May 31, 2007 Draft Board Retreat Minutes

Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION RETREAT

On January 18, 2007, the Board of Education directed the Communications and PublicEngagement Committee to review Board meeting processes and issues that need to beaddressed and make recommendations to the Board.The Board of Education of Montgomery County met at the Carver Educational ServicesCenter, Rockville, Maryland, on May 31, 2007, at 9:00 a.m.Present: Ms. Nancy Navarro, Presidentin the ChairMr. Steve AbramsMr. Christopher BarclayMs. Shirley BrandmanMs. Sharon CoxDr. Judith DoccaMs. Sarah HorvitzMrs. Patricia O’NeillDr. Jerry Weast, Secretary/TreasurerAbsent: NoneOther staff members present were: Roland Ikheloa, Suzann King, Glenda Rose, JoeLavorgna, Brian Porter, and Aggie Alvez.What follows is a summary of the discussions and recommendations that members of thecommittee made at its May 14, 2007, meeting regarding the above resolution. Thecommittee’s deliberations are presented in the order of the retreat’s agenda.

The decisions of the Board are denoted in blue/bold.REVIEW OF BOARD BUSINESS PROCESSES AND MEETINGSTime, format, and content of Board meetings

Committee Discussion: There was a consensus by the committee that the Boardneeded to restructure its Board meetings in order to make the meetings more efficientand provide more time for substantive in-depth discussions before taking appropriateaction. The committee discussed creating more time for in-depth BOE discussions bylimiting the number of discussion topics at regular Board meetings. The committeeproposed creating worksessions throughout the year devoted to key issues. Thefollowing options for achieving these objectives are laid out for the full Board’sdeliberation and action.

•

Should the Board start evening meetings earlier?

It was decided that the evening meeting will start one hour earlierbeginning in September

(closed session at 5:30 p.m., open session at6:00 p.m., and adjournment no later than 9:30 p.m.)

.

•

Should worksessions be added to the existing calendar or should the Board convert all or some evening meetings?

Strategic plans will be included with the budget worksessions in January.The agenda will include a substantial block of time for in-depthdiscussion on items this fulfill the board’s role, such as policy, strategicplanning, accountability.

•

Should capacity be created for Board mini-retreats in the calendar every year

By motion, the Board agreed to schedule/calendar several mini-retreatsevery year.

Adding structure to Board ceremonies—sticking with a presentation plan

Committee Discussion: The committee expressed a desire to streamline the length ofpresentations of the Board’s recognitions and ceremonies and the discussion centeredon creating a presentation plan that:

•

Sets a maximum number of ceremonies per meeting.

•

Provides for not more than 2 speakers presenting at the table—one staff to present an overview and one community representative to speak (e.g., 3 minutes each) after the superintendent or Board president has introduced item.

•

Allows time for the Board president or one Board member to speak on behalf of the Board.

•

Allows for a photo opportunity if necessary.

The Board decided to take proclamations to the event, and they will notrecognize them at the Board table. Also, the recognitions for “months”will be in the form of a proclamation or resolution that will be read andvoted on by the Board. If there is a photo opportunity, it will be donebefore or after the meeting.

The Communications and Public EngagementCommittee will review using a grid and make recommendations on thebroad categories of recognitions.All changes to the format of Board meetings will be communicated to thepublic.The operating budget worksessions will be aligned with the strategic planwith discussions on both.Agenda setting will use 10 hours a month to guide decision making onitems and the time allotted.

Board Retreat Page 3

May 31, 2007

All changes will begin in September.Board member comments

Committee Discussion: Committee members expressed interest in the amount of timedevoted to

Board/Superintendent

Comments.

There was some discussion as to thedesirability of placing it at the end of every Board meeting, rather than immediatelyafter

Public Comments

:

Should this be moved to the end of the business meeting? Should Board members be timed to a 2-minute limit?

After a lengthy discussion, the Board agreed that the placement of thecomments should not be changed, and there should be no time limits.However, the members agreed that they should be mindful of the time andself-limit comments.

Public comments

Committee Discussion: The committee noted that different jurisdictions around thestate structure their

Public Comments

section differently. Some restrict the commentsto only items on the meeting’s agenda; some, like MCPS, allow comments on anytopic; and some do a mix of both. The Board would need to decide whether to:

Allow comments on any items as is current practice? Restrict public comments to only items on the day’s agenda? Do a mix of both?

After a great deal of discussion and suggestions, the Board agreed to use thefollowing format:

At 3:00 p.m., the first 10 slots will be filled on a first come, first servedbasis and will relate to items on the agenda (only six slots will be on thesame subject). At 3:45 p.m., the last five slots will be filled on a firstcome, first served basis and will be open comments not related to theagenda.Board papers: Defining expectations for format and content

Committee Discussion: The committee appreciated improvements that have beenmade to the Board paper presentations over the years, including the executivesummaries; however, there was consensus that the Board papers could berestructured to provide more information to the Board in a more user-friendly mannerand allow for easier decision making on the part of the Board.

•

The committee expressed interest in a format for Board papers structured with the following pieces: executive summary; issues; alignment with the

of 00

Leave a Comment