Board Policies

Members

Schedule of Meetings

Agenda, Minutes. Committee Schedules

006. MEETINGS

Parliamentary Procedure at a Glance, New Edition, by O. Garfield Jones shall be a guide to the Board in its deliberations in all cases which are not already addressed by these Rules of Order or State law.

A quorum shall be five (5) school directors present at a meeting. No business shall be transacted at a meeting without a quorum, but the directors at such a meeting may adjourn to another time.

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 present, a school director shall be elected President pro tempore by a plurality of those present to preside at that meeting only. The act of any person so designated shall be legal and binding.

The presiding officer shall rule on all questions of order, but any member may appeal such ruling, which shall be decided by majority vote without debate.

Notice of all open public meetings of the Board, including committee meetings shall be given by the publication of the date, place, and time of such meetings in the newspaper of general circulation designated by the Board and the posting of such notice at the offices of the Board.

1. Notice of regular meetings shall be given by the publication and posting of a schedule showing the date, place and time of all regular meetings for the fiscal year at least three (3) days prior to the time of the first regular meeting.
2. Notice of all special meetings shall be given by publication and posting of notice at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the time of the meeting, except that such notice shall be waived when a special meeting is called to deal with an actual emergency involving a clear and present danger to life or property.
3. Notice of all rescheduled meetings shall be given by publication and posting of notice at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the time of the meeting.
11/08/2006hall be given by posting a notice of the place, date and time of meeting and sending copies of such notice to interested parties.
4. Notice of all public meetings shall be given to any newspaper circulating in Montgomery County or a radio or television station which so requests. Notice of all public meetings shall be given to any individual who so requests and provides a stamped, addressed envelope for such notification.

Notice of all regular and special meetings of the Board, including executive sessions, shall be given to school directors prior to the time of the meeting.

Regular meetings of the Board shall be public and shall be held on the third Tuesday of each month. An interim discussion meeting and, if needed, a business meeting shall also be public and shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month. In December, only one meeting shall be held as a Regular meeting on the first Tuesday of the Month. The second June meeting shall be in lieu of the regular July meeting; no Board meetings will be scheduled in July.

All Board members have the right to suggest items and resolutions to be placed on the agenda. Board members shall submit agenda items to the Board Secretary in a timely fashion. It shall be the responsibility of the Board President, Superintendent and Board Secretary to jointly prepare an agenda of the items of business to come before the Board at each regular meeting. The agenda, together with all such reports as can be completed, shall be provided each school director at least three (3) days before the meeting.

The following Rules of Order are to be used by the Springfield Township School Board as a guide in transacting business of the Board at all regular meetings and at all special meetings when applicable:

Opening Activities

1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Reading of Mission Statement
4. Roll Call
5. Announcements

Public Comment On Agenda Items
Approval of Minutes
Approval of Financial Reports

1. Treasurer's Report
2. Payment of Bills

Reports and Information

1. Recognition and Awards
2. District PTA Report
3. Student Council Report
4. Reports of Committees
5. Reports of Individual Board Members
6. Administrative/Solicitor Reports, if appropriate

CONSENT AGENDA

Those action items previously discussed or considered routine will be enacted under one motion unless removed for separate action upon request of the Board.

NEW BUSINESS

Those items not discussed at the interim meeting will be presented separately as a recommended motion and discussed before voting.
Comments From the Public
Upcomming Topic
Future Meeting Dates Adjournment (Sunset 11:00 p.m.)

Opening Activities (regular Meeting)

Mission Statement is read if a vote will be taken at the meeting
New Business, if necessary
Discussion Meeting
Suggested Time Topic Presenter
Public Comments
Upcoming Topics
Future Meeting Dates Adjournment (Sunset 11:00 p.m.)

Special meetings shall be public and may be called for special or general purposes.

The President may call a special meeting at any time and shall call a special meeting upon the presentation of requests, in writing, of three (3) school directors. Upon the President's failure or refusal to call a special meeting, such meeting may be called at any time by a majority of the school directors.

A member of the public present at a meeting of the Board may address the Board in accordance with the Board's rules, as stated in Policy 903, Public Participation In Board Meetings.

The only vehicle of action is through a main motion that is supported by a second and resolved through an appropriate vote.

Motions may be made by any member of the Board other than the presiding officer.

Motions which arise from non-agenda items or from issues raised from the floor may be discussed at the meeting at which they were raised but cannot be voted on until the next meeting.

Each motion shall deal with only one subject.

Any member who makes a motion shall have the liberty to withdraw it, with the consent of his/her second, at any time before the question is called.

A motion may be amended, and the amendment shall be voted upon before the main motion. If the amendment is adopted, the main motion shall be voted upon as amended.

The reconsideration of a vote may be moved at the same meeting at which the vote was taken by any member who voted with the majority, but such motion shall be decided at the next regular or special meeting.

Individual Board members may change their vote on any motion before the next item of business is considered.If a motion is composed of two or more parts which are susceptible of division into several questions, any member may request that it be divided and a vote taken on each part.

A motion for adjournment shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate, except that it cannot be entertained when the Board is voting on another question or while a member is speaking.

The time allotted to each member for debate on any motion may be limited by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting.

Motions to table shall take precedence and shall be voted upon without debate. A motion to table may be made to a certain date; but if no date is specified in the motion, the motion tabled shall be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting under old business.

A motion to call for the question indicates that individuals are ready to vote on the pending motion.

Moving the previous question is a move to close debate, and it is confined to the immediately pending motion; it is not debatable, and it requires a two-thirds vote to pass.

Any member may raise a point of order at any time during debate which shall be decided by the presiding officer before debate continues.

All motions shall require for adoption a majority vote of those school directors present and voting except as provided by statute or these procedures.

1. The following action requires the unanimous consent of all remaining members of the Board: appoint as attorney or solicitor of the Board a school director who has served for two (2) consecutive terms of four (4) years each, after resigning his/her office.
2. The following actions require the recorded affirmative votes of two-thirds of the full number of school directors:
   
1. transfer of budgeted funds.
2. transfer of any unencumbered balance, or portion thereof, from one appropriation to another, or from one spending agency to another.
3. incur a temporary debt or borrow money upon an obligation.
4. incur a temporary debt to meet an emergency or catastrophe.
5. elect to a teaching position a person who has served as a school director and who has resigned.
6. convey land or buildings to the municipality co-terminus with the school district.
7. adopt or change textbooks without the recommendation of the Superintendent.
8. dismiss after hearing of a tenured professional employee.
9. fix the fiscal year to begin on the first day of January.
3. The following actions require the recorded affirmative votes of a majority of the full number of school directors:
1. fixing the length of school term.
2. adopting textbooks recommended by the Superintendent.
3. appointing the district Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent.
4. appointing teachers and principals.
5. adopting the annual budget.
6. appointing tax collectors and other appointees.
7. levying and assessing taxes.
8. purchasing, selling, or condemning land.
9. locating new buildings or changing the location of old ones.
10. adopting courses of study.
11. establishing additional schools or departments.
12. designating depositories for school funds.
13. expending district funds.
14. entering into contracts of any kind, including contracts for the purchase of fuel or any supplies where the amount involved exceeds $100 (including items subject to $10,000 bid requirements).
15. fixing salaries or compensation of officers, teachers, or other appointees of the Board.
16. combining or reorganizing into a larger school district.
17. entering into contracts with and making appropriations to the intermediate unit for the district's proportionate share of the cost of services provided or to be provided by the intermediate unit.
18. dismissing after hearing of a nontenured employee.
19. adopting a corporate seal for the district.
20. determining the location and amount of any real estate required by the school district for school purposes.
21. vacating and abandoning property to which the Board has title.
22. determining the holidays, other than those provided by statute, which shall be observed by special exercises and those on which the schools shall be closed for the whole day.
23. removing a school director.
24. declaring that a vacancy exists on the Board by reason of the failure or neglect of a school director to qualify.
25. removing an officer of the Board.
26. removing an appointee of the Board.
27. adopting, amending or repealing a procedure or policy of the Board.

The Board shall cause to be made and retain, as a permanent record of the district, minutes of all open meetings of the Board. Said minutes shall be comprehensible and complete and shall show:

1. the date, place, and time of the meeting.
2. the names of Board members present.
3. the names of Board members present.
4. summary of discussions.
5. actions taken.
6. recorded votes and a record by individual members of all roll call votes taken.
7. the names of all citizens who are officially recognized and the subject of their testimony.

The Secretary shall provide each school director with a copy of the minutes of the last meeting.

The minutes of Board meetings shall be approved at the next regular meeting.

The approved minutes shall be signed by the Secretary of the Board.

Any rule may be suspended for a specific purpose by a vote of two-thirds of the members present.

In order to establish an environment conducive to good decision-making, the Board establishes an 11:00 P.M. adjournment. By majority vote, the Board may agree to extend the adjournment by 30-minute intervals. Once a meeting is adjourned, the Board may elect to reconvene the meeting by legally advertising the date of such future meeting. At that time, the adjourned meeting shall take up its business at the point in the agenda where the motion to adjourn was acted upon.

The Board may hold an executive session, which is not an open meeting, before, during, at the conclusion of an open meeting, or at some other time. The presiding officer shall announce the reason for holding the executive session; the announcement can be made at the open meeting prior to or after the executive session.

The Board may discuss the following matters in executive session:

1. employment issues.
2. labor relations.
3. the purchase or lease of real estate.
4. consultation with an attorney or other professional advisor regarding potential litigation or identifiable litigation.
5. matters which must be conducted in private to protect a lawful privilege or confidentiality.

Official actions based on discussions held in executive session shall be taken at a public meeting.

Committee meetings may be called at any time by the committee chairperson with proper public notice.

A majority of the total membership of a committee shall constitute a quorum.

Unless held as an executive session, committee meetings shall be open to the public, other Board members, and the Superintendent. A majority of the committee or the chairperson may invite Board employees, contractors or other persons who may have special knowledge of the area under investigation.

Board members who are not committee members but who attend committee meetings may not vote on committee matters.