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Board votes to move regular meetings to 5:30 p.m., citing accessibility
Summary
After discussion about parent and staff accessibility, the Santa Cruz County Board of Education voted to change its regular meeting start time to 5:30 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday (with a June exception). Trustees and student members debated tradeoffs including staff workload and public participation.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Education voted to shift its regular meeting start time from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. beginning in January, citing a desire to improve accessibility for working parents and prospective board applicants.
Trustees debated the balance between staff convenience and public participation. Trustee (speaker 5) argued the change would help future recruitment and participation: "I would be in favor of moving the time... 05:30 or 6?" Student trustees and other members also weighed in, with some noting staff and district schedules could be impacted. Staff advised the board that the bylaws currently specify 4:00 p.m. and that a bylaw amendment would be placed on a future agenda to formalize the change.
After discussion, the board moved, seconded and adopted a motion (roll-call) to set meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, with the June meeting scheduled on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays to accommodate Juneteenth. Trustees asked staff to ensure time-sensitive items requiring heavy staff support be scheduled early on agendas to minimize late nights for staff.
