President Alvarez opened a long discussion on director liaison roles and read the liaison list to the board. Multiple directors praised CFAC and Capital Projects Oversight Committee for detailed, community-facing review of bond and project work; staff warned those bodies bring recommendations to the board but do not make final decisions.

The Highline Forum drew particular attention because, while nonbinding, the forum sometimes seeks a consensus position that community members expect the district to adopt. Directors worried a liaison’s expression of consensus at an outside forum could be perceived as board action; the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) implications and trust concerns were discussed at length. Directors noted that a liaison should inform the board president and other directors and return a formal report to the board to preserve transparency.

The board debated legislative liaison timing and responsibilities. The district’s policies (1210/1220) schedule legislative liaisons to be elected in June and start July 1 in even years so they can prepare ahead of the January session; directors said the run-up is valuable. Staff asked directors to clarify when a director would be speaking as an individual versus speaking as a board representative and to coordinate with communications and district lobbyists.

A contested communications point arose: one director said a district press release had emphasized three legislative priorities while omitting two that the board had approved, which created public misperception that the board did not support literacy. Staff and other directors disputed the idea that the board had not approved literacy and said the omission was a communications choice; they committed to clearer coordination and to place legislative-priority discussion on the annual calendar to avoid future surprises.

Directors also began refining a communication flowchart: community emails to all directors and the superintendent should be acknowledged, routed to the president and superintendent for response, and CC'd so the full board knows the outcome. Directors discussed norms on timely acknowledgements, one-on-one check-ins, and communications staff support for media requests.