"Covert Proceedings" is a Bunch of Hooey

Katy school board has two types of meetings each month, a "Work Study" and a "Regular" meeting.  Basically the same issues are discussed at both meetings.  The "work study" is usually 1-2 weeks ahead of the "regular" meeting and is a meeting for the board to ask questions and discuss the issues so that the administration can figure out where a consensus is likely to be.  Once that is discovered, the superintendent and administration can make a recommendation at the regular meeting where the issue will be voted on, hopefully 7-0 or close to that, so that the direction from the board is clear. Frequent 5-2 or 4-3 votes indicate a dysfunctional board. For more on that, see here.  


Now, within each type of meeting, there are two "sub-meetings": a "Closed Session" and an "Open Session."  The Closed (sometimes called "executive") Session is exactly as it sounds: closed to the public.  Everything that the school board discusses must be done in open session, unless the topic is one of the exceptions listed in the Open Meetings Act.  For school districts, the exceptions include discussions involving personnel matters, matters involving specific students, consultation with an attorney, employee complaints, purchase or lease of real property and security measures.  These matters are set aside for logical reasons, like protecting the privacy of individual employees and students or not wanting to give away a negotiating position.  The board discusses the items in closed session, but all votes must later be made in an open meeting.

Proctor and Huckaby walked out of that meeting to kill the quorum and avoid voting on individual employment contracts. Blackman and Majors say there should have been public input before vote was taken.  They are wrong.  Discussion about employment contracts is  never appropriate for open discussion or public input.  Therefore, there was no reason NOT to vote on contracts in a work study meeting.  The exception to this would be the new hiring of someone whose job is of wide public interest, like a principal, where the vote should be taken after the public has had an opportunity to speak at the Open Forum part of the regular meeting.  The district is a BIG BUSINESS, one of the largest employers in west Houston, and needs to move forward in a timely matter.  


So, why are Blackman and Majors (and Proctor and Huckaby) talking about "covert proceedings"?  It is a catch phrase with no merit but lots of emotional weight.  When you vote, don't be swayed by rhetoric that is not backed up with solid information and common sense.  


Early voting continues this week through May 8; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Taylor and Cinco Ranch High Schools, Wolfe Elementary, and the Education Support Complex.