B-4. BOARD OF TRUSTEES BYLAWS
• The Board of Trustees values open
communication and consideration of multiple perspectives which may impact
district policy and allocation of public resources.
• To facilitate open and effective communication, the
Board and President will work conscientiously to construct substantive board
agendas and to conduct meetings in an open, collaborative, and orderly manner.
1. General Delegation
of Authority for Board Procedure
The Board Chair shall decide any questions of Board procedure that are not
addressed by, or that require interpretation of, law, Board policy, or specific
Board resolutions.
2. Board Officers
The Board shall elect from among its members a Board Chair, who shall (1) preside
over Board meetings, (2) in coordination with the College President, prepare
the Board meeting agenda, (3) coordinate the Board-President relationship, and (4)
serve as ceremonial spokesperson for the Board; a Board Vice-Chair, who shall
coordinate the community-linkage activities of the Board and shall preside in
the absence of the Board Chair; and a Board Secretary, who shall oversee and
certify the records of the Board and coordinate policy development activities.
These officers shall be elected at the first Board meeting after a Trustee
election is completed, a year later, and when a vacancy in an office exists or
is created by Board vote. No trustee may serve in the same office for more than
two of any four consecutive years.
3. Board Meetings
3.1 Official meetings of the Board, including specially-called meetings, can be
called, within the notification limits imposed by law, by the Board Chair or by
any three Trustees. The Board shall not take immediate action on a change in Board policy (i.e.,
a final vote on a change in Board policy at the first meeting at which it is presented to the
Board or discussed or at other than the regular meeting of the month or a recessed
continuation). Although a change to Board policy may be adopted at a meeting
other than the regular meeting of the month, the change must, without
exception, have been discussed at a prior meeting. All other actions of the Board may take place upon first reading. However, the President and
Board Officers must use best efforts to ensure that items will not be brought
to the Board for immediate action unless they could not reasonably have been
scheduled for a final vote at the first regular meeting of the month and/or discussed at an earlier meeting..
3.2 The College President and Board Chair shall develop proposed agendas for
Board meetings in accordance with priorities set by the Board, with final
authority on what is included in the agenda and agenda packet resting with the
Board Chair. A motion to place an item on a particular future agenda shall, at
the request of any trustee, be placed on the next
agenda for determination by Board vote. The College President shall cause all
Trustees to be sent the agenda and all supporting materials at least 5 days
before the meeting, and shall cause all required legal postings of Board
meetings. Only subjects on the agenda shall be considered at a meeting.
3.3 Robert's Rules of Order shall be used to conduct meetings of the Board and
its committees, subject to these bylaws and applicable law. Final approval of
any non-procedural motion requires affirmative votes in a public session from a
majority of the full current membership of the Board. For procedural motions,
amendments, and committee votes, the majorities required by Robert's Rules of
Order shall be of members present and voting.
3.4 The College President shall cause to be kept all legally required records
of Board meetings. Minutes of the full Board shall accurately reflect the
actions taken by the Board and the vote of each Trustee on those actions. When
approved by the Board and signed by the Secretary, the minutes shall become the
official record of a meeting. The Secretary shall have authority over how the
decisions and activities of the Board are presented by the College.
3.5 The President and appropriate staff designated by the President shall
have the right to be present at all executive sessions of the Board unless the
session is specifically to evaluate the President’s performance and employment
contract, and only if said issue is properly disclosed under state law
on the board agenda.
3.6 Requests of Information: Requests from
trustees for information may be made only to the President, coordinated through
the Board Chair.
The Austin Community College Board of
Trustees adopted bylaws on June 9, 1975 and amended them on June 27, 1988;
March 1, 1993; June 5, 1995; July 17, 1995; February 12, 1996; February 16,
1998; June 1, 1998; May 1, 2000, June 5, 2000, March 5, 2001, October 7, 2002r
November 3, 2003, April 4, 2005, and July 7, 2008.
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