What Happens at Board of Trustee Meetings?
A regular Board meeting at LWTech follows a process that looks about the same each time.
Study Session
Most Board meetings start with a Study Session. This is an opportunity for college leadership to present to the Board - to give the Trustees strategic information about a specific area of the college, or about an idea that the leadership have been working on. These study sessions often give the Trustees guidance and knowledge helpful to making good policy decisions.
Regular Meeting
Once the Study Session is over (between 30-60 minutes), the regular Board meeting begins. After taking care of logistics (such as accepting previous minutes, or doing a roll call of trustees that are present), the Chair allows for members of the public to talk with the Board about an issue related to the college. Following, the Trustees (including the Trustee liaison to the LWTech Foundation), the President, the college Executive Cabinet leaders, the Faculty and Classified union representatives, and a student from the ASG get a chance to give a report about their activities over the previous month. Trustees can ask questions during or after the reports in case they would like additional details or need some clarification.
Action Items
Before Trustees enter Executive Session, they will take a vote on any action Items. Action Items often include updating or adopting new policies, budgets, or fees, awarding tenure to qualified faculty, and recognizing exceptional students through opportunities like the Phi Theta Kappa All-Washington Team or the ACT Transforming Lives Awards. Action Items can also appear on the agenda after the Executive Session.
Executive Session
After the reports are given, Trustees may choose to go into Executive Session. This is a private session for the Trustees and anyone else they designate, so it is not open to the public. There are four specific things Trustees can discuss privately:
- The performance of a public employee (administration, faculty, or staff, for instance)
- To speak with counsel regarding lawsuits or other litigation
- To talk about buying or selling real estate
- To have discussions related to collective bargaining, professional negotiations, or grievance or mediation proceedings
Trustees don't make decisions on specific actions while they are in Executive Session.
Adjourn
Once Trustees return from Executive Session, the Board Chair will adjourn the meeting.
Meetings may have more or fewer elements than those listed above, but most meetings follow this general outline.
Meeting Minutes
The record of each meeting is kept using meeting minutes, and these minutes are available to anyone who would like to see them on the Board of Trustees website.