Keeping Board Meetings on Track

By: Dr. Suzette Lovely, ESS Consultant

The most visible part of the board’s work occurs at board meetings. In fact, the manner in which the board conducts itself at meetings is an expression of a district’s priorities and values. When a board spends an hour debating the cost of apples and ten minutes contemplating literacy scores, it speaks volumes to staff and the community.

Governance work requires trustees to pour through mounds of data, contemplate high stakes topics, endure pressure from multiple constituencies, and persuade colleagues to their way of thinking. Mental fatigue is inevitable. A board’s ability to make sound decisions slips away with each passing hour.

Generally, the superintendent and board president collaborate to develop meeting agendas and determine the flow. To enhance the cadence of board meetings and ensure adherence to legally-defensible practices, consider ten tips:

Avoid too many topics.

Large topics draw large crowds. Disperse meaty topics over a series of meetings as opposed to having the board tackle them all at once. Train cabinet how to be strategic as board agendas are developed.

Consider the physical space.

Be sure your meeting room can accommodate in-person attendees. If a topic is likely to draw a large crowd, move the meeting to a bigger venue. Place seats in a way to avoid standing crowds in the back of the room or aisles. Add extra security to ensure the safety of trustees and staff. Enforce room capacity regulations and decorum.

Have a time certain ending.

Making crucial decisions after trustees and staff have worked a ten-hour day is a disaster waiting to happen. Many Board Bylaws require a motion to continue a meeting beyond a certain hour. However, no board meeting should ever go past midnight.

Place important items at the beginning of the agenda.

If a topic is expected to take sufficient time for board deliberation, put that item early in the meeting. Agenda topics that attract significant attention should also be scheduled early on. Keeping people waiting for hours to address the board is not only bad form it makes attendees crankier as the evening wears on.

Change the format.

The law provides for different meeting formats to get the board’s work done. For example, master facility plan updates may be best accomplished through a study session. Review of governance protocols might be a worthy topic for a Saturday retreat. Superintendent sub-committees, comprised of minority board membership, can assist with preparatory work before a matter is considered by the full board. Altering the format of meetings can strengthen board-superintendent relationships and enhance the board’s overall effectiveness.

Use an annual planning calendar.

CSBA provides a template that allows districts to plug in critical items aligned with state statute (e.g. budget adoption cycle, waivers, layoffs, etc.). Depending if your board meets once or twice a month, other key topics can be spread across the year based on district needs and timing.

Limit awards and performances.

Although awards and performances are positive, it’s challenging to give equal air time to so many worthy accomplishments. Random recognition can also lead to hurt feelings and cynicism. Rather than take up precious time at a board meeting, go to school sites to deliver awards or attend performances. You’d be surprised how much it means to people when the superintendent and trustees show up on campus to honor them in front of their peers and family.

Boost the president’s success.

Board presidents need coaching to establish a tone of cooperation and efficiency at every meeting. During agenda prep, role play how the president might steer controversial issues away from unproductive, political, or philosophical arenas. Seek legal counsel before a meeting if there’s uncertainty about how to handle a dicey situation. The president must help Board colleagues move on when it’s time to move on.

Stay cool, even if under attack.

While trustees and staff should never feel they’re being threatened, it’s important to recognize that constituents will raise their voice to make a point. Don’t match emotion with emotion. As long as attendees are following meeting rules, free speech and the ability for members of the public to address their elected officials must carry on.

Watch other board meetings.

The best way to learn is by watching others who are doing something well, processing the information, and later replicating the behaviors observed. Well-run school board meetings don’t happen by accident. Since the pandemic, live-stream and recorded board meetings are readily available. Talk to others to find out which school boards model A+ governance and copy what they do.