Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Governance Committees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee revises standing-committee policy language, postpones DIAB revisions for more research
Summary
The committee recommended revisions to Policy 8,100 (board standing committees/focus groups) including removing proposed parent-member language and considering replacing 'citizen' with 'stakeholder.' It postponed Policy 1,700 (Disability Issues Advisory Board) for additional research on overlap with CCAC and potential name/scope changes.
The Policy & Governance Committee voted Nov. 11 to send Policy 8,100 (Board Standing Committees and Focus Work Groups) to the policy sponsor for revision, and to postpone further action on Policy 1,700 (Disability Issues Advisory Board) while staff collect comparative research and administration responses.
Robin Welsh presented proposed edits to Policy 8,100 that reflect prior committee direction. The draft removes a previously proposed requirement to seat a parent-organization representative on each standing committee and instead preserves the district’s existing advisory structures (including the Parent & Community Advisory Committee). Welsh said her county-by-county review found wide variation in how other jurisdictions structure advisory committees and that some counties build extended public-comment periods or specific public forums into their policy processes.
Committee members focused on three implementation points: how committee leadership is selected and whether June is the right timing for drafting work plans; whether the word “citizen” should be replaced with “stakeholder” or the specific committee name (Parent & Community Advisory Committee) to be more inclusive of noncitizen family members; and the appropriate cap for board members on ad hoc committees to avoid inadvertent quorum issues. The committee asked staff to adjust policy language to reflect those concerns.
On Policy 1,700 (DIAB), members (including Vice Chair Olivo and Board Member Brown) asked for a deeper review of the advisory board’s scope and its overlap with the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on special education (CCAC). The committee agreed to request administration responses to DIAB recommendations, and to invite CCAC representatives and relevant district staff to the December meeting for a fuller review before advancing policy changes.
Votes and next steps: The committee recommended Policy 8,100 to the policy sponsor for revision approval (roll-call tallies recorded during the meeting). Vice Chair Olivo moved that Policy 1,700 be postponed pending research; the motion passed and staff will return with comparative models and administration feedback at the December meeting.
Quote: "I do like your idea of a stakeholders advisory committee," Robin Welsh said, acknowledging members’ preference to replace the term "citizen" with more inclusive language.
What’s next: Staff will return to the committee with revised Policy 8,100 language addressing leadership selection, stakeholder terminology and ad hoc membership counts. For Policy 1,700, staff will compile comparative research and administration responses and invite CCAC representatives and administration staff to present in December.
