Governance committee outlines onboarding, Sunshine Law and parliamentary procedure training for new board members

The Governance Committee discussed and laid out the framework for onboarding newly elected members to the Board of Education of the City of Saint Louis at its Feb. 28 meeting, identifying priorities and a proposed schedule for orientation and immediate training.

Committee members and staff proposed a series of sessions to introduce new members to district budget basics, the strategic transformation plan, logistics (parking, device access, meeting login), and legal rules that govern board behavior. They emphasized early training on Missouri’s Sunshine Law and parliamentary procedure (Robert’s Rules of Order), and recommended arranging condensed MSBA trainings on those topics as soon as practicable so newly seated members have baseline familiarity before participating in formal board votes.

Specific items discussed and recorded in the meeting: - A “meet and greet” for new board members is scheduled for March 11 from 4 to 5 p.m.; staff will place the event on the board calendar and note that if all board members attend it may require public meeting notice. - The committee recommended holding a first onboarding/work‑session shortly before the swearing‑in and reorganization meeting in late April (the transcript references April election timing and the board’s procedural reorganization at the April meeting). Members preferred delivering logistical materials and basic orientation prior to swearing‑in so new members can be operational for the reorganization meeting. - The MSBA was recommended as the primary provider for parliamentary procedure and Sunshine Law training; committee members suggested also including guidance on media communications and board expectations for conferences and ongoing development. - The committee discussed statutory training expectations: new board members must complete required orientation and training within one year of election or appointment (the committee said MSBA’s materials encourage doing it sooner when feasible).

Committee members agreed to develop a run‑of‑show for the onboarding sequence, to coordinate scheduling with MSBA (contacts suggested in the meeting included Catherine Whitaker and Susan Goldhammer), and to have the governance committee and relevant administrative departments present the first technical orientation session (finance and operations were discussed as the content for Session 1). The committee did not record a formal vote on the onboarding plan; members asked staff to set dates and include onboarding sessions in the board calendar and packets.

The committee noted a historical gap: although an onboarding plan was adopted in 2021, prior administrations did not fully implement all parts of the program. Committee members said the current approach will emphasize staged sessions, MSBA support for legal/parliamentarian training, and scheduled follow‑up refreshers to reinforce key topics.

The committee meeting’s onboarding discussion concluded with staff assigned to publish the meet‑and‑greet on the calendar and to coordinate MSBA training opportunities; the group also discussed a summer retreat (dates under consideration) facilitated by MSBA.