Dianna ChiabottiJanet Fulks Phillip MaynardDavid MorseRichard Tahvildaran-Jesswein

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Utilizing real life scenarios, this breakout will explore the legal requirements for running senate meetings, strategies for running effective meetings that include two way discourse, and methods for navigating challenging meetings.

The Key Commitment to openness and

transparency Commitment to public access to

information (not mere compliance with the law)

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The Brown Act applies to meetings of all legislative bodies (GC 54952), including: The Board of Trustees Any subcommittee or task force created by the

Board with a majority of Board members serving on the group

Any subcommittee or task force created by the Board which has defined, ongoing charge (either decision-making or advisory) OR has a regular meeting schedule set by the Board, regardless of Board membership

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A meeting of a legislative body (GC 54952.2) occurs whenever a majority of members gather to discuss business with their charge.

A majority can meet at the following provided they do not discuss any business within their charge among themselves: Attendance at a conference An open meeting of some other group to

address local issues Social gatherings

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YES!!!!

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Agendas Include time and place Mail agenda one week before meeting Post agenda 72 hours before meeting Special meetings require 24 hour notice and

are limited to agenda items Senates do not call emergency meetings

(which do not require 24 hour notice) Allow for public comments before or during

discussion of agenda items Include all action items on the agenda, with

a brief description

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Who makes the final call? How does this become an inclusive

process? What do you do with “agenda-

monopolizers”? How do you remain within a timeframe? What criteria allow you to prioritize items? What do you do with items that are never

addressed?

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All meetings are open Closed sessions are for litigation (e.g.,

senate is or will be sued), personnel matters (e.g. evaluation of a senate employee), or negotiating with a bargaining agent (which senate does not do)

All votes are open; no secret ballots

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Welcome Public Comment Approval of Minutes from Previous

meeting Approval of Agenda Action Items Discussion Items Committee Reports Announcements Adjournment

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Members may respond to public comments but cannot take action

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This is an approval of generally the previous month’s menus. Minor edits are allowed but not substantive changes.

What belongs in the minutes? Details? Names? Content?

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A vote to approve the agenda. Requests can be made to change order of items but new items cannot be added.

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Action can only be taken on items on the agenda Exception: Action may be taken on non-

agenda item IFneed for immediate action is found after the

agenda is posteda vote of two-thirds of members present if more

than two-thirds of the total membership are present, or a unanimous vote if less than two-thirds of the total membership is present

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These items are discussed but no action can be taken. The items can be placed on a future agenda for action.

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All items distributed before or during meetings must be available to the public at the meeting (reasonable fees may be charged for duplication) Exception: Items under Title 1 Sections 6253.5, 6254,

or 6254.7 Be careful of what you distribute at meetings – they are

now public documents Set time limits for discussion, especially public comments Use public comments section of the agenda for items not

on the agenda Keep discussion within the scope of the agenda item Bring extra copies of documents If others bring items to distribute, offer to send copies

later to those requesting them in writing15

Brown Act governs meeting access for local public bodies

Bagley-Keene codifies similar conditions for access to public meetings for state agencies

Senates are not covered by Bagley-Keene (they are not state agencies)

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http://www.robertsrules.com/ Local senates adopt and incorporate those

elements that help facilitate debate and the flow of meetings

Important regarding motions and taking action

Consider having a senate parliamentarian Check your local senate constitution and

by-laws for established processes

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Understanding motions: How to close debate How to limit or extend debate How to refer to committee How to modify wording of a motion How to suspend rules How to divide motion How to table – and how to move from the

table

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Leading meetings as a new president

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Inform Provide a two-way information

opportunity Take advantage of many minds

examining a topic Allow all participants to feel important

and respected Create responses to agenda items that

are relevant and inclusive20

Include expert input on relevant topics. Provide adequate information,

research, data and context to make knowledgeable decisions.

Guarantee adequate time and input to make an inclusive decision.

Communicate the conclusions and the relevant reasons for that conclusion.

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Curriculum Brown Act Faculty Evaluation Program Review ????

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Your District is in the process of revising the faculty evaluation process. Sticky issues have related to the desire of the union to make a meaningful evaluation process in order to garner a new salary schedule based upon a negotiated exchange for revising the process. The faculty senate is most concerned that the evaluation process consists of adequate emphasis on teaching, learning, curriculum development and program review. The union does not want to include any accountability for faculty fulfilling office hours, committee work and college service

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Major Issues:The union has currently taken the position that they will create the evaluation process and then simply forward the finished product to senate for consultation The senate feels that the task should be a collegial and collaborative process.

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Your college is implementing a policy to write SLOs for all your individual courses and programs within the next 6 months in order to satisfy accreditation requirements. The curriculum committee has been directed not to accept any new or reviewed curriculum until the SLOs are on the COR. There has been no discussion about the COR or SLOs in the senate meetings yet

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The curriculum committee has taken the position that they should evaluate all CORs which now includes SLOs.

The senate is concerned about the leadership in the curriculum committee.

The SLO coordinator and the SLOAC (Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Committee) is concerned that the curriculum committee has not shared their SLO criteria nor spoken with them or the faculty about the standards they expect.

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Once again the budget year is portending disaster. Although you college budget of $82 million dollars has a $15 million dollar reserve, the administration has sent out emails saying that this budget will require either a 20% cut to every department or an analysis and discontinuance of several entire programs. Your college has no program discontinuance policy and your program review process is not designed to identify programs that should be discontinued. The budget process has no methodology to deal with budget cuts. Every area has had budget cuts in the previous years and none can handle a 20% without real damage to the educational quality. The college president has agreed to a budget summit to consider what programs should be discontinued but is unwilling to consider use of the reserves.

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The senate has been working on a program discontinuance policy but has not yet completed it.

There are rumors that the administration is most interested in discontinuing some of the innovative and effective basic skills strategies that have been implemented within the last 2 years.

The senate has a budget committee with governance represented from all stakeholders but the committee has not met for the last 18 months.

You have been informed by the administration that these decisions must be made in two days.

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Please fill out the evaluation Dianna Chiabotti Janet Fulks Phillip Maynard David Morse Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein

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