The Superintendent is not a member of the board and does not vote on any board decision; she only recommends. The Superintendent of schools is a professional educator employed by the board of school trustees to carry out the policies of the board. She is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school corporation.

Meetings of the board are for the purpose of setting or amending school policies, acting upon recommendations of the Superintendent on a wide range of matters from personnel to building maintenance, legally adopting an operating budget and tax rate for the school corporation, and authorizing the spending of budgeted funds. Although any matter relating to the operation of the schools may come before the board, most problems are routinely handled through the designated administrative channels.

Board meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at the administrative offices. Meetings are held in the High School Large Group Instruction Room, unless posted otherwise. The regular public meetings begin at 7:00 P.M. Executive sessions generally are held, when needed, at 6:00 P.M. On occasion, special meetings are called for special purposes. If needed, emergency meetings may also be called. All meetings, except emergencies, are announced at least two days prior to the meeting.

All meetings to conduct business are open to the public. On occasion, executive sessions, which are closed to the public, are held for the purpose of discussing specific matters as specified by the open door law. No matter what the issue, all decisions made by the board must be in a public meeting.

The Superintendent prepares the agenda for the board meetings; this agenda becomes the order of business for the public meeting. Persons or groups who have petitions or proposals they would like to submit for consideration by the board must submit the petitions or proposals in writing to the Superintendent at least seven (7) days preceding the regular board meeting. The board president or Superintendent will determine if an item will be placed on the agenda or be dealt with under the COMMENTS OF PATRONS AND STAFF.

Persons or groups submitting a petition or proposal will be allowed a maximum of 3 minutes per person and twenty (20) minutes per topic.

Petitions or proposals properly submitted at least seven (7) days prior to the board meeting will be sent to all members of the board by the Superintendent.

Yes, patrons are invited to address the board under the agenda item, COMMENTS FROM PATRONS AND STAFF. It is not necessary that individuals request that they be placed on the agenda in order to address the board during this time. Individuals wishing to avail themselves of this opportunity to address the board should sign in to the sheet to speak 5 minutes prior to the beginning meeting time listing their name and topic of discussion. They will then be called to speak during the COMMENTS FROM PATRONS AND STAFF portion of the meeting.

The president of the board will keep the time for each individual as well as the collective time on the topic. Speakers should plan accordingly and understand that time limits will be strictly adhered to.the maximum time to be granted to a specific topic and to any and all individuals who wish to address the board. Patrons should also understand the board cannot answer questions and will not allow private personnel or student issues to be addressed during this time.

Normally, before any action can be taken by the board on items discussed during this time, the board will refer the matter to the Superintendent and/or a committee for further study and review. However, immediate action may be taken upon the recommendation of the Superintendent and a majority vote of the board.

Individuals recognized to address the board may do so under the following conditions:
1. Complaints from individuals concerning instruction, discipline, or learning materials are to be directed to the appropriate level for response according to the following sequence:

• Classroom teacher, coach or sponsor

• Assistant Principal / Dean of Students (if applicable)

• Principal

• Superintendent

• Board of School Trustees

The board will address complaints only after they have been explored at the appropriate level.

Concerns or complaints pertaining to individual employees will not be accepted by the board without specific documentation.

2. Remarks which reflect adversely upon the character or motives of any person are out of order and will not be tolerated.

The board probably will not answer your question at the meeting. Issues are usually complex and require some time to determine an answer. Of course, if the question can reasonably be answered at the time, it will be. However, when the matter is of a broad, general-public concern, the board will request sufficient time to weigh the pros and cons of an issue before making a decision. You can expect that the board will act on such matters as quickly as possible and that you will be notified when a decision has been reached.