Middletown Public Schools                                                                       No. 1031

 

ORGANIZATION

 

Section 1.  ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

 

            The meeting for organization of the School Committee shall be held biannually and be in fact the first meeting of the School Committee after it has been certified by the Town Clerk that candidates have been duly elected to all positions for which there was an election at the regular Town biannual elections.  All new members, before acting, shall be duly engaged as required by law.  The meeting shall be called by the Clerk who shall preside until a chairman is elected.

 

Section 2.  ELECTION OF OFFICERS

 

            There shall be a Chair and a Vice-Chair, each of whom shall be elected for a term of two years  (or until their successors are elected) at the meeting for organization.  A vacancy in the office of Chair or Vice-Chair between General Elections shall be filled by School Committee election at the next regularly scheduled meeting after the vacancy occurs.

 

CHAIR

 

            The Chair of the School Committee shall preside at all meetings of the School Committee.  In their absence, the Vice-Chair shall preside.  The Chair shall nominate the members of all special committees, sign all contracts for the committee, present the annual budget to the Town Council and perform other duties as set forth in this policy.

 

VICE-CHAIR

 

            The Vice-Chair shall serve to assist the Chair and the committee members in a manner designated by the Chair.  He or she shall perform the duties of the Chair in his or her absence or resignation.

 

CLERK

 

            The School Committee shall appoint or designate the Clerk of the School Committee at the biannual organization meeting.  The Clerk of the School Committee shall notify members of each meeting, including in the notice of such meetings the matters to be placed before the Committee at said meetings.  The Clerk shall keep a full and accurate record of each meeting and shall furnish a copy of the record of each meeting to the Superintendent of Schools.  The Clerk shall receive all communications, present them to the Committee and respond to them.  With the assistance of the Superintendent of Schools, the Clerk shall keep an exact record of all school expenditures, prepare all payrolls and audit all bills and pay such bills as necessary.  With like assistance, the Clerk shall prepare all reports required by Federal laws, State laws, the Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education.

 

            In the absence of the Chair, the Clerk may sign any orders, contracts or official papers, which require the signature of the Chairman of the School Committee.

 

Section 3.  ORIENTATION AND DEVELOPMENT

a.  NEW MEMBERS

            The School Committee and the School Department staff shall assist each new member-elect to understand committee functions, policies, and procedures before and when he or she takes office.

The following methods may be employed:

·         The newly elected member shall be given selected material related to committee membership.

·         The newly elected member shall be invited to attend interim School Committee meetings.

·         The clerk shall supply pertinent material and explain their use to newly elected members.

·         The newly elected members shall be invited to meet with the Superintendent to discuss the services that the Superintendent and the staff perform for the Committee.

·         The newly elected members shall be given a copy of the Laws of Rhode Island relating to education.

·         The newly elected members shall participate in orientation workshops.

b.  OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT

            School Committee members are encouraged to prepare themselves for maximum service to the community through:

·         Conferences with other School Committee members.

·         Conferences with the Superintendent.

·         Membership in the Rhode Island Association of School Committees and the National School Boards Association.

·         Visits to schools as a committee or individually with reasonable advanced notice to the Superintendent or his/her designee.

·         Attendance and participation at educational conferences and conventions, particularly the meetings of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees and National School Boards Association.

·         Reading educational magazines and periodicals.

·         Study of By-Laws of the School Committee.

·         Familiarization with departmental policies, regulations and staff job descriptions.

·         Annual retreat to establish yearly goals.

Section 4.  EXPENSES

            School Committee members shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred for their attendance at conferences and conventions sponsored by education associations, State school boards, or State and regional meetings.

Section 5.  OPERATION OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

 

a.  MEETINGS

 

1)      All meetings shall be conducted by the Chair, using Robert’s Rule of Order as a guide.  In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall preside over the meeting.  In further absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair, the Clerk shall preside over the meetings.  Three members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of School Committee business at all meetings.

 

2)      The Middletown School Committee shall hold one meeting per month from September through June.  Business meetings, if necessary, in July and August shall be established by the Committee.  Meeting days will be established by the School Committee annually and posted as required.

 

3)      Special or emergency meetings may be called by the Chairman or by a majority of the members.  All Committee members shall be notified of special or emergency meetings with (3) days notice, unless extreme circumstances dictate otherwise.

 

4)      The meetings of the School Committee, except when in Executive Session, shall be open and accessible to the public.  The public is welcome at all School Committee meetings except when closed Executive Sessions are called.  Final action shall be taken only in open meetings, except on disciplinary matters, personnel matters and matters dealing with preliminary negotiations for purchases or contractual discussions, and such other matters as are permitted by law, the disclosure of which, in the opinion of the School Committee, would be detrimental to any pupil, member of the School Department or the Middletown Public Schools or the Town of Middletown.  Where the School Committee considers the disclosure in such cases detrimental as aforesaid, its action shall be recorded separately and may be kept confidential and shall not be considered a public record, provided it does not contravene State Law.

 

A summary of deliberations, held in closed or executive session, omitting sensitive information, shall be prepared by the Clerk of the School Committee.  This summary shall be presented to the Committee for acceptance with the minutes of the closed or executive session.  After acceptance, the closed session summary shall become a part of the public record of School Committee meetings.  As provided Title 42, Chapter 46, of Rhode Island Law, the decision to exclude the public from any portion of a School Committee meeting shall require a simple majority vote of the Committee.

 

The reason for closing a meeting to the public and the subject to be discussed in the closed session shall be stated by the Committee in public session immediately preceding the closed session.  The statement shall be consistent with open meeting laws and as explicit as possible without violating the rights of the persons involved or compromising the public welfare.  No additional subjects shall be discussed in the closed session without first returning to public session to state the reason for a continuation of the closed session.  Final votes on all matters involving the actual or anticipated expenditure of public funds or setting of School Department policy shall be taken in public session.

 

All actions shall be by a simple majority except where specified.

 

5)      New policy and major revisions shall be adopted with maximum input from the Superintendent of Schools, interested staff and interested community.  The Committee will have two readings of new policy and it shall become a policy of the Middletown Public Schools upon passage by a simple majority of those members present at the second reading.

 

6)      Revised policy (with minor revisions) shall be adopted with input from the Superintendent of Schools, interested staff and interested community.  The Policy will become the policy of the Middletown Public Schools upon passage by a simple majority of those members present upon first reading.

 

7)      The meetings shall be held in the Administrative offices of the School Department unless otherwise decided by a simple majority of the members of a particular meeting.  In case of an overflow of visitors and spectators, the Chair may recess and reconvene the meeting in another location.

 

8)      Notices of all regular meetings with agenda and pertinent information shall be sent to all members no later that two (2) working days preceding the meeting.

 

9)      The news media are encouraged to give maximum dissemination of news concerning actions of the School Committee.  Copies of the agenda will be made available to the news media and the public no later than two (2) days preceding the regular scheduled session.  Literature and materials generated by the School Administration will be released to the media and the public at the discretion of the Superintendent and the Chair of the School Committee.

 

10)     Regular meetings shall start at 7:00 P.M. and adjourn no later than 9:00 P.M. Meeting time and day may be changed or extended by majority vote.

 

11)     School Committee Workshops are scheduled for informational and discussion purposes and will be scheduled for 5:30 P.M.  Meeting time may be changed by majority vote.

 

12)     All official School Committee business shall be transacted at a School Committee meeting, either regular, special, or emergency.  If the matter is important enough, a special meeting shall be called; if not, it should be put on the agenda for the next regular meeting.

 

b.  AGENDA

 

Regular meeting agenda will be formalized to provide information to the Committee for prior consideration of issues for planning and to prevent hasty, ill-advised or ill-conceived action.

 

1)      The agenda will be prepared by the Superintendent and Chairman and delivered with essential backup material to the Committee Members no later than (2) working days preceding the regular School Committee meeting.

 

2)      Items may be placed on the agenda by members of the School Committee by writing to the Superintendent of Schools, at the School Administration Office, by the close of business, ten (10) working days preceding the regular School Committee meeting.

 

3)      Citizens of the Town may request items be placed on the agenda consistent with (c.) “Public Participation at Meetings.”

 

4)      Items for the agenda requested by employees of the School Department concerning job related business will be routed through the Superintendent for advice or inclusion on the agenda.

 

5)      Informational items such as correspondence, Superintendent’s report, etc. will be presented as such.  Questions for clarification are acceptable but no action on the informational items presented should be taken at the meeting unless meeting rules are suspended.

 

6)      Only items that are on the agenda will be discussed at Committee meetings.

 

7)      The order of business may be changed or amended during a meeting by majority vote.

8)      Any rule may be suspended for any meeting with the majority vote of all members of the Committee present.

 

REGULAR MEETINGS - ORDER OF BUSINESS

 

Citizens desiring to address items which are included on the agenda of this School Committee meeting should advise the Superintendent of Schools or the Chairman of the School Committee prior to the start of the meeting.

 

- Call to Order

- Pledge of Allegiance

- Executive Session 42-46-5 (a) 1,2,5,8,9 (Rhode Island Open Meeting Law)

- Correspondence

- Report of Officers and Committees

 

PROCLAMATIONS/AWARDS

 

SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

 

CONSENT AGENDA

 

- Approval of Minutes

- Approval of Financial Report

- Approval of Invoice Register

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

- Recommendation on Personnel

- Executive Session 42-46-5 (a) 1,2,5,8,9 (Rhode Island Open Meeting Law)

 

ACTION ITEMS

 

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORTS

 

Executive Session    42-46-5 (a) 1,2,5,8,9 (Rhode Island Open Meeting Law)

 

Adjournment

 

 

Revision – January 15, 2009