0160 - MEETINGS

Winton Woods City School District

Bylaws & Policies

0160 - MEETINGS

0161	Parliamentary Authority

	The parliamentary authority governing the Board of Education shall be the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, in all cases in which it is not inconsistent with statute, administrative code, or these bylaws.

	Revised 4/23/01

0162	Quorum

	Three (3) members present in person at a meeting shall constitute a quorum, and no business shall be conducted in the absence of a quorum. R.C. 3313.18

	Revised 5/22/06

0163	Presiding Officer

	The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board. In the absence, disability, or disqualification of the President, the Vice-President shall act instead; if neither person is available, any member shall be designated by a plurality of those present to preside. The act of any person so designated shall be legal and binding.

0164	Notice of Meetings

	A.	A schedule of the time and place of the regular meeting(s) shall be posted at the District office.

		The notice shall also contain the following statement: "Upon request to the Superintendent, the District shall make reasonable accommodation for a disabled person to be able to participate in the meeting."

	B.	Notice of the time, place, and purpose of each special meeting shall be given to the news media twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting, except that when an emergency requires the immediate official action of the Board, the member(s) calling the meeting shall immediately notify the media requesting such notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting. R.C. 121.22

	C.	Notice of meetings at which a specific type of public business is to be discussed shall be sent to all persons requesting such notice.

	D.	The Treasurer shall notify all Board members of each Board meeting no later than two (2) days in advance of the meeting. Such notice shall include the time, place, and purpose of the meeting.

	R.C. 3313.16

0165.1	Regular Meetings

	Regular meetings of the Board shall be public and held at least once every two (2) months. R.C. 121.22, 3313.15

	A.	It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent to prepare an agenda of the items of business to come before the Board at each regular meeting.

	B.	The agenda of the regular monthly meeting or special meetings shall be accompanied by a Board packet from the Superintendent on information relating to the District with such recommendations as s/he shall make.

		Each agenda shall contain the following statement:

			"This meeting is a meeting of the Board of Education in public for the purpose of conducting the School District's business and is not to be considered a public community meeting. There is a time for public participation during the meeting as indicated in the agenda."

C.	The agenda for each regular meeting shall be mailed or delivered to each Board member so as to provide proper time for the member to study the agenda. Generally, the agenda should be mailed no later than seven (7) days prior to the meeting, or delivered so as to provide time for the study of the agenda by the member.

D.	The Board shall transact business according to the agenda prepared by the Superintendent and submitted to all Board members in advance of the meeting. The order of business may be suspended at any meeting by a majority vote of the members present.

E.	Consent Agenda

	The Board may use a consent agenda to keep routine matters within a reasonable time frame.

	The following routine business items may be included in a single resolution for consideration by the Board:

	1.	minutes of prior meetings

	2.	personnel

	3.	financial statements

	4.	investment reports

	5.	schedules

	6.	resolutions that require annual adoption, such as bank signatories, Ohio High School Athletic Association membership, etc.

	7.	other items in the Board packet specified by the Superintendent

		A member of the Board may request any item be removed from the consent resolution. No vote of the Board will be required to remove an item from the consent agenda. A single member's request shall cause it to be relocated as an action item eligible for discussion.

		March 25, 1996
		Revised 4/23/01

0165.2	Special Meetings

	Special meetings of the Board shall be public. R.C. 121.22

	A.	Special meetings shall be called by the President or the Treasurer or by two (2) members of the Board by serving a written notice of the time, place, and purpose of such meeting upon each Board member at least two (2) days in advance of the meeting. R.C. 3313.26

	B.	The agenda as presented shall be followed unless altered by the presiding officer or a majority of those present and voting.

0165.3	Recess

	The Board may adjourn or recess at any time. The adjourned meeting, when reconvened, shall take up its agenda at the point where the motion to adjourn or recess was acted upon.

	Adopted 11/26/01

0166	Executive Session

	The Board reserves the right to meet privately in executive session solely to discuss one (1) or more of the following issues exempted from public sessions:

	A.	consideration of the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, or compensation of a public employee, official, or student

	B.	investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee, official, or student unless such employee, official, or student requests a public meeting; except that consideration of the discipline of a Board member for conduct related to the performance of his/her duties or his/her removal from office shall not be held in executive session

	C.	consideration of the purchase of property or sale of property at competitive bidding, if premature disclosure or information would give an unfair competitive or bargaining advantage to a person whose personal, private interest is adverse to the general public interest

	D.	discussion, with the Board's legal counsel, of disputes involving the Board that are the subject of pending or imminent court action

	E.	preparing for, conducting, or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of employment

	F.	matters required to be confidential by Federal law or rules or State statutes

	G.	specialized details of security arrangements where disclosure might reveal information that could be used for the purpose of committing or avoiding prosecution for a violation of law

	No official action may be taken in executive session. R.C. 121.22

	Collective bargaining meetings between employers and employee organizations are private and not subject to R.C. 121.22. R.C. 4117.21

	An executive session will be held only at a regular or special meeting. After the meeting is convened, any member may make a motion for an executive session, stating therewith the purpose of the session by citing one or more of the reasons set forth above. If the session is to discuss a personnel matter listed in paragraph A above, the particular subject for which the session has been called must be identified in the motion. The motion does not need to name the person. Upon receiving a second to the motion and a majority roll-call vote of those present and voting, the chairperson shall declare the Board in executive session.

	In keeping with the confidential nature of executive sessions, no member of the Board shall disclose the content of discussions that take place during such sessions.

0167	Voting

	All motions shall require for adoption a majority vote of those present and voting, except as provided by statute, these bylaws, or parliamentary authority.

	Unless a specified number of affirmative votes is required, an abstention shall be recorded and deemed to consent to the outcome of the voting. In situations in which a tie vote occurs and abstentions have been cast, the motion shall fail for lack of a majority.

	All actions require a roll-call vote. A Board member must be physically present at the meeting to vote. Each vote and abstention shall be recorded. Proxy voting is prohibited. R.C. 3313.18

		Number	R.C.
	Item	Needed	Reference

	Declaring it
	necessary to issue	Majority
	bonds	Full Board	3313.18

	Declaration by
	remaining members,
	that reasons for a
	member's absence for
	ninety (90) days
	are insufficient to	2/3, Full
	continue membership	Board	3313.11

	Filling a vacant
	Board seat	Majority,
		Remaining Members	3313.11

	Purchase or sell real	Majority,
	estate	Full Board	3313.18

	Number	R.C.
Item	Needed	Reference

Appointment of any	Majority,
employee	Full Board	3313.18

Elect or appoint an	Majority,
officer	Full Board	3313.18

Pay any debt or claim	Majority,
	Full Board	3313.18

Adopt textbook	Majority,
	Full Board	3313.18

Dispense with resolution
authorizing purchase or
sale of personal property,
appointment of employees,
etc., if annual
appropriation resolution
has been adopted by a
majority of full	Majority,
membership	Full Board	3313.18

Removal of the Treasurer
or Pro Tempore at any time	2/3, Full
for cause	Board	3313.23

Appointment of Treasurer	Majority,
Pro Tempore	Full Board	3313.23

Determination that
Treasurer's incapacity	Majority,
is removed	Full Board	3313.23

Affirm, reverse, vacate
or modify an order of
student expulsion;	Majority,
reinstate a student	Full Board	3313.66(E)

Appointment of	Majority,
Superintendent Pro Tempore	Full Board	3319.011

	Number	R.C.
Item	Needed	Reference

Removal of Superintendent
Pro Tempore at any time	2/3, Full
for cause	Board	3319.011

Reemployment of a teacher
whom the Superintendent	3/4, Full
refuses to recommend	Board	3319.07

Reemployment of another
administrator whom the
Superintendent refuses to
nominate	3/4, Full Board	3319.02

Rejection of the
Superintendent's
recommendation that a
teacher eligible for
continuing contract be	3/4, Full
reemployed	Board	3319.11

Selection of textbooks	Majority,
	Full Board	3329.08

Change, revision, or
substitution of textbooks
during four-year period	4/5, Full
after adoption	Board	3329.08

Transfers of funds in	2/3, Full
certain cases	Board	5705.14

Resolution declaring the
necessity for certain	Majority,
transfers of funds	Full Board	5705.16

Levying a tax outside
10-mill limitation (not	2/3, Full
emergency)	Board	5705.21

			Number	R.C.
	Item		Needed	Reference

	Rejection of findings and
	recommendations of
	fact-finding panel by
	board or employee
	organization under
	statutory impasse		3/5, Full
	resolution procedure		Board	4117.14(c)(6)

	The Board may at any time recess or adjourn to an adjourned meeting at a specified date and place. The adjourned meeting shall take up its business at the point in the agenda where the motion to adjourn was acted upon.

	Revised 4/23/01
	Revised 11/26/01

0167.1	Use of Electronic Mail

	Since E-mail is a form of communication that could conflict with the Sunshine Law, it will be used only for the purposes of communicating:

	A.	messages between Board members or between a Board member and employee(s) which do not involve deliberating or rendering a decision on matters pending before the Board;

	B.	possible agenda items between the Superintendent and the Board President;

	C.	times, dates, and places of regular or special Board meetings;

	D.	a Board meeting agenda or public record information concerning items on the agenda;

	E.	requests for public record information from a member of the administration, school staff, or community pertaining to District operations;

	F.	responses to questions posed by members of the public, administrators, or school staff.

	Under no circumstances shall Board members use E-mail to discuss among themselves Board business that is only to be discussed in an open meeting of the Board, is part of an executive session, or could be considered an invasion of privacy if the message were to be monitored by another party.

	There should be no expectation of privacy for any messages sent by E-mail. Messages that have been deleted may still be accessible on the hard drive, if the space has not been occupied by other messages. Messages, deleted or otherwise, may be subject to disclosure under the Public records Act, unless an exemption would apply.

	Adopted 8/26/96
	Revised 4/23/01

0168	Minutes

	The Treasurer shall keep reasonably comprehensive minutes of all its meetings showing the time and place, the members present, the subjects considered, the actions taken, the vote of each member on roll-call votes, and any other information required to be shown in the minutes by law, which shall be available to the public. (R.C. 149.43, 3313.26) Minutes of executive sessions shall reflect the general subject matter of discussions. R.C. 121.22

	The Treasurer shall provide each Board member with a copy of the minutes of the last meeting no later than seven (7) days before the next regular meeting.

	The minutes of Board meetings shall be considered at the next succeeding meeting where they shall be corrected and approved. The approved minutes shall be signed by the Treasurer and the President.

	The approved minutes shall be filed in the Treasurer's office in a prescribed minute book as a permanent record of official Board proceedings.

	R.C. 149.43, 3313.26

0169.1	Public Participation at Board Meetings

	The Board of Education recognizes the value to school governance of public comment on educational issues and the importance of allowing members of the public to express themselves on school matters of community interest.

	Any person or group wishing to place an item on the agenda shall register their intent with the Superintendent no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting and include name and address of the participant, group affiliation, if and when appropriate, and topic to be addressed.

	Such requests shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent and the Board President.

	Because the Board desires to hear the viewpoints of citizens, it shall offer time at all regular meetings for citizens to be heard.

	Recognizing its responsibility for proper governance of the schools and therefore the need to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner, the Board shall schedule a period of time during each regular meeting for the hearing of the public in accordance with the following guidelines:

	A.	The time limit period shall be a maximum of one (1) hour with maximum of three (3) minutes per speaker.

	B.	Citizens wishing to address the Board should fill out a request slip and present it to the Board President prior to the beginning of the meeting.

	C.	Citizens should verbally state their name and address and identify the organization, if any, they represent.

	D.	The Board President shall be responsible for recognizing all speakers, and for maintaining proper order and obtaining adherence to all limits established. The Board vests in its president or other presiding officer authority to terminate the remarks of any individual when they do not adhere to the rules established.

E.	All comments shall be directed to the Board. The Board will make every effort to respond in a timely manner. The Board will consider your concern, research it if necessary and a Board member or administrator will contact you as soon as the information is available.

F.	No participant may speak more than once on the same topic unless all others who wish to speak on that topic have been heard.

G.	Citizens with specific questions for administrators or teachers should contact them during office hours.

H.	Persons who address the Board should refrain from talking about specific staff members. Depending on the nature of the subject matter, the Board will consider a request to meet in executive session at a mutually-agreeable time.

I.	Tape or video recordings are permitted, providing the person operating the recorder has received approval from the Superintendent prior to the Board meeting and agrees to the placement of the equipment and to abide by the following conditions:

	1.	No obstructions are created between the Board and the audience.

	2.	No interviews are conducted in the meeting room while the Board is in session.

	3.	No commentary, adjustment of equipment, or positioning of operators is made that would distract either the Board or members of the audience while the Board is in session.

	J.	The presiding officer may:

		1.	interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, obscene, or irrelevant;

		2.	request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum;

		3.	request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting;

		4.	call for a recess or an adjournment to another time when the lack of public decorum so interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting as to warrant such action;

		5.	waive these rules with the approval of the Board when necessary for the protection of privacy or the administration of the Board's business.

		R.C. 3313.20

0169.2	Open Meetings/Sunshine Law

	The Sunshine Law applies to the Board, and to any committee or subcommittee created by the Board or required by law or rule.

	A "meeting" to which the Sunshine Law applies is any prearranged discussion of the public business of the Board, committee or subcommittee by a majority of its members, including, but not limited to, regular and special meetings, work sessions, retreats, planning meetings, and study groups. A series of prearranged meetings attended by a minority of the Board to discuss the public business, without giving proper notice, is a violation of the Sunshine Law. A majority of members may gather at social or other events, but may not discuss public business.

	Adopted 5/22/06