cancel board meeting Cancelling a School Board Meeting or rescheduling for next month in Texas.

[Guest Monica]

HI,

Can the Regular Board meeting be moved to next month if we don't have any pressing items for our regular School Board agenda? We would follow all the 72-hour protocols advising the media, public, community, employees, faculty, and staff, and Board, including posting a notice online and at the Central Office that the current month's regular meeting is canceled and providing the date for the next month's meeting. Our Board Operating Procedures approved by the Board do not include the "set monthly" meetings, and our Board policy also does not include a "set Monthly" meeting. The Calendar with the Board meeting dates was not approved by the Board either.

We want to do this for the lack of items and to save people time.  The meeting is in two weeks? 

 

[Gary Novosielski]

Well, if nobody appears to have set the times for the current monthly meetings, then I presume it's in your bylaws somewhere.  And if it is, then it can't be suspended unless it contains a provision saying that it can.

But even if it did, and gave the Board the power to cancel meetings, you would have to move to do so at a meeting, and if I read the question right, there will be no opportunity to do that.

So you appear to be out of luck, at least for now.  But you could find the rule that currently sets the meeting times, and amend it to say that the Board may alter the schedule (with appropriate notice). But you would still need the foresight to make that motion a meeting in advance.  A board has no powers at all when it is not in session.

Edited October 5, 2023 at 08:12 PM by Gary Novosielski

[Josh Martin]

On 10/5/2023 at 2:17 PM, Guest Monica said:

Can the Regular Board meeting be moved to next month if we don't have any pressing items for our regular School Board agenda? We would follow all the 72-hour protocols advising the media, public, community, employees, faculty, and staff, and Board, including posting a notice online and at the Central Office that the current month's regular meeting is canceled and providing the date for the next month's meeting. Our Board Operating Procedures approved by the Board do not include the "set monthly" meetings, and our Board policy also does not include a "set Monthly" meeting. The Calendar with the Board meeting dates was not approved by the Board either.

We want to do this for the lack of items and to save people time.  The meeting is in two weeks? 

Since this (I think) a public body, it seems to me this is a question concerning the body's own rules and applicable law, not Robert's Rules of Order. I would advise directing this question to the board's clerks and attorneys.

[Atul Kapur]

On 10/5/2023 at 4:08 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

But you could find the rule that currently sets the meeting times, and amend it to say that the Board may alter the schedule (with appropriate notice).

If you're going to go to the trouble of changing the bylaws, you could change it to allow the Chair to alter the schedule, with proper notice. 

This is likely more practical than trying to predict a month ahead of time whether there will be any business for the next meeting. 

[Richard Brown]

Assuming this school board is a public body, I agree with Josh Martin's advice.  This seems more an issue of complying with open meetings laws (sunshine laws) than RONR. I agree with consulting the board's attorney.  As a practical matter, if all school board members agree with canceling this meeting, I see no harm in just announcing that this month's meeting has been canceled.  However, if some board members do not agree with the cancellation, they could show up anyway and if a quorum is present those present could have the meeting and conduct business and adopt motions just as they normally would. Unless your bylaws or some superior law provide otherwise, the president of the school board has no authority to just cancel a meeting.  It's a risky thing to do unless all members are in agreement.

 I do have an issue with how your meetings are set if there is no rule or policy establishing a regular meeting schedule.   Exactly how and by whom are your meetings set?

 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/8/2023 at 3:15 PM, Richard Brown said:

 I do have an issue with how your meetings are set if there is no rule or policy establishing a regular meeting schedule.   Exactly how and by whom are your meetings set?

Yes, it must be somewhere.  And if that somewhere is in a law or regulation that says the meetings shall be held, then casually canceling them is not an option.  It will be necessary to have two people show up, call the meeting to order, adjourn, and file the brief minutes.