Trustees reviewed proposed operating‑procedure language implementing SB 12 and local policy changes governing board committees at the Sept. 30 workshop, focusing on formation by board action, membership rules and meeting timing.

Under the proposed language, a board committee must be formed by board action and the motion creating the committee must specify number of members, appointment process, term length and responsibilities. "A board committee is a committee composed only of current board members. Formation of a board committee shall be by board action," Susie, a staff member, read aloud during the workshop.

Why it matters: SB 12 and recent local policy revisions alter how trustees may use committees and working groups. Trustees debated whether committees must meet outside typical working hours and whether small working groups or ad hoc committees could function during the day without creating a quorum or violating the Open Meetings Act.

Trustees asked about advisory committees (composed primarily of staff, parents and community members) and committees required by law such as the school safety committee and the School Health Advisory Council. Susie noted that advisory committees "may also include board members in numbers less than a quorum of a board" and that such committees must be formed by board action and report recommendations to the board.

The audit committee was called out as mandatory under policy: "The audit committee shall be composed of no more than 3 board members, including the chair appointed by the board president," Susie said, summarizing policy language. Trustees discussed whether the president may chair the audit committee and noted policy can be amended by board action.

No vote was taken. Trustees asked staff to produce a current inventory of standing, advisory and statutorily required committees and to clarify whether existing committees formed before recent policy changes need re‑authorization.