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Trustees reject effort to amend May minutes to record request for Trustee Emory's paid leave
Summary
A motion to add language to the May minutes recording a request by Trustee Emory for reimbursement of paid leave under Education Code 44987.3 failed 2-3 after extended debate about whether post-meeting legal advice belongs in minutes; the board later approved the consent item 6.3 in a separate vote.
Carlsbad Unified trustees voted down a motion Tuesday to amend the May 21 meeting minutes to state explicitly that Trustee Emory had requested reimbursement for additional paid leave under Education Code 44987.3.
Trustee Verbbeth moved that the minutes be amended "to state, it is respectfully recommended that the board of trustees review the board policies 3280 and 3320 and a request by Trustee Emory for reimbursement for additional paid leave in accordance with Education Code 44987.3." Trustee Emory seconded the motion. The motion failed on a 2-3 roll call (yes: Trustee COC and Trustee Verbbeth; no: Trustees Emory, Ward and Rawlings).
Debate centered on whether attorney guidance received after the May meeting could be added to the official minutes or whether the board should instead revisit the underlying policy language. Some trustees and staff argued minutes should be a concise snapshot of what transpired and that the video record is the fuller record for any ambiguity. One trustee said board minutes are intended to reflect what occurred in the meeting and questioned adding material that derived from legal advice received after the fact.
After the failed amendment, the board voted to approve consent calendar item 6.3 by a 3-2 margin (yes: Trustees Emory, Ward and Rawlings; no: Trustees COC and Verbbeth).
What this means: The minutes remain as originally posted and the record of whether the board's earlier discussion included a request by Trustee Emory for paid-leave reimbursement was not added through this motion. Trustees who want further clarification were offered the option to revisit the policy and to rely on the public video and audio records.
Next steps: Trustees discussed returning to policy review of AR 4161 and related board policies at a future meeting if the board wishes to reconcile the policy language with the legal advice staff has received.
