Board members spent a portion of the work session clarifying how "future agenda items" should be requested, tracked and answered so requests do not disappear and so staff and trustees can prepare efficiently.

Board Chair (unnamed) explained that the "future agenda item" slot currently records requests for future topics but is not intended for substantive discussion at the same meeting. Board members said that in practice the item sometimes becomes an ad‑hoc discussion that lengthens meetings and leaves requests untracked. "What its purpose is is for if you have a future agenda item that you would like to request that it shows up on a future agenda item, you would present it, say, I want such and such... and then we move on," the chair said.

Several trustees said a standardized pathway is needed so members understand how requests are handled and why some items do not appear on future agendas. One board member proposed that a formal request be made in writing to the superintendent and the board chair and that the board receive an official response on whether and when the item will be scheduled. Another suggested using a short board operating agreement modeled on an OSBA two‑page template to clarify communications and prevent the tool from becoming "weaponized." "If you could put this in a board operating agreement, that's where it should be," one trustee said.

The board also discussed meeting length, noting recent sessions have run three hours or longer. Members proposed considering fixed end times or additional meetings to reduce late evening workloads for volunteer trustees and staff. The superintendent and agenda‑setting staff encouraged trustees to raise topics with administrators outside formal meetings when appropriate and to use the agenda‑setting meeting the week before a board meeting to clarify requests.

Next steps: trustees asked administration to draft a short board operating agreement and to propose a clear procedure for submitting, acknowledging and scheduling future agenda items; staff will bring the proposed operating agreement and options for meeting length to a future work session.