BOARD MEETINGS

All meetings of the Board shall be public meetings and shall be open to the public at all times with the exception of closed sessions as described under Iowa law.

Advance public notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and the tentative agenda shall be provided. When it is necessary to hold an emergency meeting without notice, the nature of the emergency shall be stated in the minutes.

Open Meetings

A gathering of a majority of board members in which deliberation of an issue within the jurisdiction of the Board takes place is a board meeting.  A gathering for the purpose of social or ministerial action shall not constitute a board meeting unless a discussion of policy takes place.  Meetings of the Board shall be conducted in an open meeting unless a closed session is authorized by law or the meeting is exempt from the open meetings law.

Regular Meetings

The regular meeting time and date shall be set by the Board at its organizational meeting. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.

Meetings will be held in the meeting place officially designated by the Board of Directors, which will be accessible to the public.

When a regular meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting will be held on the following day.

Annual Meetings

At a regular or special meeting held after August 31, but before the organizational meeting, the Board shall examine the financial books and settle the Board Secretary-Treasurer’s statements for the fiscal year ending the preceding June 30 and transact such other business as may properly come before it. As part of the annual reports, the Board Secretary-Treasurer shall present affidavits from depository banks showing the balance.

Organizational Meetings

An organizational meeting shall be held at the first regular meeting after the canvass of votes of the regular school election. The meeting shall be called to order by the Board Secretary-Treasurer acting as temporary chairperson.

The first order of business shall be to swear into office any new members unless they have been so sworn previously. The Board shall then elect from its membership a President and a Vice President and shall appoint the Board Secretary-Treasurer.

Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by the President or by the Board Secretary-Treasurer at the request of the majority of the Board. Public notice will be given.

If the special meeting is an emergency meeting and the Board cannot give public notice in its usual manner, The Board shall give public notice as soon as practical and possible. The reason for the emergency meeting and why notice could not be given in the usual manner shall be stated in the minutes.

No business other than that stated in the notice shall be transacted at such meeting.

Closed Session

The Board may hold a closed session only by affirmative public vote of either two-thirds of the board members or all of the members present at the meeting. No formal action of any kind may be taken in a closed session. The Board may hold a closed session for any of the reasons listed in Chapter 21.5 of the Iowa Code:

• To review or discuss records which are required or authorized by state or federal law to be kept confidential.
• To discuss strategy with legal counsel matters presently in litigation, or where litigation is imminent, if disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the Board.
• To discuss whether to conduct a hearing or conduct a hearing for suspension or expulsion of a student, unless an open meeting is requested by the student or the parent of the student.
• To discuss the purchases of particular real estate, but only when premature disclosure could be reasonably expected to increase the price the Board would have to pay for the property.

The item for discussion in closed session shall be listed as part of the agenda. The motion to move to closed session, including statement of the purpose for the closed session, shall be made and seconded during the open meeting. A minimum of two-thirds of the Board or all of the members present must vote in favor of the motion on a roll call vote. Closed sessions shall be audio recorded and have detailed minutes kept by the Board Secretary-Treasurer. Final action on matters discussed in the closed session shall be taken in an open meeting.

Minutes and the audio recording will restate the motion made in the open meeting, the roll call vote, the members present, and the time the closed session began and ended. Audio recordings and the written minutes shall be maintained for one year from the meeting date and are only available to board members or opened upon court order. The Board has complete discretion as to whom may be present at a closed session. Real estate-related minutes and tapes will be made public after the real estate transaction is complete.

Electronic Meetings

The Board may conduct a meeting by electronic means such as a telephone conference call only “in circumstances where such a meeting in person is impossible or impractical.”  Public access to the conversation must be provided “to the extent reasonably possible.”  Public notice must be given for the electronic meeting and minutes kept, which include the reason for not holding a meeting in person.

Work Sessions and Retreats

The Board may schedule work sessions and retreats from time to time in order to provide its members and the administrative staff with such opportunities. Topics for discussion and study will be announced publicly and work sessions and retreats will be conducted in open session. No board action will take place at work sessions or retreats.

Approved:    July 2007
Reviewed:    January 2018

Revised:  January 2022

 

Public notice shall be given for meetings and work sessions held by the Board. Public notice shall indicate the time, place, date and tentative agenda of board meetings. The public notice shall be posted on the bulletin board in the central administration office and uploaded to the District’s website at least three working days before it is scheduled, but, at the minimum, 24 hours notice needs to be given.

A copy of the public notice will be provided to those who have filed a written request for notice with the Board Secretary-Treasurer. A copy of the public notice will also be accessible to employees and students.

In the case of special meetings, public notice shall be given in the same manner as for a regular meeting unless it is an emergency meeting. In that case, public notice of the meeting shall be given as soon as practical and possible in light of the situation. The media and others who have requested notice shall be notified of the emergency meeting.  Attendance at a special meeting or emergency meeting by the media or board members shall constitute a waiver of notice.

It shall be the responsibility of the Board Secretary-Treasurer to give public notice of board meetings and work sessions.

Approved:  July 2007

Reviewed:  January 2022

Revised:  January 2022

 

The majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A majority vote of those members present shall be necessary and sufficient to pass any motion or to take any action of the Board of Directors, unless state law or Board policies require the vote of a greater number of Board members on a particular issue. The adjournment of a meeting may be executed without a quorum.

Each board member shall be responsible for attending board meetings.

 

Approved:  July 2007

Reviewed:  January 2022

 

An orderly board meeting allows the board members to participate in the discussion and decision-making process. Rules of order for board meetings allow District business and the relative information concerning the business to be brought to the attention of the Board.  They also allow the board to discuss, act upon and make a clear record of District business in a regular, ordered, reasonable and consistent manner.

It shall be the responsibility of each board member to follow the rules of order stated in this policy at each meeting, and it shall be the responsibility of the presiding officer to conduct the board meeting within these rules.

In matters of procedure not covered by these policies, Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern.

Approved:  July 2022

Reviewed:  January 2022

Revised:  January 2022

Votes by the Board, except those required by law to be roll call, shall be by voice vote unless a board member requests a roll call vote.  An affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast, excluding abstentions, is sufficient to adopt a motion unless a higher percentage of affirmative votes is required by law or board policy.

The Board Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for publicly announcing the vote and record the vote in the minutes of the board meetings.

When the Board of Directors votes on the question of holding a closed session, the vote of each member and the reason for holding the closed session by reference to a specific exemption must be announced publicly at the open session and entered into the minutes.

Approved:  July 2007

Reviewed:  January 2022

Revised: January 2022