A Short Guide to Board Meetings
The Role of the Board
The primary responsibility of the board is to establish programs and procedures that will facilitate maximum learning for every student. The board must accomplish this while also being responsible for wise management of resources available to the district. The board must fulfill these responsibilities by functioning primarily as a legislative body to formulate and adopt policy, by selecting an executive officer to implement policy and by evaluating the results; further, it must carry out its functions openly, while seeking the involvement and contributions of the public, students and staff in its decision-making process.
The Organization of the Board of Education
The president and vice president of the board positions are determined by the election of fellow board members at the Organizational Meeting in January of each year. The president conducts the meetings, acts as spokesperson for the board and performs various legal functions such as signing contracts. The vice-president conducts the meeting and board business in the absence of the president.
Role of the Superintendent
The superintendent of schools is the chief administrative officer of the district and is responsible for the execution of the board's policies and the day-to-day operation of the school district. By delegation, the board provides the superintendent with the freedom to manage the schools within the board's policies, freeing the board to devote its time to policy-making and appraisal functions. The superintendent is not a member of the board, but reports directly to the board.
Role of the Treasurer
The treasurer serves as the chief financial officer of the school district and is responsible for the receipt, investment, accounting and disbursement of all types of public funds as required by law and in accordance with board policies. The treasurer is not a member of the board, but serves as its secretary at board meetings.
The Meetings
The Olentangy Local School Board establishes its meetings for the year at the Organizational Meeting each January. All Board of Education meetings are open to the public except those called to be held in Executive Session.
Executive Sessions
According to Ohio's Sunshine Law, the board may call an executive session to:
- consider matters involving personnel;
- consider the purchase or sale of property;
- consult with an attorney;
- prepare for, conduct or review negotiations with employees;
- consider matters required to be kept confidential by federal law or state statutes;
- consider specialized details of security arrangements; or
- conferences called by a member of the Ohio Auditor's Office or an appointed certified public accountant for the purpose of an audit.
No official action may be taken in executive session. To take action on any matter discussed, the board must reconvene in open session.
Public Participation at Board Meetings
Olentangy welcomes public participation at its board meetings and offers two opportunities for public participation. Any individual wishing to address the board during a meeting must sign in with the treasurer.
Individuals have two opportunities during the board meeting to comment on matters of concern.
The first opportunity takes place at the beginning of the board meeting and is for general comments on matters relevant to the school district. Those wishing to participate must complete a "Public Participation" form and provide it to the treasurer.
The second opportunity, which takes place immediately prior to the "Action Items" portion of the agenda, is for comments that are directly related to a particular agenda item. Those wishing to speak must submit a complete "Public Participation" form to the treasurer before the "Action Items" section of the agenda.
At both public speaking opportunities, individuals are allowed five minutes in which to make statements and a maximum total public participation of 30 minutes for each public speaking session. Speakers will be recognized by the board president and must state his/her name and address.
The board encourages the public to offer comments and express opinions. Speakers are strongly encouraged to discuss their comments and concerns with the appropriate school staff members, administrators, and/or board members before directing such comments to the entire board during a meeting. Individual problems will not be handled at board meetings unless all other avenues of redress have been followed and an appeal is made in writing to the district treasurer at least four business days prior to the meeting.
