Board of Education Meetings

New Board of Education Meeting Structure for 2023
A Board of Education organizational meeting is the Board's first meeting in a calendar year. This meeting sets the outline and expectations for the upcoming year. At our organizational meeting on January 11, 2023, our Board took time to reflect on the past year’s engagement with the community.

As a result of this reflection, the Board has set a new structure for its meetings that will allow both the Board and the public to learn more about the work done by those in our District. This new structure is designed to increase the opportunity for community engagement.

ALL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS
Location: Clark Hall, 380 Granville Street, Gahanna
Time: 6:30 p.m. (unless otherwise specified)

Third Thursday of each month
Open to the public

These meetings will be unchanged from their current format and continue to include the opportunity for public participation.

Public Participation at Regular Meetings
The Board encourages and welcomes communication with the community. Public participation will remain unchanged during our Regular Board meetings and must comply with the Public Participation Bylaw.

Anyone who wants to speak on an item should complete a speaker request form available at the sign-in table before the meeting. Up to three minutes are allocated to express a concern and/or to provide additional materials to the Board for later review or reply.

First Thursday of each month
Open to the Public

A Board of Education workshop meeting is intended for the Board to hear from each Department Director in the District. This provides further opportunity for the community to learn more about the operation of the District. Student learning and achievement will be discussed during these Board workshops and will no longer be a separate meeting.

There will be no public participation at these workshops because that time is reserved at the Board meeting.

Tuesday prior to each Regular Board of Education meeting
Open to the public

The focus of these meetings will continue to be on Phase Two construction and the finances of the District. The structure of these meetings will remain unchanged.

As Needed
Closed to the public

An Executive Session is a closed-door meeting. Here are the 8 reasons that the Board can go into Executive Session:

• The appointment, employment, dismissal, discipline, promotion, demotion, compensation of an employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against an employee, official, licensee or student, unless the employee, official, licensee or student requests a public hearing. 
• The purchase of property for public purposes or the sale of property at competitive bidding.  
• Conference with the Board’s attorney to discuss matters which are the subject of pending or imminent court action. 
• Preparing for conducting, or reviewing negotiations or bargaining sessions with employees. 
• Matters required to be kept confidential by federal law rules or state statutes. 
• Details relative to the security arrangements and emergency response protocols for a public body or a public office, if disclosure of the matters discussed could reasonably be expected to jeopardize the security of the public body or public office. 
• Discussion of trade secrets of certain hospitals. 
• Consider certain Confidential information, including trade secrets, of applicants for certain types of economic development assistance, or negotiations with other political subdivisions concerning such applications. 

Executive Sessions allow for discussion only. Ohio law requires any vote by the school board must be done in a public forum outside of an Executive Session.

Policy committee has become an internal superintendent committee with two board members serving on that committee. All recommended new policies or policy changes will now have two readings at two different board meetings. This change will provide more opportunity for community members to speak on recommendations before the board votes. As noted above, student learning and achievement will now be discussed at each of our Board workshops.