Board of Education

General Information 

The Board of Education conducts monthly meetings.  Click HERE to view the Board of Education meeting dates and times. 

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 Region 12 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.

The Agendas

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 on which the Board must act.  The Board sets aside time during each meeting on the agenda for public comment.  During these times, the public has the opportunity to address the Board on agenda items.  At the discretion of the chair, non-agenda items may be raised.  The Board respectfully requests that school specific issues be handled first through the teacher and the appropriate administrator before the issue comes to the Board.  The Board chair reserves the right to limit the length of time set for public comment in deference to the business needing to be conducted on the posted agenda.  Typically, however, public comments should be limited to 2-3 minutes in length.  Finally, because of the complexity of issues being raised by the public, the Board will not, generally, engage in direct dialogue with the public, but will often refer concerns to later parts of the meeting or to future agendas.  

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