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2410 Policy Development, Adoption, Implementation and Review

  • 2000: Board Governance Operations
2410 Policy Development, Adoption, Implementation and Review

 

The Board of Education is responsible for adopting and assessing the effectiveness of written policies by which the district is governed.  Policies may be proposed for adoption or repealed at any meeting. The Board recognizes that written policies are essential to District governance in that they:

  • Govern effectively and efficiently across time, situations, and individuals.
  • Provide the foundation and guidance for administrative action.
  • Publicize the federal, state, and local rules that govern the District.
  • Help to evaluate progress by including measurable outcomes.

Development
The Board is committed to developing written policies which:

  • Clearly define the District’s goals and objectives and reflect the Board’s vision.
  • Define roles and responsibilities and identify who is responsible for what.
  • Provide the Superintendent and District staff with clear guidance regarding expected District administration.
  • Allow for flexibility that is needed for day-to-day operations.
  • Include measurable outcomes.

The Board delegates to the Superintendent of Schools the responsibility and authority to establish any and all rules, regulations, and/or procedures necessary to implement and maintain Board policies. 

The Superintendent, or his/her designee, is directed to conduct a program of Board policy review and revision to include the following items:

  • Periodic review and evaluation of all current Board policies; 
  • Preparation of additional policies as needed;
  • Consultation with District staff; and 
  • Presentation of a proposed policy in draft form to the Board for consideration prior to action.

Adoption
Before acting on any proposed policy, the Board will receive recommendations from individuals and/or groups who will be affected by the policy.  Since policies often affect the students, employees and/or citizens of the District, the Board shall continue its effort to try to involve as many relevant groups as reasonable during policy development. To ensure these groups a reasonable opportunity to advise the Board of their reactions about proposed policies, no official Board vote shall take place on a policy adoption, change, or repeal at the meeting during which it is first presented to the Board for consideration, unless a majority of the Board determines that it is appropriate to do otherwise.  Once a proposed policy has been drafted it shall be placed on the Board agenda for the first reading.  

The proposed or amended policy may be voted upon at the next regular or special meeting and must be approved by a majority of the members of the Board to become effective.

Rules and regulations are subject to modification by Board action at any meeting. The initiative for change normally comes from the Superintendent. 

To permit time for study of all new policies or amendments to policies and to provide an opportunity for interested parties to react, proposed policies or amendments may be presented as agenda items to the Board in the following sequence: 

  • Policies shall be researched, and drafts developed in conjunction with the BOE Advisory Board.
  • Drafts shall be sent to the Superintendent and legal counsel, as needed for review and comment. In the case where the policy will directly affect current employees, the draft shall also be sent to the appropriate bargaining units (e.g. BTA, BPSO, BCA, BPNA, CSEA, and Local 237).
  • If sent to attorneys or unions all parties shall return drafts with any comments and concerns to the Advisory Board within 10 days.
  • The Policy Advisory Board will review the comments submitted and finalize drafts.
  • If significant changes are made to the original draft, the bargaining units will be notified of the changes.
  • Proposed final drafts will be sent to the Board for information at the next schedule Board of Education meeting.
  • Proposed policies will be voted on for adoption at the following Board meeting.

The formal adoption of new policies shall be recorded in Board minutes. Only those written statements so adopted and so recorded shall be regarded as official Board policies.

Implementation
The Superintendent shall be responsible for implementing all policies adopted by the Board. This responsibility shall include promulgating any necessary administrative regulations, ensuring that the policy is included in the Board Policy Manual, and publicizing the policy as necessary to ensure that persons affected by the policy are aware of it.  A copy of any new or revised policy shall be distributed to all Board of Education members, the District Clerk, District Administrators, and Union Presidents.

The Board Policy Manual shall be kept in the District office. A copy of the Board Policy Manual shall also be kept in each school building and in the Brentwood Public Library. The Board will maintain a digital policy manual on its website that is available to the Board, Staff and Community.  Policies are available on the District’s Web site at (www.bufsd.org). 

The Superintendent shall be responsible for informing the Board of any policies that are out-of-date or in need of revision. In addition, the Board Policy Advisory Board will review the policy manual once every two years and will make recommendations to the full Board regarding updates as necessary to ensure that the policies are consistent with Board goals and District practices.

Ref:
Education Law §1604, 1709, 1804 (Powers and duties of Board of Education)

Approved by the Board of Education: 03/26/08
Revision approved by the Board of Education: 02/13/13
Revision approved by the Board of Education:  04/18/23

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