San Francisco Unified School District and County Office of Education
Board Rule and Procedure 9121
President
This Rule and Procedure applies to the San Francisco Unified School District and the County Office of Education.
The Board of Education shall elect a president from among its members to provide leadership on behalf of the Board and the educational community it serves.
(cf. 9000 – Role of the Board)
(cf. 9005 – Governance Standards)
(cf. 9100 – Organization)
Except for meetings of the Committee of the Whole and Closed Session, the President shall preside at all Board meetings or designate another Member to preside. The President shall:
- Call the meeting to order at the appointed time
- Announce the business to come before the Board in its proper order
- Enforce the Board’s policies relating to the conduct of meetings and help ensure compliance with applicable requirements of the Brown Act
- Recognize persons who desire to speak, and protect the speaker who has the floor from disturbance or interference
- Explain what the effect of a motion would be if it is not clear to every member
- Restrict discussion to the question when a motion is before the Board
- Rule on issues of parliamentary procedure
- Put motions to a vote, and state clearly the results of the vote
- Be responsible for the orderly conduct of all Board meetings
- The President shall conduct meetings in a fair and even handed manner and shall model and encourage adherence to the Board’s governance standards.
(cf. 9323 – Meeting Conduct)
(cf. 9005 – Governance Standards)
The President shall perform other duties in accordance with law and Board policy including, but not limited to:
- Signing all instruments, acts and orders necessary to carry out state requirements and the will of the Board
- Consulting with the Superintendent or designee on the preparation of the Board’s agendas
(cf. 9322 – Agenda/Meeting Materials)
- Working with the Superintendent to ensure that Board members have necessary materials and information
- Appointing the membership of all committees and designating the chair
(cf. 9130 – Board Committees)
- Calling such meetings of the Board as he/she may deem necessary, giving notice as prescribed by law
(cf. 9320 – Meetings and Notices)
(cf. 9321 – Closed Session Purposes and Agendas)
- Represent the district as governance spokesperson, in conjunction with the Superintendent
(cf. 1112 – Media Relations)
- Designating members to represent the Board at various educational boards, local, and membership organizations.
The President shall have the same rights as other members of the Board, including the right to move, second, discuss and vote on all questions before the Board.
In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall perform all the duties of the President. In the absence of the President and Vice-President, the senior member shall perform all of the duties of the President.
In the event the President leaves office before completing a full term, the Vice-President shall assume the office of President for the remainder of the term, and the Board by majority vote, shall select a new Vice-President for the remainder of the term.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
35022 President of the board
35143 Annual organizational meetings; dates and notice
GOVERNMENT CODE
54950-54963 Ralph M. Brown Act
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Board Presidents’ Handbook, revised 2002
CSBA Professional Governance Standards, 2000
Maximizing School Board Leadership: Boardsmanship, 1996
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
Board Rules and Procedures SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: February 14, 2012 San Francisco, California
Please note that compare references, or “cf”, refer to CSBA model policies and do not necessarily indicate that the San Francisco Unified School District has adopted the referenced policy.