Opinion: Voters are entitled to a record of all school board motions.

On May 31, 2023, I wrote an op-ed highlighting the need for more public disclosure when the Anchorage Board of Education takes major spending actions. I once again urge the Board of Education to be more transparent.

A few months ago, school board leadership decided to change the way meeting minutes are written. They proposed participating in an “action minute” to reduce the burden on the board secretary. From now on, only “actions” will be recorded in the minutes. This seemed like a reasonable idea at the time. However, the board majority’s definition of “act” differs from the common meaning of the word.

It was recently announced that from now on only seconded motions will be recorded in the minutes. This is problematic because it is extremely important to have a complete public record of what happens at school board meetings. Very important motions often die because a second member does not vote in favor of them. Over the past six years, dozens of budget amendments to reduce government spending have disappeared in a flash. The amendments I proposed to protect parental rights thus also failed. From now on, the minutes will be recorded as if such an act had never occurred.

The Anchorage Board of Education uses Robert’s Rules of Order (RRO) for meetings. Robert’s Rules Association is a nationally recognized RRO interpreter. Robert’s Rules Association’s interpretation of his website 2006-7 states:

Q: It is my understanding that a main motion that dies in less than one second will not be recorded in the minutes. This is because it has never actually been submitted to Congress and therefore does not need to be recorded. This is correct?

Answer: No, that’s not correct. Under the rules set forth on page 452, lines 21-23 of (Newly Revised Robert’s Rules of Order), the minutes generally record all major motions except those that are withdrawn. It should be done.

Interpretation 2006-7 further explains:

We tried to state this a little more forcefully in (Robert’s Newly Revised Concise Rules of Order), and on page 148 we said:

“All major motions passed during the meeting (excluding only those withdrawn by the proposer) should be recorded in the minutes.”

Dr. William J. Puett, a registered member of Congress, states on his website that minutes should include the following: 37) Something created or taken away — usually except something that has been retracted. ”

Robert’s Rules for Dummies also states that minutes must include “all major motions (except those that are withdrawn) and the name of the member who introduced the motion.”

In the past, the Anchorage School Board has used a Seattle-based group to help interpret RROs. The group is at odds with nationally recognized experts who believe that if the group decides, it will not be necessary to file motions that are not in court in minutes, but that doing so would require RRO It added that it would require a two-thirds majority vote not to comply. But a recent investigation shows no such official vote exists in Anchorage School Board records.

School boards in Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Mass., Sitka and the Kenai Peninsula all have non-appearance motions recorded in their minutes. I was informed that the Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB) may be proposing that other school boards follow Anchorage’s example. But in a recent conversation, an AASB representative denied that.

To be fair to the school board, I have learned that the Anchorage Assembly also does not record motions that are immediately rejected. However, there are important differences between the two bodies. The council has 12 members elected from the district, while the school board has only seven members elected citywide. Failure to record motions by members simply because they are not seconded can seriously distort the record. This would effectively disenfranchise the board and one-seventh of the people who voted for it.

In fact, some Roberts Rules of Order experts believe that small boards of fewer than 12 members should not require more than a second to make a motion. A seven-member board is probably large enough to require a secondment motion. The dangers of requiring second place in small committees are clear. Where there is political imbalance, it can effectively shut out minority voices.

The only justification I heard articulated as to why substantive motions seconded should not be recorded in the minutes was that people could watch the meeting on YouTube. Does it really outweigh the importance of a complete and fair written public record? Voters are entitled to an accurate historical record of the actions taken by their elected school board members. Of further concern is that board meetings will not be available on YouTube as of February 1, November, and October 17, 2023. The December 5th meeting was actually a recording of part of that day’s work session. At the Oct. 17 meeting, viewers had to wait through more than four minutes of commercials to access an incomplete recording of the day’s work sessions rather than the meeting. Although most of these flaws have now been fixed, it is clear that relying on YouTube does not adequately provide a reliable official record.

At the December 19, 2023 meeting, I amended the November 21, 2023 meeting minutes to include the two amendments I proposed to the upcoming April 2024 bond proposal. . One was to reduce the bond by more than $19 million. Another was to ensure voters were provided with complete information about the cost of the new Inlet View Elementary School. Unfortunately, my motion to place these amendments in the minutes, and the discussion surrounding them, was summarily defeated and will not be recorded in the minutes.

Former Alaska senator. dave donley I am a lifelong Anchorage resident. He served in the Alaska State Legislature for 16 years. He is currently in his third and final term on the Anchorage School Board. He is also the father of 16-year-old twins with ASD. He writes this commentary as an individual member of the Anchorage Board of Education and does not represent or purport to represent the Board of Education or the Anchorage School District.

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