Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Meetings Law topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OSBA webinar outlines new mandatory public-meeting training and updated meeting rules
Summary
Presenters from the Oregon School Boards Association walked Parkrose board members through recent changes to Oregon public meetings law, including a new mandatory training requirement for governing bodies with annual expenditures of $1 million or more and updated definitions of "meeting," "convening," and virtual-meeting requirements.
Board members viewed a recorded Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) training on Sept. 8 that the district said satisfies a new requirement from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC). Haley Purcell, OSBA chief legal officer, told the board the law now requires governing bodies with total expenditures of $1,000,000 or more to complete public-meetings training once per term of office.
“This is a law that requires, governing bodies with total expenditures of $1,000,000 or more to have mandatory public meeting training once during each term of office,” Purcell said during the webinar portion shown to the board.
The presentation defined key terms that determine when Oregon’s public meeting law applies. Presenters explained the statutory definitions of "meeting," "governing body," "convening," "deliberation" and "decision," and warned that serial electronic communications and use of intermediaries can create an unintentional convening that would trigger public-meeting rules.
OSBA legal staff emphasized notice and accessibility duties: meetings should ordinarily be held within the public body’s geographic boundary or administrative headquarters; agendas must list principal subjects anticipated; and boards must provide contact information for requests for interpreters or other accommodations. The presenters also explained deadlines for notice (48 hours for regular meetings, 24 hours for special meetings, with a narrow emergency exception) and the requirement to keep records proving members completed the required training.
Presenters reviewed executive-session rules and the complaint process for alleged violations. They also suggested practical recordkeeping: keep a screenshot or copy of the training slides and a dated attendance record for each member who completes the webinar. OSBA offered the webinar as an approved training that districts can log for compliance.
No board action was taken; the board paused the webinar after about 10 minutes and scheduled completion or individual viewing later to meet the statutory requirement. The board discussion included a procedural question about whether newly elected members may complete the training individually; OSBA counsel said that individual members who miss a live session may watch a recorded version and keep documentation of viewing.
