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Maine RSU 21

Maine Regional School Unit 21

Arundel · Kennebunk · Kennebunkport

BDEE - COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

  • Section B: Board Governance and Operations

BDEE - COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

The RSU 21 School Board of Directors (“Board”) believes it is essential to the development of excellence in education that knowledge about the goals, achievements, activities and operations of the RSU21 School District (“District”) be conveyed to stakeholders.

The RSU21 Communications Committee (“Committee”) recognizes that stakeholders have a right to know what is occurring in their public school system; that Board members and school administrators have an obligation to see that the public are kept informed; and that the District will benefit from clear and consistent communication strategies.

  1. ROLE

  1. The Committee acknowledges that effective communication among all stakeholders is essential to the achievement of the District’s education mission. Effective communication depends on:

  1. Sharing information in an engaging, accurate, understandable, civil, and accessible fashion;

  2. Listening  carefully and respectfully to others’ requests and feedback; and

  3. Fostering trust that all perspectives are heard and understood.

2. The ability of individual members of the Board to engage in direct communication with stakeholders is significantly constrained by the following concerns, including, but not limited to:

  1. State law prohibiting

i. Individual  Board members from speaking on behalf of the whole Board and

Ii. Board decision-making taking place outside of Board meetings,

  1. State and federal law prohibiting the Board from discussing confidential or private matters in public,

  2. The Board  Chair’s sole responsibility for running Board meetings, and

  3. The need to consider multiple perspectives and gather sufficient background information before making decisions.

3. “Effective communication” of District affairs is therefore best ensured when the Committee:

  1. Limits its creation of transmissible information to topics that are Board-related, as opposed to administration-related, responsibilities, and 

  2. Supports and provides feedback, regarding the administration’s communication strategy on topics for which the administration is responsible, to ensure the administration’s communication is as effective as possible. 

B. RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. To provide clear, concise, and accessible  information to the public about:

  1. The scope of Board responsibilities and the process by which those responsibilities are executed, and

  2. The rules and procedures governing Board and committee meetings.

  1. To support and provide recommendations to the Superintendent’s written plan of strategies and procedures designed to ensure effective communication of information impacting the District to all stakeholders (the “District Communication Plan”). 

  2. To recommend additions, deletions, or changes for funding RSU 21 communication needs.

C. MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Communications Committee is outlined in Policy BDE.

MEETINGS

  1. Regular monthly meetings shall be scheduled one month in advance and notice of meetings posted as specifically required by policy. 

  2. Special meetings may be convened by the Committee Chair, or at the request of the Chair of the Board, upon 24 hours notice to the Committee. 

  3. All meetings are open to the public, unless convened in an Executive Session.     

  4. The presence of three Board members of a standing committee shall constitute a quorum for voting purposes. Board members of the standing committee vote on agenda items.   

  5. In the event that the chair of a standing committee is unavailable for a scheduled committee meeting, the members of the standing committee will elect one of the members in attendance to act as chair for the duration of the meeting.

  1. Recommendations may be in the form of a proposed motion and/or a report. 

  2. A standing committee may also forward a matter under discussion to the full Board with no recommendation. 

  3. Standing committee reports will be included as an agenda item for all regular Board meetings.

  4. Any item referred to a standing committee by the Board shall be reported on at the next regular Board meeting whenever practicable. 

  5. The standing committee’s report to the Board should indicate work completed or progress made to date. The report may include the recommendation for continued standing committee study.

  6. The Committee Chair or designee shall provide a written report to the Board at regular Board meetings. 

  7. RSU 21 encourages the regular participation of community members. The expertise and input from our community are vital to the decision making process of the Board and its Standing and Advisory Committees. 

Legal Reference: 1 M.R.S.A. § 401 et seq.; 20A M.R.S.A. sect. 1001(21)  

Cross Reference: BEDI - Board Relations with the Media

BDE - Board Of School Directors Committees   

Adopted: 12/05/11

Amended: 10/15/12

Amended: 10/16/17

Amended: 5/19/22

Amended: 10/16/23

 

  • Section B