Board debates handbook language on agenda requests, "three-to-agree" practice and out-of-meeting direction

At a recent school board meeting, members discussed proposed revisions to the board handbook that would clarify how to request items for the agenda, limit how many times an item may be reviewed, and address communications or directions given to staff outside a public meeting.

Board members and staff spent the bulk of the discussion debating a practice described by one member as a “three-to-agree” process used in another district, and whether any similar informal practice would be appropriate for their board. A member described the outside-district process as three board members agreeing on an action and the superintendent emailing the full board; if four members object, the action stops. The discussion noted that the outside-district practice, as explained in the meeting, was limited to non-voting tasks such as adding items to a web page or…