From The Gazette (Colorado Springs): School board meetings are always open to the public, but good luck trying to figure out what board members will be discussing.
Agendas for most of the Pikes Peak region’s 17 public school districts do not describe the items to be considered; entries simply say something to the effect of “budget changes” or “approval of minutes,” or reference a board policy number.
And most districts do not provide supplementary materials to the public before the meetings to shed light on the issues that board members are scheduled to discuss or vote on.
But they’re doing nothing wrong. Laws regarding school board agendas are vague, and many districts have used the same terse format for years.
“Although the Open Meetings Law requires ‘full and timely’ notice of public meetings, the courts have said that ‘full’ doesn’t necessarily mean there needs to be a precise agenda for each meeting,” says Jeffrey A. Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition.
Visit The Gazette for more.