We Mean Business!: Conducting Effective Board Meetings Presented by: Stephen Bolton

1. We Mean Business!: Conducting Effective Board Meetings Presented by: Stephen Bolton Good Meetings Don’t Just Happen

2. The Issue of Efficiency • Effective meetings will keep the frustration levels down • Some meetings will run longer than usual • Some will have emotional content • Having a “norm” of efficient meetings will help the Board steer through difficult times.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF NEGATIVE MEETINGS • Drifting off the subject • Poor preparation • Lack of listening • Verbosity of participants • Length • Lack of participation

4. WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR IN EFFECTIVE MEETINGS • Participation from everyone • A meaningful agenda • Addressing each item on the agenda • Assign follow up action • Record decisions

5. Coming in late Argumentative Side Conversation Reward and thank those who were there on time. Keep temper in check and model for group. Find some merit in points made. Speak in private. Avoid sarcasm. Restate last comment made. Explain the need to hear information. Disruptive Behavior

6. Losing Focus Griper Won’t Talk Restate purpose of discussion. Point out what can and can’t be changed. Examine what motivates them. Ask for their opinion. Disruptive Behavior II

7. Board President • Sets the meeting “tone”, works with the director to develop the agenda • Ensures that all board members contribute in a positive manner • Blocks negative tactics • Makes certain that all viewpoints are heard • Summarizes discussions + decisions • Serves as the chief spokesperson for the board • Appoints committees • The term of president should be 2-4 years in length to facilitate rotation of leadership

8. Preparations Before the Meeting • Develop the agenda • Bring issues that you want covered to the attention of the President and/or Director before the meeting so that the issue can be placed on the agenda • Board Packet distribution • Post the meeting notice

9. Board Packets • Should be sent to Trustees one week before the meeting • Inform the Board about items that will be covered during the meeting • Agenda notes or Director’s notes can be used to explain or provide context for items • All information required for decisions should be included in the board packets

10. Meeting Attendance • Regular attendance at board and committee meetings is essential • The Board President or Director should be notified in advance if attendance is not possible • An uninformed trustee cannot make the best possible decision when it comes time to vote • Education Law 226 defines missed meeting rules. • “If any trustee shall fail to attend three consecutive meetings without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the trustees, he shall be deemed to have resigned, and the vacancy shall be filled”. • Boards are often too tolerant of frequent absences

11. Quorum • A quorum is the minimum number of trustees required in attendance for the board to conduct business • The library by-laws may establish that a quorum is the majority of trustees presently serving on the board, exclusive of vacant seats • A quorum, under NY State Education Law 226 is “A majority of the whole number" • No Quorum? You may: • Set the date for the next meeting • Recess or take measures to assemble a quorum

12. The Agenda • The Roadmap for the Meeting • Director + President should collaborate • Vote to approve the agenda • Stick to it • Order of items • Have a mix up of short, easy-to-handle items and complicated items • Put a few easy things first to get the meeting rolling in a positive direction at a fast pace

13. The Agenda • List action for each item • Put the expected action for each item. • If you will be voting on an item, say so. • If you will only be discussing a topic, say so. • Guard against overload • Make sure the agenda is manageable. If it gets too big, look for items that can wait until another time. • Can a committee bring back information? • Delegate when possible. • It will increase involvement on the Board

15. Keeping Minutes • Minutes should be detailed enough that anyone can know what decisions were made • Record decisions + issues discussed – not dialog – this is not a transcript • Accurate – Brief – Clear • Should correspond to the agenda • Executive sessions where decisions are made must be included in the minutes • (NYS Open Meeting Law §106. #2) • An historical document – Keep forever! • Must be available for public inspection with two weeks of the meeting, even if not yet approved • (NYS Open Meetings Law §106. #3)

16. Robert’s Rules of Order For Fair and Orderly Meetings • Provides common rules for discussion in order to allow everyone to be heard and to make decisions without confusion • The conduct of ALL business is controlled by the general will of the whole membership - the right of the deliberate majority to decide. • Complementary to this is the right of at least a strong minority to require the majority to be deliberate in its decision making - to act AFTER a full and fair "working through" of the issues. From www.robertsrules.org

17. Robert’s Rules of Order • Robert's Rules provides for constructive and democratic meetings, to help, not hinder, the Board • Under no circumstances should "undue strictness" be allowed to intimidate members or limit full participation. • The fundamental right of deliberative assemblies require all questions to be thoroughly discussed before taking action • Silence means consent From www.robertsrules.org

18. Motions: • A proposal that something be done. • After the President requests it and receives a second, it becomes the “question before the house” and now belongs to all the members. • No member can speak twice to the same issue until everyone else wishing to speak has spoken to it once!

19. Steps in a motion: • Make a motion • Second • Discussion • Close Discussion • Vote • Announce and Record

20. Table of most used motions

21. Meeting Focus • Effective boards concentrate their time on a few issues that will have a major impact on the library's future • Focus your attention on issues that really matter • Ensure that the board works as an effective unit and use all parts of the board

22. Meeting Length • Library board meetings generally can be completed within 1 ½ to 2 hours • If meetings consistently last longer, consider using committees or staff for further study of issues • Stick to the agenda • Resist being drawn off task • Keep conversation focused on the topic • Tactfully end discussions when they are getting nowhere • If meeting length continues to be a problem • establish a time schedule on the meeting agenda

23. Open Meetings Law • A requirement for all public libraries • http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/openmeetlaw.html • NYS Education Law 260-a. “Every meeting, including a special district meeting, of a board of trustees of public library systems, cooperative library system, public library or free association library, including every committee meeting and subcommittee meeting of any board of trustees in cities having a population of one million or more, shall be open to the general public”. ”Such meetings shall be held in conformity with… the provisions of article seven of public officers law” (which is the Open Meetings Law). • Committee meetings of the board (even if not formal meetings) must be advertised and open if a quorum of the board is expected to attend

24. Open Meetings, Cont’d • Any meeting of a public body that is open to the public shall be open to being photographed, broadcast, webcast, or otherwise recorded and/or transmitted by audio or video means(Open Meeting Law §103.d) • Notice of all board meetings must be sent to the news media and posted in a public place 72 hours prior (Open Meetings Law §104) • When a public body has the ability to do so…. Shall…post on their web site • Education Law 260-a specifies two weeks prior for public notice and one week prior for news media

25. Executive Sessions • Open Meetings Law trumps Roberts Rules • Executive sessions are meetings from which the public and the news media may be excluded • The Board may invite non-board members • No votes to expend public money can be taken in executive session • Motions to go into executive session must be as specific as possible to explain the reason for the session • Must be convened during an open meeting and only for a limited number of specific purposes

26. Executive Sessions: Allowable Reasons: Open Meetings Law §105 • Discussions regarding proposed, pending or current litigation; • Collective negotiations pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law(aka The Taylor Law) • The medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation; • The proposed acquisition, sale or lease of real property or the proposed acquisition of securities, or sale or exchange of securities held by such public body, but only when publicity would substantially affect the value thereof

27. The Public at Meetings Best Practices • Though not mandated by law, libraries should have a time at meetings for the public to express themselves • Standard Agenda Item • The Board President must control the period for public expression • Individual comment may be limited but such rules must be consistent • Do not get into debates. This time should be reserved for the public to share their thoughts on library issues • Board meetings are held to conduct business. • They are not public hearings. • Use staff for follow up

28. After the Meeting • Distribute minutes • Again, timeliness is necessary • Delegation of decisions • Follow-up on delegation decisions. See that all Trustees maintain responsibilities. • Put unfinished business on the agenda for the next meeting

29. General Rules for Good Meetings • Be prepared • Robert’s Rules of Order • Reach a conclusion / resolution and move on • Record the minutes • Schedule workshops for larger issues • Have a policy handbook to reference • Focus on solutions, not problems • Don’t try to solve everything • Remain respectful - don’t personalize issues

30. Collective Authority • Under New York State law, a library board has broad authority to manage the affairs of the library but it is a collective authority • Individual trustees may not speak or act on behalf of the library unless granted that authority by a vote of the board at an open public meeting • The board should speak with one voice once a decision has been made

31. Decisions, Decisions…. Once a decision is made by the board, individual trustees are professionally bound to support the consensus publicly, even though they might not necessarily agree with the decision privately. • When it comes to board decisions, all trustees should speak with one voice • Decisions are made by the consensus of a majority and are not necessarily a unanimous agreement

32. Thank You for being a Library Trustee!