[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: Meetings, Bloody Meetings - Part 2

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
Meetings, Bloody Meetings - Part 2
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1214108364.shtml


   Now that I have the players sitting in the right places ([1]Part 1),
   let's look at a District 281 School Board Regular Meeting agenda,
   specifically that of [2]Monday, June 16th as an example. The link will
   open this 14 page document in a separate window.
   A 14 page agenda isn't an agenda, which Merriam-Webster defines as "a
   list or outline of things to be considered or done" in this context.
   Thumbing through those 14 pages, you see that it is full of specifics,
   but only some of the specifics, the rest in PDF attachments that I'm
   sure the board received as supplement printouts. Make all of the
   specifics separate documents and the suddenly you have a 2 page
   outline - an agenda.
   It's difficult to manage meeting time with an unwieldy 14 page
   document. With a 2 page agenda, a quick scan of the remaining items
   readily tells you where you are and what remains. All we had to do it
   put the content where it belongs, in supporting documents. Points with
   no activity this meeting (e.g. 8.02 on page 8 - no Change Orders)
   should be stricken entirely as needless agenda clutter. The
   Announcements (item 12) should also be stricken since it embodies no
   Board action. It could be continue to be published as an addendum on
   the agenda document.
   The Board could take better advantage of the Consent Agenda concept. A
   Consent Agenda is a list of routine, non-controversial actions adopted
   with a single motion at the beginning of a meeting. Any meeting
   participant can have any item removed from the consent agenda for full
   consideration during the remainder of the meeting at an appropriate
   point, usually as determined by the meeting leader. Items requiring
   explanations or a roll call vote obviously cannot be in the Consent
   Agenda but everything else is potentially eligible.
   In the 14 page example, the Consent Agenda runs over 6 pages, which
   collapses to a small part of page one once the long list of personnel
   changes and donations are made into separate supporting documents. I
   wonder if still more items could have been added to the Consent
   Agenda, like item 8.01 that awards three construction bids totaling
   about $150 thousand.
   A little more streamlining takes us from:
    1. Call to Order and Roll Call
    2. Additions to Agenda
    3. Acceptance of Agenda
    4. Presentation and Special Reports
    5. Consent Agenda
    6. Consent Agenda items removed for discussion
    7. Teaching and Learning
    8. Business
    9. Administrative Matters
   10. Board Reports
   11. Board Rapport
   12. Announcements
   13. Adjournment

   To this, referring to current agenda numbering above:
    1. Call to Order and Roll Call (1)
    2. Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda (2,3,5,6)
    3. Presentations (4)
    4. Education (7)
    5. Business (8)
    6. Administration (9)
    7. Board Reports (10,11)
    8. Adjournment (13)

   Announcements (12)

   It's 2 pages, not 14 pages. It's 8 points, not 13 points. This is an
   agenda. I'll put to work in Part 3.

References

   1. http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1214023705.shtml
   2. http://www.rdale.k12.mn.us/dist/district/board/public.aspx?meetingDate=6/16/2008&expandAll=true&notes=false&meetingTime=7:00%20PM