La Jolla Independent School District board of managers reviewed a 23-page draft of board operating procedures intended to guide current members and future incoming trustees.

The manual, presented by Dr. Barrera, organizes local policy excerpts and Lone Star Governance (LSG) guidance into sections on member authority, meeting procedures, superintendent role and conflict of interest. "This is in no way ready for any kind of approval anytime soon, but this is a start for us," Dr. Barrera said while asking members for feedback.

Board members focused discussion on several practical items the draft raises: how members report absences or tardiness, expectations for recognizing members in debate, preparation ahead of meetings, representing the interests of all students rather than particular subgroups, social media guidance, hearing and routing community complaints, professional development expectations, executive-session behavior and annual conflict-of-interest signatures.

Vice President Nita Chavez raised attendance and notification questions, asking who members should contact when they will arrive late or miss a meeting. "Who do I message? Who do I — is it Dr. Sorensen? Is it somebody's Maddy? Is it Leon Straubers?" Chavez said, describing uncertainty about the chain of notice. Board officers volunteered to draft a short interim protocol to answer that specific question before the full manual is finalized.

The draft also addresses virtual attendance. A staff member, Mr. Mayase, said the district has set up technology to allow remote participation and asked members to provide advance notice so staff can prepare the connection. "We actually did work on that so that we can provide a way for virtual members to kinda join the board meetings," he said, noting the district now has the technical capability. Dr. Barrera and board members discussed adding parameters in the operating procedures about noticing virtual participants and ensuring visibility for members and the public.

Several members and the superintendent discussed limits and expectations for executive sessions. The draft reiterates that closed sessions must comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act. The board convened and returned from a closed session under Texas Government Code Section 551.001; the public portion of the meeting recessed into closed session at 11:41 a.m. and reconvened at 12:52 p.m.

Members asked the superintendent and legal counsel to be available when officers meet to draft detailed language. President Alvarez and Dr. Sorensen supported a small-group approach: officers, the superintendent and counsel would wordsmith proposed language and bring it back to the full board. Dr. Barrera described the process as iterative; she will incorporate members' written feedback and present revisions at a future meeting.

The draft includes an appendix of previously adopted governance performance measures (GPMs) and a monitoring calendar; it also contains the district's current ethics and conflict-of-interest statement. Dr. Barrera suggested updating the conflict-of-interest acknowledgement annually so each board member signs and dates the form when a new board is seated or at yearly intervals.

On professional development, the draft proposes monitoring minimum expectations and suggested that some districts announce board professional development hours ahead of each board self-evaluation (four times per year) so the board can track who has met the expectation. The manual also proposes clarifying expectations for community engagement so members understand how to respond consistently when approached by community members.

Board members expressed interest in adding a social media section and asked staff to collect best practices from other districts. One board member offered to assemble interim language on the attendance/notification protocol so the board would have an immediate answer if a member is unable to attend because of illness or travel.

No policy in the draft was adopted at the meeting. The board approved only routine meeting business at the end of the public session: a motion to adjourn was made and seconded; members voiced assent and the meeting was adjourned. The board chair announced the adjournment by voice vote at 1:01 p.m.

The board asked members to email written comments on the draft to Dr. Barrera ahead of the officers' drafting meeting. Dr. Barrera and the officers will return a revised draft for full-board consideration in a future session.

The draft and discussion are intended to create a single, consistent operating manual for present and future members, combining local policies with LSG recommendations and internal practices. The board emphasized the document is for internal governance and not yet ready for approval or public adoption.