Board meetings are the time for planning, adopting board policies, monitoring and appraising the school district, discussing future possibilities or decisions, and hearing from staff or students on district progress or programs. Board meetings are where the community sees the entire board doing its important work. The meeting (regular, special or emergency) of a board of education is the only occasion where the board takes action.

Ohio’s Sunshine Law (Ohio Revised Code 121.22) mandates that all meetings of any public body are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times, except during executive sessions. A meeting is defined as “any prearranged discussion of the public business of the public body by a majority of its members.” The definition of “public body” includes a board’s committees and subcommittees.

To learn more about Ohio’s Sunshine Laws and open meeting requirements, view OSBA’s fact sheet “Understanding Ohio’s Sunshine Laws”

Keys to an effective meeting

• Creating a dynamic agenda
• Parliamentary procedure
  • Fact sheet: https://www.ohioschoolboards.org/sites/default/files/OSBAParliamentaryProcedureFactSheet.pdf
  • Additional resources: https://www.ohioschoolboards.org/parliamentary-procedure
• Public participation
• Executive session
• The Organizational meeting
• Hosting a secure meeting
  • Board meeting safety checklist
• Onboarding new board members
  • Checklist

Creating a dynamic agenda

Regular meetings of the board of education are opportunities for board members and senior administrators to discuss, debate, plan, monitor and evaluate district activities and progress.  To do so, working from a pre-planned agenda that allows for discourse is important. 

Many boards vote to approve the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.  Although not required, this step assures an orderly progression through the agenda.  Diversions or amendments to a formally approved agenda require a motion, second and majority vote.

The ways in which different boards create ways to hear from all board members during each meeting are diverse.  Some offer specific "board member comment" within the agenda.  Some are intentional in seeking board member feedback and discussion on other items, including those presented by the superintendent or treasurer.  It is important for board members to feel their input and feedback is welcome, and for boards to professionally and appropriately discuss key issues.  

Most regular board meeting agendas include opportunities for staff or student reports and acknowledgments.  This can help create a valuable experience for those attending, but reports should be limited to current or important business.  Hearing from the curriculum coordinator when changes are proposed or a new course introduced may be important, but an "every meeting" run down of the past month from this administrator (or others) may not be necessary.

Public Participation

While not required by law, nearly every regular board meeting includes a time granted by the board to take comments from members of the public.  Public participation should follow policy, and policy related to this item varies from district to district.  Public participation for any particular meeting can be shortened or lengthened as needed by 'suspending our policy for this meeting only'.  This requires a motion, second and majority vote of the board but may be useful if a certain agenda topic generates a need to adjust.  

The board of education should work to create a culture of collegial and appropriate public participation, regardless of topic or speaker, and members of the public should be held to a high standard of behavior when addressing the board.

Boards of education differ and certain public participation aspects, including requiring prior notice or residency.  Boards are encouraged to call OSBA or the district's own legal counsel for guidance or questions related to public participation.

Executive session
An executive session is a private session held during a board meeting in which the board and any invited guests may discuss certain topics. Only after the board meeting is officially convened in open session may the board go into executive session for the purpose of consideration of:

• the appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion or compensation of an employee or official, or the investigation of charges against an employee or official, or regulated individual unless the employee, official or regulated individual requests a public hearing;
• the purchase of property for public purposes or the sale of property at competitive bidding;
• disputes which are the subject of pending or imminent court action in conference with an attorney;
• preparing for, conducting or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with employees;
• matters required to be kept confidential by federal or state statutes;
• specialized details of security arrangements or emergency response;
• certain confidential information directly related to a request for economic development assistance.

Before a board goes into executive session, it must take a roll call vote adopting a motion that states one or more of the specific statutory grounds for executive session. It is critically important that the board’s discussions in executive session remain within the stated and allowable discussion areas. A discussion in executive session outside of the publicly stated reason could invalidate subsequent board action taken on that matter. Even if the topic is permitted in executive session, the board must confine itself to the topic or topics announced in its motion to go into executive session.

OSBA’s fact sheet “Understanding Ohio’s Sunshine Laws” includes more information on executive sessions.

The organizational meeting
RC 3313.14 requires city, local and exempted village boards to organize within the first 15 days of January. Joint vocational school district (JVS) boards and educational service center (ESC) governing boards have until the end of the month to hold their organizational meetings. Practically speaking, the meeting should be held at the earliest possible time since the operation of the district must continue.

During the organizational meeting, the oath of office is administered to any new board members and the election of officers takes place. Among the items that should be considered at the organizational meeting are establishment of the regular meeting schedule, appointments to the JVS board, and adoption of the district’s tax budget per RC 5705.28. Normally, purchase of liability insurance for individual board members and the board as an entity, renewing OSBA membership and routine business also are discussed at this meeting. Board members should make an election on whether to participate in School Employees Retirement System. Finally, boards often make board committee appointments during the organizational meeting. OSBA’s fact sheet, “Organizational meetings and oath of office,” includes details on conducting the organizational meeting.