Board of Education Committees (Archived)

Notice: This policy was reviewed, revised, and/or renamed. We provide this revision for historic purposes only. Please see our current policies and procedural directives.

With the adoption of the Board of Education Governance Manual on November 1, 2023, the Board of Education Governance Procedural Directives have been archived.

Board of Education Committees

Standing Committee Chair Elections

The election of the standing committee chairs shall be as follows:

Nominations and elections shall be conducted in public at the first regular board meeting held in January
Should a chair of a standing committee resign or be removed during his or her term of office, the board, at its next meeting following such resignation or removal, shall hold an election to fill the vacated position by public vote
The term of committee chair is one year. Committee chairs may serve successive terms

Chair Responsibilities

The chair of a standing committee shall:

Preside at committee meeting
Direct and guide preparation of committee agendas in collaboration with the assigned superintendent designee
Set committee schedules

Types of Standing Committees and Membership

The Board of Education may establish standing committees. Standing committees shall be responsible for addressing board business. Committees shall meet regularly and report their findings and recommendations to the Board of Education for approval. Standing committees shall work independently, but in collaboration with all other committees and the board, according to their defined scope of responsibility and function as follows:

Three standing committees shall carry out the continuing functions and purposes of the board. Two of the standing committees, Audit and Finance, are required by state statute. The three standing committees are:
- Policy
- Finance
- Audit
The board shall establish areas of responsibility for the standing committees.
All items on which a vote is to be taken during a board meeting may first be considered during the same month’s respective committee meeting, whenever possible. Board of Education meeting agendas will specifically identify items that have not been considered previously at a committee meeting the same month. A committee shall consider only those items that fall within the committee’s scope of duties. If an item does not fall squarely within the scope of a particular committee, the Board of Education president shall determine which committee shall consider the item.
Members of standing committees must be members of the board, with the exception of the Audit Committee.
The membership of standing committees is as follows:
- Each standing committee will be made up of board members and committee members are encouraged to attend all committee meetings
- The chairperson of each standing committee will be elected by the board at the first regular board meeting held in January
- Board members will be the voting members of the committees, and the superintendent or the superintendent’s designee(s) will serve as non-voting members of the committees with the exception of the Audit Committee. The public is encouraged to attend
Committee Voting Procedures:
- Committee members have the responsibility to vote
- A majority of committee members shall constitute a quorum to conduct the business of a committee. The act of a majority of the committee members present at any committee meeting shall be deemed the act of the committee
- There shall be no proxy voting at committee meetings
No committee may take any action that shall establish policy for the board or make any decision that shall be binding upon the board. Committees shall have deliberative and recommending powers only.

The missions of each committee are outlined below.

Policy Committee

The purpose of the Policy Committee is to strengthen the Board of Education’s policies to enable and support elevated, more equitable educational outcomes for all students. The scope and duties of the Policy Committee shall include, but not be limited to:

develop and review policies of the Board of Education to ensure an enabling environment for all students to learn and thrive
solicit public and stakeholder input to inform new policies or policy amendments
translate governmental and legislative mandates into meaningful policy to positively impact district programs and services
monitor and hold the district accountable for proper implementation of all Board of Education policies
the Policy Committee recommends to the board the approval and revocation of charter for the district’s charter schools
ensure the policies align with student outcomes governance and the APS District Strategic Plan

Finance Committee

The purpose of the Finance Committee is to monitor the district’s financial and operational performance. The scope of the duties of the Finance Committee shall include, but not be limited to:

make recommendations to the local school board in the following areas:
- (a) financial planning, including reviews of the school district's revenue and expenditure projections
- (b) review of financial statements and periodic monitoring of revenues and expenses
- (c) annual budget preparation and oversight
- (d) procurement
serve as an external monitoring committee on budget and other financial matters
ensure budget preparation and financial planning align with student outcomes focused governance and the APS District Strategic Plan

Audit Committee

The function of the Audit Committee, shall include, but is not limited to, review and recommend approval or action(s) associated with the district’s annual audit, any internal audit(s), audits associated with the capital outlay and technology, any employee whistleblower complaints, and as set forth in the district audit policy. The audit consists of at least two board members, one volunteer member who is a parent of a student attending that school district and one volunteer member who has experience in accounting or financial matters. The superintendent and the school district business manager shall serve as ex-officio members of the committee. The audit committee shall:

evaluate the request for proposal for annual financial audit services
recommend the selection of the financial auditor
attend the entrance and exit conferences for annual and special audits;
meet with external financial auditors at least monthly after audit field work begins until the conclusion of the audit
be accessible to the external financial auditors as requested to facilitate communication with the board and the superintendent
track and report progress on the status of the most recent audit findings and advise the local school board on policy changes needed to address audit findings
provide other advice and assistance as requested by the local school board; and
be subject to the same requirements regarding the confidentiality of audit information as those imposed upon the local school board by the Audit Act [12-6-1 through 12-6-14 NMSA 1978] and rules of the state auditor

Notice of Committee Meetings and Agendas

All meetings of board committees will be publicly announced and will adhere to the Open Meetings Act and the Open Meetings Act Resolution of the Board.

Each committee chair shall approve an agenda for each committee meeting, incorporating business forwarded by the superintendent or his/her designee, the board, the president, or board member(s).

The committee may change or modify the agenda at the meeting within the requirements of the Open Meetings Act. Except in an emergency, action may only be taken on items that have been officially posted for a thirty-six (36) hour period prior to the meeting. A Board of Education Services Office staff member or a committee coordinator is assigned by the district administration to attend each meeting and is responsible for preparing minutes of the meeting.

Ad Hoc Committees

Ad Hoc committees may be appointed by the president or the board as deemed necessary. Ad hoc committees shall be limited in their jurisdiction to the purpose of their establishment. Members of ad hoc committees must be members of the board. The size of ad hoc committees will be determined at the time of formation. Ultimate authority to make decisions will reside with the board.

Task Force Committees or Commissions

Task force committees or commissions may be appointed by the president or the board as one means of discerning the needs and desires of the district and its residents. Task force committees or commissions are advisory and shall be limited in their jurisdiction to the purpose of their establishment. Members of task force committees or commissions may be either board or community members. The size of task forces or commissions will be determined at the time of formation. Ultimate authority to make decisions will reside with the board.

Official Representation on Community or Other Governmental Organizations and Committees

Members of the APS Board of Education represent the district by participating in local and national organizations. Board member involvement is an important way the board serves constituents and APS students. Specific board members may be assigned to represent the board with some external organizations and, in others, all APS board members may have the opportunity to participate.

Resignation or Removal of Committee Chairs

Any committee chair may resign from his or her position at any time by giving written notice to the president of the board. The resignation shall be accepted by the board. A committee chair may be removed from his/her position by public vote of at least five board members.

Board of Education Member:

Policy Committee Chair

Department Director:

Board of Education Services Office Executive Director

References:
Legal Cross Ref.:

§22-5-4 NMSA 1978
Open Meetings Act, NMSA 1978, Sections 10-15-1 to 10-15-4
§22-8-12.3 (2013)

Board Policy Cross Ref.:

Procedural Directive Cross Ref.:

Forms Cross Ref:

Open Meetings Act Resolution

NSBA/NEPN Classification: BD

Introduced: November 11, 2015
Adopted: November 18, 2015
Reviewed: September 12, 2018
Revised: September 19, 2018
Reviewed: April 20, 2022
Revised: April 20, 2022
Reviewed: July 7, 2022
Revised: July 20, 2022
Reviewed: January 4, 2023
Revised: January 4, 2023

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