NOTES: Board Work Session, 08/25/08

The Board Work Session Monday, August 25th will be re-broadcast on Channel 96 on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.; Fridays at 9 a.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

In my opinion, this meeting was very unproductive and a waste of not only our time but staff.

PUBLIC FORUM - Rules

• None

WORK SESSION - Board Priorities Sub-Committee

• Discussion and decision was made that these are the boards priorities and now its up to staff to address, provide details and progress in an ongoing manner

WORK SESSION - MABE Committees (no report available)

• In my opinion, most board members thought the Chair was looking for volunteers to serve on a MABE committee. However, it was determined that the Chair was actually looking for nominations for the MABE Charles W. Willis award. There was no paperwork or criteria provided and therefore we were unable to submit nominees. I tried searching the MABE web-site to know avail.

WORK SESSION - Review of Policies #8000 and #9336

• Abell - pointed out that it should be a review of the entire 8000 series, not just policy 8000.
• Discussion about how to proceed
• Wade - suggested Pedersen bring changes before the board.
• Abell - volunteered to serve on a committee as opposed to one person solely responsible
• Schwartz - advised the Chair to solicit volunteers outside of the meeting and appoint committee members
• Abell - asked Schwartz for clarification and reasoning in the different processes.
• Schwartz - explained if the Chair appointed them in the public meeting then the committee would be an "official" board committee as opposed to not.
• (side note - what Schwartz didn't say was...if the Chair appointed members during the public meeting and made the committee an "official" committee, then this committee would be subject to all the rules & regulations of the Open Meetings Act and the meetings would be open to the public.)
• (side note #2- didn't we decide during the August Board meeting that we would be going over these together because the Chair didn't want a committee)

WORK SESSION - Discussion on Public Forum at Work Sessions (no report available)

• Abell - reason for this item, uncertain the purpose or intention
• Wade - feels we have given staff conflicting information
• Pedersen - questions how public forum concerns are addressed. i.e. the Blue Ribbon Commission has asked for a meeting.
• Richmond - suggests we met with them during a work session
• Discussion
• Abell - no problem with public forums at work sessions; doesn't require extra time and provides another opportunity to hear from constituents
• Pedersen - agrees
• Wise - agrees
• Richmond - agrees
• O'Malley-Simpson - committee needs to modify Policy 8000

WORK SESSION - Draft minutes of the August 12, 2008, regular Board meeting; Motions