AGENDA DEVELOPMENT
1. Who may place items on the agenda / guidelines i. In general, the Superintendent is responsible for creating the agenda
  1. The Superintendent must share the agenda, with any necessary accompanying documents, five (5) days prior to the meeting date with the exception of Emergency Called Meetings
  2. A Board Member may request to the Board President or the Superintendent to have a specific item placed on the agenda. Specific requests should be made at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting date
2. Items not allowed in Open Session
  1. Personnel issues other than those exempt by the Texas Open Meetings Act or those, requested in writing, by the sole employee involved
  2. Anything that violates an individual's right to privacy or could be reasonably construed as a defamation of character
  3. Anything involving a minor child that could possibly violate the rights and standards established by FERPA and TEA
CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS DURING MEETINGS
1. Definition of a Quorum
  1. Any time four (4) or more members are gathered together is considered a quorum
  2. Members discussing school district business or issues in a quorum, not officially protected by a published agenda, will be in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act and subject to penalty under law
2. Discussion of Individuals during Board Meetings
  1. Team of Eight Members will not participate in comments raised by audience members or guests which pertain to individual personnel, students, programs or policies
3. Motions
  1. Standard parliamentary procedures shall be followed for all meetings
  2. All discussion shall be directed solely to the agenda item currently under deliberation
  3. The Board President has the responsibility to keep discussion limited to the current agenda item and shall halt any discussion that is not applicable
  4. The Board President has the right to recognize a Member prior to that Member offering comments
4. Voting
  1. The Superintendent will make recommendations on all action items but may not vote on any agenda items
  2. The Board President may vote on all action items
  3. In case of a tie vote, the item will be tabled and placed on the agenda of the next meeting
5. Executive Session
  1. Only those items clearly listed on the official agenda may be discussed in Executive Session; it is not to be used as a "catch-all" or general discussion and comment opportunity
  2. No votes may be taken during Executive Session
  3. All discussion and information resulting from Executive Session must remain confidential
CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF THE MEETING
1. Authority
  1. No Board Member has any authority outside the setting of an official School Board Meeting which adheres to the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act
2. Citizen Request / Complaint to a Board Member
  1. The Member should listen respectfully to the citizen
  2. The Member must refer the citizen to the official district Chain of Command
  3. The Member must not offer an opinion about the complaint or any other matter pertaining to the district
  4. The Member should remind the citizen that Due Process requires the Member to remain impartial in case the situation goes before the Board for official consideration
3. Employee Request / Complaint to a Board Member
  1. The Member should listen respectfully to the employee
  2. The Member must refer the employee to his/her immediate supervisor
  3. In cases where discussing the complaint with the immediate supervisor would be inappropriate, the employee should be referred to the Superintendent
  4. The Member must not offer an opinion about the complaint or any other matter pertaining to the district
  5. The Member should remind the employee that Due Process requires the Member to remain impartial in case the situation goes before the Board for official consideration
4. Definition of Chain of Command
  1. The Teacher or Employee with whom the situation / complaint originated
  2. The Principal or his/her designee
  3. The Superintendent
  4. None of these steps may be circumvented. Anyone trying to do so must be referred back to the appropriate level
5. Board Members Visiting School Campus
  1. All Members are invited and encouraged to attend as many school events as their time permits
  2. Like all guests, Members should obtain a visitor's pass before visiting the campus
  3. Members are not to interrupt classes or visit for the purpose of evaluating employees or programs
6. Communications
  1. The Superintendent shall confer with the Board President regularly to discuss issues of the district
  2. The Superintendent shall disseminate all emergency notifications and other information considered immediately pertinent to all Board Members as soon as possible
  3. The Superintendent shall see that the district website and other communications are current and disseminated in a timely fashion
7. Media Inquiries
  1. The Superintendent is the official spokesperson for the district
  2. All media inquiries must be referred immediately to the Superintendent
  3. Individual Board Members may not speak on behalf of the district
  4. In any circumstance where the Superintendent cannot act as the district spokesperson, all media requests and inquiries should be referred to the Board President
RESPONSIBILITY, ROLE AND AUTHORITY OF MEMBERS AND OFFICERS
1. The School Board is, according to law, a quasi-legislative body charged with the following duties
  1. Adopting official policy to serve the best interests of the students of the district
  2. Hire, and provide an annual evaluation of, the Superintendent of Schools
  3. Set the annual district tax rate
  4. Adopt the annual district budget with the recommendation of the Superintendent
2. The School Board as a quasi-legislative body, does not participate in the following practices
  1. Day to day management and operation of the school district
  2. Employee assignment, supervision and evaluation
  3. Program implementation and evaluation except in its function to adopt policy
3. Election of Officers
  1. The School Board will reorganize itself at the conclusion of the canvas of votes and the swearing in of members following a general election
  2. The internal election of officers will be specific to the positions of President, Vice President and Secretary and will be taken in that order
  3. A vacancy in an office other than President will be filled by majority action of the Board
  4. A vacancy in the office of President will be filled by the Vice President and a new Vice President will be elected by majority action of the Board
  5. No Board Member or Officer has any authority outside the confines of the body corporate in an official meeting held under the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act
  6. President
    1. Shall preside at all Board Meetings
    2. Shall sign all documents as required by law
  7. Vice President
    1. Shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence
  8. Secretary
    1. Shall see that accurate records of Board Meetings are kept
    2. Shall serve as the presiding officer in the event that both the President and Vice President are absent
    3. Shall sign all legal documents as required by law
4. Evaluation of the Superintendent
  1. The Superintendent shall provide each Board Member with a copy of the evaluation instrument to be utilized during the annual December Regular Board Meeting
  2. The Superintendent's evaluation and contract consideration is to be done annually during the month of January
  3. The Board President will steer the evaluation process and solicit input from all Board Members
  4. The final evaluation will be done through a process of consensus
  5. The Superintendent is entitled to a conference of explanation with the School Board about his/her evaluation and may respond to any or all parts of the evaluation, in writing, within the timeframe permitted by state law
  6. The Superintendent's evaluation and conference of explanation will be conducted in Executive Session unless the Superintendent request they be done in Open Session as allowable under state law

Apple Springs ISD