The Board of Education conducts monthly meetings.
Official BOE Handbook
What Does a Board of Education Do?
The Board of Education is an agent of the State of Connecticut responsible for ensuring that all State laws relative to education are followed. The Board members are elected for four-year terms staggered every two years. The regular business meetings of the Board of Education are held in public.
Because the Board of Education conducts all of its business in public, the agendas are often lengthy and cover a variety of important topics. In general, presentations are scheduled in the beginning of the meetings. A report section follows the discussion and action items each month. This is the time for the Board to hear from its administrators and to engage in discussion with them on issues before the school district. The executive session of the Board meeting is time when the Board meets to discuss confidential issues as defined by the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. The Board deeply respects the Family Education Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA) and other statutes which stipulate confidentiality of certain information. Typically, the Board will discuss issues such as personnel matters, contract negotiations, pending litigation, school security and Board self-evaluation during the executive session of the meeting.
What is the Public’s Role at These Meetings?
The Board eagerly welcomes members of the public to attend Board of Education meetings and to become informed on issues which the Board must act. Public Comment is described in the BOE By-Laws as follows:
As a means of encouraging public participation during Board meetings, the Chairman shall solicit comments from the public with regard to agenda items, as proposed or amended, that the Board will be discussing and/or will be acting upon by vote. The Chairman may limit Public Comment in any manner appropriate to the orderly and efficient conduct of Board meetings. The following parameters will pertain to Public Comment:
- Up to three (3) minutes may be allotted to each speaker. The Chair may modify this limitation at the beginning of a meeting if the number of persons wishing to speak makes it advisable to do so.
- Public Comment on non-voting items can be taken either at the beginning of each meeting or following the discussion of the non-voting item. A member of the public can only speak to a topic once at a meeting. Public Comment on voting items will take place at the time the item is on the meeting agenda, following Board discussion and prior to when the vote is taken.
The Board will not, generally, engage in direct dialogue with the public.
Need More Information?
We encourage you to visit our website at for even more information. If an item of discussion or a comment during a Board meeting spurs a question in your mind, feel free to send us your question at firstname.lastname@example.org.