Resources

When our board passes a political resolution how should we post it and handle the minutes?

September 25, 2008

District staff can post the board actions in the minutes on the web page. What staff members can't do is 'campaign' for those resolutions using district resources or staff time. Recording the boards actions in the minutes and posting the minutes on the web page, as the staff does with all minutes, is not considered 'campaigning' - it is part of regular job duties recording the boards actions. Resolutions should be posted exactly as passed. If they were long that is fine, if they were short leave them that way, don't add any description or justification beyond the actual resolution.

District employees shouldn't do anything for these resolutions that they wouldn't do for any other board action. For example you shouldn't use district resources to type up flyers to be handed out at community activities, write a press release with arguments for and specifically about these resolutions, write a special article on the web page about these resolutions that promotes the reasons for them, or use staff time to make copies about these resolutions for board members to hand out at things they attend.

Staff members can do any of these advocacy projects if they do these on their own time and using their own resources.

Board members may campaign for these resolutions, write articles about them, and speak to groups about them as long as they don't use district resources in any way.