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Resident questions unannounced executive session; board president cites RCW exemption for negotiations
Summary
A resident raised concern that an executive session had not been announced on the public agenda. The board president replied that certain negotiation-related closed meetings may be exempt and lawful under the state open public meetings law (RCW), and said the board would consider notifying the public when appropriate.
A resident told the Eatonville School District board that they had not seen an announcement for a closed executive session on the meeting agenda and asked the board to announce such sessions in advance.
The resident said they had checked the posted agenda and did not find a notice of an executive session. The board president replied that, under the state open public meetings law (RCW), the district may hold exempt meetings for contract negotiations and that the meeting in question was lawful and advised under RCW for that purpose. The board president acknowledged the resident's concern about transparency and said the district would "take that into consideration" when deciding whether to give public notice in future similar cases.
During the exchange, the resident asked for simple notification when closed negotiation meetings occur; the president said they would consider the request but also reiterated the legal basis for holding negotiation sessions as exempt under RCW. No formal action was taken in response to the public comment.
The exchange occurred during the public comment portion of the meeting; the resident's remarks were recorded as public comment and the president's explanation referenced the statutory exemption for bargaining or negotiation discussions.
