As an agency of the
State of Illinois, the board accepts the powers and performs the duties
outlined in Article 10 of the Illinois School Code. Within these
provisions, the board views its required functions in these broad areas:
A. Policymaking: The board is responsible for developing policies and for employing a superintendent to implement the policies.
B. Appraisal: The board is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the policies and their implementation.
C. Financial: The board is responsible for maintaining fiscal integrity.
D. Educational: The
board is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating an
education program which will provide the opportunity for every student
in the district to receive a quality education.
F. Communication: The
board is responsible for establishing two-way communications with the
community and with the staff, keeping them informed and being receptive
to their advice and counsel.
The board may act only in a properly convened meeting, and no member shall
have the authority to
act for the board or under the title of their board position unless
specifically authorized by statute or by the board at such a meeting.
The Board of Education is the final authority over school matters.
The Board encourages
citizens of the district to attend its sessions so they may become
better acquainted with the operation and programs of the schools and so
the board may have an opportunity to hear the wishes and ideas of the
public.
In order to assure that
persons who wish to appear before the board may be heard and, at the
same time, conduct its meetings properly and efficiently, the board has
adopted as policy the following procedure and rules pertaining to public
participation at board meetings:
1. Anyone wishing to
have an item placed on the board agenda and to speak before the board
should inform the superintendent in writing of the topic to be discussed
as early as possible but at least by 12:00 noon seven days before the
meeting. This will permit orderly scheduling of public remarks on the
meeting agenda.
2. The public shall be
given an opportunity to make comments at each regular board meeting
during the regular agenda item "Welcome to Visitors," at the conclusion
of the agenda item entitled "Board Requested Reports" and during the
agenda item entitled "Action Items." Comments made during the item
entitled "Action Items" can be made after the motion has been made and
has been followed by a second.
3. Individuals desiring to speak shall give their name, address and the group, if any, that is represented.
4. Comments should be as brief as possible and should be limited to three minutes.
Only in a rare instance
will the board act on an issue brought before them the first time at a
meeting. The board generally needs more time to examine the issue before
action is taken.
Persons appearing
before the board are reminded, as a point of information, that members
of the board are without authority to act independently in official
matters. Thus, questions may be directed to individual board members,
but answers may be deferred pending consideration by the full board. The
President of the board may also reserve the right to limit and/or defer
certain discussion in the interest of conducting the board meeting
properly and efficiently.