The Alamance-Bur-lington school board has agreed by consensus to revise two policies, changing the starting time for its monthly evening “business” meetings and placing some limits on remote participation in board meetings (see related story this edition).
The school board agreed to change the time for its evening “business” meetings, typically held the fourth Monday of each month, from 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., effective March 24.
The earlier school board meeting time is intended to provide a few more hours of downtime for ABSS staff, who’ve already been at work since early that morning – and are present throughout the duration of every evening meeting – prior to returning to the office early the following Tuesday morning, superintendent Dr. Aaron Fleming said last week.
Years ago, some school board meetings – in particular, those under then-superintendent Dr. Lillie Cox – routinely stretched late into the evening. One of her last meetings as superintendent, which was bookended by two separate closed sessions, began at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, May 19, 2014 and adjourned at 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.
The school board last changed the schedule for one of its semi-monthly meetings in August 2017, when the work session was moved from the second Monday afternoon to the second Tuesday afternoon of each month.
Fleming told the board last week that the earlier starting time for the evening business meeting will take effect next month to give the public time to adjust to the new schedule.
No formal vote on the time change was required. An existing ABSS policy authorizes the school board’s chairman, in consultation with the superintendent, to change the monthly meeting schedule to comply with legal requirements for public notice.
The 6:00 p.m. start time is similar to that now used by the county commissioners and several local municipal boards. Burlington, Graham, and Mebane city councils, as well as the Elon and Haw River town councils, begin their meetings at 6:00 p.m.
Over the past decade or so, many have moved from later start times, often at 7:00 p.m.
Locally, only Gibsonville’s board of aldermen continues to start meetings at 7:00 p.m.
