School boards usually contain policies to guide each board meeting. The board bylaws include parliamentary procedures to help board members make critical decisions. Each school board typically has specific bylaws or policies.
These policies guide board meetings to ensure they run efficiently and empower members to practice good corporate governance. Therefore, identify the policies that apply to your school and enforce them during board meetings. That way, the meeting processes will flow smoothly and you’ll ensure democracy prevails when the board makes decisions.
2. Invest in Meeting Management Software
The right board management technology helps meetings run more efficiently and board members work more effectively. Meeting management software moves all the documentation and board materials to the cloud so members can communicate and collaborate from anywhere.
Some of the features and benefits of board management software include:
- Easy-to-use agenda builder to create templates that make the agenda-making process seamless in future meetings.
- Ability to store meeting documentation and notes in a central hub so board members can quickly retrieve information from previous meetings.
- Zoom integration to enable board members to meet virtually.
- A reliable voting system so members can easily vote on motions.
- A secure platform with features like encryption passwords, two-factor authentication, and bio-identity.
3. Distribute Meeting Agenda
How you prepare for the meeting influences its success. Drafting and sharing the meeting’s agenda offers an excellent way to make a board meeting run effectively. An agenda shows the board members how the meeting will flow from one topic to another and directs the meeting to ensure a smooth transition between processes.
Therefore, you need to share the agenda with the board members before the meeting. Ensure the agenda includes the main themes of the meeting and the order in which board members will discuss key topics.
4. Collaborate with Board Members
Excellent board collaboration enhances communication between the director and school board members. Teamwork builds mutual trust among the members and fosters open-mindedness when individuals have opposing opinions.
Consider the following tactics to boost collaboration among school board members:
- Leverage technology to streamline communication: Collaboration comes to life when the board members can share their opinions seamlessly. To achieve this, consider using meeting management software to boost interaction among board members. Platform features like messaging and video chat streamline communication and allow individuals to express their sincere perspectives in meetings.
- Make collaboration a core value in school board meetings: Foster a comfortable atmosphere that encourages every member to participate in the meeting. Since some members may not feel comfortable speaking in a room full of people, modern board meetings ensure collaboration prevails because members can remotely share their opinions without the pressure of speaking to a room full of people.
5. Distribute Post-Meeting Action Items
Taking action is the pillar of effective school boards, making post-meeting action items essential. Action items are tasks that arise from the board meeting and require members to take next steps
Assign these tasks to an individual or a group of members after the meeting so board members will leave knowing exactly the actions to take to achieve the school’s goals.
Distributing post-meeting action items also enhances accountability since the board will assign an individual or a specific group to complete a particular task. However, you need effective board meeting minutes that clearly show the flow of events during the meeting.
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School Board of Directors meet for monthly meetings to engage in strategic deliberations about school district initiatives as they align to the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. Please review the Local Board Procedures policy on Board Meetings here.
The School Board typically meets on the second Tuesday of each month to conduct Board business at 7:30 PM in the Upper Darby High School Board Room. The School Board typically meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM in the Upper Darby High School Board Room for Committee Meetings of the Education and Pupil Services Committee and the Finance and Operations Committee. The complete meeting schedule can be found in the School Board Meeting Schedule section of the Upper Darby School District website. The public is invited to attend all School Board Meetings and School Board Committee Meetings.
Agenda items for each School Board Meeting and School Board Committee Meeting are available for public review beginning the day before each meeting. The meeting agendas are posted to Board Docs.
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School Board meetings are official and formal business meetings, at which the School Board meets in their official capacity to deliberate and take action on the business of the school district. Items that are presented on school board meeting agendas for a vote are usually researched and considered during Committee Board meetings.
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School Board Committee Meetings are the working and learning meetings of the School Board. These meetings were established to better inform the Board and public of the important decisions being made in the school district each month. The meetings also serve as a forum to share school district initiatives and to offer insight into decisions made by the Board at each monthly School Board meeting.
For all meetings of the District 401 Board of Education and its committees, the Superintendent or his designee shall satisfy all notice and posting requirements contained in District Policy 2:200 as well as in the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
This shall include mailing notifications to news media that have officially requested them and to others as approved by the Board.
Unless otherwise specified, all meetings are held at Elmwood Park High School.
Regular Meetings
The Board announces the time and place for its regular meetings at the beginning of each fiscal year. The Board meets once a month from August to June, usually the third Wednesday of the month unless otherwise noted.
The regular meeting calendar may be changed with 10 days' notice in accordance with State law.
A meeting agenda shall be posted at least 48 hours before the meeting. The posting shall be at District 401's main office and at the Board's regular meeting room, or at any other location where the meeting is to be held.
Closed Meetings
The Board and Board committees may meet in a closed meeting to consider any subjects listed as exceptions to the Open Meetings Act. No final Board action will be taken at a closed meeting.
The Board may hold a closed meeting, or close a portion of a meeting, by a majority vote of a quorum, taken at an open meeting. The vote of each Board member present, and the reason for the closed meeting, will be publicly disclosed at the time of the meeting and clearly stated in the motion and the meeting minutes.
A motion calling for a series of closed meetings may be adopted when such meetings will involve the same particular matters and are scheduled to be held within three months of the vote.
Reconvened or Rescheduled Meetings
A meeting may be rescheduled or reconvened.
Public notice of a rescheduled or reconvened meeting shall be given in the same manner as that for a special meeting, except that no public notice is required when the original meeting is open to the public and:
- is to be reconvened within 24 hours, or
- an announcement of the time and place of the reconvened meeting was made at the original meeting and there is no change in the agenda.
Special Meetings
Special meetings may be called by the president or by any three members of the Board.
Those calling the special meeting must give notice thereof, in writing, stating the time, place and purpose of the meeting to the remaining Board members by mail at least 48 hours before the meeting, or by personal service at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Public notice of a special meeting is given by posting a notice at District 401's main office at least 48 hours before the meeting and by notifying the news media that have filed a written request for notice. A meeting agenda shall accompany the notice.
All matters discussed by the Board at any special meeting must be related to a subject on the meeting agenda.
Emergency Meetings
Public notice of emergency meetings shall be given as soon as practical. This shall include giving notice before the meeting to news media that have filed a written request for notice.
Posting on the District Website
In addition to the other notices specified on this page, the Superintendent or his designee shall post the following on the District 401 website:
- The annual schedule of regular meetings, which shall remain posted until the Board approves a new schedule of regular meetings.
- A public notice of all Board meetings.
- The agenda for each meeting, which shall remain posted until the meeting is concluded.
For More Information
Additional information about the different types of Board of Education meetings can be found in Section 2:200 of the District Policy Manual.