Board reviews proposed 2026 meeting schedule; staff recommends reducing meetings from 17 to 15
6438811 · October 15, 2025
Summary
Staff presented a proposed board meeting calendar that would reduce annual meetings from 17 to 15 to allow more time between agendas; the board received the planning calendar and approved it in a vote after discussion about workload and holiday timing.
Executive Administrator Jonathan Lowe presented a draft proposed meeting schedule that would reduce the Jefferson County Board of Education’s meetings from 17 to 15 annually, a change staff said would provide more time between agendas and make it easier to meet a 12-day publication deadline for agenda materials.
Lowe said state law requires boards to hold at least one regular meeting each month at a time and place fixed by the board, and he noted the staff objective to space meetings at least three weeks apart where possible and to avoid conflicts with religious holidays, the school calendar and key deadlines such as the district budget submission to the Kentucky Department of Education. The proposal would include 11 regular board business meetings and additional work sessions; staff recommended the change to reduce overlapping work on multiple meetings at once.
Board members raised concerns. Miss Duncan said she was worried about compressing a month’s worth of material into half a meeting each month and asked staff to consider post-holiday scheduling and the board’s workload. Miss Craig noted that the legal challenge to the state law would not prevent the board from calling special or emergency meetings if necessary, preserving flexibility for urgent matters.
Board member Mr. Bass moved to receive the planning calendar; Mr. Craig seconded the motion. The chair announced, “Ayes have it,” and the planning calendar was received. The board later approved the consent calendar (with a pulled item C3) and subsequently approved C3; members agreed staff will return with a formal action item on the schedule at a later meeting if the board wants changes.
Lowe told the board staff had prepared a 17-meeting alternative if members preferred to keep the prior frequency, and he said staff would remain responsive to the board’s preferences and calendars while balancing process and deadlines.
The board instructed staff to consider members’ holiday scheduling preferences when finalizing the calendar for formal action on November 4.
