Minutes of the Meeting

[Guest Chris]

I am a Recording Secretary of a Teacher Association for a small school district and I have been advised the following:

 

"minutes should not be sent out until they are approved at the following months meeting. This will avoid any problem with misinformation and type -o's. Please do not send them until they have been approved..."

 

I disagree with this, knowing these minutes are still in draft form. I will agree not to send out to entire membership, but shouldn't they be distributed to the executive council prior to meeting for discussion?

[Hieu H. Huynh]

That is up to your association to decide and it seems that your association has made that decision.

[Guest Guest]

I am a Recording Secretary of a Teacher Association for a small school district and I have been advised the following:

 

"minutes should not be sent out until they are approved at the following months meeting. This will avoid any problem with misinformation and type -o's. Please do not send them until they have been approved..."

 

I disagree with this, knowing these minutes are still in draft form. I will agree not to send out to entire membership, but shouldn't they be distributed to the executive council prior to meeting for

So is this correct that no one will see until the next meeting???

[Guest Guest]

That is up to your association to decide and it seems that your association has made that decision.

So is this correct that no one will see until the next meeting???

[Hieu H. Huynh]

That is correct.

[Richard Brown]

That is up to your association to decide and it seems that your association has made that decision.

Hieu, I don't see anything by guest Chris which says that this is a policy adopted by the association as opposed to a "directive" of some sort from someone who may or may not have the authority to issue it.  I agree that if it is a rule or policy properly adopted by the association, then the secretary is bound by it.  Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with the secretary sending a copy of the draft minutes... clearly labeled as DRAFT.... to the members of the body which has the responsibility for approving the minutes.  It is the secretary's call unless the association has adopted a policy (or perhaps a custom) prohibiting it, isn't it?

[George Mervosh]

Hieu, I don't see anything by guest Chris which says that this is a policy adopted by the association as opposed to a "directive" of some sort from someone who may or may not have the authority to issue it.  I agree that if it is a rule or policy properly adopted by the association, then the secretary is bound by it.  Otherwise, I see nothing wrong with the secretary sending a copy of the draft minutes... clearly labeled as DRAFT.... to the members of the body which has the responsibility for approving the minutes.  It is the secretary's call unless the association has adopted a policy (or perhaps a custom) prohibiting it, isn't it?

 

What directive?  It sounds like a recommendation, and in my opinion, a pretty good one.  Guest-Chris can advise if the Association actually adopted a motion regarding the matter, but at this point it just sounds like an advisory recommendation.

[Richard Brown]

What directive?  It sounds like a recommendation, and in my opinion, a pretty good one.  Guest-Chris can advise if the Association actually adopted a motion regarding the matter, but at this point it just sounds like an advisory recommendation.

 

I am a Recording Secretary of a Teacher Association for a small school district and I have been advised the following:

 

"minutes should not be sent out until they are approved at the following months meeting. This will avoid any problem with misinformation and type -o's. Please do not send them until they have been approved..."

That sounds pretty much like  a directive to me.  :-)  If it's a "suggestion", it's a pretty doggone strongly worded one! 

 

As to whether it's a pretty good suggestion, I don't necessarily agree, especially if the draft minutes are being sent only to the body that will be approving the minutes.  Some organizations do it that way and some don't.  I don't think we can say that one way is better than the other way.   It's up to each organization to decide based on that organization's unique circumstances.  I do agree that the draft minutes should probably not be sent out to the entire association until they have been approved.  Perhaps that's what you meant.

[Bruce Lages]

Guest Chris - Several responders mentioned sending minutes to the body that will be approving them. If the minutes you're speaking of are minutes of a meeting of the teachers' association, then there is no basis for sending the draft minutes to only the executive council, since that should not be the body that will be approving them.

 

It is not uncommon for organizations to distribute draft minutes to the members in advance of the meeting at which they will be approved. It can save time by making it not absolutely necessary to read those minutes at the meeting (although any one member can demand that they be read). If they are sent out in advance - to all members of whatever body was meeting - they should be clearly labeled as "draft" copies.

[Guest Guest]

What directive?  It sounds like a recommendation, and in my opinion, a pretty good one.  Guest-Chris can advise if the Association actually adopted a motion regarding the matter, but at this point it just sounds like an advisory recommendation.

The high affiliate has "advised" us to do this.

[Richard Brown]

The high affiliate has "advised" us to do this.

Who....or what.... is the "high affiliate"??  And is this a formally adopted rule of the "high affiliate" or an "advice" from one person from the "high affiliate" acting on his or her own?

 

The point that some of us are trying to make is that no one person or official has the authority to tell you, as secretary, how to do your job unless there is a rule giving that person that power.   However, superior bodies, i.e, boards, executive committees, general membership, parent organization (with a properly adopted rule) do have the authority to establish procedures which the secretary must follow.

 

We still don't know if this is a rule of some sort actually adopted by a governing body with the authority to adopt it.

 

Edited to add:  Why don't you ask the person who is "advising" you not to send out copies of the draft minutes to any other members to show you the rule which prohibits it?  

[Guest Guest]

Who....or what.... is the "high affiliate"??  And is this a formally adopted rule of the "high affiliate" or an "advice" from one person from the "high affiliate" acting on his or her own?

 

The point that some of us are trying to make is that no one person or official has the authority to tell you, as secretary, how to do your job unless there is a rule giving that person that power.   However, superior bodies, i.e, boards, executive committees, general membership, parent organization (with a properly adopted rule) do have the authority to establish procedures which the secretary must follow.

 

We still don't know if this is a rule of some sort actually adopted by a governing body with the authority to adopt it.

Suggestion from the NJEA not our Local

[Edgar Guest]

I will agree not to send out to entire membership, but shouldn't they be distributed to the executive council prior to meeting for discussion?

 

No. Either send the draft to all members (per Mr. Lages) or don't send it at all, especially not just to the members of the executive council (per Mr. Lages, again). That doesn't prevent you from asking another member to look it over for obvious errors (e.g. typos).

[Richard Brown]

No. Either send the draft to all members (per Mr. Lages) or don't send it at all, especially not just to the members of the executive council (per Mr. Lages, again). That doesn't prevent you from asking another member to look it over for obvious errors (e.g. typos).

Well, if the draft minutes are going to be sent out, they should be sent to the body which will be approving them, which is usually (except for conventions and some annual general membership meetings) the body which was meeting.  The original poster never told us whether the minutes being referred to are minutes of general membership meetings, board meetings, executive committee meetings, or a combination or perhaps even all three types of meetings.   I see no reason to send the draft minutes of an executive committee or board of directors meeting to the entire membership.  Are you saying that the draft minutes of an executive council meeting should be sent to the entire general membership?  If so, I disagree.

[Gary Novosielski]

Suggestion from the NJEA not our Local

 

Well, there's no NJEA rule that says that.  I'm still not clear what body these are the minutes of.

 

If it's the minutes of the Exec Council, then there's nothing wrong with distributing the draft minutes to all members of the Exec Council and it would probably save a bit of time at the next meeting if members saw them in advance.

 

If it's a meeting of the general membership, then it depends how long it is between such meetings.

[Guest Guest]

Well, there's no NJEA rule that says that.  I'm still not clear what body these are the minutes of.

 

If it's the minutes of the Exec Council, then there's nothing wrong with distributing the draft minutes to all members of the Exec Council and it would probably save a bit of time at the next meeting if members saw them in advance.

 

If it's a meeting of the general membership, then it depends how long it is between such meetings.

Executive Council Meeting of the Local Assocaition.

[Guest Guest]

Great Responses!

[Edgar Guest]

Are you saying that the draft minutes of an executive council meeting should be sent to the entire general membership?  If so, I disagree.

 

I am most certainly not saying that. Our Guest identified him/herself as the secretary of the association so I made the assumption that this was a meeting of the association. 

[Richard Brown]

. . .Either send the draft to all members (per Mr. Lages) or don't send it at all, especially not just to the members of the executive council (per Mr. Lages, again). That doesn't prevent you from asking another member to look it over for obvious errors (e.g. typos).

 

Well, if the draft minutes are going to be sent out, they should be sent to the body which will be approving them, which is usually (except for conventions and some annual general membership meetings) the body which was meeting.  The original poster never told us whether the minutes being referred to are minutes of general membership meetings, board meetings, executive committee meetings, or a combination or perhaps even all three types of meetings.   I see no reason to send the draft minutes of an executive committee or board of directors meeting to the entire membership.  Are you saying that the draft minutes of an executive council meeting should be sent to the entire general membership?  If so, I disagree.

 

I am most certainly not saying that. Our Guest identified him/herself as the secretary of the association so I made the assumption that this was a meeting of the association. 

Well, it certainly looks to me like that's what you said, but if it's not what you meant, I'll accept that. 

 

It's my experience... and I suspect the experience of just about all regulars on this forum...  that the society's officers customarily serve in that capacity for not just the general membership, but also  for whatever executive boards and executive committees (or executive councils) the organization  might have.  The original poster did specifically mention the executive committee approving the minutes (or at least discussing them), leading me to believe he was probably discussing executive committee meetings, not general membership meetings... or perhaps both types of meetings.

[Edgar Guest]

Well, it certainly looks to me like that's what you said, but if it's not what you meant, I'll accept that.

Bless you.

 

The original poster did specifically mention the executive committee approving the minutes (or at least discussing them), leading me to believe he was probably discussing executive committee meetings, not general membership meetings... or perhaps both types of meetings.

Well, the OP referred to an executive council, not an executive committee but if that's what you meant, I'll accept that.