Board of Education Meetings

This procedural directive was reviewed and revised in September 2018. We provide this revision for historic purposes only.

Regular Meetings. 

The Board may establish a schedule for Board and Committee meetings.  The Board shall hold regular meetings at least monthly.

Regular board meetings are the formal process where the Board meets as a whole to conduct the business of the school District.

Regular meetings are held in accordance with the schedule agreed upon by the majority of the Board as outlined in its annual Open Meetings Act Resolution.

All regular Board meetings include a Public Forum segment that allows time-limited comments from the public on any matter relating to the school District.  Please refer to the Public Attendance and Participation section of this procedural directive for additional information.

Standing Committees may bring forth business to the full Board with action taken either through a consent item, action from Committee meetings, or Special Issues.

Special Meetings. 

Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President or by written request of three members of the Board submitted to the President.

Special meetings are held to consider one or more particular items of Board business, a Board retreat or training session.

Emergency Meetings. 

Emergency meetings are those meetings necessitated by circumstances which require immediate action to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the students and employees of the district, to protect the property of the district or to avoid substantial financial loss to the district. Emergency meetings may be called by the President of the Board or by a majority of the members of the Board.

Closed Meetings.  

The Board may meet in a Closed Meeting in accordance with the New Mexico Open Meetings Act and the Open Meetings Resolution of the Board.

 Closed meetings may address an item of Board business that is not open to public participation or observations such as:

• licensing
• limited personnel matters
• administrative adjudicatory deliberations
• personally identifiable student information
• collective bargaining
• threatened or pending litigation
• real property and water rights

No official action is taken during a closed meeting. The Board or Standing Committee must convene in public session or a regular Board meeting to take official action.

The Board follows the procedures of the Open Meetings Act for closing an open meeting and for holding a closed meeting separately from an open meeting. 

Committee Meetings. 

The Chairperson of the committee may establish the frequency of Committee meetings.

Standing Committee Meetings address Board business by:

• Working independently, but also in collaboration with other Committees and the Board
• Ensuring advance notice of issues so there may be comprehensive discussion, and deliberation about action to be taken at a regular Board meeting
• Providing a forum for detailed questioning and formative discussion of ideas that will be brought before the Board

• Standing Committee meetings are held in accordance with the schedule agreed upon by the majority of the Board as outlined in its annual Open Meetings Act Resolution.

Please refer to the Board of Education Committees procedure for more information regarding committee meetings.

Issues for Consideration by the Board

The Board has established the practice that issues will first be referred to the appropriate Standing Committee for consideration and discussion before they are considered for vote by the full Board. The Board may elect to expedite critical issues.  Issues or questions may be raised any number of ways but must go through the Board and the leadership team of the administration to be placed on the Board agenda.

Issues that a Board member or the Superintendent want considered by the Board are first assigned to the appropriate Standing Committee. A draft proposal, report, or policy will be prepared by the appropriate District staff.   The item will be scheduled for a Committee meeting agenda in consultation with that Committee Chair, as a discussion/action item or discussion only. The agenda must be posted according to the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.

Meeting Notice and Agendas

Board meetings shall comply with the New Mexico Open Meetings Act (§10-15-1 NMSA 1978) and the Open Meetings Resolution of the Board for notification to the public when a Board meeting is taking place.  The meeting schedules and agendas are posted in the Board Office and on the APS web site.

Agenda Setting

The president and the superintendent, with review by the Executive Committee, shall prepare an agenda for each Board meeting, incorporating business forwarded by the Standing Committees, identified by the President, or by request of members of the Board.  

The Board President, in collaboration with the Executive Committee and other Board members, and the Superintendent set the agendas for the Board of Education Regular and Special meetings. However, the Board reserves the right to change or modify the agenda at the meeting.  Except in an emergency, action may only be taken on items that have been officially posted for a twenty-four (24) hour period prior to the meeting.  Business items are derived from emerging issues, actions associated with Master Calendar items, required Board actions, and by written request of three Board members.

Agenda Documents

Documents pertaining to agenda items must be filed in the Board office at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the meeting. Such documents must include all related statements and materials necessary for Board review.  These documents are compiled into a Board notebook that is delivered by courier to each Board member.  The delivery is scheduled on the Friday preceding the Wednesday Board meeting. 

Agenda Formats

Only those items on the agenda will be discussed and deliberated by the Board at a meeting. The order of business may be as follows unless reordered by the Board:

Regular meetings:

• Public Forum – 30 minutes
• Call to order
• Pledge of allegiance to the flag/moment of silence
• Roll call
• Adoption of agenda
• Presentation and approval of minutes
• Recognition
• Special Issues
• Consent agenda
• Reports and Information
• Announcement of upcoming meetings
• Adjournment

Special meetings:

• Call to order
• Items for which special meeting was called
• Announcements
• Adjournment

Executive sessions:

• An executive session may be scheduled, as necessary, during either a regular or special meeting.

Consent Agenda Items

The agenda of each regular Board meeting may contain a consent agenda.

Consent agenda items will be determined by committee chairs and administration staff liaisons at the time agendas are prepared for the regular meetings of the Board.  Consent agenda items are acted upon as a group with one motion and second for all identified items.  Items to be included on the consent agenda will be listed on the agenda in the normal manner.  All backup materials relating to any consent agenda items will be included in the Board’s agenda packet.

Consent agenda items may be removed from consent status by any member of the Board before the regular Board meeting or at the time of adoption of the agenda.  When so removed, they are to be acted upon just as other agenda items.

Rules of Order and Minutes

Rules of Order

Quorum

The act of a majority of a quorum present at any such meeting shall be deemed the act of the Board.  A quorum is the minimum number of Board members who must be present at the meetings of a deliberative assembly for business to be legally transacted. The Board uses the definition of quorum to be a majority of the elected members.  At a regular Board meeting, a quorum would be established when four (4) members of the Board are present either in person or by telephone attendance.

A Standing Committee meeting quorum is established when four members of the Board are present either in person or by telephone attendance. 

Unintended or “Rolling” Quorum

When four or more Board members gather for any reason related to conducting the business of the Board, a quorum exists under the Open Meetings Act.  Board members must be aware that no more than three (3) can gather at any time without creating a perception that business is being conducted, whether or not other people are present.  This does not apply to social functions, but would apply if four or more Board members were having lunch together.

Board members must abide by the law and must realize that any meeting of a quorum of the Board can constitute a Board Meeting that must be legally announced.

Voting Procedures

Votes on all motions and resolutions shall be by a voice or roll-call vote and the vote of members shall be recorded.  No secret ballots shall be used.

Each member of the board shall have one vote and a proposal shall pass by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at the meeting.

The Board may allow a member to participate in the business of the Board and cast a vote on Board business using a device configured in a manner that conversations from all participants can be heard on both ends of the deliberations in accordance with the Open Meetings Act when it is otherwise difficult or impossible for the member to attend the meeting in person.

All Board members may vote on any matter coming before the Board unless a conflict of interest exists.  No proxy voting shall be allowed at Board meetings. 

Minutes

Minutes shall be kept of all Board meetings.  The draft minutes of each Board or Committee meeting shall be prepared within ten (10) working days after the meeting.  Minutes shall be distributed in accordance with the New Mexico Open Meetings Act. The Board will take action at a subsequent meeting to amend and/or approve these minutes.

The minutes of the Board of Education shall include:

• The date, place and classification of the meeting (regular, special, etc.)
• Record of the roll call of Board members
• A notation of the presence or absence of the superintendent
• A record of any modification of the published agenda
• A record of any corrections to the minutes of any previous meeting and the action approving them
• A record of any communication, petitions, or reports presented to the Board
• A record of each motion placed before the Board, the member making the motion and the member seconding it (if any), the declaration of the person presiding as to whether the motion passed or failed and the name of each person voting “aye” or “nay”, or abstaining on other than unanimous votes.

All reports, resolutions, agreements and other written documents which require Board action may be made part of the minutes by reference only, but shall be kept on file as part of the permanent record.

 A “draft” copy of the minutes should clearly indicate that they are “not official.”  Minutes become official when approved by the Board.

Minutes shall be permanently filed and kept in the Board office after approval by the Board pursuant to NMAC 1.15.3.119.  They shall be kept for inspection by any citizen at any time the Board office is open during regular business hours pursuant to the Open Meetings Act..  The minutes shall not be removed from the Board office.

Board of Education Member: Policy and Instruction Committee Chair

Department Director:

• Board of Education Services Office Executive Director

References:

Legal Cross Ref.:

• §22-5-4 NMSA 1978

Board Policy Cross Ref.:

• BD – Board of Education Organization
• BE – Board of Education Meetings
• BE1 – Board of Education Meeting Agendas
• BE2 – Rules of Order

Procedural Directive Cross Ref.:

NSBA/NEPN Classification: BD

Introduced: November 11, 2015
Adopted: November 18, 2015

This page was last updated on: January 11, 2016.