File: BE - School Board Meetings File: BE - School Board MeetingsAll meetings of a quorum or of three or more members of the Board, whichever is fewer, at which any public business may be discussed or any formal action taken shall be open to the public at all times except for periods in which the Board is in executive session. All such meetings will be properly noticed and minutes will be taken and recorded as required by law.
No business may be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority (more than half) of the members serving on the Board.
A recording shall be made of regular and special meetings as required by law and at a minimum, shall be an audio recording. Recordings shall be maintained for 90 days.
Regular meetings
Regular meetings of the Board of Education shall be held in the Professional Development Building located at 152 School Rd., Frisco, CO 80443, or at other applicable locations if deemed necessary. A list of Board Meetings and locations will be posted on the District's website.
The Board will adopt and publish an annual meeting schedule which, as a minimum, will normally include two (2) regular meetings per month for the purpose of conducting Board business. Planned exceptions may occur during meeting schedule development as a result of the approved District school year calendar, Board or operational needs, etc.
Special meetings
The secretary of the Board shall be responsible for giving a written notice of any special meeting to each Board member at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting and 24 hours in advance if the message is sent by phone (text), or e-mail to the member. The notice must contain time, place and purpose of the meeting and names of the members requesting the meeting.
No business other than that stated in the notice of the meeting shall be transacted unless the item is reasonably related to the subject matter on the notice or an exigency exists. In addition, all members must be present and cast a unanimous vote to amend the agenda.
Work sessions and retreats
The Board, as a decision-making body, is confronted with a continuing flow of problems, issues and needs which require action. While the Board is determined to expedite its business, it is also mindful of the importance of planning, brainstorming and thoughtful discussion without action. Therefore, from time to time the Board may schedule work sessions or retreats, which shall be open to the public. No action shall be taken during such sessions. Public notice of the session, including the topics for discussion and study, shall be provided.
Electronic Participation in School Board Meetings
Board members may attend and participate by electronic means in regular or special meetings of the Board in accordance with this policy and state law. For purposes of this policy, "electronic means" shall be defined as attendance via telephone, video or audio conferencing, or other electronic device.
Notification of Board Meetings
The Board shall give full and timely notice to the public of any meetings of three or more Board members at which public business may be discussed or any formal action taken, including special, regular and work session meetings and retreats.
The Board shall designate the public place or places at which notice of Board meetings shall be posted if the Board is unable to post notice of a Board meeting online due to exigent or emergency circumstances such as a power outage or an interruption in internet service. In the event such action is not taken annually, the designated public place(s) used in the previous year shall continue as the official posting sites.
At a minimum, the Board shall cause notice of regular and special meetings and work sessions to be posted on the district's website no less than 24 hours prior to the meeting. This notice shall include specific agenda information where possible.
The district shall maintain a list of persons who, within the previous two years, have requested notification of all meetings or of meetings when certain specified policies will be discussed. These individuals will be provided reasonable advance notification of Board meetings.
Notice to the Board
The superintendent or designee shall provide the agenda together with meeting materials and the minutes of the last regular meeting, to Board members no later than 72 hours before the next regular meeting.
Agenda
To expedite the Board's proceedings and provide a framework for the orderly conduct of business, the superintendent in cooperation with the Board president shall prepare an agenda outlining the matters to be brought to Board attention at meetings.
The Board shall follow the order of business set by the agenda unless the order is altered or new items are added in accordance with this policy. At regular and special meetings, the Board may add to or take action on matters not appearing on the posted agenda if the item is reasonably related to the subject matter on the posted agenda or if an exigency exists. Amending the agenda of a regular meeting requires a majority vote of Board members present. All Board members must be present and cast a unanimous vote to amend the agenda of a special meeting.
Consent Grouping
A consent grouping on the agenda shall be used for those items which usually do not require discussion or explanation as to the reason for Board action. Any Board member may request the withdrawal of any item under the consent grouping for independent consideration.
Rules of Order
Except as otherwise specified by State law or Board policies pertaining to its own operating procedures, the Board shall operate by the rules prescribed in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised as those rules can reasonably be applied to the conduct of school board business. In the event of questions, the ruling of the Board president shall be final.
It shall be the responsibility of the Board president to utilize such rules when appropriate to do so.
Minutes
Minutes of any Board meeting at which the adoption of any policy or formal action occurs or could occur shall be taken and promptly recorded. Such records shall be open to public inspection.
Official minutes of the meetings of the Board of Education constitute the written record of all proceedings of the Board. Therefore, the minutes shall include:
1. The nature of the meeting, whether regular or special; time and place; members present; approval of the minutes of the preceding meeting or meetings.
2. A record of all actions taken by the Board, the motion, the name of the member making the motion and seconding it; the record of the vote, with the vote of each member recorded. Reports and documents related to a formal motion may be omitted if they are referred to by title and date.
3. A record of all business that comes before the Board through reports of the superintendent and others and through communications from the staff and the public.
4. The names of all persons who speak before the Board and the topic of their remarks.
5. A record that an executive session was held (if the Board convened in executive session) including the names of those present and the topic of discussion, unless including names of individuals would reveal information that should remain confidential, and the specific citation to the statute that authorizes the Board to meet in executive session and the amount of time the topic was discussed.
6. The record of adjournment.
The official minutes shall be signed by the secretary. Following their approval, the official copy also shall be signed by the president of the Board of Education.
The official minutes shall be in the custody of the Board secretary and shall be made available to the public in accordance with the requirements of applicable state law.
Public Participation at Board Meetings
All regular and special meetings of the Board shall be open to the public. Because the Board desires to hear the viewpoints of all citizens throughout the District and also needs to conduct its business in an orderly and efficient manner, it shall schedule time during some Board meetings for brief comments and questions from the public. Some public comment periods may be related to specific items on the agenda.
During times of general public comment at a regular meeting, comments and questions may deal with any topic related to the Board's conduct of schools. Speakers may offer criticism of school operations and programs as concerns them, but are encouraged to exercise their speech rights responsibly.
The Board president or secretary shall be responsible for recognizing all speakers who shall properly identify themselves, for maintaining proper order and for adherence to any time limits set. Questions asked by the public that require further investigation may be referred to the superintendent or superintendent's designee for consideration and later response.
Members of the public wishing to make formal presentations before the Board should make arrangements in advance with the superintendent so that such presentations, when appropriate, may be scheduled on the agenda.
Public Participation at Board Meetings - Regulations and Board Talking Points for the Public Prior to Starting Public Comment
A document will be available at Board of Education Meetings and in Board of Education meeting packets that will be used as a reference when addressing individuals who come for public comment.
The following information is provided to help you understand how the Board of Education operates with respect to public comment during its board meetings. The Board President or Board Secretary will address meeting attendees just prior to the public comment section of the agenda and provide the following information:
We are now at the Public Comment portion of our meeting. Before we start we want to thank you for coming to share your ideas and opinions with us. It is our duty to ensure that the District reflects the values of the community, and one of the ways we accomplish that goal is to hear directly from you about your preferences and concerns.
School boards are a little different from other elected boards in that our meetings are business meetings that are held in public, not public meetings; so during this time our job is to listen. We are prohibited by state law from taking any action on an item not previously noticed on our agenda.
We value public input on policies and issues affecting our schools. We do not permit comments criticizing individual staff or students since this is outside the scope of public comment (as indicated in Colorado Law and Board Policy). Concerns about individuals that cannot be resolved at the level closest to the situation should be directed to the superintendent.
To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate, we have a few guidelines we ask you to follow:
• For in person meetings, anyone intending to address the Board should complete one of the public comment forms located in the room and hand it to the secretary of the board.
• If you are joining electronically, after addressed by the Board or secretary of the Board, indicate that you would like to make public comment in the 'chat'.
• Speakers will be called on in the order in which the forms are received or in the order indicated on the chat.
• Speakers' comments are limited to three (3) minutes. If your topic requires additional time, board members are always available for more in depth discussion on an individual basis. Please feel free to contact any board member directly. You can also send written comments to the board.
• If four or more people wish to address the board on the same topic the board will elect to allot (ten)10 minutes for a collective view. If so, we will ask the group to get together for a few minutes before "Public Comments" to decide how you plan to organize your time. Please decide how many will speak your collective opinions so that they are represented fairly.
• We ask that you do not repeat the same message that an earlier speaker has shared. Simply state that you agree with a previous speaker.
• If in person, it is asked that the audience not applaud individual speakers.
• The critical part of your presentation is the content.
• Note that public comments are recorded and become part of permanent public record. Minutes of board meetings are kept indefinitely.
You may want to consider the following as you are planning your comments:
1. Greeting. State your name for the record.
2. State the topic of your message.
3. Tell the Board your concerns and offer one to three points about why the situation concerns you.
4. Offer possible solutions. Offer one to three ideas for resolving the issue; the board may not be able to implement your ideas, but it will help members better understand why you are concerned.
5. Summarize. Concisely summarize your concern and your proposed solutions. A 30 second warning will be given.
6. If you so choose, submit a paper or digital copy of your public comments for the record. The written version of your comment will be saved for public view within the board packets.
Public Comment Form Formatting Recommendation:
If you wish to participate in the Public Comments portion of this evening's meeting, to share an idea or observation, or comment, please fill out the below information and hand it to the Board of Education President or Secretary to the Board.
Your information will only be used if necessary to allow staff to make contact with you after the meeting. Thank you.
Comments at the meeting are limited to a maximum of three (3) minutes.
Date __________________________ Name __________________________________
Phone _________________________ Email __________________________________
Topic you wish to address and proposed solutions:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Voting Method
All voting shall be by roll call with each member present voting "Aye" or "No" alphabetically. However, election of the president and vice president may be by secret ballot. If a vote is taken by secret ballot, the outcome of the vote shall be recorded contemporaneously in the minutes.
A member may abstain from voting only if excused by the Board for good cause.
A Board member who has a personal or private interest in any proposed or pending matter which presents a conflict of interest in accordance with Board policy shall disclose such interest and shall not vote unless his/her participation is necessary to obtain a quorum or otherwise enable the Board to act. Under such circumstances, the member shall comply with the voluntary disclosure requirements set out in State law.
To pass, any motion must be approved by a majority of the members present except as state law or policies of this Board may require a majority of full membership or a two-thirds majority.
Adopted August 27, 2003
Revised March 14, 2007
Revised August 25, 2009
Revised June 26, 2012
Revised January 26, 2017
Revised June 20, 2024
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-31-129 (board vacancies)
C.R.S. 22-32-104 (3) (president and vice present must be elected by majority of the entire Membership
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (board meetings)
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (4) (board meetings)
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (6) (voting by roll call, excused for good cause)
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (7)(a) (board must adopt policy allowing board members to attend and participate electronically in regular or special board meetings, if the board wishes to allow this practice)
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (7)(a) (a board member who participates electronically in conformance with the board's policy on electronic meeting participation is considered "present")
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (7)(b) (policy requirements if electronic participation is permitted)
C.R.S. 22-32-108 (2),(3) (meetings of the Board)
C.R.S. 24-6-401 et seq. (open meetings law)
C.R.S. 24-6-402 (2)(c) (notice of meeting "shall include specific agenda information where possible")
C.R.S. 24-6-402 (2)(c)(III) ("full and timely notice" requirement is met if district posts notice of meeting on the district's website no less than 24 hours prior to meeting)
C.R.S. 24-6-402 (2)(d)(IV) (outcome of a secret ballot vote must be recorded contemporaneously in the minutes)
C.R.S. 24-6-402(4) (a two-thirds majority of the quorum present is required to go into executive session)
C.R.S. 24-6-402 (7) (district must keep list of persons who have requested notification of meetings when specified policies are discussed and provide reasonable advance notice to such persons)
C.R.S. 24-18-109 (3) (conflict of interest and voting)
C.R.S. 24-18-110 (voluntary disclosure of conflict of interest
CROSS REFS. (Superintendent Policies and Board Policy Governance Policies):
BEC, Executive Sessions
KE, Public Concerns and Complaints
Executive Limitations 9 (EL-9), Communication and Support to the Board
Governance Policy 2 (GP-2), Board Job Description
Governance Policy 4 (GP-4), Board Officer Roles, Transitions, and Framework
Governance Policy 6 (GP-6), Agenda Planning Calendar
Governance Policy 7 (GP-7), Board Business Guiding Principles, Norms, and Operations
Governance Policy 9 (GP-9), Board Member Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure
NOTE: Policies Consolidated into Administrative Policy BE- School Board Meetings, June 20, 2024
1. BEAA - Electronic Participation In School Board Meetings
2. BEDA - Notification of Board Meetings
3. BEDB - Agenda
4. BEDD - Rules of Order
5. BEDF - Voting Method
6. BEDG - Minutes
7. BEDH - Public Participation at Board Meetings
8. BEDH-R - Public Participation at Board Meetings