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Board keeps governor-called special-meeting clause after discussion
Summary
Board members debated whether a bylaw allowing the governor to call special meetings is necessary but ultimately agreed to retain the clause as an emergency option, with staff to revisit wording in September.
The Montana Board of Public Education discussed a bylaw provision that allows the governor to call a special meeting of the board and ultimately voted to keep the clause in place for rare emergency circumstances. McCall, the board’s executive director, reviewed Article 6 and its list of authorized callers and explained the provision is a statutory-era carryover.
Several members said the clause is unusual and likely never used, but provides an option in a continuity-of-government scenario. One member argued it might be “highly unusual” to have the governor call a meeting, while another said it “gives them all the authority to call [a special meeting] in extreme circumstances.” McCall confirmed the board would retain the clause for now and bring any proposed wording changes back at the September meeting.
The discussion also covered the wider meeting rules—frequency, virtual participation, and who may call a special meeting—so the board could strike the right balance between flexibility and collaborative governance. The board agreed to refine the language around emergency triggers and the procedures for notifying members at a future meeting.
