204.01 Board Meetings
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Minidoka County Joint School District204.01 Board Meetings
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Minidoka County Joint School DistrictPOLICY TITLE: Board Meetings POLICY NO:
204.01
Minidoka County Joint School District # 331 PAGE 1 of 4
The Board of Trustees of Minidoka County Joint School District no. 331 must exert constant
vigilance to assure that the District's constituents are fully informed of the actions of their elected
officials. The vehicle most often used is the action of the Board in its meetings. The Board
meeting then is most critical because it gives patrons a chance to monitor the Board's labors. In
juxtaposition it also provided the format for handling the legal responsibilities of the Board.
Board meetings should be direct and to the issues required for the members to conduct its
business.
Provisions:
1. The Board of Trustees will comply with the legal requirements imposed upon meetings
of this Board.
2. The Board may hold six (6) basic types of meetings:
A. Regular Meetings -- This meeting is set at a time and place determined by the
Board at its annual meeting. Notice of dates and locations of meetings will be
conspicuously posted 48 hours preceding that meeting at the following locations:
1. The School District Office, Rupert, Idaho
2. Rupert City Office, Rupert, Idaho
3. Minidoka County Courthouse, Rupert, Idaho
4. United States Post Office, Paul, Idaho
5. United States Post Office, Heyburn, Idaho
6. Heyburn City Office, Heyburn, Idaho
7. Each School Building in the District and Transportation, Food Service,
and Maintenance Departments
8. District Website: www.minidokaschools.org (See BoardBook link)
The Board Agenda will be distributed to the following individuals preceding each
regular meeting:
1. Each Board of Trustee member
2. School Attorney
3. President(s) of the Teachers Association
4. Patrons as requested
The agenda for any Board meeting shall be prepared by the Board Clerk under the
direction of the Superintendent and Board Chairman. Items submitted by the
Board Chair or at least two (2) board members shall be placed on the agenda.
Citizens may also suggest inclusions on the agenda. Such suggestions must be
received by the Superintendent by the Wednesday prior to the second Monday of
each month before the board meeting, unless of immediate importance.
Individuals who wish to address the Board must also notify the Superintendent, in
writing, of the request. The request must include the reason for the appearance.
Citizens wishing to make brief comments about school programs or procedures or
SECTION 200: BOARD OF EDUCATION
BOARD MEETINGS—continued Page 2 of 4
items on the agenda need not request placement on the agenda, and must follow
procedure established for public input at Board meeting. (See Policy #204.02
“Public Participation in Board Meetings”)
Additional items may be added to the agenda notice after completion of the
agenda up to and including the hour of the meeting, provided that a good faith
effort is made to include in the notice all agenda items known at the time to be
probable items of discussion.
B. Emergency Meetings – In the event of an emergency involving possible personal
injury or property damage, immediate financial loss, or the likelihood of injury,
damage or loss, the Board may meet immediately and take official action without
prior notification when the notice requirements would make such notice
impracticable, or increase the likelihood or severity of such injury, damage or
loss, and the reason for the emergency is stated at the outset of the meeting.
C. Work Session -- Such a meeting will occur only upon call of the Board of
Trustees, and may take one (1) of four (4) formats:
1. Public Hearing -- An open public forum to address a single pre-
determined issue, with prior notice given consistent with policy. The
Chairman will conduct such meeting determining at his/her discretion
those who may speak to the issue, the time allotted, and the order of
addressing the issue.
2. Work Plan -- This meeting is closed to any and all public input and is
limited to discussion of the predetermined subject by Board Members and
invited staff.
3. Planning Session -- A combination of public input and work plan formats,
again addressing only predetermined issues.
4. Committee Hearing or Report -- A data collecting or gathering procedure
in which a committee may present its findings or employee(s) may present
a status report to the Board.
In all cases, the meetings will be open to public and patrons. No action
will be officially taken by the Board. The board, however, may give
direction to the Superintendent for development of an item for action at a
subsequent regular or special meeting.
D. Special Meetings -- Called by either the Board Chairman or by any two (2)
members of the trustees due to a circumstance requiring immediate action for the
operation of the District, or the Board of Trustees in an open meeting by official
action. If the time and place of special meetings has not been determined at a
meeting of the Board with all members present, then notice of a special meeting,
stating the purpose of the meeting, shall be delivered to each trustee not less than
twenty-four (24) hours prior to the time of the meeting. Such written notice shall
be posted conspicuously at the school district office and at least two (2) or more
public buildings within the school district. Business transacted at a special
meeting will be limited to that stated in the notice of the meeting.
SECTION 200: BOARD OF EDUCATION
BOARD MEETINGS—continued Page 3 of 4
E. Executive Sessions -- An executive session is a meeting closed to all public
members, except by invitation of the Board. Such a meeting may be convened
only upon the passage of a proper motion as provided in Idaho Code §67-2345 in
an open, regular, or special meeting. Such an executive session may, by motion,
be held immediately after the motion is passed in an open meeting, or at a specific
time and place so specified in the motion. An executive session is only for matters
in which the public interest would not best be served by discussion in an open
meeting. If an executive session only will be held, a twenty-four (24) hour
meeting and agenda notice shall include the date, time, place, and items to be
discussed. Such sessions may be called:
1. To consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or individual
agent. (This does not apply to filling a vacancy in an elected office.)
2. To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints
or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or
individual agent or public school student;
3. To conduct deliberations concerning labor negotiations;
4. To acquire an interest in real property which is not owned by a public agency;
5. To consider records that are exempt by law from public inspection;
6. To consider preliminary negotiations involving matters of trade or commerce
in which the governing body is in competition with other public or private
governing bodies.
7. To communicate with legal counsel and to discuss any legal ramifications
and/or legal options for pending litigation or possible legal controversies not
yet being litigated. The presence of legal counsel at executive session does
not satisfy this requirement.
8. To communicate with a representative of the District’s risk management or
insurance provider to discuss a pending claim or prevention of a possible
claim to be filed. The presence of a risk management or insurance provider at
executive session does not satisfy this requirement.
Except for making a determination to place a certified professional employee on
probation, no action will be taken in an executive session, although the Board has
the right to chart a course of action. All action must be taken at a regular or
special meeting open to the public. If a motion is passed to move to an executive
session immediately from an open meeting, the Board will return to an open
meeting to either formalize the action or to adjourn the meeting.
F. Budget Meetings - - No later than twenty-eight (28) days prior to its annual
meeting, the Board shall have prepared a budget, in the form prescribed by the
state superintendent of public instruction, and shall hold a public hearing. At such
public hearing, the Board shall adopt a budget for the ensuring year. Notice of the
budget hearing shall be posted and published as prescribed in I.C. § 33-402.
From the time noticed, a copy of the budget shall be available for public
inspection during regular business hours.
SECTION 200: BOARD OF EDUCATION
BOARD MEETINGS—continued Page 4 of 4
3. Consistent with Idaho Code 33-510, an annual meeting of the Board shall be held on the
date of the regular July meeting in each year. The Board will at that meeting determine
the regular meetings of the Board of Trustees for a uniform day of a uniform week..
4. A quorum for the transaction of business of the board of Trustees shall consist of a
majority of the members of the Board. Unless otherwise provided by law, all questions
shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast. The Chairman of the Board may vote
in all cases.
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LEGAL REFERENCE: Idaho Code §33-510, §33-514, §67-2341, §67-2342, §67-2343,
§67-2345
