By Heather Graves
Correspondent
GREEN BAY – It’s officialy a go.
The Green Bay school board will transition to a committee structure beginning in June following a unanimous consensus at its May 24 meeting.
“(This) will change how we have traditionally done our work, hopefully in a better way,” Board President Eric Vanden Heuvel said. “A way that simplifies things, allows us to drive into complex issues, allows us to get more feedback and bring more people to the table. There is a lot to like about it, but it is going to be different.”
The board created four standing committees – education, operations, policy and governance, and financial oversight.
Topics will be discussed at respective committees before coming to the full board with a recommendation for action.
Full board meetings will remain on the second Monday of each month, with full board work sessions scheduled on an as-needed basis.
The education committee will meet on the fourth Monday of the month from 4-6 p.m. The operations committee will meet on the third Monday of each month from 6-8 p.m. The policy and governance committee will meet on the third Monday of the month from 4-6 p.m. And the financial oversight committee will meet quarterly.
Vanden Heuvel appointed committee chairs and committee members at the meeting.
These positions will run through the 2021-22 school year.
They are as follows:
Education Committee
• Andrew Becker (chair)
• Nancy Welch
• Brenda Warren
• Laura Laitinen-Warren (alternate)
• Eric Vanden Hevuel (second alternate)
Operations Committee
• Dawn Smith (chair)
• Laura McCoy
• Nancy Welch
• Andrew Becker (alternate)
• Eric Vanden Heuvel (second alternate)
Policy and Governance
• Laura Laitinen-Warren (chair)
• Brenda Warren
• Laura McCoy
• Andrew Becker (alternate)
• Eric Vanden Heuvel (second alternate)
Financial Oversight Committee
• Laura McCoy (chair)
• Dawn Smith
• Nancy Welch
• Laura Laitinen-Warren (alternate)
• Eric Vanden Heuvel (second alternate)
Trustees reviewed policy changes as it pertains to the new committee structure.
All committees will follow state open meeting laws, which include being open to the public.
Melissa Thiel Collar, the district’s legal counsel, confirmed all committee meetings would be publicly posted, audio recorded, include an opportunity for public comment and not include action items for a vote.
“I would just ask that board members are really familiar with (the policy) as it will hopefully help us to be more effective,” Vanden Heuvel said. “If you have any questions or suggestions, or want something to be different and you can communicate that before the (June) 14th (meeting), then people have time to digest it before we take a vote. Obviously, we want to approve the policy so we can get started on this work.”
The board also reviewed changes to policies regarding agenda preparation, public participation and student representatives at board meetings, which will now include committee meetings to ensure there is formal student representation present.
The board will officially vote on these policies at its June 14 regular board meeting.
Return to in-person meetings
The boardroom is officially opening back up to the public beginning with the June 14 regular board meeting.
It’s the first time the boardroom will be open to the public since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Trustees and district administration have been meeting in person for nearly two months.
District officials said COVID-19 mitigation strategies will be in place at all meetings, which includes a face-covering requirement and socially distanced seating.
“We do have to put the caveat that we can’t control the number of people who come to our meetings, and so if the meeting is full, we can’t guarantee that social distancing aspect,” Vanden Heuvel said.
The board will continue to live stream regular board meetings and work sessions on YouTube.
“So people who are watching our meetings, and have been, will still be able to continue to do so the way that they have,” he said.
District officials said they will look into other video options for future meetings, possibly offering more viewpoints.
“Some of the discussion I’ve seen on social media has been with the current camera, they can’t see everybody very well,” Laitinen-Warren said. “Is there an option that more people might not come in person, necessarily, if they could see all of us? Would it work technically if everyone logged into the virtual meeting, had their cameras on but stayed muted?”
Relating to public comment, members of the public will have the option to speak during the open forum in person or virtually.
If speaking in person, members of the public are asked to fill out the speaker form and give it to the board secretary prior to the meeting.
Members of the public who want to speak virtually can continue to sign up online by 3 p.m. through the district’s website on the day of the meeting.
Any forms received after 3 p.m. will be accepted as written comments.
Public comment at committee meetings will only be available in person.