Saint Paul Public Schools #625

 Budget and Finance Advisory Committee Bylaws

Adopted July 1, 2003

Revised November 2, 2009 (by action of committee)

I. Name and Charge

A.  The name of this committee is the Budget and Finance Advisory Committee (BFAC).

B.  BFAC is an advisory committee to the Board of Education (Board) and the administration of the Saint Paul Public Schools.

C.  BFAC receives its charge from the Board.  That charge includes:

1.   Review the current year budget and where appropriate make recommendations to the Board on possible courses of action.

2.   Review the school district’s financial condition and projected resources available for the next school year and make recommendations to the Board.

3.   Recommend guidelines to the Board of Education with respect to budget preparation for the next school year.

4.   Work in an advisory capacity including ongoing major budget revisions, and report directly to the Board of Education for the Board’s action on its recommendation.

5.   Adhere to the guidelines established by the Board for budget preparation for the coming fiscal year.

6.   Be informed about the proposed next year budgets and have the opportunity to discuss with the Board  and administration.

7.   Adhere to all existing Board policies.  BFAC may suggest changes to the Board’s policy and shall clearly indicate when they do.

II. Membership

A.  BFAC shall consist of up to thirty (30) members as follows:

1.   Two individuals chosen by each Board member

2.   One individual nominated by the Special Education Council

3.   Two individuals nominated by the Citywide Student Council

4.   A representative from the Chamber of Commerce

5.   A representative from the Planning, Evaluation and Reporting (PER) Committee

6.   Up to eleven (11) members shall be chosen among:

a.   Those persons attending the first meeting

b.   Those persons requesting to become members

c.   Those persons nominated by district committees such as district technology, Community Education, site councils, PTOs, and the  Long Range Space Planning Advisory Committee.

B.  The overall selection and election process for the committee shall attempt to achieve a membership that is representative of the District in terms of gender, race and geography.  BFAC may forward to the Board, for its consideration, the names of persons interested in serving on the committee who have come to the committee’s attention.

C.  Appointments to BFAC are made by the Board.

1.   Members are appointed for a one-year term.

2.   No member may serve more than three consecutive one-year terms.  If positions remain open under category II. A. 6. at the time of appointment of the entire committee, the Board may waive this rule.

D.  BFAC members serve without compensation.

E.  A BFAC member shall be a member “in good standing” if the member has not had more than three unexcused absences during the current fiscal year and has not resigned.

1.   A BFAC member who is not a member in good standing shall lose voting privileges and shall not have the member’s name included on reports submitted to the Board.

2.   The BFAC chair shall notify any member with two unexcused absences about the consequences of three unexcused absences.

F.  BFAC may forward to the Board the names of committee members who have resigned or who are not members in good standing, so that the Board may consider filling those positions.

III. Officers

A.  BFAC officers shall be a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary.

B.  Duties of the officers are:

1. Chair

a. Preside at BFAC meetings

b. Set meeting agendas in accordance with BFAC’s charge and after consultation with BFAC and the superintendent or designee.

c. Set times and locations of joint meetings with the Board, in consultation with the administration.

d. Authorize excused absences and notifying committee members with two unexcused absences of the consequences of a third unexcused absence.

e. Carry out other duties and activities necessary to fulfill BFAC’s charge, and/or which are customarily associated with leadership of an advisory committee.

2. Vice Chair

a. Assume the duties of the chair in the chair’s absence.

b. Carry out other duties as assigned or delegated by the chair.

3. Secretary

a. Maintain or work with the administration on record of BFAC members’ attendance.

b. Provide or work with the administration on meeting notices, minutes, committee correspondence and drafts of committee position statements or recommendations.

c. Maintain or work with the administration on a current roster of committee members’ names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, email addresses, term expiration dates, and standing.

C.  A person who is eligible to be an officer shall be:

1. A committee member in good standing

2. Not an elected school board director

3. Not an announced candidate for the school board.

D.  Officers serve a one-year term for the school district’s fiscal year.  Officers may be re-elected to the same or a different office in subsequent years.

E.  Officers are elected by BFAC members.

1. At the third to the last meeting of the fiscal year, the upcoming election will be announced, and it will be included on meeting notices for the next two meetings.

2. At the second to the last meeting of the fiscal year, persons may be nominated to be officers, or they may nominate themselves to be officers.

3. Elections of officers for the following year shall take place at the last regularly scheduled meeting of the fiscal year.  No nominations may be taken at this meeting, just the vote on the persons who were nominated at previous meeting.

F.  In the event of a vacancy in an officer position for any reason, the procedure described in E., above, will be used to fill the vacancy, starting with the first meeting at which a vacancy occurs.

G.  An officer who becomes ineligible to serve as an officer for any reason shall resign immediately as an officer, but may remain as a BFAC member.

H.  An officer may be removed from office for any reason by a 2/3 vote of members in good standing present.  Such a vote shall occur only at a meeting which 2/3 of all members in good standing are in attendance.

IV. BFAC Meetings with the Board

A.  BFAC members shall be encouraged to attend the budget review process meetings held by the Committee of the Board (COB).

B.  The COB shall hold joint meetings with BFAC as necessary to review the administration’s proposed budget and develop budget recommendations.  The times and locations of these sessions will be developed jointly by the chairs of both committees in consultation with the administration.

C.  BFAC will participate in the Board’s budget review discussion.

1. BFAC members will listen to citizen testimony and will be able to ask questions and request information.

2. The structure of the meetings will consist of:

Budget presentations by the administration

Public testimony from persons in attendance

Board questions to the administration

BFAC questions to the administration.  The chair of the COB will refer BFAC questions, as appropriate, to the administration for response.

V. BFAC Meetings

A.  BFAC shall meet regularly, usually twice a month, during the school year.  BFAC also may schedule special committee meetings, hold public hearings and forums, form subcommittees, and use other means of carrying out its charge if necessary.

B.  BFAC meeting agendas shall be set by the chair in accordance with BFAC’s duties and responsibilities of the committee and after consultation with members and the superintendent or designee.  BFAC members may vote to amend the proposed agenda at the beginning of each meeting.

C.  The structure of the regular meetings shall include:

1. BFAC shall have an organizational meeting to review its assignment and adopt a schedule of regular meetings.

2. From the beginning of the year through January, BFAC shall review the current year budget, the financial condition of the various funds and the projected resources available for the following fiscal year.  The current budget review may include but is not limited to: athletics, pupil costs, magnet schools, non-magnet schools, transportation and all other district funds.

3. BFAC recommendations on the budget (including next year’s budget guidelines) shall be submitted to the Board at the Board’s January regularly scheduled meeting.

4. BFAC shall review its mission and agenda prior to the end of the fiscal year and make a recommendation concerning implementation of BFAC including the election of officers for the following school year.

D.  BFAC meetings shall:

1. Conform to the provisions of the Minnesota Open Meeting Law

2. Follow the policies and practices of the Board concerning posting of scheduled meetings and providing opportunities for citizens and delegations to be heard.

E.  BFAC may conduct business at a meeting when a quorum is present.

1. A quorum is 50% or more members in good standing in attendance.

2. If a quorum is not present, the committee may have a working session but may not adopt positions or other motions.

F.  Committee Decision Making

1. BFAC shall work with respectful regard for the members of the Board of Education, members of BFAC, committees and citizens making public comment.  BFAC shall collaboratively problem solve with others when they are working on the same issue.

2. BFAC shall make decisions by consensus whenever possible.

3. If consensus cannot be reached, BFAC shall vote to make decisions.  Parliamentary authority for this process shall be Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

4. Adopted committee positions or recommendations shall be communicated to the Board in writing.

5. If BFAC adopts a position or recommendation which is to be transmitted to the Board, and one or more committee members who voted against the position or recommendation wish to submit a minority report:

a. The minority report must be prepared in writing within two weeks of adoption of the motion.

b. Copies of the minority report must be provided by the maker to all BFAC members.

c. The minority report will be attached to or submitted as a follow-up to the transmittal of the position or recommendation to the Board.

d. Minutes shall be kept of each meeting and shall be provided to the Board.

VI. BFAC Communications and Representation

A.  In general, the chair or the vice chair will represent the committee to the Board and the public.  BFAC members may adopt a motion authorizing other BFAC members to represent BFAC if appropriate.

B.  Any BFAC member who is representing BFAC must speak only to BFAC’s adopted positions or recommendations and may not present their personal position when publicly communicating a BFAC position.

C.  BFAC members are encouraged to seek input from the community.  BFAC members should communicate adopted BFAC positions and recommendations by distributing written copies of the position and recommendations and along with minority reports if applicable.

D.  BFAC members may participate in the Open Forum section of Board meetings as citizens, but not as BFAC representatives unless specifically authorized by the adopted committee motion.

Amendments to these Bylaws

A.  If any part of these by-laws are found to be contrary to school board policies or other applicable requirements, the remainder of the by-laws shall remain in full force and effect.

B.  These bylaws may be amended by the following procedure:

1. A motion for consideration of a bylaw amendment may be made at any regularly scheduled BFAC meeting.  If the motion is adopted, consideration of the proposed bylaw amendment will be placed on the agenda for the following two meetings.  Written copies of the proposed bylaw amendment must be distributed to all BFAC members.

2. At the next regularly scheduled meeting of BFAC  following introduction of the proposed amendment, the proposed amendment shall be discussed.  If BFAC members wish to modify the proposed amendment, the modifications shall be discussed and vote shall be taken on the modifications to the proposed amendment.

3. At the second regularly scheduled BFAC meeting following introduction of the proposed bylaw amendment, a vote will be taken on the proposed amendment in final form.  Neither discussion nor modifications to the proposed amendment will be permitted at this meeting.