Regular Board Meetings Explained

Board meetings are often filled with rhetoric that is difficult to sort through. This is a comprehensive guide to a regular board meeting of the PPS Board of Education. This page is organized first by who you are seeing, then proceeds through the meeting chronologically. You can find a similar page for a Board Committee Meetings Explained and a page for a Board Special Session Explained. According to the PPS Board of Education Policy 1.70.011-P, "The Board's meeting schedule will be established at the July organizational meeting but may be changed by the Board with proper notice." You can find the current Board schedule on the PPS Board Calendar Page.

Who You Are Seeing

Board Chair

The Board Chair is a member of the board elected by their fellow members who:

• Preside at all meetings of the Board in accordance with its bylaws
• Sign such instruments as the Board may authorize
• Appoint members to those committees established by the Board
• Function as ex-officio member of all Board committees
• Perform duties as may be required by law
• Perform the duties of designated Board spokesperson when authorized by the Board
• Serve as liaison between the Board and Board staff
  

During a Board meeting, the Chair "shall decide all questions relative to points of order, according to the policies and protocols of the Board, subject to appeal of the Board." In addition, the Board Chair is jointly responsible for setting the agenda of committee sessions with the Superintendent, which can include agenda items for general discussion, presentation, reports, etc.

Board Vice-Chair

The Board Vice Chair is a member of the board elected by their fellow members who, in the absence or disability of the Board chair, the vice chair shall exercise all the powers and assume all of the responsibilities of the chair.

Board Members

All board members are elected by voters city-wide and represent the entire school district during four-year terms, representing one of seven zones. You can find out who is currently residing and are designated to which Zone using the following links:

• Zone 1
• Zone 2
• Zone 3
• Zone 4
• Zone 5
• Zone 6
• Zone 7

Superintendent

The Superintendent is appointed by the Board of Education and holds a valid, permanent, or temporary Superintendent’s license from the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC). In addition, the Superintendent is jointly responsible for setting the agenda of committee sessions with the Board Chair, which can include agenda items for general discussion, presentation, reports, etc.

Student Representative

The Student Representative is elected by the District Student Council and serves on the Board for one year. The student representative performs the following duties:

• Represents the views of students on matters of concern to students
• Encourages the involvement of students in educational affairs
• Convenes student meetings to provide information and receive input about proposed actions by the Board or the District
• As time allows, participates in other events attended by Board members
• Is an articulate voice to the public on matters of concern to students

Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant

In addition to Board Members and Student Representatives, there are additional employees who are a part of Board Meetings.
The Executive Assistant is responsible for taking minutes of all meetings and tracking public comments. Board members will ask the executive assistant if there are any public comments during either the public comment period or on specific agenda items, and the Executive Assistant will call the names of those signed up.
Legal Counsel is a department of PPS that is in charge of "legal advice that promotes district goals, accelerates equity, preserves relationships, and allows staff and students to focus on teaching and learning." In general, either the Contracted Senior Legal Advisor and/or the Senior Legal Counsel will be present at a Board meeting.

What Proceedings You are Seeing

Regular meetings meet once a month, with the meeting schedule being established at the July organizational meeting. The schedule may be changed by the Board with proper notice. You can find the meeting schedule on the PPS Board Page.

Call to Order/Opening

Board chair calls meeting to order and references the links to the agenda for the meeting and the link to the livestream. The board chair will often go over some housekeeping rules during the meetings. The board requires that any signs brought to the board meeting be displayed below chin level.

Recognition Resolution

The first item on the agenda is typically the adoption of a resolution in recognition of an important day, week, or month that the board passes on behalf of the school district. The superintendent introduces the bill and then opens the floor for a community member (who could be a teacher, student, or staff member) to comment on why the resolution is important. These resolutions are designated as public comment accepted.

Superintendent's Report

The superintendent is required to report to the board, and this report can change from meeting to meeting and superintendent to superintendent. The contents typically include events occurring in the district and the progress of the superintendent's larger projects.

Student Representative's Report

The student representative gives a brief report about the District Student Council and the general concerns that the student representative has heard from the student body of PPS.

Comment Period

The comment period is broken up into three sub-sections: Student Comment, Public Comment, and Comments from our Union Partners. Check the Tips for Effective Public Comment page for advice on public comment at Board meetings. In order to apply for public comment, you must email publiccomment@pps.net or call the Board Office at 503-916-3741. Requests for comment need to include:

• Full name
• Pronouns
• Topic (required)
• Date requested
• School community
• Phone number and whether text communication is okay
• Whether you are a student
• Whether you plan to attend in person or virtually

Requests must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Walk-up requests are accepted, if space permits, during the fifteen minutes prior to the meeting and must be received before the meeting begins. If an interpreter is needed, the Board Office must have 48 hours notice.

The Board directs commenters to contact Board Manager Rosanne Powell (rpowell@pps.net) for follow-up on issues raised during public comment.

Protocol for Public Comment

1. The Board Clerk will announce the names of speakers, calling up to four people at a time. Each person should make their way to the table at the front and must speak into the microphone.
2. Speakers must state and spell their last name before beginning.
3. Speakers will have up to three minutes and thirty seconds to provide a comment.
4. A green light will appear during the first two minutes of testimony, a yellow light will indicate one minute remaining, and a red light with a buzzer will signal that the speaker has 30 seconds to conclude.
5. Written copies of comments or any supporting documents can be submitted to the Board Clerk at the meeting (provide 12 printed copies) or emailed to publiccomment@pps.net.

Guidelines for Public Comment

• The Board does not allow for any conversation to occur between speakers, the Board, or the Superintendent.
• Individuals offering public comment are requested not to make personal attacks on any District employee, Board member, other testifier, or member of the public. Complaints about individual employees should be directed to the Superintendent’s office as a personnel matter.
• All spots for public comment are allocated in the order they are received, unless otherwise indicated.
• Spots may not be shared or transferred to others.
• Videos or PowerPoint presentations may not accompany public testimony.
• Public Comment may be provided in person or virtually.
• Comment on a specific Board Action Item will take place during that agenda item. If the action item is canceled, postponed, or withdrawn, the comment will be subject to the availability of general public comments.

Board Committee and Conference Reports

Board committees and conferences have the opportunity to give reports or updates on different projects, budgets, or reports they are working on, or what has been requested by the board. This can include an update on a bond, budget, an initiative, etc. Members of those committees or conferences can provide comments, but public comments will not be accepted.

Resolutions

The board hears a variety of resolutions, most of which have already passed through either the Policy Committee or the Budget Committee before arriving at a regular meeting. Often, multiple resolutions will be grouped in what are called "Consent Agendas", which can all be voted on at once. This is usually where you will find resolutions for expenditure contracts, adoption of minutes, the establishment of a committee, and other legal and financial matters. Some resolutions will be marked on the agenda as "Public comment accepted" meaning that the public can sign up for public comment, submit written comments about a draft policy via this Google Form or via email at Schoolboard@pps.net. Written comments must be submitted by 5:00 pm on the last day comments are due, as posted on the Draft Policies page on the PPS website. Board members can pass a resolution, therefore becoming a Board Policy, fail a resolution, or send it back to a committee. The superintendent is not allowed to vote, and the student representative has a non-binding vote.

Other Business / Committee Referrals

Typically, the board will not be able to reach the end of the agenda they set out to get to this point. If they do, this section is reserved for any other business related to the board or any changes to the meeting schedule. The board will often move some resolutions set on the agenda to the next meeting for the sake of time.