Board of Trustees

                                   

STANDARD OPERATING

PROCEDURES

 

 

HISD MISSION STATEMENT

 

The mission of the Hitchcock Independent School District is to produce contributing citizens prepared for lifelong learning, believing in our country, themselves, and their fellow man in our ever-changing world by providing a personalized, yet diversified, quality education through varied learning experiences with pride, participation, and performance in partnership with our community.

 

 

Approved by the Hitchcock ISD Board of Trustees:     August 10, 2004


Table of Contents

 

Quick Reference Phone Directory………………………………………………..

2

Board of Trustees…………………………………………………………………

2

Hitchcock ISD……………………………………………………………………

2

Administration……………………………………………………………

2

Campuses…………………………………………………………………

2

Departments………………………………………………………………

2

Developing Board Meeting Agenda……………………………………………

3

Who can place items on agenda?…………………………………………

3

Items that cannot be on the agenda……………………………………….

3

Use of Consent Agenda…………………………………………………..

3

Member Conduct During Board Meetings……………………………………….

3

Patrons shall address the Board as follows:………………………………

3

Board Response to Patrons Addressing the Board……………………….

3

Non-allowable Comments (Board/audience)…………………………….

4

Hearings and Open Forums………………………………………………

4

Discussion of Motions……………………………………………………

4

Voting…………………………………………………………………………….

4

Citizen Request/Complaint to Individual Board Member………………………..

4

Employee Request/Complaint to Individual……………………………………...

5

Visitation to Campus……………………………………………………………..

5

Communications…………………………………………………………………

5

Evaluation of the Superintendent………………………………………………..

6

Evaluation of the Board………………………………………………………….

6

Criteria and Process for Selecting Board Officers……………………………….

6

Role of Board in Executive Session……………………………………………..

6

Media Inquiries to the Board…………………………………………………….

6

Anonymous Phone Calls/Letters…………………………………………………

7

Reviewing Board Operating Procedures…………………………………………

7

Pagers and Cellular Phones………………………………………………………

7

Board Conferences and Conventions Procedures………………………………..

7

Board Travel Reimbursement Procedures……………………………………….

8

 

 


QUICK REFERENCE PHONE DIRECTORY

 

Board of Trustees

 

Pat Turner, President   

409-256-4535

Ted Robinson, Jr., Vice President        

409-986-7973

Estelle Holmes, Secretary        

409-986-5634

Mark Morgan, Member

409-986-6614

Jimmy Anderson, Member       

409-316-0168

Monica Cantrell, Member        

409-986-1251

Tom Ivey, Member      

409-986-9211

 

 

 

Hitchcock ISD

 

Administration

 

 

Barbara Wilson, Superintendent

 

409-986-5514

Elsie I. Schiro, Business Official

 

409-986-5514

Bonnie Palmer, Curriculum Dir.

 

409-986-4461

 

 

 

Campuses

 

 

Hitchcock High School

John Montelongo, Principal

409-986-5581

Crosby Middle School

Randy Dowdy, Principal

409-986-5528

Stewart Elementary School

Barbara Trahan, Principal

409-986-5561

 

 

 

Departments

 

 

Kids First Head Start

TBA, Director

409-986-6633

Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative

Susan Bowles, Director

409-986-6331

Student Support Services

Jane Ankney, Director

409-986-5639

Technology

Gerald Hughes, Director

409-986-4461

Food Service

Kathy Goodwyn, Director

409-986-6462

Transportation

Roshinda Haynes, Site Supervisor/Hitchcock

409-986-9794

Maintenance

John Wells, Director

409-986-7810

HISD Nursery/After School Program

Debbie Barrett, Director

409-986-7962

 

 


DEVELOPING BOARD MEETING AGENDA

Who can place items on agenda?

$                   Tentative agendas are created by the administration and presented to the Board.

$                   Board members must request to the Superintendent or Board President in advance any item they wish to have considered for placement on the agenda.

$                   In accordance with the Texas Open Meeting laws, no item can be placed on the agenda less than 72 hours in advance of the meeting except in an emergency as per the Texas Education Code.

 

Items that cannot be on the agenda

$                   All personnel issues must be conducted in an executive session unless specifically required by the Texas Open Meeting Law.

$                   Anything that violates right to privacy, i.e. Texas Open Meeting Act, Texas Open Record Act, cannot be placed on the agenda.

 

Use of Consent Agenda

$                   Minutes of regular and special called board meetings and other items mutually agreed upon by board members.

 

MEMBER CONDUCT DURING BOARD MEETINGS

Any time four or more Board members are gathered to discuss school business, it is considered a meeting.

 

Patrons shall address the Board as follows:

$                   During the public participation portion of the agenda, comments and concerns can be made to the Board of no longer that 5 minutes in duration if the participant has signed up to speak on the form provided by the district. [See BED (LOCAL)] Complaints for which other resolution channels are provided shall be directed through those channels.

$                   May comment on any item on the agenda during the public participation portion of the agenda if signed up to speak on the form provided by the district.

 

Board Response to Patrons Addressing the Board

$                   Board members can hear comments.

$                   Board President may direct administration to investigate item(s) and report to the Board at a designated meeting.

$                   Board President recognizes any Board member prior to that member asking clarifying questions.

$                   Board President designates time limits for patrons.

$                   Board members cannot respond to patrons during the meeting and are not required to respond at any time.

$                   Board members cannot deliberate or decide anything regarding a subject that is not included on the agenda.  Only specific information or recitation of existing policy may be furnished in response to inquires.

 

Non-allowable Comments (Board/audience)

$                   The Board will not entertain comments on individual personnel in public session (employees or Board Members).

$                   The Board will not entertain comments on individual students in public session.

 

Hearings and Open Forums

$                   During hearings and/or open forums, the Board is assembled to gather input only.

$                   The Board will not answer questions or enter into a two-way dialogue except with their attorney in the case of an employee hearing.

$                   Rules for the open forum will be strictly adhered to:

$                   Board will limit response to 5 minutes per testifier.

$                   Board will accept written and/or oral testimony.

$                   Board will not allow duplicate testimony.

$                   Board President and/or board=s attorney is sole judge.

$                   Board will not allow any derogatory comments.

 

Board shall observe parliamentary procedures as detailed in Robert=s Rules of Order or as spelled out in Board policy.

 

Discussion of Motions

$                   All discussion shall be directed solely to the business currently under deliberation.

$                   The Board President has the responsibility to keep the discussion to the motion at hand and shall halt discussion that does not apply to the business before the Board.

 

The Board President has the right to recognize a Board member prior to giving their comments.  The President may make motions, second motions, and enter into debate.

 

VOTING

$                   The Board President will vote on all action items.

$                   In case of a tie vote, the item is tabled and returned on the next agenda as an action item.

 

CITIZEN REQUEST/COMPLAINT TO INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER

$                   A Board member should hear the citizen problem for full understanding of persons involved, date and place.

$                   Repeat the problem verbatim to citizen.

$                   Issue chain of command to citizens.

$                   Remind the citizen of due process and that the Board member must remain impartial in case the situation goes before the Board.  Board members do not and should not investigate complaints.

$                   Refer citizen to appropriate person/chain of command.  MUST GO THROUGH COMMAND CHAIN.

$                   Board member should refer complaint to the Superintendent within 72 hours.

$                   The Superintendent will respond to the citizen.

$                   Any citizen complaint not accompanied by name, signature, address, and phone number of complainant will not be considered by the Board and/or the administration.

 

EMPLOYEE REQUEST/COMPLAINT TO INDIVIDUAL

$                   The Board member will hear employee=s problem for full understanding of persons involved, date and place.

$                   Repeat the problem back verbatim to the employee.

$                   Issue chain of command to the employee.

$                   Remind the employee of the due process procedure and remain impartial.  Board members do not and should not investigate complaints.

$                   Refer employee to appropriate person/chain of command.  MUST GO THROUGH COMMAND CHAIN.

$                   Board member should talk with the Superintendent for any complaint within 72 hours relaying communication.

$                   The employee will hear from the Superintendent within a timely fashion unless the employee requests no response from the Superintendent or by mutual consent some other means of communication is utilized.

$                   Anonymous employee complaints will not be considered.

 

VISITATION TO CAMPUS (approved 07/19/05)

$                   Same policy applies to all citizens, including board members.

$                   All transactions will go through the office.  (Check-In)

$                   Visitors will be escorted to each of the various locations so that they may be located in the event of an emergency situation.

$                   Except for routine items with your child, you must call the principal before arriving on campus.

$                   The only exceptions to these rules are those approved by the Board in a called board meeting.

$                   Visitors violating the visitation policy will be escorted from the campus.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

$                   The Superintendent will communicate with Board members via telephone, administrative reports.

$                   The Superintendent will consult with the Board President on a routine basis to discuss issues of the District.

$                   The Superintendent will communicate information in a timely fashion to all Board members.

$                   Requests for information to the Superintendent from a Board member will be communicated to all Board members.

$                   The Board will keep the Superintendent informed via mail, telephone.

$                   The Board will communicate with its community through public hearings, regular Board meetings, and publications.

$                   Unless otherwise approved by the Board, individual Board members cannot speak in an official capacity outside the Boardroom.

 

EVALUATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

$                   The Board President obtains input from all other members on the Board approved indicators.

$                   Evaluation is conducted by consensus in executive session.

$                   Evaluation will generally be conducted in January.

 

EVALUATION OF THE BOARD

$                   The Superintendent and Board evaluation are the same - TEAM OF EIGHT.

$                   Evaluation is conducted by consensus in executive session.

$                   Evaluation is conducted every February.

 

CRITERIA AND PROCESS FOR SELECTING BOARD OFFICERS

$                   Officers are nominated and elected annually following the reorganization of the Board after the May election.

$                   Election is held in May of each year.

 

ROLE AND AUTHORITY OF BOARD MEMBER AND/OR BOARD OFFICERS set down by State statute

$                   No Board member or officer has authority outside the Board meeting.

$                   No Board member can direct employees in regard to performance of their duties.

$                   President:

$                   Shall preside at all Board meetings.

$                   Appoint committees

$                   Shall call special meetings

$                   Sign all legal documents required by law

$                   Vice President:

$                   Shall act in capacity of President in absence of President.

$                   Secretary:

$                   Insure that accurate records are kept.

$                   Acting in absence of President and Vice President, the Secretary shall call the meeting to order and elect a President Pro-Tem.

$                   Countersign all warrants.

 

ROLE OF BOARD IN EXECUTIVE SESSION

$                   Board can only discuss those items listed on the executive agenda and as limited by law.

$                   Board must vote in public session.

$                   Information discussed during the executive session must remain confidential.

 

MEDIA INQUIRIES TO THE BOARD

$                   The Superintendent shall be the official spokesperson for the Board to the media/press on issues of media attention.

$                   All Board members who receive calls from the media should direct them to the Superintendent.  If the Superintendent is not available, call the Board President.

 

ANONYMOUS PHONE CALLS/LETTERS

$                   The Hitchcock ISD Board of Trustees encourages input; however, anonymous calls or letters will not receive the Board=s attention, discussion or response and will not be referred to the administration.

 

REVIEWING BOARD OPERATING PROCEDURES