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Board debate over superintendent-relations policy stalls attempt to move item off consent agenda
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Summary
A board member questioned a proposed amendment to the superintendent-relations policy (item 4.3), raising concerns that a “shall” requirement could prevent staff from responding quickly to time-sensitive requests; the board failed to secure unanimous consent to move the item and left it on the consent agenda.
A motion to pull and debate a proposed amendment to the Orleans Parish School Board’s superintendent-relations policy failed when the board could not secure the unanimous consent required to revise the agenda.
Board members exchanged sharp questions about the substance and potential unintended consequences of item 4.3, which superintendent Dr. Fatima Fulmore said is intended to "facilitate better management of board member requests" so staff are not pulled from core responsibilities by ad-hoc demands. "When I investigated other policies... I found that Jefferson Parish, which is the largest district in the state, had a policy that supports that," Dr. Fulmore said, explaining the proposal is meant to limit unreasonable interruptions to the administration’s workday.
A board member who opposed moving the item to action raised a scenario to illustrate the concern: "...throw out a scenario where someone, Mister Parker or Miss Eames, is in Washington, DC... that could possibly get us a $2,000,000 grant, and that senator says they have to have information by that afternoon... because of that one word 'shall'... you can't, in your judgment, say, yes. This is worth $2,000,000 to the district," the board member said, arguing the change might limit timely staff responses to urgent opportunities.
Board counsel recommended that if members believe an item requires substantial discussion, it should be moved from the consent agenda to action items. The board attempted to revise the agenda by unanimous consent but instead held a roll-call vote on the procedural motion to move item 4.3. The motion failed with recorded votes: Miss Eames — No; Mister Parker — Yes; Miss Baldwin — No; Miss Bureau — No; Miss Griffin — Yes; Mister Marshall — Yes; Mister Zirvegan — No. Because the board could not secure the unanimous change, item 4.3 remained on the consent agenda.
After the failed revision attempt, the chair called for final questions and the consent agenda was adopted by voice vote; the transcript records at least one board member registering opposition before the consent adoption. The transcript does not show a substantive vote on the policy amendment itself at this meeting.
What’s next: Because item 4.3 remained on the consent agenda and the consent package passed, any formal action to amend the superintendent-relations policy was not decided on the floor at this meeting. The debate highlighted the specific concern about the policy’s phrasing (the word "shall") and the tension between board oversight and administrative flexibility; board members said they would continue to review and raise further edits in subsequent meetings.
