Board Meeting Report

For my board meeting, I was able to view a recording of a business meeting of the
Indiana Board of Education from April 1, 2015. The meeting involved the movement of many
motions regarding different issues affecting schools in Indiana. I think that observing the ways in
which the Indiana State School Board conducts its meetings is very beneficial to macro social
work practice.
When motions are brought forward by Glenda Ritz, the state superintendent and leader of
this group, there is often a lively discussion in order to make sure all voices are heard and all
aspects of the motion are fully understood by all. In our board meeting for the Hoima-Uganda
Education Foundation, there were sometimes lively discussions regarding proposed motions, but
they would not always be conducted respectfully. Most comments made in the Board of
Education meeting are for clarification and express a respectful disagreement with an
explanation as to why. Additionally, when the statement of disagreement is made, it is often left
at that. There were certain times in our HUEF board meetings in which disagreements were
reached, but these points of disagreement were stated repeatedly, effectively wasting time and
helping nobody in the organization reach a decision regarding the motion any faster.
Another important aspect of the Board of Education meeting is that they often have
experts testify regarding certain motions when necessary. This is very important to make sure
that all members of the school board are on the same page with each motion and have the same,
full understanding of what is being discussed. While they were often not necessary at the HUEF
board meetings, it may have been useful to have the founder of the organization, Dr. Kabadaki,
present at board meetings to discuss motions with us, as most of our motions regarded the
allocation of funds. With Kabadakis guidance and knowledge as to where funds were needed

most for the Hoima-Uganda Education Foundation, we may have been able to come to a more
peaceful and timely consensus, because we would possess more knowledge about the issue at
hand.