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North Marion SD 15 board moves into executive session after request for open hearing
Summary
At a board meeting, trustees closed the public portion and moved into executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(b) and (f) after a board member said Ms. Fernandez had requested a public open hearing and others said the deadline to request one had passed.
North Marion SD 15 board members closed the public portion of their meeting and moved into executive session after a dispute over a request for an open hearing.
The clerk read the executive-session authority and confidentiality instructions, citing state law: "The board will now meet in executive session according to ORS 192.660(2)(b) ... and ORS 192.660(2)(f)," the clerk said, noting that executive-session content is confidential except as provided by law.
The procedural dispute began when Blake, a board member, said on the record that "Ms. Fernandez requested public open hearing" and that she had a right to request an open hearing. Another board member responded that Ms. Fernandez had been told she needed to notify the board "by noon today if she wanted an open hearing" and argued the district and presenters were not prepared to hold the matter in open session. Blake countered, "I believe there's no harm to the district that there would be an open hearing," and said they "affirm our objection" after the chair closed the meeting.
The board did not record a formal public vote on whether to stay open; the chair announced that the meeting would be closed to executive session under the cited ORS provisions, which the clerk had just read aloud. The clerk reiterated that media attendees and board members were instructed not to disclose executive-session information except as allowed by law.
The public portion ended with the announced transition to executive session; the board indicated it would "go over executive session board hearing round list" after closing the public meeting. No additional public comments or a change to that decision were recorded in the public transcript.
The issue is procedural: the transcript records a board member raising a request for an open hearing by Ms. Fernandez and other members saying the deadline to request an open hearing had passed and that the district was not prepared to present the matter in open session. The board proceeded into executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(b) and (f).
