At A Time When The Public Is Calling for Greater Transparency, CUSD Will Vote To Limit The Power Of Trustees

June 24, 2015 Board Meeting Agenda Item #18 First Reading Board Bylaw 9322, Agenda/Meeting Materials - Information/Discussion

Source:
http://capousd.ca.schoolloop.com/file/1229223560406/1218998864154/3041348115019220532.pdf
(Exhibit 18 Page 691)

Currently any Trustee, or a member of the Public may make a request to have an item placed on a Board Meeting Agenda.

Members of the Public:

Members of the Public must make a request in writing to the Superintendent along with supporting documentation. The Superintendent must place the matter on a future regular Board meeting agenda within 45 days of receipt of the request. The Board does not have to act on the item, but the member of the Public must be given the opportunity to address the Board about the item.

Trustees:

Currently, a Trustee who would like to have an item placed on a future agenda should make that request during the Board Communications portion of a Board Meeting. The Trustee may also request Staff to do research and/or provide appropriate background for the item. The Trustee may also request a recommendation from the Superintendent. A majority vote of the Board will determine if the Trustees request to have staff research the item, and/or have the Superintendent make a recommendation will be honored.

June 24, 2014 BOT Meeting Agenda Item #18

Board Agenda Item #18 is asking Trustees to change the Board Policy to require that when a Trustee requests that an item be placed on a future Board meeting Agenda, a second Trustee must agree or the request will not be honored. So, in short, the District is attempting to limit the power of an individual Trustee to represent the Public.

I question the legality of such a policy change, especially when you consider that CUSD does not elect Trustees at large, but rather by area. If a single Trustee now represents the Public of a specific area, and the District will not allow a single Trustee to place an item on the agenda, the result is that the Public no longer has representation on the Board.

I would also like to point out how impractical this change would be. If a single member of the general public can request that an item be placed on the Board Agenda, and the Superintendent has to do so within 45 days, then why would a Trustee have less power to make the same request. Do we really want to force Trustees to have to make requests in writing as a member of the General Public in order to get an item before the Board? Changing this policy to require 2 Trustees will not change an individual Trustees’ ability to have an item placed on the agenda- it will simply require them to do so in writing rather than during the communications of a board meeting.

In the interest of greater transparency this item should be removed from the agenda. It is a waste of time. The June 24, 2015 Board Meeting Agenda contains 48 Items and is 1429 pages long.