Adopted: 12-10-98 MSBA/MASA Model Policy 202
Orig. 1995
Reviewed: 6-10-10 , 6-13-13 Rev. 2007,2011
202 SCHOOL BOARD OFFICERS
I. PURPOSE
School board officers are charged with the duty of carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to them for the care, management, and control of the public schools of the school district. The purpose of this policy is to delineate those responsibilities.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
A. The school board shall meet annually and organize by selecting a chair, a clerk, a treasurer and such other officers as determined by the school board. At its option, the school board may appoint a vice-chair to serve in the temporary absence of the chair.
B. The school board shall appoint a superintendent who shall be an ex officio, nonvoting member of the school board.
III. ORGANIZATION
The school board shall meet annually on the first Monday in January, or as soon thereafter as practicable, and organize by selecting a chair, a clerk, a treasurer, and such other officers as determined by the school board. These officers shall hold office for one year and until their successors are elected and qualify.
A. The persons who perform the duties of clerk and treasurer need not be members of the school board.
B. The school board by resolution may combine the duties of the offices of clerk and treasurer in a single person in the office of business affairs.
[Note: The organizational meeting is a good time for the school board to plan for how to cancel and reschedule a board meeting. For example, the school board could decide and include in the regular meeting schedule a provision that if the school district closes early due to bad weather calls off evening activities, any school board meeting scheduled for that evening will also be postponed and held at the same time and place the following evening.
The organizational meeting is also a good time for the school board to select the school district’s legal counsel and the individuals authorized to contact legal counsel. Usually, the authorized contacts are the board chair, the superintendent, and the chief business official of the school district. In addition, many school districts authorize their human resources director, or a person exercising similar duties, to contact legal counsel.]
IV. OFFICER’S RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Chair
1. The chair when present shall preside at all meetings of the school board, countersign all orders upon the treasurer for claims allowed by the school board, represent the school district in all actions and perform all duties a chair usually performs.
2. In case of absence, inability, or refusal of the clerk to draw orders for the payment of money authorized by a vote of the majority of the school board to be paid, the chair may draw the orders, or the office of the clerk may be declared vacant by the chair and treasurer and filled by appointment.
B. Treasurer
1. The treasurer shall deposit the funds of the school district in the official depository.
2. The treasurer shall make all reports which may be called for by the school board and perform all duties a treasurer usually performs.
3. In the event there are insufficient funds on hand to pay valid orders presented to the treasurer, the treasurer shall receive, endorse, and process the orders in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 123B.12.
C. Clerk
1. The clerk shall keep a record of all meetings in the books provided.
2. Within three days after an election, the clerk shall notify all persons elected of their election.
3. On or before August 15 of each year, the clerk shall:
a. file with the school board a report of the revenues, expenditures and balances in each fund for the preceding fiscal year.
b. make and transmit to the commissioner certified reports, showing:
(1) condition and value of school property;
(2) revenues and expenditures in detail, and such other financial information required by law, rule, or as may be called for by the commissioner;
(3) length of school term and enrollment and attendance by grades; and
(4) other items of information as called for by the commissioner.
4. The clerk shall enter into the clerk’s record book copies of all reports and of the teachers’ term reports, and of the proceedings of any meeting, and keep an itemized account of all expenses of the school district.
5. The clerk shall furnish to the county auditor, on or before October 10, an attested copy of the clerk’s record, showing the amount of money voted by the school district or the school board for school purposes.
6. The clerk shall draw and sign all orders upon the treasurer for the payment of money for bills allowed by the school board for salaries of officers and for teachers’ wages and all claims, to be countersigned by the chair.
7. The clerk shall perform such duties as required by the Minnesota Election Law or other applicable laws relating to the conduct of elections.
8. The clerk shall perform the duties of the chair in the event of the chair’s and vice-chair’s temporary absences.
D. Vice-Chair [Optional]
The vice-chair shall perform the duties of the chair in the event of the chair’s temporary absence.
E. Superintendent
1. The superintendent shall be an ex officio, nonvoting member of the school board.
2. The superintendent shall perform the following:
a. visit and supervise the schools in the school district, report and make recommendations about their condition when advisable or on request by the school board;
b. recommend to the school board employment and dismissal of teachers;
c. annually evaluate each school principal assigned responsibility for supervising a school building within the district;
d. superintend school grading practices and examinations for promotions;
e. make reports required by the commissioner; and
f. perform other duties prescribed by the school board.
Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 123B.12 (Finance)
Minn. Stat. § 123B.14 (Officers)
Minn. Stat. § 123B.143 (Superintendent)
Minn. Stat. § 126C.17 (Referendum Revenue)
Minn. Stat. Ch. 205A (School District Elections)
Cross References: MSBA/MASA Model Policy 101 (Legal Status of the School District)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 201 (Legal Status of the School Board)
MSBA/MASA Model Policy 203 (Operation of the School Board – Governing Rules)
MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 1, School District Governance, Powers and Duties
