No. 0066 SECTION: BOARD PROCEDURES TITLE: MEETINGS NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT ADOPTED: 11/18/15 REVISED: 006 - MEETINGS SC 271 A meeting of the School Board iss a prearranged gathering of the Board which is attended or participated in by a quorum of members of the Board held for the purpose of deliberating School District business or taking official action. All official action of the Board shall be duly advertised and take place at a meeting open to the public. Official action and deliberations shall be defined in the Sunshine Act, Act #84 of 1986. The Open meetings are of three types: Regular Meetings, Special Meetings, or Work Sessions. Section 1. Parliamentary Authority SC 407 Sec. 701 et seq. All meetings will be conducted inn a manner that conforms with the School Laws of Pennsylvania, 1949 as amended. Robert ss Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the guide of the Board inn all matters of procedures not specifically mandatedd school law or otherwise stated in the by-laws. Section 2. Quorum SC 422 A majority of the members of a School Board shall be a quorum. If less than a majority is present at any meeting, no business shall be transacted at such meeting but the members presentt may adjourn to some stated time: Provided, that if there shall be a minority off Board present, becausee a majority of the seats are vacant, then in such case the minority members at such meeting may fill vacancies in the manner providedd in the School Laws of Pennsylvania. Section 3. Presiding Officer SC 405, 426, 427, 428 All meetings of the Board shall be called to order by the President or in the President s absence, the Vice President, and if there is a quorum present, the business of the meeting shall be taken up in order set forth in the rule specifying order of business. In the absence of both the President and the Vice President, or of the Secretary, the School Board may elect a President or Secretary pro tempore for such meeting only and the appointmen of such temporary officer shall be noted on the minutes of such meeting. Page 1 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 2 Section 4. Notice SC 702, 703, 709 a. Public notice of open meetings shall be given pursuant to the Sunshine Act, as amended. The Secretary of the School Board shall advertise meetings of the School Board at least one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the political subdivision where the meeting will be held. b. Notice of regular meetings shall be given by publication and posting of a schedule showing the date, place, and time of all regular meetings for the calendar year at least three (3) days prior to the time of the first regular meeting. c. 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. d. 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. e. Notice of all recessed or reconvened meetings shall be given by posting a notice of the place, date, and time of the meeting and sending copies of such notice to interested parties. f. Notice of all public meetings shall be given to any newspaper(s) circulating in Allegheny County and any radio or television station which so requests. g. Notice of all rescheduled meetings and special meetings shall be given to Board members no later than forty-eight (48) hours prior to the time of the meeting. h. Advertisements for bids shall be made at least one week for three (3) weeks in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in order to attract a large number of bidders. Section 5. Regular Meetings SC 421 Sec. 701 Regular meetings are open meetings at which the Board will formerly vote upon matters placed on its monthly Agenda, and transact any other business that may come before the Board. The time and place of the regular monthly meeting for the forthcoming fiscal year shall be determined by the Board every year at its June meeting. a. Agenda 1. The Superintendent and the Secretary of the Board shall prepare all agendas for regular meetings of the North Allegheny School Board. In doing so, the Superintendent shall consult with the Board President and appropriate members of Central Office Staff. Page 2 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 3 2. Items of business may be suggested by any Board Member, staff member, student, or citizens of the District. The inclusion of suggested items shall be at the discretion of the Superintendent, in consultation with the President. 3. The Board shall follow the order of business set up by the agenda unless the order is altered by a majority vote of the members present. Items of business not on the agenda may be discussed and acted upon if a majority of the Board agrees to consider them. 4. The agenda, together with supporting materials, shall be distributed to Board Members by the Board Secretary at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the Board meeting, if at all possible, to permit them to give items of business careful consideration. The agenda will be available for public review on the Monday prior to the regularly scheduled Board meeting. 5. A copy of the agenda and agenda materials will be provided to members of the working press upon request. b. Order of Business The order of business for regular meetings shall be as follows, unless altered by the President: 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Roll Call 4. Approval of Minutes 5. Visitors Address the Board (Agenda Items) 6. Official Correspondence 7. Finance Report 8. Transportation Report 9. Personnel Report 10. Property and Supplies Report 11. Curriculum Report 12. Activities Report 13. Superintendent s Report Page 3 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 4 14. Legal Counsel Report 15. Special Schools Report 16. District Representative to Other Committees and Board Report 17. Legislative Report 18. Old and New Business 19. Visitors Address the Board 20. Adjournment Section 6. Special Meetings SC 423, 426 Sec. 701 et seq. Special meetings are open meetings scheduled by the Board from time to time in addition to the regular schedule of meetings established by the Board. No business shall be transacted at any special meetings except that named in the public notice and given to the members; however, special meetings may be called for general purposes. The President may call a special meeting at any time. He/she shall call a special meeting whenever so required, in writing by any three (3) members of the School Board. Such a request shall state the purpose of such meeting, less than three (3) days after the delivery of such request to the Secretary/President unless three (3) days notice shall be waived by members of the Board giving their consent to the Secretary/Board President by telephone or otherwise, in which case the meeting may be held on shorter notice, provided that such assent shall be ratified by a written waiver signed by the members of the Board. All procedures and regulations for conduct of special meetings shall be those set forth for regular meetings. Section 7. Public Participation Sec. 701 et seq. Pol 903 a. Request to address the Board 1. One of the responsibilities of the School Board is to encourage community involvement in educational programs and services, and to keep itself informed of the wishes and needs of the community. In order to accomplish this, the Board must offer a forum for public questions and comments through an organized vehicle for interested parties to address the Board. 2. Residents/Parents requesting an opportunity to address the Board at an Open Board Meeting should submit a formal request to the Secretary of the Board or Superintendent of Schools not less than 24 hours in advance of the meeting to be assured of placement on the Board agenda. Formal Page 4 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 5 requests shall be in writing and shall include the topic of presentation. There shall be limits imposed as follows: The formal request shall be afforded five (5) minutes for presentations; if there is no advance formal request, presenter shall be allotted two (2) minutes. If the presentation is on agenda items speaker will be invited to address the Board at the beginning of the meeting. Should the speaker find the time allotment above insufficient for his/her needs, a written report, as a more detailed presentation, shall be requested. 3. The Board shall have the discretion to elicit public comment at workshop meetings either through formal application or otherwise. Individuals who have comments are encouraged to submit matters in writing prior to the workshop. 4. Any variation with this policy shall be at the discretion of the Board President, subject to the Board overruling. b. Handling complaints brought to individual Board Members 1. When individual Board Members receive communications or complaints, he/she should refer these cases to the appropriate level of Administration. 2. Only in cases where satisfactory resolutions cannot be made by the principals, the Superintendent, or his/her assistants, should the communication or complaint be brought to the Board by an individual Board Member requesting it to be placed on the agenda of the next Board meeting. 3. After hearing evidence submitted by the Superintendent or his designee in such event, the Board will, if it deems advisable, grant a hearing to the parties interested. c. News media attending Board meetings 1. The North Allegheny School Board believes that one of its paramount responsibilities is to keep the public informed of its problems, deliberations, policies, and actions. Therefore, the Board encourages the attendance of press representatives at all meetings except during Executive Sessions. In order that the Board may transact its business with dispatch, questions from the press will not be entertained while meetings are in progress. However, the Superintendent of Schools and members of the Board will be available after each meeting to answer reporters Page 5 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 6 questions and to clarify points of discussion and action. In the event that representatives of the news media are unable to attend a meeting, they shall be provided (upon request) with a summary of important Board actions. When individual Board Members receive requests from news media representatives for information about Board meetings, members shall refer the information-seekers to the School Board President or the spokespersons for the Board. d. Use of recording devices 1. An individual attending an open meeting of the School Board shall be permitted to use recording devices to record the proceeding of said meeting at the discretion of the School Board. In the event that a person in attendance at a meeting is using a recording device in such a manner to disrupt the orderly transaction of business or the decorum of the meeting, the President shall have the authority to take whatever action is necessary or required to establish order and decorum of the meeting. Section 8. Voting, 803 Pol. 108, 1071, 1076 Pol 005, 606, Pol 604, Pol. 605 SC 702, 707, 702 SC 1129 a. The affirmative vote of a majority of all members of the Board duly recorded, showing how each member voted, shall be required in order to take action upon those subjects enumerated in Section 508 of the School Laws of Pennsylvania. 1. Fixing the length of school term 2. Adopting textbooks 3. Appointing or dismissing District Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Principals, Coordinators, and Teachers. 4. Appointing Tax Collectors and other appointees. 5. Adopting the annual budget. 6. Levying and assessing taxes. 7. Purchasing, selling, or condemning land. 8. Locating new buildings or changing locations of old ones. 9. Dismissing a teacher after a hearing. 10. Creating or increasing any indebtedness. Page 6 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 7, Pol. 107, 621, Pol. 610 11. Adopting courses of study. 12. Establishing additional schools or departments. 13. Designating depositories for school funds. 14. Entering into contracts of any kind. 15. Fixing salaries or compensation of officers, teachers, or other appointees of the Board of School Directors. 16. Entering into contracts and making appropriations to the Intermediate Unit for the District s proportionate share of the cost of services provided by the Intermediate Unit. b. An affirmative vote of more than a majority of the Board shall be required as prescribed by the School Laws of Pennsylvania. SC 634 SC 518, 609 SC 1111 1. Incurring temporary indebtedness 2/3 vote. 2. Transferring funds within the budget during the first three (3) months of the fiscal year 2/3 vote. 3. Dismissal of a professional employee following a hearing 2/3 vote. 4. Elect to a teaching or administration position a person who has served as a Board member and who has resigned 2/3 vote. SC 707.8 SC 705, SC 1111 5. Conveying any unused and unnecessary lands and buildings to the city, borough, or township 2/3 vote. 6. Exception: Election of a relative of a director as a teacher or administrator majority vote required Board member related to applicant shall not vote. c. The ayes and nays on any motion shall be called and entered on the minutes whenever demanded by a member. d. Any Director failing to vote shall be recorded in the majority. Section 9. Minutes SC 107, 518 Pol. 800, 801 a. An accurate set of Minutes of each open Board meeting shall be kept by the Secretary in an official online file specified for that purpose. The Minutes shall contain: 1. Date, time, and place of meeting. 2. Name of Board Members present. Page 7 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 8 SC 705 SC 407 3. Substance of all official actions and record of individual Board Members roll call votes taken. 4. Names of all citizens who are permitted to speak officially and the subject of their testimony. b. The Board Secretary shall provide each Board Member with a copy of the minutes of the last meeting prior to the next regular meeting. SC 433 SC 407, 703, 708 Pol. 800, 801 SC 707, 708 c. The Minutes of Board meetings shall be approved at the next succeeding meeting and signed by the Board Secretary. d. Notations and any tape or audiovisual recordings shall not be the official record of a public Board meeting but may be available for public access, upon request, in accordance with Board policy. Any notations and/or audiovisual recordings of a Board meeting shall be retained and disposed of in accordance with the School District s records retention schedule. e. As part of its ongoing effort to keep staff and public fully informed concerning its affairs and actions, the North Allegheny School Board instructs the Superintendent of Schools to institute and maintain effective and appropriate procedures for the prompt dissemination of information about decisions made at all Board meetings. f. All reports approved by the Board shall be considered matters of official record and shall be made available to the press. However, reports-inprogress on which Board has taken no final action shall be released only upon the Board s authority as tentative reports. Section 10. Recess/Reconvene SC 703, 709, Pol. 006 The Board may at any time recess or reconvene to a reconvened meeting at a specified date and place, upon the majority vote of those present. The reconvened meeting shall immediately take up its business at the point in the agenda where the option to recess was acted upon. Notice of the reconvened meeting shall be given as provided in Board policy. Section 11. Executive Session SC 707, 708 a. The Board reserves the right pursuant to and in conformity with the terms and conditions of the Sunshine Act, as amended, to sit in Executive Session. Such sessions are called by the President and approved by a majority of the Board. 1. When necessary Executive Session shall be called by the President when three (3) members of the Board make such a request in writing. Such requests shall state the purpose for each meeting, place, date, and hours for holding it, which shall be no less than three (3) days after the delivery of such request to the Secretary/Board President by telephone or Page 8 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 9 otherwise, in which case the meeting may be held on shorter notice, provided that such assent shall be ratified by a written waiver signed by the members of the Board. 2. Executive Sessions shall be closed to the public and press. The reason for holding an Executive Session shall be announced at the open meeting occurring immediately prior to such or subsequent to the Executive Session. That such a meeting will be or was held shall be recorded in the minutes of the preceding or subsequent open meeting. Board Members and other persons attending the session are honor-bound not to disclose the topic or details of discussion at Executive Session. 3. The Superintendent, or his designated representative, shall attend all Executive Sessions except those which pertain to the Superintendent s employment. The Board may invite staff members or others to attend sessions at its discretion. 4. In order to take official action on any matter discussed in Executive Session, the Board shall convene or reconvene in an open meeting. Official Action shall be defined as defined in the Sunshine Act, as amended. 5. Items for discussion at the Executive Session must pertain to the following: SC 703, 709 Pol. 006 SC 707, 708 Sec. 701 et seq. Pol. 006 Any matter involving the employment or matters pertaining to the employment relationship of any current, prospective, or former employee or officer. Matters related to the negotiations or arbitration of a collective bargaining agreement, or related to labor relations and arbitration. The purchase or lease of real estate property. Consultation with the School District s Solicitor or other professional advisor regarding information or strategy in connection with litigation or with issues on which identifiable complaints are expected to be filed. School District business which if discussed in public would violate a lawful privilege or lead to the disclosure of information or confidentiality protected by law, including matters related to the initiation and conduct of investigations of possible or certain violations of the law and quasi-judicial deliberations. Section 12. Work Sessions Work Session meetings are open meetings at which the Board, may among other matters, determine what items are to be placed on an agenda for a subsequent Page 9 of 10
006 MEETINGS Page 10 regular or special meeting, discuss and deliberate agency (school) administration. Although deliberation of agency (school) District business is permissible at the Work Session meetings, no vote will be taken for the purpose of deciding if the item will be placed on the agenda for a Regular or Special Meeting. SC 703, 709 Pol. 006 Sec. 701 et seq. a. The Work Session meeting need not follow any formal order of business. Participation shall be limited to Board Members and School District personnel, unless otherwise authorized by the Board. b. The time and place of the Work Session meetings for the forthcoming fiscal year shall be determined by the Board every year at its June meeting. Thereafter, the Work Session meetings shall be timely advertised and posted pursuant to the provisions of the Sunshine Act. Section 13. Committee Meetings a. A majority of the total membership of a committee shall constitute a quorum. b. Unless held as Executive Session, committee meetings shall be open to the public, other Board Members, and the Superintendent. c. A majority of the committee or the chairperson may invite Board, employees, consultants, or other persons who have special knowledge of an area under discussion. References: School Code 24 P.S. Sec. 107, 271 405, 407, 421, 422, 423, 426, 427, 428, 433, 508, 518, 609, 621, 634, 702, 703, 705, 706, 707, 707.8, 708, 709, 803, 1071, 1076, 1111, 1129 Sunshine Act Sec. 701 et seq. Board Policy: 005 606 006 610 107 800 108 801 604 903 605 Replaces Policies: 1520 1660 1600 1670 1620 1680 1630 1681 1640 1690 1650 1691 Robert s Rules of Order Page 10 of 10