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Board considers moving to committee-of-the-whole structure and updates parliamentary rules
Summary
Kennett Consolidated School District policy committee reviewed proposed revisions to board policies 005 and 006 to allow a committee-of-the-whole meeting structure, update language required by the Sunshine Act, and clarify agenda-setting and delegation. Trustees discussed whether to adopt Robert's Rules of Order or a written district alternative.
The policy committee of the Kennett Consolidated School District Board discussed proposed revisions to board policies 005 and 006 on Feb. 24 that would permit the board to operate using a committee-of-the-whole structure rather than separate standing committees.
At the meeting, Ethan Kramer, chair of the policy committee, said the board has been discussing committee structure and is considering holding regular committee nights as meetings of the entire board so that agenda items could be handled by the full board if members choose to take advantage of that option. "Committee of the whole is seated as the entire board," Kramer said, adding that meetings might still focus on specific topics such as finance or policy but would not be required to do so.
The committee’s solicitor drafted the proposed changes to policies 005 and 006, and President Dave Cronenberg told the committee those policies need updates after recent amendments to the Sunshine Act. Cronenberg said the solicitor found both policies “out of date and structurally deficient” and recommended substantial revisions to policy 006 to reflect current law.
Board member Lizwayne Myers urged the group to make a firm choice about parliamentary authority in the policies. "Either take Roberts out and say we're going to come up with our own plan... or we say we will use Roberts," Myers said, arguing for clarity about the rules the board will follow. Several trustees said they favor keeping a written fallback to protect orderly procedure and minority rights, while also worrying that strict adoption of Robert's Rules could prompt excessive procedural interruptions.
Trustees also discussed agenda-setting and delegation. Kramer and Cronenberg both supported language that would make it clear the president approves committee-of-the-whole agendas but noted the policy could include "or designee" so the president could delegate agenda finalization. Cronenberg asked staff to check school-code provisions that allow any three board members to call a special meeting; he asked that be added to policy language so a minority of three members could place items on an agenda if needed.
The committee briefly reviewed a section of policy 006 that addresses audio and video recording of meetings. Cronenberg said modern personal recording devices have changed how people capture meetings and recommended deleting or revising the existing restriction; he noted that live streaming makes some restrictions moot and that removing the restriction would effectively allow recording by the public.
No formal vote was taken at the committee meeting; Cronenberg said his goal is to bring the revised policies to the full board agenda in two weeks for further discussion and possible board action. The committee asked staff to take the proposed language back to the solicitor to (1) confirm Sunshine Act language, (2) clarify how the school code’s special-meeting provisions should appear in policy, and (3) advise on drafting clear delegation language.
