Meetings are an integral part of the business of education. Whether you’re a school board member, a superintendent, or a principal, you probably have to attend meetings and sometimes even run them. So what are the different types of school board meetings?
School board meetings are an essential part of the educational process. They help ensure schools are properly managing your child’s education and that the school is working to meet students’ needs.
When it comes to meeting management, there is a lot to consider: from your current meeting management system to the effectiveness of remote meetings; many variables factor into what system will work best for you.
In this article, we’ll explore 4 different types of school board meetings. We’ll also discuss how our platform can help you manage every kind of meeting more effectively.
Common Types of School Board Meetings
So what happens at a school board meeting? Who can attend a school board meeting? How can technology help make them more efficient and effective? We’ll explore all this! Here are the 4 most common types of school board meetings:
1. Regular Meetings
Regular meetings are the most common type of school board meeting. These meetings typically cover topics like student achievement, community engagement, and education policy.
Regular meetings are typically held on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. They are generally an open forum for all community members to attend and provide input on district issues. Board members often set the agenda in advance, but if there is an unexpected concern or item that needs to be addressed, it may be added to the agenda at the meeting itself. Board members are expected to attend all regular meetings and discuss any topic that comes up.
Regular meetings are a chance for board members to discuss and vote on issues that affect the entire district. These issues might be budget-related, like approving new textbooks or funding a new playground in one of your schools. They might also be personnel-related, like hiring a new principal or adopting a new school policy.
The regular meeting is also where board members get together with their superintendent to discuss what’s happening within their district—how many kids are enrolled? How many teachers have been hired this year? What policies need updating?
2. Special Meetings
Special meetings are a type of school board meeting that is called to discuss topics unrelated to the board’s regular business. They are a hybrid between regular and emergency meetings. They’re called special because they’re not as frequent as regular meetings, but they happen often enough that it’s important to know what they are and what their purpose is.
Special meetings are generally held when something urgent or time-sensitive needs to be discussed during the public portion of the meeting. For example, suppose a school board member has been accused of misconduct. The board may schedule a special meeting so all members can discuss the issue and decide how best to proceed with the investigation.
In short, special meetings are a type of school board meeting with a specific purpose. During these meetings, only business that’s directly related to why the meeting was called will be discussed—and no new business will be added.
3. Closed Meetings
Closed meetings are another common type of school board meeting. They take place behind closed doors and are not open to the public. They occur when a quorum of members is present and discuss business that may not involve student information. During these meetings, school board members can discuss matters such as hiring and firing staff, employee performance reviews, approving budgets, or legal issues like potential litigation.
School board members have an obligation to ensure that all information discussed during closed meetings is kept confidential. This means no one can share what was discussed during a closed meeting in public without risking legal action from the school district.
Any member who does not want to attend this type of meeting is permitted to abstain. This means they will not be counted as part of the quorum and are therefore unable to participate in discussions or vote on decisions made at this meeting.
4. Emergency Meetings
Emergency meetings are the least frequently held type of school board meeting, but they’re also the most important. These meetings are called to discuss issues that arise unexpectedly and must be resolved quickly. During an emergency meeting, school board members are expected to discuss the issue at hand and determine a course of action.
These meetings discuss situations that require immediate attention, such as a fire, storm damage, or potential litigation. Another example would be if there’s been a student death on school grounds or at a school-sponsored activity and parents need to be notified immediately.
School board members are expected to be prepared for emergency meetings by reading any documents that have been distributed beforehand or any information related to the topic at hand. The meeting agenda includes all items related to the situation, such as assessing damage or setting up shelters for displaced students.
Leverage School Board Technology to Maximize Efficiency
It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day of running a school district. But if you’re not taking advantage of technology that can help you be more productive and efficient, you’re missing out!
School boards are made up of people who are dedicated to helping children succeed. They want to see their students get the best education possible, and they know a well-run and efficient school district is essential to this goal.
