We’re pleased you took the time to join us!
Lane ESD Board of Directors meetings are scheduled for 6:00PM, and are held at Lane ESD Main Campus, 1200 Highway 99 North, Eugene, Oregon.
As elected Lane ESD board members, we are interested in your concerns and opinions.
Our hope is that this meeting will give you a better understanding of just how the Lane Education Service District operates. We encourage public participation in our meetings and welcome your comments. If you are interested in addressing the board, please review the procedure for public comment. If you are here just to listen and learn, that’s great! Just sit back and get a feel for “democracy in action.”
ESD Board Meetings
The board meets monthly in meetings that are open to the public. The board meeting dates are announced in advance. Special meetings, also open to the public, are scheduled when needed. These sessions provide an opportunity for the ESD board to examine specific issues more thoroughly. Executive meetings, in accordance with Oregon law, are closed to the public. Some of the items for executive session include: personnel matters, collective bargaining strategies, property purchases, or discussions with legal counsel. News media representatives may attend some classes of executive sessions, but cannot report on them. Actions resulting from discussion in executive session must be taken in a public session.
What’s on the agenda?
The board agenda is available before each board meeting and can be obtained at the ESD office. Background information on agenda items is available at board meetings.
The agenda is divided into three major categories:
- CONSENT AGENDA consists of routine items such as previous board minutes, routine personnel actions and routine financial transactions. Normally, there is little or no discussion on these items.
- ACTION ITEMS are addressed individually by the board and may include reports from ESD administrators or others.
- REPORTS are presented for the board’s information and require no formal action.
How to be heard
The board encourages your comments! By hearing from the public, the board is able to make better-informed decisions. If you want to speak during the meeting, please let the board secretary know.
Comments on items not on the agenda may be presented during the “public participation” time at the beginning of each meeting. If you wish to comment on an agenda item, the board chair will call on you at the appropriate time.
When speaking to the board remember to:
- Check with the board chair or superintendent to find out the preferred procedure.
- State your name and address at the start of your testimony. Identify the organization, if any, that you represent.
- Keep your remarks brief. A good rule of thumb is to keep your testimony under three minutes. If you need more time, you may be granted additional time after others have spoken.
- Prepare several copies of written testimony to hand out to the board, administrators and news media representatives.
Board response
Audience time is not intended as a forum for public debate. Questions raised may require further investigation. Normally, the board will wait until its next meeting before responding to concerns raised.
What does the ESD Board do?
The ESD is governed by a board elected by the county’s registered voters to represent one of five zones and two “at-large” positions. The board is authorized to:
- Establish policies that direct the ESD
- Employ and evaluate the superintendent
- Negotiate with employee groups to determine salaries and benefits
- Approve the annual budget
- Authorize elections on bond proposals and other issues
- Determine the long-range direction of the district
- Communicate with the community
Who can be a Board Member?
The board members are elected from Lane County to serve four-year terms. To be eligible for election, a person must be a qualified voter and reside in the representative area for one year immediately preceding the election. Members of the board serve without pay. Terms of office begin and end with the district’s fiscal year, July 1. Officers of the board are elected annually at the first regular meeting.
WRITTEN BY THE OREGON SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION FOR USE BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS.