South Washington County School Board changes its meeting policy

Talk about it

The District 833 School Board is changing its meeting policy after a dust-up involving the state Open Meeting Law earlier this year.

The board had been meeting twice a month. Board members met in a workshop that included discussion items only and no votes. A regular meeting with votes also was held each month.

But last December the board held a workshop that included a closed session outside its normal meeting time. The timing of that closed session — which was held to conduct a performance review of former Superintendent Mark Porter — and subsequent board action led the Bulletin to request the state review whether the board violated the Open Meeting Law. A state opinion concluded there was a violation.

Superintendent Keith Jacobus said last week the district will change the board’s meeting format to avoid “issues we had in the past with the Open Meeting Law.” Jacobus was hired after the meeting violation.

Moving forward, the board will have two regular meetings a month. The first meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and usually include a workshop. The second meeting will begin at 7 p.m.

Without discussion, board members on Sept. 13 also agreed to suspend formal meeting rules during their workshop sessions, “so all voices can be heard,” Jacobus said.

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