The board of education (board) is charged by the Legislature with the duty of providing public elementary and secondary education to the citizens of the district.  The Legislature has also created the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education, and has delegated certain regulatory and advisory functions to them.  The board is responsible to these agencies as specified by law. 

The board’s primary duties are:

(1) to establish a mission, goals, and policies;

(2) to establish and maintain school facilities;

(3) to select a superintendent;

(4) to adopt a fiscally responsible budget; and (5) to evaluate programs.

The Board of Education shall be comprised of six members who will be elected at large by qualified voters of the school district in a manner prescribed by law under the provision pertaining to a Class III school district in the statutes of the State of Nebraska.  Those who wish to serve on the board shall file, be elected, and serve terms of office on the board according to law.  

Board Members:  

a) Individual members of the board have authority only when acting as a Board legally in session. 

b)The Board shall not be bound in any way by any action or statement on the part of an individual Board member, except when such statement or action is in the pursuance of specific, formal instruction from the Board.

(Board Officer Voting and Tie Breakers)

• An organizational meeting of the Boone Central School District Board of Education shall be held on or before the third Monday of January of each year for the purposes of seating new members and electing officers.
• After new board members are sworn in, the Board will elect from its members a President, Vice President, and Treasurer.
• Upon call for nominations for each office by the Chair, nominations shall be made by written or oral ballot.  Voting will be by oral or written ballot on all members nominated and repeated until a majority is achieved for a nominee.  The vote to elect board officers may be taken by secret ballot, but the total number of votes for each candidate shall be recorded in the minutes.
• In the event, any officer cannot be elected by majority after 5 ballots.

President:  At the regular January meeting, the board shall elect from among its members a president who shall serve in that capacity for one year. The president shall preside at all board meetings and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by law or by the action of the board.

Vice President:  At the regular January meeting, the board shall elect from among its members a vice president who shall serve in that capacity for one year. The vice president shall preside in the absence of the president and shall perform such other duties as are assigned by the board.

Secretary:  At the regular January meeting, the board shall elect, employ, or appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the board. The secretary will serve in that capacity for one year.  If the secretary is a member of the board, an assistant secretary may be named and his or her duties and compensation set by the board. The secretary shall see that an accurate record of the proceedings of the board is kept, that a copy of the proceedings is provided to each board member and to the superintendent, and that a concise summary of each month’s meeting is published along with a list of all approved claims. The secretary shall perform such other duties as are prescribed by law and assigned by the board.

Treasurer:  At the regular January meeting, the board shall elect, employ, or appoint a treasurer who need not be a member of the board if permitted by law. from among its members a treasurer who shall serve in that capacity for one year, unless the board designates a longer term for the treasurer.  The treasurer may be designated to sign checks and certain other documents. The treasurer is the custodian of the monies of the district. The treasurer shall give a bond or equivalent insurance coverage payable to the district as prescribed by law with the cost of the bond being paid by the district.  The treasurer shall issue no warrant of payment of a claim against the district until such claim has been duly authorized by the board and has been duly countersigned by the president. 

To achieve its goals and objectives and to promote efficiency, the school board may conduct its business or assign various tasks to committees as required or allowed by law.

• Temporary, Special, or Ad Hoc-  The board shall authorize such temporary, special, or ad hoc committees as it deems necessary. 
• Committee Members-  Except as otherwise provided in this policy, the board president shall appoint members to the committee, and designate its function, tasks it is to perform, and a completion date for its work.  The board president may authorize the superintendent or other administrator to appoint the members of the committees.
• Open Meetings Act-  Committees that constitute a quorum of the board, hold hearings, make policy, or take formal action on behalf of the board of education and committee meetings attended by a quorum of the board shall be subject to the Open Meetings Act.  Nothing in this policy shall otherwise require or prohibit the committee from complying with the Open Meetings Act. The board of education shall have the following standing committees:

Facility Committee (Stopak*, Frey, Knott):  This committee will assist in evaluating and monitoring the buildings and grounds. The committee will make recommendations to the Board concerning these areas.

Finance & Negotiations Committee (Knott*, Frey, Rolf): This committee will assist in evaluating and monitoring the school budget.  The committee will make recommendations to the Board concerning finances, bills, and the annual budget.  This committee will oversee contract negotiations between the Board of Education and the Certified Staff.

Policy & Curriculum Committee, & Committee on American Civics (Fogleman*, Roberts, Rolf, & district admin:  The committee will assist in identifying, evaluating and monitoring of all Board policies. The committee will anticipate and recommend policy adjustments as needed.   On or before the beginning of each calendar year, the board shall appoint three members to form a Committee on American Civics.  The committee’s duties shall be those prescribed by Nebraska statutes, which include:

• Hold no fewer than two public meetings annually, at least one when public testimony is accepted;
• Keep minutes of each meeting showing the time and place of the meeting, which members were present or absent, and the substance and details of all matters discussed;
• Examine and ensure that the social studies curriculum used in the district is aligned with the social studies standards adopted pursuant to section 79-760.01 and teaches foundational knowledge in civics, history, economics, financial literacy, and geography; 
• Review and approve the social studies curriculum to ensure that it stresses the services of the men and women who played a crucial role in the achievement of national independence, establishment of our constitutional government, and preservation of the union and includes the incorporation of multicultural education as set forth in sections 79-719 to 79-723 in order to instill a pride and respect for the nation's institutions and not be merely a recital of events and dates;
• Ensure that any curriculum recommended or approved by the committee on American civics is made readily accessible to the public and contains a reference to this section;
• Ensure that the district develops and utilizes formative, interim, and summative assessments to measure student mastery of the social studies standards adopted pursuant to section 79-760.01;
• Ensure that the social studies curriculum in the district incorporates one or more of the following for each student:
• Administration of a written test that is identical to the entire civics portion of the naturalization test used by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services prior to the completion of eighth grade and again prior to the completion of twelfth grade with the individual score from each test for each student made available to a parent or guardian of such student; or
• Attendance or participation between the commencement of eighth grade and completion of twelfth grade in a meeting of a public body as defined by section 84-1409 followed by the completion of a project or paper in which each student demonstrates or discusses the personal learning experience of such student related to such attendance or participation; or
• Completion of a project or paper and a class presentation between the commencement of eighth grade and the completion of twelfth grade on a person or persons or an event commemorated by a holiday listed in section 79-724(6) or on a topic related to such person or persons or event; and
• Take all such other steps as will assure the carrying out of the provisions of this section and provide a report to the school board regarding the committee's findings and recommendations.

Transportation Committee (Stopak*, Roberts, Fogleman): This committee will assist in evaluating and monitoring all school transportation vehicles. The committee will make recommendations to the Board concerning transportation.

Legislative Representative (Roberts): One member of the Board of Education will serve as the Legislative Representative for the Board.

Preschool Advisory / Early Childhood Committee (Knott*, Frey, Rolf): The committee will assist in monitoring and promoting the early childhood education program

Athletic Cooperative Committee (Stopak*, Frey, Fogleman): The committee will assist in monitoring and evaluating cooperative agreements with outside entities. The committee will make recommendations to the Board concerning existing and new cooperative opportunities. 

A vacancy on the board of education shall exist when any one of the following occurs:

• A member submits his or her formal resignation from the board.
• A member removes himself or herself from the district or is absent from the district for a continuous period of sixty days.
• A member misses more than two consecutive regular board meetings unless excused by a majority of the remaining members.
  • Such other reasons as are set forth in Nebraska statutes.
• The board shall make note the vacancy in its minutes and shall give notice of the date the vacancy occurred, the office vacated, and the length of the unexpired term to (1) the election commissioner or county clerk, and (2) the public by published notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the district.

• Types of Meetings
• The board shall hold its regular meetings on or before the third Monday of each month.
• Special and emergency meetings may be called as provided by law.
• The board may schedule work sessions and retreats in order to provide board members and administrators with the opportunity to plan, research, and engage in discussion.

The board shall give reasonable advance publicized notice of the time and place of each of its meetings, which generally will be 48 hours or more in advance of the meeting.  Such notice shall be transmitted to all members of the board and to the public.  Notice of regular and special meetings shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the district and, if available, on the newspaper’s website. Newspapers of general circulation in the district include, but are not necessarily limited to, the Boone County Tribune or the Omaha World-Herald.  Such notice shall contain a statement that the agenda shall be readily available for public inspection at the administration office of the school during the normal business hours. In addition, the superintendent is authorized, but not required, to publish the notice of any meeting on the school district’s website, posting in three prominent places within the school district, or by any other appropriate method designated by the board. 

When it is necessary to hold an emergency meeting without reasonable advance public notice, the nature of the emergency shall be stated in the minutes of the meeting, and any formal action taken in such meeting shall pertain only to the emergency.  Complete minutes of such emergency meetings specifying the nature of the emergency and any formal action taken at the meeting shall be made available to the public no later than the end of the next regular business day.

In the event of inclement weather which makes it dangerous or unreasonable for board members or members of the public to attend a meeting for which notice has already been given, such meeting may be postponed by the board president.  The board will communicate the delay to members of the public by posting it on the district’s website and by following the same communication protocol that the district follows when student attendance at school is called off due to inclement weather.  When possible, the board president and superintendent will attempt to communicate the information to local media members and business owners to assist in notifying the public of the delay.  Notice of the date, time, and location of the postponed meeting will be advertised as required in the “Notice” section above.

Minutes:

• The board shall keep minutes of all meetings showing the time, place, members present and absent, the method(s) and date(s) of the meeting notice, and the substance of all matters discussed. 
• Any action taken on any question or motion duly moved and seconded shall be by roll call vote of the board in open session, and the record shall state how each member voted, or if the member was absent or not voting.
• The minutes of all meetings and evidence and documentation received or disclosed in open session shall be public record and may be published on the school district's website.