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Board enters executive session on negotiation strategy after narrowly failed motion to expand attendees
Summary
After a failed effort to allow two conflicted members to attend part of negotiations, the Jamestown board voted to enter executive session under North Dakota law to discuss negotiation strategy and budget impacts.
The Jamestown Public School Board moved into executive session on Monday, June 16, to discuss negotiation strategy and the budgetary impacts on bargaining, citing North Dakota law that allows closed sessions for collective-bargaining strategy.
Earlier in the meeting Board Member Dan Tweeden moved to permit Board Members Jacob Meyer and Aaron Roberts to attend a portion of the executive session limited to budget updates affecting negotiations; the motion was seconded by Board Member Owen McKenna but later failed to gain the unanimous vote required to lift their previously stated conflict of interest.
Following that vote, Board Member Dan Tweeden moved that the board enter an executive session focused on negotiation strategies and budget impacts. The motion identified the legal authority as Section 44-04-19.1 of the North Dakota Century Code and specified attendees and negotiators to be present: board members Jamie Baer, Melissa Gleason, Heidi Larson, Owen McKenna and Dan Tweeden, along with Superintendent Robert Lehi, staff member Adam Gaylor and business manager Christy Grounds. The board approved the motion by roll call and recessed into executive session at 6:33 p.m.
Board discussion during the open meeting emphasized that the executive session topic was narrowly limited to negotiation strategy and budget impacts and that any further participation exceptions would need to be handled through separate, specific motions because of conflict-of-interest rules and statutory requirements. The board planned to return to open session after the executive session to conclude the meeting.
The board identified the executive session would be recorded and referenced North Dakota Century Code Section 44-04-19.1 as the legal basis for closing the meeting to the public for matters of negotiation strategy.
