Running Efficient Meetings
Training Modules
The Issue of Efficiency
Boards are constantly working to attract
more participation from the parent
population. Running effective meetings
will keep the parents coming back.
 Effective meetings will keep the frustration
levels down when some meetings must
run longer than usual or when highly
emotional content is being discussed at
the meeting.
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Preparations Before the Meeting
Determine the purpose of the meeting
 Develop the agenda
 Board Packet distribution
 Meeting time considerations
 Environmental considerations
 Post meeting and Agenda
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Purpose of the Meeting
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Regular Meeting
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Workshop
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Regular business
Reports
New Business
Working meeting meant to address a specific issue
Generally longer than a regular meeting
Training
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Aimed at Board Members participating in a seminar to learn new
skills, policy development, etc.
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Note: Votes may be taken at a regular meeting, but not at
workshops or training sessions. A regular meeting may be
conducted after a workshop or training, but only if posted according
to Sunshine Law or bylaws of school.
Develop Agenda
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Order of items
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Listing goal or action of each item
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Place on the agenda the expected action that will be taken with
each item. If you will be voting on that particular piece, say so.
If you will only be opening a discussion on it, make it clear. (Ex:
“For discussion” or “For consideration”, etc.)
Balance of items and guarding against overload
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Mix up between short, easy-to-handle items and the more
complicated items
Put a few easy things first to get the meeting rolling in a positive
direction at a fast pace
Make sure the agenda is manageable. If it gets too big, look for
items that can wait until another time.
Can a small group be put in charge of an item to bring back
information or to make the decision themselves? Delegate when
possible. It will give more people buy-in to your organization.
Consent agenda
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See next slide
Consent Agenda
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The consent agenda is not a way to push things through without
proper discussion and debate. In fact, it should not be used for
decision items.
Items that are for information only, and do not require a decision or
any Board action, should be included in the consent agenda. The
consent agenda allows all of the reports to be received with one
motion. (Ex: Second readings of policies)
When individuals have included a written report for information, they
somehow feel compelled to speak to their report. That is not done
with a consent agenda. However, board members can ask all the
questions that they want related to the consent agenda items. Once
any questions are dealt with, the vote on the single motion
addresses all the consent agenda reports. Quick. Fast. Good for
everybody!
Any item on the consent agenda can be moved to the regular
agenda upon request from any board member. However, once the
board approves the agenda, a board member may not pull anything
off the consent agenda.
Board Packets
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Should be provided to Directors one week prior
to the meeting
Meant to inform the Board on the items that will
be covered during the meeting
Synopses of reports should be thorough, but to
the point (reports are then delivered in a more
succinct manner while still allowing Directors to
formulate questions)
All information required for decisions should be
included in the board packets and should be
labeled as to the action that will be taken with
each piece (for instance, will you be voting on
this?)
Meeting Times
Set a standard meeting time and time limit,
and stick to it if possible.
 Members will be more likely to attend
meetings if you make them productive,
predictable, and time effective.
 Make meeting as accessible as possible to
all members of your school
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Environments
Conduct meetings where both Directors
and members (parents) can be
comfortable.
 Avoid the draw to conduct business with
adults sitting in elementary size chairs.
 Arrange chairs so that all directors can see
each other.
 Provide snacks so that when “sugar”
levels run low, people can refill.
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Posting Meetings
You must post all meetings held by your
Board.
 See Sunshine Law/Open Records training
modules for specific laws.
 Also refer to school bylaws, sometimes they
are more stringent than State law.
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Beginning the Meeting
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Incorporating members into the meeting
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Greet all members and directors and make
them feel welcome
Setting the mood for the meeting
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Help Directors transition from their job or
home into the meeting by reading your
mission, saying the pledge, or doing
something else meaningful to your meeting
Setting the flow of the meeting
Put limits on time for less important issues
 Request that in-depth issues be assigned
to subcommittees
 Give everyone a voice
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Ask those that are being quiet for their input
 Work with people who dominate the
discussion to keep them succinct
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Human Factors
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Recognize when frustration is setting in,
people are tired of sitting, or have needs
known by nature-take breaks as needed
Keeping on Task
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Stick to the agenda
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Keep conversation focused on the topic
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Resist being drawn off task
Tactfully end discussions when they are getting nowhere
Start on time, end on time. A wise man once said, “I’ve
never seen anything good come out of a five hour
meeting!”
It is good practice to limit meeting to 10:00pm and to
hold meetings only once per month. If you require
longer meetings or need to meet more frequently, you
are probably not delegating to subcommittees enough
General Rules for Good Meetings
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Be prepared
Use board notebooks that include past minutes, etc.
Robert’s Rules of Order
Reach a conclusion / resolution and move on
Record the minutes
Schedule workshops for larger issues/work
Have a policy handbook to reference
Board chair to keep the meeting moving
Focus on the goals using mission to guide decision
making
Communicate effectively
Focus on solutions, not problems
Don’t try to solve everything
Remain respectful - don’t personalize issues
Praise people twice as much as you criticize.
Keeping Minutes
Again, reference Sunshine Law training
module for guidance
 Remember that minutes should be
detailed enough that anyone can read
them and know what decisions were made
by the Board
 Minutes also serve as a historical
document of your schools growth
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Ending the Meeting
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Task assignments
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Restate or verify who is needing to
accomplish tasks before the next meeting
Debriefing
Very quickly check in with Directors and ask
what worked well about the meeting and what
did not
 Evaluate meetings on a regular basis so that
you can work to improve areas that are not
working well.
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After the Meeting
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Distribute minutes
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Delegation of decisions
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Again, timeliness is necessary
Follow-up on delegation decisions. See that all
directors/members maintain responsibilities.
Put unfinished business on the agenda for the
next meeting
Conduct evaluation
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Via mail, survey, or phone interview ask directors to
reflect on what worked well in the meeting and what
did not.
Special Caveat
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Thing ahead about how your board will interact with
parents. You may decide you need policy on how
parents bring concerns to the board. It might be good to
establish a grievance process that includes steps to
bring a concern to the board and whether that item
needs to be considered in executive session or not.
Remember to establish yourself as a “parent governed
school” and not a “parent run school”. A parent
governed school is one that considers all aspects of a
problem (financial, educational, etc.) before making a
decision, whereas, a parent run school is one that is
subject to emotional decision making that does not
consider the full impact of its decisions.