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Illinois School Board Journal - ARCHIVES
January-February, 2004
ASK THE STAFF:
Questions determine if retreat is 'open'
By Melinda Selbee
Melinda Selbee, IASB general counsel, answers this issue's "Ask the staff" question. Contact her at mselbee@iasb.com
Question: Is a school board's retreat subject to the Open Meetings Act?
Answer: The Open Meetings Act defines a "meeting" as a gathering of a majority of a quorum (three people on a seven person board) to discuss public business. This definition requires a two-question inquiry in order to determine if a board's retreat is subject to the Open Meetings Act:
1. Will three or more members be gathered?
2. And, if so, does the retreat involve public business?
Almost always the answer to both questions will be "yes," thus making a school board's retreat subject to the Open Meetings Act.
Knowing that a school board's retreat is subject to the requirements in the Open Meetings Act does not answer the next question, that is, whether a retreat may be held in a closed meeting. Many activities can come under the umbrella of a retreat. These activities must be scrutinized to determine whether a retreat may be held in a closed meeting.
A retreat must be in an open meeting if a board will be discussing district issues, such as discussing district goals, developing a strategic plan or receiving data around student improvement.
A closed meeting may be used to consider a board's own processes and practices, provided "a representative of a statewide association of which the public board is a member" facilitates the meeting. The IASB offers a Board Self-Evaluation service to interested members.
Question: How many people attended this year's Joint Annual Conference in Chicago?
Answer: Representatives from 751 Illinois public school districts attended this year's Joint Annual Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, Illinois Association of School Administrators and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, held Nov. 21-23, 2003, in Chicago.
Nearly 11,500 people registered for the Triple-I Conference, as it is commonly known, making it one of the largest state school association conferences in the nation.
Attendance registration totals were: 3,667 board members; 3,980 guests; 1,442 administrators; 670 superintendents; 1,611 exhibitors; 14 regional superintendents; 22 IASB directors; 20 service associates; and 11 school attorneys.