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Board to revert to adopting policies during public hearings to speed rulemaking
Summary
The board received a staff recommendation to return to adopting policies during the public hearing rather than delaying adoption to a later meeting; members discussed public input, amendment procedures and notice requirements.
Policy staff told the board July 29 that the district will return to an earlier practice of voting to adopt policies during the public hearing stage, rather than delaying adoption until a later meeting. The change aims to speed the backlog of policy updates while preserving opportunities for public comment.
Assistant director for policy and public records explained the prior shift to a two-meeting process had been intended to give the public extra time to respond when amendments were made after the hearing. Staff said the notice and hearing requirements under Florida law remain in place; the district will continue advertising proposed changes and allow public comment during the hearing. Board members and counsel discussed whether post-hearing amendments would require additional advertising and agreed the law requires only an opportunity to be heard, though the board may choose to re-advertise significant word changes before final adoption.
Board members asked that staff retain the ability to withdraw or pull particular policies during a public hearing for further study, and requested a written summary of the revised rulemaking steps for inclusion in the board manual. The superintendent said he would work with staff to bring a final draft procedure and updated manual language to the board for approval.
Ending: Staff will present a written timeline/process document and bring any further modifications back for board approval.
