions, the project remains
financially sustainable and low risk. Additionally, contributions from ongoing fundraising efforts, including the Chick-fil-A fundraiser and our current club balance may further reduce the loan amount and shorten the repayment timeline. Once the loan is all repaid, all profits will be directed towards
supporting student activities, clubs, and leadership initiatives. This initiative offers student practical hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, financial management, marketing, inventory tracking, and leadership. Students will analyze sales da d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d d da and
trends learning to interpret inventory turnover, product performance, and revenue projections. Members of the students for service club and any interested students will participate in reviewing these reports, providing a meaningful educational experience in financial literacy, business analytics,
and project management. The project promotes accountability, leadership skills, and collaborations that will benefit students beyond their time at Glenarch High School. We have carefully identified potential risks and develop mitigation strategies. Low sales can be addressed by adjusting
product offerings based on student demand. Pmptonian's assistance ensures machine maintenance and repairs are handled promptly with the help of our maintenance staff. Inventory will be tracked and reported by students under faculty supervision to prevent errors.
Finally, awareness of the vending machine will be promoted through school announcements, schooly posts, flyers, and recorded morning announcements to ensure all students are informed and engaged. Once the initial loaners are repaid, the vending machine could generate several
thousand dollar annually for student activities. Our long-term vision includes the possibility of expanding to additional machines, introducing healthier options, and funding leadership programs. Beyond financial sustainability, this initiative serves as a platform for future studentled projects, which promotes leadership,
organizational skills, and sustainable program development. The vending machine project represents a first step toward fostering a lasting culture of student innovation and responsibility. The operations plan. So the vending machine will be managed by the student vending committee and with the help of
faculty it will be under constant supervision. And for students responsibilities will be in charge of sales tracking, inventory and profile report. It with our partnership with Pmptonian they'll also be in charge of restocking and reporting. Looking ahead, we plan to expand this
initiative beyond the vending machine by encouraging Glenrock High School students to become leaders. We can share our journey from identifying a need in the school to collaborating with adviserss like Miss Walter to reaching out to Mr. Canelis and ultimately presenting to the board of education. By
walking students through this real process, we hope to inspire others to take initiative and bring forward their own ideas to improve our school community. Additionally, through social media, school communications, and community platforms, Ponian's involvement will gain wider visibility,
showcasing their commitment to student wellness and innovation. This exposure may open doors to future partnerships with other schools and districts, potentially inspiring similar collaborations and expanding business opportunities for Pmptonia. In addition to its financial and
educational benefits, we also want this initiative to contribute to school culture and spirit. We plan to personalize the vending machine with Glenrock themed designs, including a custom full panther machine wrapping that reflects our school identity. Several student artists have already
expressed interest in contributing designs. We are also building partnerships to expand the impact of this initiative. For example, we were working with HOSA to include QR codes on the vending machine that link to health facts and wellness tips, helping promote healthier choices. We are also partnering with
Pmptonian, our food service provider, who will support inventory restocking and provide sales data. Together, this allows the machine to be both a student-driven initiative and a professionally supported operation. To strengthen visibility and accountability for student led projects,
we are introducing the students for service student support service um impact bug. This symbol will appear on all materials connected to students for service, including flyers, presentations, and especially the vending machine branding. Any club, project, or initiative that receives
support from our vending machine profits will include this badge, creating consistent identity. This allows the school community to easily recognize when a project is powered by students and reinforces the impact of students for service club work through Glenrock School District.
In conclusion, the student vending machine initiative provides a sustainable studentled method of funding school programs while creating valuable educational experiences. By approving a $7,655 startup loan, the board of education will allow students to manage a real
business, develop leadership skills, and generate ongoing revenue for student activities. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Mr. Canelis for his continued support and guidance throughout the process. We respectfully request your support for this initiative, which promises to benefit
the Glenrock High School community for years to come. Thank you for all your time. Thank you all for your time and consideration. We are now opening open. Sorry. We are now open to taking any questions you may now have. >> Thank you.
>> Wow. Um so I got this surprise uh presentation today in my email inbox and I I'm really blown away by the presentation that you all have um presented to us today. So I just wanted to say that um you know like congratulations um for taking the leap
and you know sitting in discomfort and leading us through this presentation and and getting your idea across really well. >> Um so phenomenal job. >> Thank you. Um I one of the questions that I have um like so for any of the programs that um any of the student
programs that would be uh requesting um you know funds they would all go through their own individual processes of being like approved and then they would come to you seeking you know like funding and then it would be applied to their program. Is that how I guess?
>> Yes, that's like the similar process. We were planning to open like a Google form or just some like organized source of communication run through um Miss Walter where the club advisors so any teachers who are or even sports adviserss any um
teachers who are interested will fill out that form and then uh the profits will be distributed then. >> Great. Any other board members have questions? >> Go ahead. So, first Chris presentation. Uh, I think a month ago, I was just
asking Mr. Canals, why don't we have a water vending machine outside? So, I guess we're getting an answer. Uh, but, uh, as a Shark Tank fan, I have to ask, how did you get to the $7,655 a number? >> Um, this number is calculated through,
um, both like the starting vending machine cost of how much it actually costs to do as well as Ponttonian fees for the restocking and the supplies. Um, this number also manages like the initial restocking that Pmptonian will give us, all the initial inventory. Um,
it includes any fees that are associated with buying the vending machine as well as the credit card machine that will be installed. With Mr. Canelis's help, we've um established this number through all those uh different calculations. >> Got it. And how many machines? >> Uh, we're just opening one snack. It's a
it's a combo machine, so it has both snack and drink. And then we're also looking to um refurbish the Snapple machine a little bit in the sports lobby. Um so we'll have two vending machines running. The snack uh combo machine, the snack and drink combo machine in the sports lobby and the
Snapple machine over here in the senior lounge. >> Thank you. And also um one of the slides stated um I just want to add on to what I was saying with as we get more profits from um this initiative we can look to expand
to more vending machines even in other schools like Coleman like the elementary schools or even more in this building. >> All right. >> Great presentation. >> Fabulous. I don't know how did you come up with this idea?
Um, I've always been like into vending machines. Like it's something that I've always loved doing actually. Like I tried um doing one when I was a kid, like uh in eighth grade, I wanted to have a vending machine in a laundromat. Um, funny enough, and it's something that I've always been interested in. So,
it really like I noticed how um how difficult it was to buy snacks and drinks outside of the school, uh, outside of lunch. Um, like I play football and basketball and after like right before sports practices, I'm always hungry. I need a drink or something like that and there were not
really reliable options. So, I thought this would be a great idea to take on um and to institute the vending machine so that we can improve the school um and help the students for service club as well. >> I was a business ed teacher, high interest in FBLA and DECA. Anyone
involved? >> I'm in DECA. >> Go for it. Keep going. Nationals is waiting for you. >> Yep. Thank you. >> I also wanted to add on that Miss Walter with her help, she's been trying to like for many many years as students for service um club advisor, she's trying to
make like she made a garden um in the courtyard with the help of the adviser. She's trying to help beautify this school. So, she's been wanting to do murals or vending uh this vending machine project for like maybe one or two years now, and now it's become a
reality. So, thank you. >> Miss Walters then, right? >> Did you say murals? >> Keep that in mind. This board and this community is ready for murals. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Uh thank you. That was a fantastic
presentation. Um as one of the students uh presenting today said to me um Miss Walters has helped immensely and they also said that Mr. Canelis was the goat um and was able to provide anything he anything they needed informationally he
was able to do. So thank you guys for presenting. >> Wonderful. >> Can I ask one question? >> How is how how you charge the students from the vending machine? How do they pay? Um, so we are going to have like we're open to many different um like
payment methods. So you could do cash, you could do credit card, and you could do Apple Pay. So we'll have all of that. >> You require phone to do Apple Pay. >> Yep. And that's that's included in this loan. >> Right. So that's may or may not be right. It depends on if students allowed
to use a phone. I just encourage you to think about that the friction of payment that's going to be important to business. >> Yep. Go ahead. What a great presentation. Very professional. Best one I've seen in a long time. Love all the graphics and what you did with it. My question to you
is, are you guys seniors? >> Um, me and Erin are juniors and Nikos is a sophomore. >> Okay, so we've got you for a while, >> so you get to see this grow and how it works. Fantastic. Well, looking forward to see how it works. >> Thank you. >> Excellent.
>> All right. Um so seeing no other um comments or questions um can I get a straw poll um of yes or no for support? So if you're in favor if you could raise your hand yes. All right. Seeing no um
hands lowered then we will draft a resolution to support. >> Thank you guys. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. All right. Um, so our next presentation is from Miss
Melissa Del Roso and she's going to talk about some board training from the school school boards. So we'll just give um the families just a minute. Just a minute. Hi. Hi, everybody. Oh my gosh, this is not
the time. Okay, my voice is going to go in and out, so I apologize for the up and down and everything else. It's coming and it's going. Um, anyway, thank you for having me tonight. And there's a lot of information on the slides. I will make sure you get a copy of this. So, anything I miss tonight
that I don't get out, you will have in detail. I just put the presentation in your presentation folder in the shared drive. So, >> perfect. Okay. So, that's already done. There you go. All right. So, thank you for having me. Um, we're going to talk tonight about meeting effectiveness and
parliamentary procedure. Um, so if you have any questions, I encourage you to please let's make it a little more interactive. So, as it comes up, don't hold your questions for the end. anything I can answer or throw through try a scenario or something that might
come up that you have a question on, please don't hesitate to ask. Okay? The more you talk, the less I do. Um, so this is the agenda for the evening. We'll be going through um a well planned agenda,
uh, the board member and superintendent responsibilities, 10 recommendations for board meetings. We're going to do a quick overview of parliamentary procedure and my thoughts on that and then we'll wrap it up. But it says questions but please ask them throughout. I also left on uh in front
of you um some I think it's eight uh jump in somebody >> eight traits of an effective board. Yeah, it's a great read. Um and it'll highlight some of the things we talk about tonight. Okay. So well planned agenda. It's
organizes the business of the board. And again, a lot of this stuff is going to sound repetitive or more importantly, you probably know it, but you might get a few pieces out of it that jump out. There will be some things that you do differently because boards do things differently. So, please jump in at any
point about that and I will bring up a few things that I might ask you how you handle. Okay? So, organize the business of the board. It it's just basically the framework for the meeting. Number two, it serves as the basis uh for information needs. So it indicates to
the superintendent the back of material they need basically what they need. It it directs the superintendent, the BA and any other appropriate staff to gather the material. It it it's basically a road map. Okay.
Having clicker issues. There we go. All right. Helps sustain s helps keep surprises out of meeting. I want to really highlight here how important it is that there should be no surprises at the board table. Okay? So that's why you're getting your agenda and all the
backup material in advance. It structures the agenda to reduce the tendency to wander off topic as well. And it minimizes the appearance of last minute items. Not that you can't have walk- on motions or things like that, but you want to keep things as together
as possible and also as an advance. So, as board members, you have as much information as you need to make decisions. It also may appear sometimes when you do this very well to the public that you don't need to have discussion, but a lot of times the
public doesn't get to see all the backup that you have, the backup materials that you've reviewed in advance of the meeting. Okay. Everybody okay with my voice going in and out? Are you getting this? Okay. I I apologize. Um it allows the board
president to main control of the meeting. Um so again it's it gives the agenda the framework of what to follow. It engages the community because many times the community is going to look at
your agenda when you post it to see what you will be um voting on, what action you'll be taking, and they know if they should appear or not appear, and it saves them the trouble of coming out when they know that you have it covered and it's not necessarily a topic that
they're worried about. And noting that you do not have a large large number of people here tonight shows that that is working well. And um it's the way it should be. You should get larger crowds when you're doing awards, when you have student presentations like you had, and
then it should thin out when you're doing the board business unless it's something controversial. So, good job. Um it provides a continuous flow of useful information to everyone at all times. And that means the board members, the administration, the teachers and the
staff, the community, everybody gets to know what's going to come up. It serves as a planning tool. So, it determines follow-up implementation responsibilities for the administration um and a record basically. And I know you have minutes, but it it's always
easy to go back to to see what was covered and when it was covered. So, roles and responsibilities. I'm sure you've heard this a million times, and I'm going to probably say it a million times this evening. Um, simply put, the board is the what, and the
superintendent is the how. how I just did a presentation on a little bit more of this um and there'll be different scenarios and one of the scenario is the architect versus the contractor right the architect comes up with the framework of the plan which is
the board and the superintendent and administration carry out the building of a building right including purchasing the materials hiring the the crew Um, and what happens if something goes
wrong wrong and you can't follow the plan? It goes back to the architect to be re-imagined and worked through with the contractor. So, that's the best explanation of the what and the how.
I won't go into all of this, but it it explains the what and the ha and the how for planning um for for programs, for personnel, for finance, for facilities, and for communications.
Um the basics are planning is basically what you do every time when you're making policies. That's the plan you're following. following um program. Your job is to oversee how
the programming is going and it is the superintendent through the administration and staff to come up with the how of how that's going to work out. Personnel nine times out of 10 you are
going with the recommendation of the superintendent. It is the superintendent working with the personnel on a daily basis. The one big role that you have which you have coming up is you actually do hire the superintendent. That's the one role that you have in
personnel that you are fully responsible for. >> Um over the years uh this particular one has come up with personnel and hiring when it's considered you know it's on our agenda. We are voting sometimes to approve things not sometimes. We're
always voting to approve things. Um, and the idea is like, well, if I'm voting to approve it, then that means I either can um, you know, like change it or like I can if, for instance, if you, let's just say a teacher, an
administrator, whichever, um, if if the superintendent recommends it, it comes before the board and then we vote. we don't necessarily get to choose um you know like say oh there was a wonderful science teacher that I really liked that you know did you interview
them that kind of thing how like how do we help um new board members understand you know like when something comes on the agenda for you to vote and approve based on the superintendent's recommendation what agency do you have in saying yes or no if you're saying no
but the person is you know otherwise qualified you know meeting the require requirements like h how do we navigate that? >> Okay, so board members have the right to vote no. They have the right to um abstain. If you don't feel like you have enough information and you want to
abstain, that's fine. A lot of this is built on your relationship with your superintendent and your admin and administration. Okay? It's really important. What you have to remember is your job is the oversight, the high
level. you have hired a superintendent or you have a superintendent that you should have faith in. And you'll think of this as you go down the road of hiring your superintendent, right? And when you go down that road, you're going to review their background. And if you compare your background to their
background, I bet you're going to find that they are more qualified to pick the teachers and the staff along that way. Okay. That being said, it's not as if you don't have the opportunity to vote or if you have questions, you have the
right to ask the questions. I am going to question you that this is not the right you should use on every single hire. It's not your job. Your job is to have the faith in the administration
that runs a school. The oversight level, I'll give another example, is if you're looking out at the ocean and you're on a cliff. You're looking at what's coming in the horizon. You want to know if there's any issues. You want to know if there's storm clouds coming. You want to know if there's good weather coming. You are not looking at the grains of sand
and you are not looking at the fish that are right below you, right? You're looking from a cliff view. So, these are the kind of things that you need to think about. That being said, you might have some concerns about a specific school or or I I would recommend focusing more on positions when it comes
to personnel from an input perspective than actual candidates. But yeah, if you know something, it might be a private conversation obviously because you're going to be in executive session when it comes to personnel. But if you know something that you feel that they may not be aware of or you saw
something, I hate to say it that you Googled. I don't recommend you doing any of this, but sometimes at the higher level, you'll run into that and you might say, "But I heard there was this issue at the last district." Again, I don't expect it as you go further down, but maybe in the administrative level or
you're concerned that they may not have a background in a specific area that you feel is important or you want to confirm that they do even better. Those are okay. It's not okay if you're doing that for every single hire. When you start doing that for every hire, you are
micromanaging. Does that answer it? >> Yes. Thank you. >> Any questions on that? >> Okay. Um finance, the big one that you're dealing with, which you're dealing with right now, is the budget, right? Again,
you're looking at that. When it comes to the budget, you don't need to go, you have your committee, and your committee is going to do the grunt work as far as getting getting down there into the details. Um, I recommend that you work with your BA and your administration and
you get the answers that you need, but again, don't look for that gotcha. Don't look you have there has to be a balance and a respect unless you don't have that. Unless you have a reason not to have it. Don't go in assuming. I feel right now that there's a climate out
there with boards and and I fully understand why people are worried about the boards that are out there right now having deficits, right? We're tightening everything up thanks to the health costs, health care costs, right? There's a lot of things and I understand it and
board members are nervous because they're going to be sitting here when the deficit thing comes out. It's the board that's sitting here taking all the public hits, right? So, I understand that. But know your district and and watch for the signs. The things that you would ask for in a budget are if student
enrollment is dropping, but we continue to increase staffing. What's happening here? That's the level you're looking at. You don't need to look at, wait a minute, how many second grade teachers do we have? How many third grade teachers do we have? See the difference there? You may need to go that route if
you find discrepancies, but in general that shouldn't be an issue. Questions. Okay. Um, I'm going to go to the next one. Meeting procedures. Most board of educations and I believe you follow as well Robert's
rules of order. It ensures the rights of the majority. It protects the rights of the minority. It defends the rights of individual members. and it saves cards members who are absent from the meeting. Meeting procedures. All board members are encouraged to treat one item at a
time. Extend courtesy and fairness to all. Let the majority rule. Responsible board members support board majority decisions. This is a big deal. Um you always have to remember you are one of a board of nine, right?
You alone make no decisions. it is the board as a whole. It's great when it's unanimous. Oftentimes it's not. Um I have had push back from board members who say, "I'm always in the minority. I'm always in the minority." Or we have a split board. It's always in
the minority. Boards of education should not fall out that way. If you don't have politics running behind the scenes filling your board, as I hope you don't, um it's not it's it there's no parties involved here. And the beauty of how boards of
education work so well, you are individual community members of all different diversities. And when I say all different diversities, I mean on every level, right? You may have students in the school, you may not. You may have had students in the school. There's a bunch of different pieces to this. You may never have students in the
school. All of that's fine. It's that beauty of how that diversity comes together to make the decisions. If you are in the minority, you must support the majority, okay? And accept it and move on. Um, and make sure when
you're out speaking in public about it that you're speaking about the board overall decision, which is the majority, not well, yeah, but I didn't like this or etc. This is why I disagree with it. Once a decision has been made, you should support the board's decision. you
are allowed to vote no and you're allowed to be on record for voting no and that's fine. Um, but the goal here is that you're one body and it's the majority rules. I will caution you that you should listen to all board members, especially if you're having a
conversation that is heated and you're divided. And I encourage the board president to make sure that the quiet person is given a chance to speak. but usually a new board member who doesn't know what they should
do. Um, but always ask for it. If you find board members not speaking because a lot of times their opinion is important, too, and they need to be heard and if they're not willing to speak and vocalize, you should try to get it out of them in some way without embarrassing them. Okay. Um, the
community's perception of the board's effectiveness rests on the way the board meetings were conducted. We'll get to that. So, here's your two pictures. Which reflects your meetings? I'm going to say I have watched a few of your meetings. I'm going with the bottom right. So, that's a good thing. Meeting
roles and responsibilities. So, the superintendent, let me just pull out my highlights here. Um, so the superintendent should be gathering the input from the district administrations as needed to prepare the agenda and get the information. Um, and
usually they meet with the board president, usually the BA. Everybody does it differently. So, it's whatever your board norms are are. I'm also going to mention I don't know if you have board norms, but board norms are the way you process things because
boards do it differently and various things may happen. For example, if you have a question on the agenda, who do you contact? Boards do it differently. If it's a a question, you can go to a committee head. That's usually your first step. Second step would be the president. Third step would be the
superintendent or the BA. Make sure you know your board norms because that example I gave does not apply to everybody. A lot of smaller districts, I come from a district where a superintendent had an open door and we thought that was insane. Um because it
was great. It's great until it's not because sometimes boards like to come and spend their Friday for board members like to come and spend their Friday just to ask a ton of questions, right? um she was amazing and she was able to handle it very well. So I I don't I'm not meaning to critique her, but it's just
make sure your board norms protect your administration as well as your board members, right? Because your there should be norms in how when your board members should get answers and how the answers should come. Um oftent time some some boards will send their questions to
the superintendent and the superintendent will answer those questions at the meeting. Some will answer them before the meeting by sending out an email the reply not to reply all. Right. Do you want to weigh in on how you do it? Do you have a norm?
>> I was going to say we we have a culture but I don't think we have a board norm document and do you have a like a draft or or maybe a process that maybe I can >> I would recommend.
>> Yeah. Um, I can give you any of that information, but it's usually a working session >> when you come up with that because a lot of information comes out of it and it'll give you a bunch of different ways to go. Um, but that's it's also a great team building exercise and getting
everybody's working together. Um, so I would put that on the list of things um that you can do working towards your board certification. Board certification does not have to be me standing up here lecturing. board certification can be working together to facilitate what your
district needs. Okay? It's you learning through the process and it's beneficial for all. I don't want you to just check off the box to get the board certification. Not that I'm saying you're doing that. I don't want you to be bored. I interaction you learn better. I could send you all this stuff
and you can read it, right? So, I like the scenarios and the examples. >> Thank you. um board president gathers input from the board members and reviews the um annual planning can calendar calendar to make sure that the right topics are hitting it. We offer that through school
boards, but I'm sure you have one or you have ours the 12-month calendar so you know what should be uh meeting on the heading up on the agenda. It's also good for the board members have that so they know what's coming. Excuse me.
Okay, board members, they must be aware of the procedure as well because if they want to get something added to your agenda, you have to know how. Sometimes in order to get it added to the agenda, it first has to go through a committee. Sometimes it doesn't need to go through a committee. Sometimes it just needs to be mentioned to the board president um
as an interest or something to get onto the agenda at some point. Again, it's up to your board norms. The important thing is that the board members feel heard as well and that they understand the process to be heard. Okay. The price of greatness is of respon uh
the price of greatness is responsibility which falls on you. Um so board member meeting responsibility studying the agenda referring all questions again depending on what your norms are. You you always start with the committee chair because I know you have committees right go to your committee. Oh,
>> we're we're in the process. >> It just dawned on me. I apologize. Okay. So, as a commit as a committee as a whole, I would go to your president, >> but if when you go into committees, you can go to the committee chair. >> What I will caution you on when you shift from a it goes back and forth, and
I'm just giving you both sides. Um, when you go from a committee of a whole to individual committees, there will be board members who will feel left out. Okay, they will feel like stuff happened and I wasn't there and I didn't get the details and now I have
all these questions. So coming up with those board norms are going to be very important when you go into committees and and making sure that those are um questions being answered and committees is a separate conversation but because you're a board of nine when you make
your committees you can have a rotating seat to allow a committee a random committee member if there's somebody who's showing interest and wants to be involved or be touching on other committees. It's an option. It's also an option that I've watched in other boards. If a board member isn't able to
make a committee meeting, they can offer that seat up. Again, with board norms, you're going to have the norms because you don't want it to turn into their first time. So, they have a thousand questions and you're starting back from scratch because everybody's time is valuable. You are all volunteers. You do not get paid to do this. So, the goal
will be to find the most efficient way to make them work and that everybody feels that they're being heard and included. And that's that's a juggling act. It's a balance and it's legit. I mean, I felt it myself on occasion. I understand it wholeheartedly. >> Okay. >> Question.
>> Yes. >> Um on the committees and having a committee chair and and such and having questions being uh the need for an answer, do you feel or or recommend that technically the only person who really
can give the accurate best answer would be the superintendent or the BA, right? So if we even have committees, would it not be appropriate to have our questions go to the president who then in turn collects all the questions before the next board meeting and then
gets the responses from the superintendent and the BA because having a third person involved as in the uh chair might not know the answer. So it's or might not give the the correct information. I would just to avoid >> well I that I I that's that goes into
training with your committee chairs because your committee chair is going to need to take minutes. They're going to need to be accurate minutes. Your superintendent will be reviewing them um whether they're sitting in in the meeting or they have an administrator in the meeting. So the accuracy should be
there. I understand your concern because there's always I don't care how great we are. There's always an interpretation that an individual makes a question that hasn't been even discussed. Right. >> Right. Or even in the answering to the question >> and that's why I cautioned you before
when I said your message as a board member if you're in the minority might not be the same message that the majority in a final decision was. So you need to be very careful. Um I also am going to mention and again this would
come with training and things you don't think of is the language you're using right to communicate. Communication is a whole thing on its own and it's I have watched very dysfunctional boards um separated and yet I will watch board
members arguing the same point repeatedly. They're all on the same page. three hours later they can't get to a consensus. They're all want the same thing. If you listen, you can hear. So, there's just different pieces to it
and communication's a component of it. I wouldn't say that I would recommend your process, but I wouldn't say I wouldn't. I would recommend that that comes up with the board norms and there's norms for committees. There's norms for how you, you know, but I totally hear you. I totally respect the question. Um, but I
think it's something the board has to feel comfortable because every board is different. you know, and and you're not just doing it for yourselves, but you're doing it for your future board members that come on. So, you need to start that culture
and make sure with your norms that you have some rules and they may change. You may create your norms and they may not work and then you just try it again. Just like goals, everything is fluid. If it's not working, we go back to the drawing board and it might just be a slight tweak or it might be a complete
overhaul. And as I mentioned, I've watched boards go from a committee of a whole to committees and then back. And usually it ends up in a hybrid of some kind depending on what top you know what the the purpose of that um committee is.
Okay. So board members responsibility is studying the agenda. Make sure you're prepared. Excuse me. Referring all questions where they need to be. Um, and it's also important that there's a time frame they're going to get the answers back. And that's why I said sometimes it's
not until the board meeting for everybody so everybody hears it the same time, the same way, and it encourages a discussion um, in that manner. Or maybe not. Maybe it just answers the question. Surprise meetings. You know, again, don't go for the gotchas. Don't go for
the drop the bomb. You know, it's kind of like you learned at home. Keep your dirty laundry. And you know, you you want to be transparent. Please don't confuse that. Full transparency is important, but you have to act professional. And and I don't like to say don't make it personal because
everything I mean you you're spending your time up here. You're here for a personal reason. You have a dedication to the students. You have a dedication to the district. And I respect that wholeheartedly. But you have to take a step back. If you're finding often you're getting offended offended by something and then it just might need to
be we need to check this and we need to figure out why. So those are the things I just caution you on when when you get to this point. Give the responsible party time to prepare an answer. Covered that. Avoid embarrassment.
When the member is not prepared, right, because they don't have the answers or they're not comfortable they're going to get the answers. That's when you start to get some of the back and forth and the and the trust issues. Um, so if you have a norm and you know the superintendent is going to bring the answers to the table and it's not that
he's ignoring you, then you know what the the next step is. Okay. Don't play the audience. This is a big one. Don't play the audience. Um, I'm going to read the whole thing. The school board member does not represent a particular area interest group um and
must work for the welfare of all children in the district base decisions on what is best for the total community rather than a particular area vested interest group or organization. Um it's the majority of the students usually right and I find that if you ask
yourself the question which is what's right for the students it becomes much clearer in which way you're going to vote not saying 100% of the time but I would say at least 90%. And that could be voting about something for teachers because the goal could be if teachers are happy then students will be happy,
right? And I I don't mean just give them the give them the farm. I'm just saying there's there's a balancing act here. But if you go back down to the root cause of why you're here, which is the students, it does sometimes make that maps it out a little bit better to help you get to where you want to be.
Um, the other thing here is a lot of new board members will come on from after campaigning and I've watched this at board meetings. Well, I represent the people that voted for me and I promised them this, this, and this. I don't care what you promised
them when you ran. You only have one vote and whatever you promised, if it's not to the benefit of the entire student body, your promise isn't going to happen and it shouldn't happen. And unfortunately, a lot of candidates that run don't
understand that before they get on the board. But once you get on the board and you've had some new board member training and you've taken your oath and you've read your ethics, you have a new plan in that situation. So, that's something else to be cautious about when
you're having discussion. Okay. Um, thoughtful votes. Feel free to make sure that you're heard, make sure that you're understood. But after one or two tries, getting louder, getting longer, filibustering will not get the
rest of the board on board. It just f infuriates yourself, right? Um, and that would also be playing to the audience. So, you don't want to do that as well. So, keep those things in consideration as you're having your
debates. Stay away from judgment words, right? Um, use facts as much as possible. Stick to the facts and then use your own things. Never call out another board member or dis, you know, personally disagree with a board
member. Conflicts of interest. Um, board members who have a conflict of interest just need to know. They need to recuse themselves and they need to leave the room when it comes to the discussion or stay out of the discussion. Um, chain of command. Board members chain of
command. the board members advise of any issues. Um, you go d you you refer that individual right back into the chain of command. If they have an issue with a teacher, refer them back to the teacher. If they're frustrated and said the teacher's not get they're not get the
next step would be I assume the principal, right? And whatever the chain of command is what you do not want to do and you need to make sure that they are aware of you do not have the authority to do anything in that situation. If a community member or a parent or somebody
comes up to you with an issue, you don't have the authority to solve that problem. Most importantly, if you get involved into that problem and you get into the weeds with the details, you have now compromised yourself and you will be conflicted should such an item
work its way back up to the board for consideration. So, always think about that. And it's it undermines your administration and your staff. If you step in and it's helping the community understand that piece of it, they will
get a better result if they bring it back to the proper place. The other thing I recommend is the next call is to your superintendent to let your superintendent know what you just advised and what you saw. I also recommend not to ask at the next meeting
or a few days later, so what happened with that? We're all curious and we want to know, but what you don't want to do as a board member is you don't want to get involved in it. You want to stay out of it. I also caution you if you have students. Um, I'll just give a scenario.
A lot of time board members have children in the district. The parents kind of hang out together. The kids all play together. you know, it's pizza after a game, sporting event, etc. Some of that stuff will come up sometimes while you're in
that area. I recommend that you excuse yourself should that kind of conversation come up, even if you know the answers. For example, there might you might be sitting there and that the hot topic might be the way some kind of um incident was handled
and you know the information out there is misinformation. You know, they're talking about misinformation. do yourself a favor and try to get yourself out of it because at that point in time, you're not a board member, right? You're a parent. And when you
start to cross those things, it's going to be more complicated for you. And and and I know the board member in you, the instinct is to correct it. But sometimes then you get into a gray area. So that's my I'm not telling you what you can and cannot do. You will do what you
feel in your gut that you need to do. It's just a recommendation to help keep things a little balanced for you as a board member. Questions? Okay. Um, so the chain of command and again letting the superintendent know just let just so that when they get a
call they know and you're covered. That's the point of that. It's not a law. It's a requirement. It's just kind of a respect thing. Um, this is going to go into all the stuff that we pretty much talked about. What the superintendent's responsibilities are at the meeting. we pretty much covered them in the other
slides. Um, the superintendent should not have to repeat everything orally at length that's in their reports. Um, but you should highlight and part of what you need to remember too, even when it comes to discussion, if you have had a
conversation with an agenda item, um, that you've asked a question and you've gotten the answer and you're comfortable, it's okay, excuse me, to ask that question at the table. your superintendent will give the same answer. But sometimes you know that
it's a question that the audience is waiting to hear. And that's okay. It's not grandstanding. It's not making a show. It's just making sure that sometimes you have an audience that are watching and you know everything that's playing out and they're sitting there because it's always their perception as
well, right? And they're wondering, well, how did that just go through without any explanation? So, if you had a question, sometimes that's the way to go. You have to manage your meeting length, right? if it's a really long night might not be the way to do it. So, things to consider.
Um, and the superintendent should have the necessary staff attending to speak on any um presentation or report. That does not mean that the superintendent constantly has to have administration presenting at meetings either. Um, questions that you get, I mean I
this is normal for you. you get questions from the public, the superintendent can follow up at another time or in the meeting if they have an an answer, but obviously once it's closed to public comment, there's no back and forth. Let's see. Okay, 10 recommendations for
board meetings. Faithfully attend all meetings. Recognize that decisions are made by the majority of the board and then supported by all board members. Come to meetings prepared and informed to make decisions on the available facts. Focus on policymaking, planning, and goal setting. Remember, you're all the way up at the top when you're um
overseeing. Delegate authority for policy implementation, administration to the superintendent. If you find yourself that you're asking too many detailed questions um I I have h had board members reach out to me or superintendent that there
could be 30 questions from one board member per meeting. Okay? Now, if you have nine board members, think what that's like. If you're going, you have another issue that needs to be worked out. You may find a lot more at certain
meetings. Like there might be more questions when it's a budget's a good one, right? You might get more questions for budget certain times, but if you're getting that every week, there's a bigger issue there that you need to deal with as a board. And whether it's one board member that needs to be dealt with
or it's a superintendent that needs to be dealt with, that that depends on what's happening. So just things to be aware of and how meetings are playing out can determine that. Um let's see. Okay, we've covered that. Uh follow
parliamentary procedure and communicate appropriately. Encourage open expression of opinions by being courteous and respectful of others. Let people finish their thoughts. Um, and don't mistake the fact the fact that you don't get the board to buy in with the fact that the
board did not hear you. Sometimes the board hears you, but they may not agree. The majority may not agree, and that's okay. Refuse to surrender judgment to individuals or special interest groups. We've talked about that. Respect confidentiality of information. Make all
decisions based on the educational welfare of all students. Again, you're going to hear that over and over and over again. Excuse me. So why use parliamentary procedure? And I feel like there should be something there. There it is. So you don't have a meeting like this.
Um provide structure to the meeting. It keeps order. Everyone has the opportunity to participate in discussion. Observe the rule of majority. Protect the rights of the minority. I'm not going to go through all this because we've covered this what the agenda is. board member
responsibility and parliamentary procedure is based on motions. So the basics now we're getting a little bit into parliamentary procedure which I will say I again have watched your meetings. I think you handle it very well. Um I caution boards who get and
and I have to admit I mentioned this to Dealy when she came to me and she said let's do a parliamentary procedure presentation. Um, I fear when boards get too into the parliamentary procedure, they become weapons. And
what I and and it becomes very overwhelming for new board members that come on, right? Because none of you are on this board because you have a degree in parliamentary procedure. None of you are here because you went to school to be a board member, right? And you
shouldn't be expected to to be at that level. That being said, there are basics. We're going to go through a majority of them and I think you're well aware of them as a board because I've watched it play out. You also need to depend on your board secretary because your board secretary will be very good in helping you align that. Um, if you
have a question and I tell this to all new board members. Um, a lot of boards, by the way, do follow parliamentary procedures on on a basic level, but a lot of board members don't know how to move forward and that will be driven by
direction from the board secretary. If there is something you want to do, but you are not sure how to do it in a parliamentary matter, raise your hand and ask the question. Say, I want to do blah blah blah. How do I do that? because most important is your opinion
and your question or your voice needs to be heard. So that's one of the reasons that I worry about parliamentary procedure. It's obviously very important and I don't mean to discount that, but I don't ever want a board member to feel like they didn't get to say what they wanted to say because they didn't know
how to do it. And as I said, don't confuse that with weaponizing it because I have watched boards that use it. I have watched board members use it so well they I matter of fact it's how I get educated on the process because I have learned a lot from watching some of these boards but then the same board
member will turn around and act like they don't realize that they're not allowed to speak at this point in time. So use Robert's rules as a way to keep your meetings cordial fair okay as opposed to weaponized. That's my
caution every tale. Um so quorum is the number of me members present to hold a legal meeting. It is in your policy what a quorum is. Without a quorum you can still set the meeting time for another meeting. End a meeting already in progress. If somebody leaves and you don't have enough people you can still
do that. Um take a short break or recess and meet as a committee for information and discussion only taking no action. So a committee doesn't need a quorum. Shouldn't have quorum. Um types of motions. There's the main motion which brings ideas before the group. I have a question with the quorum like at the
committee just thinking about it like for us the quorum would be five members. So then if we did like let's say four members for a committee um knowing that it's really three members of the for the committee and then the board president could be there so that would be four.
How do you do that in terms of a vote if you have like two and two? >> Like if you're voting to pass something like let's just say there's a budget. >> You shouldn't be voting in a committee. Why are you voting in a committee? So would you well I guess for both to for
something to pass out of committee into the like >> committees aren't made to to vote. They're made to get a right a discussion dive into details to see if there's an interest enough of an interest to bring it
forward. Okay. So as you said you have five. So if the majority of the committee would like to bring something forward, they should >> or it would be four. >> Well, we said
>> three or or three unless the board president doesn't count. >> The president doesn't count. Okay. All right. So then it's three. Never mind because then because five would be a five would be I'm sorry. We can't have that. >> I'm sorry. I'm not functioning on all cylinders. You're right. Yes. Again, I deal with so many different size boards
and stuff and I should have known that one. Um Yeah. So yeah, >> got it. Yeah. And you know what? If it's controversial, if you don't have enough interest within the committee, it probably isn't worth bringing to the board. But that doesn't mean if you're board members who are not on the committee. See, this is where
that whole committee thing gets a little dicey, right? Because if you have a lot of interest from members who aren't on the committee and you get a strong push as president, you need to have that consideration and conversation. It just might need to come to the board for discussion. doesn't
necess it doesn't have to be anything further than that. But the goal of the committee is to kind of vet out the details and bring forth a little bit more meat and into what has been considered and all of that needs to be
brought forward. The good news, the bad news, it's basically reporting back. Look, we looked into this. We thought we found this information. We recommend that we go forward with this, but this is the other side of it. It shouldn't be we only take out one piece from the
committee. The committee needs to lay it all out. >> Got it. Thank you. >> And again, not always easily done. >> No, >> I I'm I'm not telling you that this is this is there's no this is an art. >> It's not a science. >> A lot of I have a lot of committee
questions because that's part of our agenda today to discuss. So that's >> Thank you. >> Yeah. And again, I recommend that you gather them all together. It's going to be a process for you before you get into it. If you want to run some of them by me and I can give you any kind of
feedback, I'd be happy to. Um, and then if we can come up with some kind of um a document for everybody to answer them or you know, that kind of stuff. If I can't give you the answer personally as a as an FSR, I can get you the answer. I can also speak to other FSRs um and get
other feedback so I can give you a bunch of information when it comes to that. Yes. >> Can you explain um the role of the uh superintendent and possibly the BA for a committee on the committee? Well, they're the expert. >> I'm sorry.
>> They're the expert. Expert, right? And and you need to weigh heavily on that. That's really important. Um and that goes back to what I had told you with that respect. If you find yourself constantly questioning that, you have a
problem that needs to be addressed. And it doesn't matter whether it's the committee or it's a board meeting or something else. And again, if it's just one board member, it's a board member problem. It's two, you know, you have to figure that out. But yes, anybody, the
administration, depending on the committee you're doing, um, your BA, I mean, let's say facilities, right? Um, you have may have maintenance personnel. Those kind of people, they're the experts. That's what they're paid
here to do. You need to trust them. Doesn't mean you can't ask questions, but you need to trust them. Okay. So, back to Is that good? Any other questions? And and just know if you're going into committees, you're going to have
hiccups. You're going to have bumps. Give each other grace. understand that that you know just remember everybody's coming from the same place for the benefit of the students. Um so types of motions are the main one
we just said subsidiary treats or disposes of a main motion or to move business along incidental privileged and bring back. I'm going to go through them all read each one of those. The main motion it introduces a principal subject. There's only one mo main motion
uh may be considered at a time must be disposed of before another can be considered and the way to start a motion is to say I move main motions require a second and they are debatable and amendable and majority vote is required to pass a main motion.
So, here's an example. I move to I move the district implement the standardsbased report cards for the 2526 school year. Board number two, I second the motion. And the board president says the motion has been made, seconded. Is there discussion
>> with that? Um, if you make the motion and then it comes down to voting, can you vote no if you made the motion? >> Sure. Because during discussion you may have come around to another side. >> Okay? Right? Everybody has a vote.
Doesn't matter once it's on the table and you know sometimes that's a good sign. Right? Sometimes it's discussed and it's like oh wait a minute I didn't think of that and that's the end of it. Hopefully it's a majority at that point because if one person flipped and the rest are on the other side I don't know.
Anything's possible. It's an adventure. Yes. So is it it's a motion to discuss, not a motion to approve. Is that >> No. No. Once the motion goes through, then you discuss it and then you take a vote. >> It's what you're doing now.
>> Um debating a motion. President recognizes each speaker and gives all members a chance to speak. Usually everybody gets one shot and then you go around again. Um debate should be confined to the question being considered. That's a big one. Avoid using members names during debate.
Everything should be addressed to the board president. During debate, all remarks should be addressed to the board president, not to other board members. Board civility allows for productive debates. Just check yourself. If you feel like you're getting really fired up about
something, it happens. Just take a breath and take a step back because sometimes that's why your message doesn't get across. Sometimes that's all the other board members see. So, it's really important that you approach it without getting
fired up about something, but sometimes it's something important to us and it happens. We're all human. Um, just make sure you keep it civil. >> So, a good standard for that would be like if if there's discussions then the items come back, you know, like to me
>> and I guess how how do you have like discussion across essentially across the table? >> You're really not supposed to. You're not supposed to. If you are not having an issue with something, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. That's why I always say with
parliamentary procedure. I mean, I was on a board and I I couldn't have told you half this stuff when I was on the board. We never needed it. Um, and it wasn't that we didn't have discussion. And it's not the end of the world if you are a group that can work together. It
becomes a it becomes I mean, there's nine of you. I was on a board of five. It's a little bit different. Again, a larger board, you need a little bit more rules to control things. Um, and if you have the process, but yeah, if there's no issue and you you want to avoid the
back and forth, that's where the issues tend to come up. >> So, those are conversations that you need to have as a board. And if you go forward with that and you stick to that, you stick to it all the time. You have to be really careful as board president that if you're going to make sure that that's being followed that every board
member follows it. Okay. >> Again, none of this is easy. Um it's just when the rules get in, it gets more complicated. And I don't want you to get caught up in the rules to to to stop the business from moving forward
and voices being heard. But sometimes you need to implement the rules in order for that to happen too. >> Um, >> can I ask a question about this? >> Of course. >> I'm struggling on this a little bit. >> Okay. >> If I actually don't understand what you just said,
>> I cannot ask you. I have to address the president. The president, I didn't understand what she said. >> No, what you would do, so you what you would do is you would address the president and say, can you explain whatever it is you need explained? Can I get an explanation
>> of? >> Okay, >> that's to stop the back and forth because if you ask somebody on this side, well, I don't understand what you mean. And then they say, well, what don't you get? And that's what you want to avoid. So, that's the purpose of it. And it's how you pose that question. >> It also removes that personal feeling
and that you don't want everybody should have a chance to speak, but you don't want the back and forth if possible. And it might be two questions before you get to the answer, and that's okay. But it does change the way you're asking the question.
Okay, >> I like that. >> Um, let's see. So, the main motion can be amended by adding a word or a phrase, removing part of the motion but not changing the intent, substitution, removing part of the motion, and inserting a word or a phrase.
Subsidiary motions are not main motions. It affects the disposition of a main motion. There's only one main motion on the floor at a time. So, here's the example. Board member number one, I move that we amend the main motion to read the district will implement the standardsbased report cards for the 2526
school year. Board member two says, I second the motion. Board President, the motion to amend the main motion, this is where it gets really crazy, to read has been made and seconded. Is there any discussion? All in favor, any opposed? Hearing none, the motion carries. If there's a conversation on that,
then there can be a conversation on that. Okay. Um, so now you have not voted on the motion. You have voted to amend that motion and it's good for the president to review what is actually being voted on because this can
get very confusing. Okay. So, the vote taken was only on the amendment. You still need to vote on the main amended motion. Other subsidiary motions is that you can lay it on the table which postpones discussing for a later
time in the current meeting. postpone definitely to delay action on a pending motion until a subsequent meeting and refer to a committee which will happen a lot right if there's a new item on the board I mean on the board agenda and it has to do with facilities
and there's a bunch of questions and nothing's moving anywhere it might be and you have the time and you don't need to vote on it immediately send it back to the committee to vet out those questions and then encourage board members to submit those questions to the committee that's the benefit of a committee
Right. As a committee of a whole, you go around and around and around sometimes on a on something that you may not have all the answers to anyway. Um, incidental motions change the procedure for handling a motion but not the motion itself. It's not debatable. So, um, I think you use all of these
point of order, withdrawal of motion, point of information. Um, board member point of order or point of information. Pres board president, yes, your point. Board member, I want to clarify. We are voting on the amendment only. Board President, that is correct. The vote is for the amendment to the
main motion. The point of this is obviously if you're confused, we don't want you voting on something that you're not aware of, you know, that you're not sure of what you're voting on. Uh there's an example of withdrawing a motion. I will read that. You can read that.
um bring back motions to resume consideration of a motion that was previously laid on the table is to take the table take from the table um is not debatable. Um resend is a motion to repeal a previously adopted motion at different
meeting entirely respect the rights of absent members to address their concerns with previous actions. In other words, don't do it just because you know the board member isn't here, right? That would would not want this to occur. Um, and then a motion to reconsider.
So, not only will you get this presentation, I'm also going to send you, we have a little pamphlet, um, which will be in a PDF format that I will send to you that you can keep. So, if you ever need to go through at the table um, and next time I come in, I'll
try to bring in a little pamphlets on it if we have them printed up because they're good to go to. But again, I always refer to your BA, right? Your board secretary. I'm sure he can walk you through whatever you need to do. Um, at the end of a board meeting, excuse
me, did the board meeting accomplish the board's work? Ask yourself these questions. What did we do at this meeting to advance student achievement? I can tell you I attended a reorganization meeting and
the meeting was four hours. And at the end of four hours, they never even passed the calendar. So just as a heads up, what do we do at this meeting to advance student achievement? Don't get caught up in the minutia, right? That's the key. Make
sure that what you're doing is what is that? You're here for the students. Would anyone watching this meeting be able to tell that student achievement is our top priority? And sometimes there's not. And I'm not going to I I'm not going to use budget is not an budget is
an example of what you're doing for the students, right? So don't get caught up in the fact that you could have a full and those tend to be very long meetings, but make no mistake, everything discussed at that budget meeting is going to affect the students. So I want to make sure my message is clear that it's not always,
you know, the students themselves that you're talking about, but it is the effect on the students. Did the board stay focused on the board's work and not stray into operational issues? Did you go too far into the weeds trying to do the job of the administration? And then ask yourself what went what went well tonight and what if anything could have
been done better. And those are really good questions for you to ask yourself when on your drive home and they should be easily answered. >> Okay. Questions? >> Yes. >> I have a question on resending a motion.
So if we made a motion tonight, we'll go by the the example that >> the example you gave us for the U standardbased report card. Correct. Okay. >> So, if if we made that tonight and we voted on it and it it passed,
>> can somebody come to the next meeting and want to resend that because we have somebody who's not here tonight? >> Like when would that be like a rescending emotion be used? >> It's a great question and I don't really have an answer for you because it's the
different scenarios. I will um ask your board secretary if he wants to weigh in on this. So in this scenario, you're saying the we some in a private like let's say this meeting like we make a motion the motion passes. Um, and then you're saying that at the
next meeting somebody wants But the motion would have already passed, right? But it says here, >> it says it has to be in the same >> It says be at the same meeting, right? >> It says resend is a motion to repeal a previously adopted motion at a different meeting entirely. Respects the rights of
absent members to address their concerns with previous actions. I mean, it kind of seems to me that it could really >> You need a majority to approve that. >> You still need a second. So we pass we pass uh >> we'll do standard based report cards tonight, right? And at our next meeting
uh Mr. Cohen decid makes that motion to resend it because uh Dr. Robinson wasn't at the meeting. You would need a majority vote on that motion to then resend. Okay. >> Then that motion would come back to the floor to be made and discussed and
passed or not. But it would have to be the majority here would have to say okay let's resend this. Okay do that. >> Okay. >> And and just so you know that's why it's saying respect the rights of the absent members. So if you get the opportunity don't throw it on the agenda because now have the votes that's not doing it
appropriately. But you could have something that you've passed and then things have changed and a couple of months down the road you need to resend that motion. Right. And and for some reason that something else has come up. I only I just wanted to clarify because
it could be used in not a good way. >> Exactly. Which is why that's on there and that's why >> Okay. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. >> This type of thing actually has somewhat come up in the past. Um, but one thing that is to note is if the motion was
approved and it's and it's tied to funding, if you bring it up a month, two months, three months down the line and we've already partially like we've already appropriated money towards something or um, you know, like we have contracts and things like that, it gets
much more comp complicated, if not um, impossible from a regulatory standpoint >> um, to resend. Yeah, we I don't think you can you can't resend something that the action's been taken on. >> Yeah. >> You can resend it if the action hasn't been taken on it. >> So to your point, yes, with the finance, if you've already signed contracts, you
can't resend that. >> You wouldn't be able to back that out. >> So the reconsider is a motion is passed at the meeting and then everyone votes on it and then the prevailing person who if if you voted in the prevailing manner, you can then say, you know what,
I'm going to reconsider. When would that happen? >> That one comes in the same meeting, >> right? But when would that happen? Like go through the whole effort of going through it and then you vote and then someone said, "Let's do it again." >> Yeah. Because sometimes the conversation continues,
>> right? And something wasn't somebody changes their mind or they voted and everybody voted and then they've been thinking about it because they heard something else and they go back. So yeah, again it's not a practice you want to do all the time, but the importance of that is sometimes debate will change your
position or you see, wait a minute, I'm the deciding factor and now I'm kind of on the fence. I I think sometimes, you know, like the way that our meeting structure is, for instance, if we had um um a public comment section before we
voted, then we vote and then we had another, you know, comments that you that made you think about something in a different way or you feel like the sentiment of the board may have changed and you want to make a motion. >> I am assuming that that might be how it would come up if that makes sense.
>> Yeah. And again, as long as it's not constantly happening, it's a good thing. This is why I talk about parliamentary procedure. And then it's like it becomes weaponized. And I have watched boards do this and nothing gets done. And if you keep find you have another problem that
has to be worked out. So that's the key. But I will get you those um pamphlets and I'm always going to say, you know, go back to your board secretary for um advice and recommendation. And then if you have a board attorney at the meeting, that's
another option. I've also watched board attorneys manage the entire meeting with people who are very well verssed in parliamentary procedure >> and that's not a good thing because it's a lot of money you're paying them >> to do that unfortunately. So
>> well that's what I have. The funny part is that we asked you to do this um presentation like months and months ago >> and I think you had also weren't able to come um in a previous time because of a snowstorm and things like that. But yet I think a lot of what you mentioned
today um is like food for thought for me and so thank you so much for putting this presentation together. It was really relevant and um hopefully you know there's a takeaway for like all of us from this and we'll continue to have the conversation. Um, I definitely will
be reaching out to you about the norms, board norms. Um, I think as we're doing committees and things like that, I don't it's nothing's going to, you know, like stop our process, but I think that there's definitely ways that we can fine-tune our structure uh for the
longevity of the board for something to live beyond just this board, >> right? And don't don't discount hybrid committees. Some things will be a committee of all. some things will work better in committee. So if things aren't working, don't discount that. You know,
you might start out all as committee into committees and then find issues. Um and again, I recommend communication being such an important factor in committees so that board members don't feel like they're being left out of the decision- making. I I think so far we've spoken about um
like for instance personnel being committee of the whole um and also getting some additional um feedback over years now that was also um shared. So I I I believe that we've been operating as
a hybrid for a while um with a lot of ad hoc committees. So I think going to the committee structure to making permanent committees knowing that also now we're going to pull the committee of the whole as maybe like the other like other process but I think hybrid
>> as you develop your plan and I >> I know you're very organized so create a plan and create a timeline and a way to assess the board's feedback in how it's working and then do it I don't know four months
in, do a quarterly, do a check, see what you need to tweak, give it another four months, see what you need to tweak. Um, so that you because you're starting it out and this way you get it to go the way it needs to go and everybody's heard. Can't That's the biggest thing. It's the biggest issue with boards that
become divided or dysfunctional. They want to be heard and you should be. You're a volunteer. You put the time and you do a lot of work. You do a lot of research. You need to be heard. You just have to figure out how to manage it in the most efficient manner. So that's what I would recommend. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Thank you for having me. I always enjoy the back and forth, so I appreciate it. And thanks for stomping me. >> That's always helpful, too. Always learn from. Have a good evening. >> Thanks. Hopefully your voice returns to you. >> All right. Um,
does does anyone feel the need for like a five minute recess for bathroom or No. Okay. Yeah. All right. So, we'll It's 8:32. Um, I'll take a Do I need to make a motion?
I'm making a motion. I'm making a motion um for a five minute recess. Can I get a second? Angela Puji Bender. All those in favor? >> All right, we are in recess. We'll
return at 8:37. you return to our meeting at E43E seconded by Ed ad preceded um the motion. Uh so favor >> all in favor. >> All right. Um, so we will open our first
set of public comments. Um, please state your name, your address, and you have three minutes. Seeing no members of the public, we are opened at 8:43 and closed at 8:44. Um, all right. So, now on to our um regular cow agenda.
Nothing. Well, can I get a motion to approve resolutions P1 through P5? Dan and then seconded by Ed. Any uh questions or comments regarding
P1 through P5? >> May I speak? >> I just want to recognize Lori Babin is retiring and um I'm not exactly sure how many years she's been in the district, but uh she was probably the second person that I talked to in the district, maybe the first because she called me to schedule my interview. And she's been
nothing but um supportive and and really a great colleague. and I'll be sad to see her go, but I just wanted to mention that. >> Yes, Laura's been great. >> I highly recommend that all board members vote no on P1. Thank you.
>> Noted. Noted. Um I would just like to echo that. >> Not not yours, James, but echo >> Greg's. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for all you everything you've done for the the length of time that you've been here.
>> I'd like to say congratulations to Christine Gunset. Uh my children both had her for elementary school over at Bird and she was fantastic and I wish her a warm retirement. All right, seeing no other
questions, um, we'll get a roll call. Yes, Dan. >> Since we're doing this a little bit, um, just on P5, just want to thank Carl Johnson for his extended service to our community. the assistant track coach is not the most highlighted and coveted role, but he's been a consistent
supporter coaching girls pole before it was even a state recognized program. So that's kind of the backbone of our community, that kind of effort. So thanks. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> And Mr. Canelis
Mr. Cohen. >> Yes. >> Mr. Corey. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hayward. >> Yes. >> Miss Parlanis. >> Yes. >> Dr. Pooie Bender.
>> Yes. >> Miss Stevenson. >> Yes. Is Calves absent? Sorry, >> Dr. Robinson. >> Yes. >> I apologize for the uh delays here. We we have a little bit of a typo
>> going. No problem. >> Motion passes. >> Mr. Canelis, did you miss >> uh Mr. Tang? Yes. >> Sorry, Mr. Tang. >> Excellent. Thank you. All right. So, on to our general portion. Um, so
policy, is there anything else up for policy? I know we're also going to discuss the um committees. Um, but is there anything else that we're supposed to be up for on policy? No. All right. So, on to committees. Um, I
am one I would like for us to just discuss some things here. Um, and then I will put it into um put it into a forum that I can forward on to James to have into like a a full
like reading like a a structure to create a first reading. A first draft and then we'll take a look at that first draft at the next um meeting at the next Yeah. at the next meeting and then um make whatever edits and things like that that we want to see if we want to see
edits and then we can then push it on to um a second read and and approve. Any questions about that process? Okay. All right. Um so to start um are there any I know um Mr.
Cohen had uh put together a lot of those um that draft document. Um I know that we talked about making one edit, but is there anything else that anybody wants to bring up or we can just break down the document?
I'll just open it. All right. So, I know our former policy number for this was Hold on. 0155. We also had this other policy for 91 9130, but that was like really old
that Rona gave us. Um, so the board of education authorizes the creation of committees of board members charged to conduct studies, make recommendations to the board, and act in an advisory capacity. Committees are not authorized to take action on behalf of the board.
confidential matters and superintendent search must remain within executive session boundaries and will not be discussed in the committee. I think that um just and I think we we we should all just like freely you know speak on this um with regards to the that sentence
like the confidential matters and superintendent search that's like the superintendent search is something that we hopefully don't do often but do we think that this needs to go into our policy
>> just to clarify was it's sentences that I took from other uh boards that have um committee structure. So um yeah, it's up to us >> and thank you for the work that you put
into this document. >> Any thoughts or anything about that first paragraph that you want to see different you want to add? Does everyone want me to send out the link again just so it's at the top of your Okay. All right. Let's start there.
Hold on. And then I'll send out All right. So, this I sent two emails. I actually sent the PDF in the first one, but the second one I sent an email like to the collaborators on the document so that you can see it. You can pull it up live.
So, look at the second document. >> Um, Yep. Yep. >> Yeah, it's the same. It's a uh a track document. >> All right. So, we're on that first paragraph.
All right. When everyone has had the opportunity, if you could look up just so that I know, we can move on to the next paragraph. Okay. So, the second paragraph is an ad hoc committee may be created and changed. Oh, let me see. This is charged
changed um at any time by the board um president or a majority of the board members present and voting. The president shall appoint members to any committees so created and charged.
>> The charge is the original. >> Yeah, the charge is the original word. Now I get it. No, I I I get it now. Like now that it I didn't get the charge at the at the beginning. Um it was so created and charged. Members shall serve until the
committee is discharged. Ad hoc committees must include a defined purpose and sunset date and created only by a majority vote of the board. I know traditionally we've had ad hoc comm community like ad hoc committees
have been just determined by the board president. Um but I don't mind this one. I I don't think it really changes any of the way that we functioned in the past. Um because if you are doing if like if the board president is recommending an
ad hoc committee that is not supported by the board, it's not going to be successful. So um seems reasonable to me. >> I agree it's reasonable. Yeah. Um so committees may be added or subtracted
yeartoear by the president. Yes. The president in consultation with the vice president shall appoint members and chairpersons to all committees created and in charge based on the following criteria. Committees shall consist of no more than four board members, one of whom shall be the president who shall serve as exe
official member of all board committees. A member may request or refuse appointment to a committee. A member's refusal to serve on any one committee shall not prejudice his or her appointment to another committee. When possible, no member shall serve on the same committee for more than two
consecutive years. No member shall chair the same committee more than three consecutive years. When possible, board members will serve on the same number of committees. Understood. >> There were some comments made on that
one in the original document. >> Um like three and four seem to contradict one another >> which uh three and four >> right that comment was made. If you're saying that >> no member shall serve on the same committee for more than two consecutive
years and then you're saying they can't serve as >> the chair for the same >> for three consecutive years. I was just curious too like the what the rationale for two for two years. You know I was just wondering if there was value in having somebody serve a little longer for historical purposes.
>> I think that there could be >> yeah I think you could probably strike three. >> Yeah. item three period because if you have someone who knows policy like Rona we always go back to right >> she was good at it for years maybe she shouldn't chair it >> every year forever but um if you have
someone who's an expert on a committee I think that kind of makes sense >> I mean it's good to have a rotation of people serving on different committees I think it just gives you a broader sense of >> what's going on >> doesn't limit you >> right I agree >> I think I think >> but you also don't want the same person
chairing it for 10 years Yes, that's the more important part. And the chair is the key >> and and and in that situation, it would be helpful if you had another member of the committee that has either chaired it in the past or been a long-standing member of the committee and then now is
supporting a new leadership of that committee. Like I think that it it's it's sustainable. You're growing, you know, future leadership and things like that. So I I like that. So okay, we are going to strike three.
>> Sorry. to serve and chair are mutually exclusive, right? >> Um, >> no. It's I think >> I'm just >> I think it's more that saying that we'd have somebody that could chair for three years but no more, but then uh bullet
three says they can't be on the committee for more than two years. So, it's just it kind of they conflict, >> right? That's fine. >> So, by if we just remove three entirely Yeah. >> then we're putting the emphasis Yeah. >> Okay. Remove three entirely. Okay, >> just get rid of it because it's more
important that the chair rotates. >> Correct. >> Okay, understand. >> I'm trying to strike it. >> Yeah, I'm working. >> Okay, so you'll take care of it. Thank you. Um, and the standing committees and the committee assignments shall be published
on the board's website. Updated board committee shall be posted directly on the um district website by January 31st. I like that. Um the board reserves the right to meet and work as a committee of the whole informational discussion and
exploratory sessions. No official action shall be taken at these meetings unless so advertised. Committees of the whole um committee committees of the whole meetings I'll say committee of the whole meetings shall be advertised
and conducted as public meetings and be chaired by the president. Yes, we are doing that right now. >> We're doing Do we need to write that in? >> It was not in the original. >> We did not have that. >> But if >> Oh, I see what you're saying. We've ne
we never had it. So, >> yes. I'm just putting what we're doing right now. >> codifying so to speak. >> But there shouldn't be any voting items, right? Is what this says here. Um it would be our goal not it is always our goal not to have um voting items on our
cow meetings >> right however often exceptions >> there are exceptions like for business that needs to be conducted um and in those situations what we've moved towards is allowing for a public comment section beforehand and then voting and then
>> we're not blocking that in the policy >> no >> no and I think those are going to be more a part of our board norms then um specifically in this document. So but but in case there is voting only four people would that legally
>> for I think we can't um just like what Miss Del Roso said oh for committee of the whole so so so >> so the committee meetings are going to be something um separate the committee of the whole is essentially what you see in front of us now like for instance like personnel
>> we're going to treat it as committee of the whole >> and so for our personnel actions it's going to be the entire board Um, and so then we would be able to vote, >> okay, if we had to. >> Right, that last paragraph just says we're going to be meeting in committees, but we reserve the right to be a
committee at the whole if necessary for something, right? Not that we're going to continue to do that because the committees replace the committee of the whole, >> but we're provides flexibility, >> right? We're we're keeping our rights if we want to. >> All right. Um
uh committee meetings may be called at any time by the committee chairperson or when a meeting is requested by a majority of the members of the committee. Okay. Committee meetings um where it says a chairperson shall be
appointed by the president. Oh, I removed that because it's already >> it's already up above, right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Um, committee meetings shall not be open to the public except that a majority of the committee or the chairperson may open the meeting to the public or invite
persons whose knowledge of expertise may be useful to the committee. Seems reasonable to me. Any questions? No. All right. Agenda items shall be decided upon um by the chairperson in con consultation with the
superintendent. Should a board member, whether a member of the committee or not, wish for a topic to be brought for discussion at a committee meeting, they shall email the chairperson with said request. The item will be put on a future agenda of one of the next two
meetings of the committee. that I'm just thinking about that line. it. There's probably items that the superintendent should be giving to the committee to talk about as opposed to it be voted on or like nothing precludes
saying that they're that but I think the superintendent should have the absolute power to say you need to discuss this uh this topic is important to the district or to the function. I think typically under normal circumstances of of the
calendar year things that happen monthly annually right >> it's typically the superintendent that brings these items >> the dayto-day items >> to the attention of the committee right and then the committee has the conversation the superintendent the BA are the experts in the area and they you
know discuss the pros and the cons and >> I think that that's important to remember that that's really what's driving the committees is sharing the information from central central office to the committee. >> Yeah. >> Again, so so that's that's the idea and
and idea is that the chairman of the committee will speak with a superintendent to decide an agenda and and of course if the superintendent says something that needs to be discussed and I assume the chairman will will add that. I I just used the legal wording that I saw in I saw in multiple other
districts. That's how they wrote it. We can say differently, but that's that's the only logic. >> It's just wording, right? It says decided upon by the chairperson as opposed to decided upon by the superintendent. It should just be in consultation with both.
>> Yeah. >> It says agenda item shall be decided upon by the chairperson in consultation with the superintendent. >> And we can say by the chairperson and the superintendent. Say change it to Well, that that kind that mimics what we
do in the cows already where it's the superintendent is bringing issues and then the board president sets the agenda. So, it kind of >> I I think this accurately reflects what we're doing in a in a smaller setting. I >> mean, I'm reading it out loud, hearing us discuss it. I think I'm happy with
the language. I I hear your point and I think it I think it says that even if we need to read it twice. >> Okay. >> I concede. >> Okay. resend. >> You withdraw your motion. >> I resend my uh
>> I second that. >> Putting it in action. Agreed. Okay. I think um we all agree there and then again these are I hope not this document is going to live beyond us. So, um I hope that
future boards just understand the flexibility that's being provided there. Um the chairperson shall keep reasonably complete minutes of the meeting. The minutes shall be emailed to the entire board within three school days of the meeting or three business days if school
is not in session. Should the chairperson not email the minutes within the time specified, the administration after cons consulting with the president shall email the minutes. Board members shall not reply all to any meeting minutes. >> I have a comment on this one.
>> Uh I think this puts a little bit undue burden on the administration to keep secondary minutes. Uh because if the first set of minutes are not sent out, then you're saying, okay, backup minutes, you know, surface and send them out. So >> I don't think it's very practical.
>> Can I make a suggestion? >> Yeah, make a suggestion. I've seen where it's a shared Google doc between the committee chair and the superintendent and the VA so that everyone's on the same page as what's being shared to the rest of the board so
that there's um you know a consensus between the superintendent VA and and the chair >> and then everyone gets the same information there's nothing going out without you know >> yeah and I assume that there was going to be like a shared drive file for like our committees and all of those things.
So, we'd be able to to to have >> response. >> Is it live meeting minutes? Basically, like as the meeting's happening, you're taking the notes in the >> well between the meeting minutes would be the agenda would be set typically I've seen where the agenda is set by the
superintendent to bring to the committee. Um, but that's under normal monthly issu you know circumstances and then the minutes will get written in within the agenda. But it's between it starts with both the
chair and the superintendent be and the BA and then that would get shared wrapped up and shared for >> for the rest. >> So if we do it that way we don't have to do the email with the do not reply all. We don't have to send it out by email. We can all just have it access. >> I say replace the word email with shared
>> in the >> but it's only view >> right. A view only ask >> shared. >> Yeah. Right. >> Have the questions on that document. The question If I was chairing a a committee, I might not share the minutes until I was finished with them and then
I would add everyone else as a viewer. >> You can add the rest of the board as a viewer. So, how does this affect you? So, how does that sound reasonable? >> Okay. Obviously how we do a lot of
internal agendas the agenda >> but meeting minutes once they're final should be issued that not just shared right they should be there should be some kind of >> formal notice saying the minutes for the ABC meeting on XYZ date
>> are are available. Would that be on the um for instance if when we had our regular you know what would our next what would our regular meeting be just called just would it be regular meeting like so when we have a regular meeting >> you'd only have an action meeting.
>> Yeah. So then we have our action meeting let's say monthly would we be able to formalize the minutes for like issue the minutes for the like what >> the minute should be issued prior to the action meeting
>> or read at the meeting. >> You don't typically approve >> committee meeting minutes. So if if the idea, as I understand it, is that you're going to be discussing items earlier in the month for action later in the month,
then the minutes for those committees should be out to all board members well before the action meetings so that there's time for for folks to have conversation. >> But were you saying that sharing sharing like adding you to this document does
not consist of >> No, I think this should just be a formal recognition that are issued. By way of example, Mr. Canelis doesn't necessarily look into the shared drives every day and you shared stuff that day.
You should point out to Mr. Canelis that there have been minutes issued for that meeting. Got >> it. >> Which is our current practice of the board minutes, right? Colleen will post send you a thing that says the minutes have been shared with you in the folder. So it's it's it's there and you know.
>> Got it. So I guess the the reason why I is when I do when I add collaborators to a document, it triggers an email to be sent where I write, you know, like attached, you know, please see this document, blah blah blah. But when whenever Colleen sends us the or um adds
us to a drive or adds documents, I don't actually get an email trigger from her and based on maybe her settings and then my trigger is that email that she sends out >> because it's shared at the root. >> Yeah. >> She's just adding files to the phone. >> Yeah. she's notifying you that she's doing and I think the reason we want to
do that even still with with committees is that we don't want to share it with whoever's on the board right now because ultimately there'll be somebody else on the board, you know, years from now and they might need access to those minutes. So, we're going to want them in the
actual drive that people can access in the future. >> And some of us have rules that say if it comes from Google, put it into the Google folder and we pay attention to it later. Um, and so actual email that says it's been issued is probably the better
way to do it. >> No problem. >> It also locks the the file. It says like, you know, this is the final version. No, it is after that. So, I think that's >> Can I clarify something though? My my intent >> the the meeting minutes are from the conversations that were had. It was it's
collected during that from that meeting and then it's shared publicly um of of what was discussed during that committee meeting. >> The actionable items are also part of
the agenda that gets discussed with the board president and the superintendent and the BA before the next meeting. Right? And then the whole board gets those tentative question or opportunity to look at the agenda prior to the night
of. Right. So really the committee meeting is really more of a discussion of what's coming up, what's happening, >> a deep dive, >> I'm sorry, >> a deep dive. >> Yeah. you know, thinking off the top of your head conversation and then shared
with the rest of the board and also then reported, you know, like if you had a committee meeting on curriculum and instruction, we were talking about what what was uh what was going to be looked into for the following school year. We know that there are five programs that are being
investigated and and the internal committee this the I don't know the lead principal will with the department head with five teachers will will you know search and get back to the superintendent on their findings. you
know, things like like easier not not really resolutions, >> but discussions of what's going on in the district um and for the future. >> Yes. >> I'm having a hard time expressing that. >> No, >> I I think I think and I know exactly
what you mean. >> You know what I mean? >> Yes. Um, some boards have a a a a special section of the agenda where they have the readout of committee reports, >> right? >> And you can absolutely have that. Other
districts just combine that into the actual voting area. So, you would say uh business and and finance and the finance chair would would then make a give his report and then they would go into their motions. Is there
>> So you could do it two different ways but to the same effect. >> So then maybe as per our regulations for this policy then we would figure out how we wanted to do ours. Okay. All right.
Is there anything that is left out of this draft >> question for me? Mhm. >> The time and location is decided by the committee, right? >> Committee and chairperson. >> Okay.
>> Yep. And >> and administration. >> Yeah. >> And some months you don't need that meeting, but it's not like you have to have the meeting every month if there's nothing to really >> Yeah. >> Yes.
Absolutely. No, I just want to thank Boaz for putting this together. It's your specialty these days. The new Rona maybe. >> Yeah. >> All right. All right. >> Dr. Robinson, the only thing other thing I would add and I haven't looked at the document that you're all looking at is
that that there be language in there that that doesn't preclude there being a resolution item that was not in committee. So by way of example, >> I get something an out of district tuition, right?
Something completely innocuous and I get the contract on Wednesday, but the committee meeting was on Tuesday and we got a vote on it on the following, you know, t Monday. >> We we still want to be able to have that fluidity. Um, and the board always has
the right to send the motion back to committee. If there was some contentious item that somehow was trying to be uh nefariously slipped onto an agenda, you could always push it back to committee. >> But to your point, that's why you have
the meeting with the uh superintendent BA and president just before, >> right? But it still stuff could come up that >> always do. >> I think that should go into the voting policy not in the com because this this just defines the structure of
committees. But what you I think we should just make sure that Yeah. >> Fine. I can understand. >> Yeah. So we should check that policy. >> Yeah. Do we do you have that? Um >> okay.
All right. So, we'll make sure that that is included. If it's not included in another policy, um then I'll ask you if you're able to help me craft a sentence that um covers that um or between the two policies, we'll just make sure that that's covered.
All right. Um so, I will submit um this draft to Mr. Canales and um we can do a first read. Great job everyone. Thank you. Let me pull up the next thing. Okay, so the
NJSBA resolution I was just going to give an update. Um so last month I spoke with um one of the lawyers from NJSBA just to get they had some questions about um the resolution um just to kind of get a better sense of
what it is that our ultimate goal. And two things came out of it. Like one um the uh the attorney that I was speaking with did like um our resolution thought that it's in the spirit of things that they um are focused on with the NJSBA um
with regards to cooperative purchasing and seeing that um they understand that it's for certain instructional materials and things like that. So yay. Great. The other part was that um they did acknowledge that there are certain things that are already on cooperative
purchasing um agreements. Um so we'll see we'll see there's a meeting coming up um I think it's like next week. >> Yeah, the 14th. Um so there's a meeting coming up on the 14th and that's when
they're going to um it's a resolutions committee meeting for the state for NJSBA and they are going to discuss our resolution as well as like I think five four four or five other resolutions um and uh vote to approve it so that it's
included in the delegate assembly or um uh reject it um and and then they'll give us an answer um either myself and or Mr. con will um be there. Um it's a virtual meeting, so that's great.
I'll report back. >> I know I am I'm the rep. I just want everybody to know I had a um a training I have to conduct that night that I scheduled in January. So, and I can't change it. So, that's why I can't attend that meeting. >> Awesome. Thank you.
Um the next item is a board retreat. Uh so I was I was trying to figure out after our last meeting well no after the last three years um I've been wanting to do um a board retreat to kind of get us
onto um just like get a company or get a organization or a person or a consultant or whatever to help us create a process with regards to um uh one resolving some of uh any internal confict that we have
on the board as well as moving towards a process of um like better understanding some of what um Miss Del Roso actually went over today and just kind of like defining it better, creating, you know, like going through maybe creating a a
more defined uh board manual. Um probably the board norms is something that I think um now I can put a a word to what it was that I was trying to create. Um, and there are companies out there that do uh different kinds of um I
don't want like leadership styles testing and things like that that you're able to work with each other, get to know each other a little better professionally so that our uh conversations are much more effective and things like that. So I did reach out to nationally recognized company um
cornfairy actually and their price is 75 to $100,000. So, um um so >> Can you repeat that price, please?
>> $100,000. So, um and that's just like a ballpark figure based on what I um spoke with and I so I already know and they already know where we likely stand on that, which is why they said they tend to not um get a chance to work in the
public sector as often because of that. Um, and their product is amazing though. I had the opportunity to work with them um when I was at uh New York Presbyterian and it it really is effective. So, if there's some other uh
consultant or something like that that works in the uh public sector, she they did give me the name um of an organization and I've already spoken with u Miss Hawa. um she is going to make a recommendation um as well and actually I spoke with M
Miss Del Roso today and we can probably piece meal a variety of things that are within um school boards uh and and do this process over over time and get credit for it as well while we're doing it. Um so stay tuned.
There will be more um like trainings and more ways for us to interact um uh on on mission. All right. Any questions or comments or suggestions about it? And it won't be 75 to $100,000. All right. All right.
>> They still um impeer nothing. U management community nothing um can I get a motion to approve G1 and G2 we have Miss Parlamus seconded by Mr.
Hayward um any questions or comments for G1 and G2 seeing none if we could have roll call please >> Mr. Tang >> Mr. Kang. >> Yes,
>> Mr. Cohen. >> Yes, >> Mr. Corey. >> Yes, >> Mr. Hayward. >> Yes, >> Miss Parlamus. >> Yes, >> Dr. Pooie Bender. >> Yes, >> Miss Stevenson. >> Yes, >> Miss Calves. Dr. Robinson, >> yes.
>> Motion passes. >> Great. On to business items. Mr. Canel. >> Okay, thank you. Um, so the first item uh that we want to talk about is just a a development that um there is a a law
S3041 that was passed on December 23rd um that limits our ability to use purchasing cooperative purchasing agreements for time and materials bids. So what are time and material bids? Time of material bids are uh I need a plumber and he's
going to charge me x rate and he's going to for hours and he's going to charge me cost or list plus some markup. And it's primarily the way we get most things done in the buildings and grounds department. I need an electrician. I
need somebody to do uh concrete work. I need somebody to come and fix an HVAC unit. Um the law prohibits school districts from using time and material bids on such uh work moving forward. Uh
public works is what it actually says. And then public works are any contract that is for construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration, custom fabrication, repair work or maintenance work. So basically anything that we do that's more than $2,000.
Um the law was passed. It became effective on March 23. Um, and so it's the law of the land right now. However, regulation has not been set by the Division of Local Government Services. So, the
reason why I have this on our agenda is that on our next agenda, I'm going to ask uh that you consider a resolution um that speaks out about how this S3041 is going to hinder school districts uh from
efficiently and effectively administering certain contracts. So, the end result of this is that I will have to go out or we will have to go out and bid every trade. So, I'm going to have to bid an electrician. I'm going have to bid a plumber. I'm going have to bid concrete. I'm going to bid painting and
what have you. As opposed to just relying on the co-ops who are who essentially are doing the same thing that I am. They're putting out a bid. They're getting a a quote on labor and a quote on materials. So, that's why I I'm bringing this up.
If you read the resolution, it calls out two things in particular. uh one that is uh the prohibition blanket prohibition of co-ops on time of material bids and then the second is a little bit more nuanced. Um the law does allows for
these things called indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contracts. Um and and what they're going to be is something very similar to a time of material bids. Um, but the regulation went a bit, the current proposed
regulation went a bit further than that and said those are capped at $150,000. Well, $150,000 within the co-op. We're all uh approving against the same purchase contract. It'll be gone instantaneously. So, it
doesn't really make much sense. And even if you apply it to the school, for certain things and for certain schools, you you may individually go over the $150,000 uh limit. So the resolution that'll be uh that that that you have right now, it
just uh expresses concern about the law and the uh proposed regulations that are going to be out there uh for us to have to live by. Uh so our our action item is in the next month or so you're going to
see a lot of bids that we're putting out for almost all of the trades. Uh and then we'll get into a cycle and hopefully we'll get some relief and then could go back to using the co-ops at some point. >> So is in other words is that like um
looking for plumbing, looking for electric and then having an open PO for >> We wouldn't have an open PO. We would have an open contract where they would agree to do work at a particular price and uh markup on cost or list for materials
>> but it's not the open PO. >> It's not an open PO. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> Not that everything the politicians do is logical but what was the logic behind the the law? And then the second question is what are other districts saying like what what are their plan?
So, uh the law was um passed through due to heavy um influence by uh >> the interests that support a prevailing wage. Um, and so it appears that some of
the purchasing co-ops maybe um were not doing a great job at submitting uh their certified payroll which is required for all C uh public works projects. Um and I think it was an also an attempt to
provide more opportunities for companies to get involved. So, for instance, if you got the HVAC contract in, say, Bergen Bids, right? You're going to get almost all of the business in Bergen County and everybody else is not going
to get any because it's just so much easier for us to use them because it's already been bid. Um, so that's kind of uh the idea there. And your second question, >> what our districts are doing is >> so the the the the everybody's essentially doing what we're doing um
and that is doing their own time of material bids. Some larger uh districts have always done their own time of material bids. Uh the risk and why I particularly don't like the idea is that then I am sworn to low bid whereas here
I could shop co-ops and find well ABC contractor is a really good contract. fact that he knows our systems etc. I want to use that one. When I go to this the bidding I will have to go to the lowest bidder. So that kind of hits items uh my
discussion item as well as the first uh actually the second item uh under new business for our next meeting natural gas reserve auction. Um if you remember I think it was about nine months ago I came to you with a electrical uh auction
for our kilowatt hours. Um this is the same thing now for natural gas. Um we keep them in alternating years uh so that you know we're not doing both at the same time. Um I was concerned that the market wasn't ripe uh given current
world uh uh events. Um, apparently the natural gas market has not been impacted according to our consultants. So I was pleasantly surprised about that. And also we are going to be forced to do it because I think our our current contract runs out on June 30th. So whether it's a
good time or a bad time, it is the time. Uh, so we will again do that same reverse auctioning through uh, Mantis. So they will go out and they will uh, solicit bids. They will take the average of those bids. That will be our trigger price that we collectively will approve
on the April 20th meeting. And then on the 21st, we will have the reverse auction and we'll have uh the ability then to accept any offer uh that is lower than the trigger or we could accept the trigger. Um but the trigger is an average so you really can't accept that. So we would have to go to
something that was closest to or we could just say hey we don't really like the outcome of this auction. Let's do it all over again which we can absolutely do. Uh so there's no cost to the district uh every time we go about doing this process. Uh and we should be um in
good shape once we get that in. And we'll probably do I think it's a 24-month contract on that. Uh and just to give you some uh um perspective, our current price is $7.30
per centum cubic feet. and that's CCF. I did not know what you measure natural gas in, but apparently you do them in CCFs. And then lastly on our agenda for next time, we will have uh the extensions for
both of our ESS agreements. Um and that is our powers and our substitutes. So if you remember last year, we did a five-year uh contract with ESS for both PARS and subs. And so now what we need to uh uh amend is the not the uh fee
that ESS is earning but the underlying payout rate. So what the actual substitute or the actual parro will make. Uh the budget that we talked about at our last meeting assumed a 2% raise for both substitutes and um paris uh and
that is what we will bring forward to the board at our next meeting for approval. And if you were curious, uh, the percentages that ESS make that were flat across the five years is 30.9% on Paris and 26.89%
on subs. That is all I have unless people have questions. >> Actually, James, one more thing. >> ESS. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Uh, no, ESS. um with the when's the last time we had
um a look at our rates compare like our comparative rates >> for what >> for the subs um for ESS >> we went out last year >> last year >> last year we did uh a um competitive contracting is what we went out with after getting approval to do use that
method of procurement um and ESS was the uh lowest priced as well as uh it excelled in all of the other criteria that we had set up as part of our rubric. >> I remember that it was like December. Okay. All right. >> James, could you say a few words about
the spring custodial inspection? >> Oh, I could. Um so, as part of our agreement uh with Aramar, which is our third party custodial vendor, um we have a third company that's really a a
contract administrator. The name of the company is Advocate. And what they do for us is they work on the proposal, but they also work on the payroll every every week. They work on um any special projects that may come up, but they also
do two inspections every year. And when they do those inspections, we set up common goals. Now, I will preface this by saying what I'm about to say doesn't mean we have no issues in our buildings as it relates to cleanliness and what have you. But what I can report for the very first time since I've been in the
district, we have been able to score a 90% or better in each of our buildings. That has been a goal that we set when I first got here. We were not there and we would have been able to get there in this last inspection that occurred on Thursday. And I I attribute that to uh
the team that Aramark has put in place here with Doug Guerrera, who's our um uh our our our building manager, as well as Stephen uh can't remember Stephen's last name, who's our district manager, as
well as Paul Courtz, our director of uh buildings and grounds, and each and every one of our custodians who painstakingly clean these buildings every night. So, we're on a good trajectory. We're very happy about this. Um, we're not going to rest on our
laurels. There's always things that could be better. Um, one of the things that we are now can focus on, um, is bathrooms. Um, and in particular, grout in the bathrooms. Um, unfortunately, several years ago, um, our bathroom
grout was, uh, sealed, but when they sealed it, they sealed it dirty. So, you can't get it clean that easily. So, we're going to go through a process of either trying really hard with some
solution that we think we might be able to get our hands on that's usable in a school to clean and then reseal clean grout or we're going to have to regrout some of those bathroom floors, regrout and then seal. But the moral of the story is we will seal clean grout in the
future. Um, and so it it while our bathroom grout looks dirty, it's actually clean. Um, but appearances are everything. Uh, so we're going to work on getting that uh
resolved um over the next uh I I said year. Um, Edro Kate said uh you'd lucky if we can get done in three, but we'll see. >> All right. And >> you probably don't want me to go back to the natural gas, but uh just the
question on that. So you you described is that we're looking for a 24-month contract and we're coming off our current contract at the end at the end of June right now. >> I believe so. Yes. >> We're allowed to do this because we're allowed to do this. If we if the if it doesn't work out and the pricing goes
crazy as a school district, are we we're not are we obligated to to enter into this kind of uh program or >> we would have to procure uh the natural gas through some acceptable procurement method uh which would either be bidding
it which is essentially what we're doing on our own or joining into one of the state cooperatives like ASUS that NJSBA offers. So it's not as simple as we just pay PS and G, right? That's I appreciate you. Yeah, I'm asking some silly questions, but it's really it's like
we're we have to do this and that we have to do it responsibly is what you're saying. >> Correct. With it. >> Correct. And the nicest thing about this um it gets our usage off of the PSEG bill because I don't know about you, but I can't understand the PSEG bill. Uh and
I can't reconcile them. So the minute I get usage off of a PSEG bill, that's power to us because now we can absolutely analyze our usage and we're not sitting here applying credits all over the place that you know they do for
apparently no reason other than to drive BAS across the state crazy. >> I will recuse myself from explaining that. >> Thank you. >> Maybe later. >> Maybe later. But yeah, thank you for that. Any other questions?
>> Um any uh leazison business? Okay. >> All right. So, we are >> we got operations. Sorry, >> I missed it. Operations our building update. So, PSA uh is just about done with all of their building reviews. I
think they're coming out in a week or so to do the last uh roofs and exterior spaces that were not uh accessible during the last visit because they were covered with snow. Um and so once we get that, I think we have like a 45day turn
on an actual report. So hopefully before the end of this school year, we'll have something to look at and set priorities for. >> I look forward to that process. Thank you. Um, all right. So, we're on to our
public comments. Uh, two of two. Seeing no members of the public here, um, we'll open at 9:36 and we will close at 9:36. All right. Um, so I need a motion to go into a
second close session to discuss personnel and staffing matters and contract negotiations. No action will be taken after the close session and then we will just adjourn our meeting. I have Christine seconded by Miss
Stevenson. All right. All in favor? >> Any opposed? All right. Thank you. We are in close.