Guidelines for Participation at Board Meetings

 

  

Welcome

 

Regular Board of Education meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Arcadia Education Center, 150 South Third Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006 unless otherwise noted.

The first meeting of each month is a Business Meeting, conducted in the Board Room. The second is a Board Study Session, generally held in the Board Room.

Agendas for all regular meetings are posted in advance, typically the Friday prior to the meeting. Agendas may be viewed at the Arcadia Education Center, at all school sites, and on this website.

Business Meetings and Study Sessions are conducted in public. Closed Sessions (sessions closed to the public) are held only when the Board needs to discuss matters related to employee evaluation, negotiations, actions related to individual students, pending litigation, or other matters as prescribed by law. Any action taken in Closed Session is reported out in Public Session.

Who Is the School Board?

The Governing Board of the Arcadia Unified School District is made up of five elected representatives of the public. Collectively, they are responsible for setting the policy and the direction of the District. The members of the AUSD Governing Board and 2022-2023 officers are as follows:

Fenton Eng
President 
 
Shirley Yee
Vice President 
 
Raymond Cheung
Clerk

Kay Kinsler
Member

Leigh Chavez
Member

The Superintendent, Dr. David Vannasdall, is employed by the Governing Board to carry out its policies and to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the District.

What Is a "Public Meeting?"

Meetings of the Governing Board are conducted in public, except when the Board is discussing Closed Session items. Any actions taken in Closed Session are reported out in Public Session. Public meetings include both Business Meetings where action is taken and Study Sessions, which are primarily opportunities for the Board to discuss selected topics in-depth, additionally, action items may also be on the agenda. While meetings are conducted in public, they are meetings of the Board to conduct the business of the District, not a meeting of the public. Opportunity is provided for the public to comment on items on the agenda and on matters that are not on the agenda.

How Can I Address the School Board?

If you would like to address the Board during a meeting, please fill out a Request to Speak card, available on the counter outside the meeting location or from the secretary, and give it to the secretary prior to the start of the meeting. The President of the Governing Board will use these cards to call on speakers.

Members of the public have two opportunities to address the Board: during audience comments at the beginning of the agenda or before a specific item on the agenda. Time for public comment is limited. The Board President may organize public comments on separate issues or by those "for" and "against" a specific issue. When there are a number of people requesting to be heard, speakers will be asked to limit their comments to allow as many as possible to speak within the time allotted. Priority may be given to speakers who have not previously addressed the Board on a specific issue.

The Board is interested in the ideas and opinions of the public and wishes to give the public the opportunity to input before taking up an issue. However, the Board will not normally comment on public statements or engage in a dialogue with the audience during the meeting. Speakers with specific questions will usually be referred to the Superintendent or appropriate office.

Concerns and Complaints

The Board has a complaint procedure for dealing with concerns about programs, materials, or staff. The public is encouraged to use this procedure as the most immediate and appropriate way to resolve complaints. For information about this procedure, please contact the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services' Office.

The Board makes every effort to protect the confidentiality of students, staff, and parents. However, a public complaint is permitted; bear in mind that public comments about individuals may make the person making the comments individually liable for civil action.

Keeping Order

The President of the Board has the authority and responsibility to keep order so that the Board can hear public comments and conduct its business. In order to maximize an environment where the most people can be accommodated and where everyone can be heard, the public is asked to comply with the following:

• Be seated in the seats provided, and do not block the aisle or doorways. This is necessary for safety and will allow people to see and hear.
• No weapons of any kind may be brought into the building.
• When safe capacity is exceeded, it is necessary to limit the audience inside. Should this become necessary, every effort to make it possible for people to hear the proceedings outside will be made.
• Speakers are requested to speak from the podium when provided and respect the time limits set by the President. Limiting comments to things which have not already been expressed will allow the maximum number to speak within the time allowed for public comment.
• Any recording of a public meeting must be done in a way that does not interfere with the orderly conduct of the meeting.
• No placards with sticks are allowed in the building for safety reasons. Posters of reasonable size may be held up in the back row only so as not to interfere with others' ability to see.
• Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the District property.