Board Norms

How We Approach Board Work

• The Board will commit to conducting its work with care and respect. Comments and actions that cause harm based on people’s identities will not be tolerated.
• The Board will value the lived experiences of students, families, staff, community, and board members when engaging with the community and during meetings.
• The Board will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints when engaging with staff, students, families, and community members.
• The Board leadership will consist of a Board Chair and Co-Vice Chairs. A Vice Chair will perform leadership duties when the Chair is not available.

How We Meet

• During board meetings, board members will strive to start and end on time. The Board will engage in relevant and topical discussion based on the agenda topics.
• During board meetings, board members will have the opportunity to speak to each agenda item before members may speak a second time. The Chair has the authority to move the discussion forward.
• During board meetings, board members will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints.
• During board meetings, board members will allow all members time to express themselves without feeling rushed. Members will be succinct to maintain opportunity for all to express themselves.
• During board meetings, board members will allow moments of silence between commentaries to provide time to consider the discussion.
• During board meetings, board members will adhere to public meeting laws, which stipulate that no quorum of a governing body may meet privately (including before and after meetings and during breaks) to decide, deliberate on, or gather information on any matters.

How We Engage with Public Comment

• The Board will value public comment as an important way to hear from students, families, staff, and community members and, as such, is essential to the work of the district and board.
• The Board will facilitate comments from the public and follow-up questions from board members, adhering to the time allotted for public comment.
• The Board will actively listen to those sharing their points of view to facilitate full understanding and the possibility of changing viewpoints.
• The Board will defer to the Superintendent to offer a response directly following public comment if a comment relates specifically to district operations and is time-sensitive in nature.
• The Board may revisit topics or issues brought up during public comment if they choose to do so at the appropriate time in the agenda. If needed, the Board will utilize work sessions and other forms of engagement to hear from the community.

How We Support Students and Staff

• The Board will value every student in a school building as a unique individual with identities, lived experiences, and points of view that enhance our schools and district.
• The Board will value every staff member in a school building as an educator of students. The Board will respect and rely on their professional expertise.
• The Board will be cognizant of scarcity of resources and time when requesting action from Information requests that demand significant staff effort to fulfill will be aligned with the District Goals and approved by the Board.
• The Board may visit schools and participate in school events as informal expressions of interest in school affairs and not as visits for supervisory or administrative purposes.