School Board 101
Selina Wright and Pam Turos at The Ohio School Board Association Board Member 101 workshop
Dear Neighbors,
If I could choose a single goal over the next four years to have the most positive impact on our school community, it would be improving family-school engagement.
During my first three weeks in office, most of the calls and emails I’ve received from community members are about two things — expressions of teacher support related to contract negotiations and/or safety concerns related to Covid-19.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to us over the past few weeks, even if you’re upset or confused — we need to keep hearing from the families of our students. Family engagement is a key indicator of student success, and school systems with strong family connections are better equipped to work through the kind of issues we are currently facing in Euclid.
For my part, I am eager to share as much as I can about my new role so that our community can better understand how the school board works, and we can build trust through open communication. Three weeks in, here are a few things I have learned:
There are two types of meetings held by a public school board. These include regular meetings and special meetings — sometimes you’ll hear the term work sessions and retreats, these are just another way to describe a specific type of special meeting. These are all public meetings, and they have to be published 2 days ahead of time, with an agenda. Executive sessions are the only time that board members meet in private during or after a meeting to discuss confidential issues.
As elected officials, school board members have to be trained in Ohio’s Public Records and Open Meetings laws, collectively known as the “Sunshine Laws,” which give Ohioans legal access to all government meetings and records. One way we have to honor this law is to not make any decisions or take any official action with a “quorum” — a majority of board members, or 3 out of 5 — present unless it is during an official public meeting.
I’ve had quite a few people ask me if serving on the school board is a volunteer job, and I didn’t know the answer to that question before I was elected. Per ECS Board Policy and in compliance with State law, Euclid Board of Education members are paid $125 per meeting, this usually includes one regular meeting per month and one special meeting.
Our next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Visit euclidschools.org/BoardOfEducation to view the agenda online, contact board members and access the link to the meeting livestream. You can also reach me by email at pturos@euclidschools.org.
Finally, I just want to say that I appreciate seeing all of the “I support Euclid teachers” signs all over town. I hope you will continue to keep our students and teachers in your heart and mind — they need your support all year long, not just during these challenging times.