COLUMBIA — Columbia School Board members are set to review, and possibly vote, on new rule changes to how the public can participate at board meetings on Monday.
The board’s Policy Committee, which has been working on the proposed changes since October, will consider recommending new guidelines for how the public can speak at board meetings and put issues in front of the board.
Board member Paul Harper , the committee’s chairperson, said the proposals are designed to make the rules easier to understand, allow for more public comment, and ensure compliance with state law. The committee started to reform the policy after a request from CPS administration
“We’re trying to be more explicit in how we’re doing things,” Harper said. “And we’re trying to make the language more user friendly.”
One proposal would create a standard four-hour deadline to sign up to speak at a meeting. As of now, the deadline to sign up is 2 p.m. on the day of a meeting. Board meetings are scheduled to start 6:30 p.m., so this proposal would give people and extra 30 minutes to sign up.
The board allows 30 minutes for public comment. There is a three-minute limit for speakers, but as many people can speak as time allows.
Harper said the goal of the proposal is to give staff enough time to prepare before the start of a board meeting.
“It’s not just public comment because we get a lot of emails, a lot of comments, related to our agendas outside of that public comment period,” Harper said.
Harper acknowledged the board has been criticized for staying silent during public comment sessions. He said board members can’t talk about issues not on the agenda because of Missouri’s Sunshine Law.
A Sunshine Law handbook developed by the Missouri Attorney General’s office explains the guidelines regulating what board members can discuss:
“Topics about which members of the public did not receive at least 24 hours’ notice should not be discussed during the meeting, unless it is impossible or impractical to provide 24 hours’ notice, in which case the reason for not providing 24 hours’ notice must be noted in the minutes,” the handbook said.
“I’ve heard a lot of people don’t like the fact that we sort of sit there and don’t ask questions, don’t do those things,” Harper said. “Well, the reason for that is the Sunshine Law.”
The committee also wants to expand what topics are given priority during public comment. Comments related to ‘action items’ will be, “permitted the first opportunity to speak,” according to current district policy. Action items are issues the board will vote on, according to Harper. The new rule expands priority to speakers who want to address other items on the agenda, not just action items.
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Another proposal would change the board’s meeting conduct policies. It would prevent public comment on, “matters that are unrelated to district business.” Harper said that the goal is to prevent off-topic discussion on issues like Columbia City Council.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO AGENDA ITEMS
The committee will also discuss new rules to add an agenda item. Once a proposal is accepted, it will be placed on the agenda along with the resident’s name. Speakers will have a five-minute limit to present an agenda item, unless the board gives the speaker more time. Only previously authorized speakers will be allowed to present.
It would also allow board members to ask speakers questions and seek information from the superintendent on the subject. The proposal would prevent speakers from using an agenda item to “avoid compliance” with the district’s grievance policies.
In 2022, the Missouri state legislature passed a law which allows school boards to adopt a uniform policy that regulates how agenda items are added. The law creates a lengthy process which requires residents to complete multiple steps before they can get an agenda item before the board.
Only residents of the school district can propose an agenda item, and the issue must be, “directly related to the governance or operation of the school district,” according to the law.
But first, a resident must try to resolve their issue in a meeting with the district superintendent, or a superintendent’s designee. The superintendent is required to meet with a resident within 20 business days of their request.
If the resident is unsatisfied with the meeting, they can submit a written request to place an item on the boards agenda. State law allows school boards to reject an agenda item if it has heard an, “identical or substantially similar issue in the previous three calendar months or if the resident has previously violated district rules regarding conduct at meetings or on school property.”
CPS policy allows the board to block similar or identical agenda items, only if “the resident has previously violated the district’s rule regarding conduct at meetings or on school property.”
The CPS policy committee is proposing to merge those rules together. It would allow the board to block an agenda item if it is similar to one heard in the last three months, or if the person violated CPS’ meeting conduct policy. This would put CPS in line with other Missouri schools, including the Jefferson City School District.
Harper said the policy committee will vote Monday to put these proposals before the entire board for a first reading. This would allow 30 days for the public to comment before the board votes.
The committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Aslin Administration Building’s board room, 1818 West Worley Street, Columbia.