Frequently Asked Questions
When are the Board meetings?
The SDCCS Board holds a regularly scheduled meeting every month of the year. Meetings are typically held on the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at alternating campuses.
How are the meetings run?
The SDCCS Board meetings are run in accordance with the Brown Act of California. They are meetings held in public and they are open to any member of the community to attend. Meetings begin with an opportunity for public comment. The Board then works through its agenda items.
What is public comment?
The Brown Act insures that the public has a right to testimony. Public comment is an opportunity for any member of the community to speak to the Board about an issue. The issue may or may not be on the agenda. Each member of the public has three minutes to speak. The Board cannot censor a public comment speaker nor can the Board respond or take action regarding public presentations. However, the Board may give direction to staff members following a presentation.
In order to speak, please submit a “Public Comment Card” before the start of the public comment period. You can find these at the Board meeting as well as at the bottom of this FAQ sheet.
The public comment period is the opportunity for the public to speak to the Board. The public has the right to observe the meeting but not to participate in it. All members of the public should have equal access to public comment and interjections during the Board meeting conflict with fair and equal access.
When is the meeting agenda available?
The Brown Act requires that the agenda for a regularly scheduled meeting be available to the public 72 hours prior to the meeting. The agenda is required to be posted in our physical places of business, which is the front offices of the school sites. In addition, we do email the agendas out to SDCCS families.
What kinds of topics are covered in a Board meeting?
The Board’ s responsibilities for governance include overseeing the budget, the policies, capital projects and the SDCCS strategic plan. The Board does not take up issues around the day-to-day operations of the school sites. Concerns about day-to-day operations should follow our Grievance Policy. Concerns should first be addressed to the staff members directly involved at the site level and then to the site principal if necessary.
What committees does the Board have?
The Board has two standing committees: Budget and Governance. These committee meetings are run in accordance with the Brown Act and held in public, like the regular meetings. In addition, the Board may task some of its members with project-specific work. These ad-hoc committees do not meet in public but do provide regular updates to the board. For example, the Board’ s Resource Development Planning committee organized a fundraising plan for the full board.
How does someone join the Board?
Board service is one of the many ways that SDCCS community members can contribute to the schools. The Board is made up of parents, staff and community members. Each school site has staff representation on the Board and each PSA has a liaison to the Board.
Here are the steps for a prospective Board member:
- Attend at least two meetings of the Board.
- Complete an application with recommendations and submit to the Board for review.
- Meet with the Board for an in-person interview.
The Board then takes up a vote on applicants. A Board term is two years with the option to be renewed. More information about the commitment of a Board member is available in the by-laws. Interested applicants are welcome to contact the Board president for more information.
How do I contact a Board member?
You may attend a meeting and participate in the Public Comment portion of the meeting.
You may contain a board member via an email. See Board contact information.