| Contact: Robert F. Dooley | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| Phone: (520) 387-5618 | November 12, 2010 |
Colum Segment: Superintendent's Thoughts...
Article Title:"Why's and Where Fore's" of School Board Meetings
AJO, AZ, November 12, 2010: During the national, state, and local election cycle, there is a heightened awareness of and interest in how the government works for its citizenry. The local school board is the closest form of elected government to the local voter. The Governing Board of public school districts is very similar to the New England Town Hall model of local government. What is dramatically different for local school district Governing Boards is the number of federal and state regulations with which they must comply as compared to the "town hall" form of government.
A major regulation that has been in effect for some time for city councils, school boards and other public boards is the Arizona Open Meeting Law (Arizona Revised Statutes 38-431). This is a good law, and is referred to some individuals as the "sunshine law". The Open Meeting statute is designed to ensure that public bodies vote on issues that effect the public, in a meeting at which the public may be present. The main meetings stipulated under this statute are "Regular Meetings", "Study Sessions", "Special Meetings", and "Executive Sessions". All of these meetings are open to the public except the Executive Sessions. The law specifically dictates for what purposes executive sessions can be held. No voting can occur in executive session except for a vote on the expulsion or long term suspension of a student. Expulsion or long term suspensions are conducted in a closed executive session to protect the identity of the minor child who is protected by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Regular meetings are the meetings at which school district business is conducted via a vote of the Board. Study sessions are held to educate the Board, or to gain public input on an issue that may be voted upon at a future meeting. Special meetings are any meetings that are held in addition to those meetings established by the Board at their January meeting. Executive meetings are closed to the public and the use of which is clearly delineated by law.
All Governing Board meetings have a 24 hour minimal posting requirement. In the Ajo Unified School District, those postings are placed into a locked, glass bulletin board outside the District Office at 111 N. Well Road. A requirement of state law is to communicate the posting location to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. In years past, the notices of meetings were posted on open bulletin board outside the public library. That practice ceased because there was not a guarantee that the notice could not be removed and therefore the public be denied access to this information. It is not required by law, but most of our Regular Board meeting agendas are listed in the Copper News. Board meeting dates and times can also be found on the Ajo School website, www.ajoschools.org.
Our Board has chosen to go a second mile in making the public aware of, and to ask clarifying questions of the Board or administration about an agenda item by scheduling monthly Board Study Sessions. At these meetings, which are always held the night before the Regular Board Meeting, the public may ask questions and the Board may ask for their opinion prior to a formal vote on a topic the following night at a Regular Meeting. At regular Board meetings, the Board may only vote on and discuss items that have been on a posted agenda 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting.
Our meetings are usually held the 1st Wednesday and Thursday of each month at the Ajo Unified School District Office Board Room located at 111 N. Well Road. Occasionally these meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday and Thursday of the month. We would love to see you there.