All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be public meetings and shall be open to the public at all times with the exception of closed session as described under Iowa law.
Advance public notice of the time, date, and place of each meeting, and the tentative agenda shall be provided. When it is necessary to hold an emergency meeting without notice, the nature of the emergency shall be stated in the minutes.
Regular Meetings
The regular meeting time and date shall be set by the Board at its organizational meeting. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors will be held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
Meetings will be held in the meeting place officially designated by the Board of Directors, which will be accessible to the public.
When a regular meeting falls on a holiday, the meeting will be held on the following day.
Organizational Meetings
An organizational meeting shall be held at the first regular meeting after the canvass of votes of the regular school election. The meeting shall be called to order by the Secretary acting as temporary chairperson.
The first order of business shall be to swear into office any new members unless they have been so sworn previously. The Board shall then elect from its membership a President and a Vice-President and shall appoint a Secretary and Treasurer.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by the President or by the Secretary of the Board upon the written request of the majority of the Board. Written notice, stating the time and place of any special meeting and the purpose for which it is called, shall be delivered to each Board Member in person or sent by registered letter in sufficient time to allow for delivery of notice in advance of such meeting. No business other than that stated in the notice shall be transacted at such meeting.
Annual Meetings
At a regular or special meeting held after August 31, but before the organizational meeting, the Board shall examine the books of the Secretary and Treasurer for the year ending on 30th day of June preceding, and transact such other business as may properly come before it. The Treasurer shall furnish the Board with a sworn statement from each depository showing the balance.
Attendance shall be a waiver of notice.
Closed Session
The Board may hold a closed session only by affirmative public vote of either two-thirds of the members of the body or all of the members present at the meeting. The Board may hold a closed session for any of the reasons listed in Chapter 21.5 of the Iowa Code. No formal action of any kind may be taken in a closed session.
Exempt Session
Board meetings at which a quorum is not present, or gatherings of the board for purely ministerial or social purposes when there is no discussion of policy or no intent to avoid the purposes of the open meetings law, are exempt from the open meetings law requirements. Since gatherings of this type are exempt from the open meetings requirements, they can be held without public notice, be separate from an open meeting, be held without recording the gathering or taking minutes, and be held without a vote or motion. The board may also hold an exempt session for the following reasons, or as may be otherwise authorized by law:
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Negotiating sessions, strategy meetings of public employers or employee organizations mediation and the deliberative process of arbitration;
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To discuss strategy in matters relating to employment conditions of employees not covered by the collective bargaining law;
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To conduct a private hearing relating to recommended termination of a teacher’s contract. The private hearing however, in the teacher’s contract termination will be recorded verbatim by a court reporter; and
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To conduct a private hearing relating to the termination of a probationary administrator’s contract or to review the proposed decision of the administrative law judge regarding the termination of an administrator’s contract.
Electronic Meetings
The Board may conduct a meeting by electronic means such as a telephone conference call only “in circumstances where such a meeting in person is impossible or impractical.” Public access to the conversation must be provided “to the extent reasonably possible.” Public notice must be given for the electronic meeting and minutes kept, which include the reason for not holding a meeting in person.
Work Sessions and Retreats
The Board may schedule work sessions and retreats from time to time in order to provide its members and the administrative staff with such opportunities. Topics for discussion and study will be announced publically and work sessions and retreats will be conducted in accordance with the state law.
Quorum of Board Meetings
The majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A majority vote of those members present shall be necessary and sufficient to pass any motion or to take any action of the Board of Directors, unless state law or Board policies require the vote of a greater number of Board members on a particular issue.
Rules of Order
In matters of procedure not covered by these policies, Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern.
Approved: 6/08/2015 Reviewed: 1/24/2022 Revised: 1/8/2018
