As an agency of the State of Illinois, the board accepts the powers and performs the duties outlined in Article 10 of the Illinois School Code. Within these provisions, the board views its required functions in these broad areas:

A. Policymaking: The board is responsible for developing policies and for employing a superintendent to implement the policies.


B. Appraisal: The board is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of the policies and their implementation.


C. Financial: The board is responsible for maintaining fiscal integrity.


D. Educational: The board is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating an education program which will provide the opportunity for every student in the district to receive a quality education.


F. Communication: The board is responsible for establishing two-way communications with the community and with the staff, keeping them informed and being receptive to their advice and counsel.

The board may act only in a properly convened meeting, and no member shall

have the authority to act for the board or under the title of their board position unless specifically authorized by statute or by the board at such a meeting. The Board of Education is the final authority over school matters.

The Board encourages citizens of the district to attend its sessions so they may become better acquainted with the operation and programs of the schools and so the board may have an opportunity to hear the wishes and ideas of the public.

In order to assure that persons who wish to appear before the board may be heard and, at the same time, conduct its meetings properly and efficiently, the board has adopted as policy the following procedure and rules pertaining to public participation at board meetings:

1. Anyone wishing to have an item placed on the board agenda and to speak before the board should inform the superintendent in writing of the topic to be discussed as early as possible but at least by 12:00 noon seven days before the meeting. This will permit orderly scheduling of public remarks on the meeting agenda.

2. The public shall be given an opportunity to make comments at each regular board meeting during the regular agenda item "Welcome to Visitors," at the conclusion of the agenda item entitled "Board Requested Reports" and during the agenda item entitled "Action Items." Comments made during the item entitled "Action Items" can be made after the motion has been made and has been followed by a second.

3. Individuals desiring to speak shall give their name, address and the group, if any, that is represented.

4. Comments should be as brief as possible and should be limited to three minutes.

Only in a rare instance will the board act on an issue brought before them the first time at a meeting. The board generally needs more time to examine the issue before action is taken.

Persons appearing before the board are reminded, as a point of information, that members of the board are without authority to act independently in official matters. Thus, questions may be directed to individual board members, but answers may be deferred pending consideration by the full board. The President of the board may also reserve the right to limit and/or defer certain discussion in the interest of conducting the board meeting properly and efficiently.