Palisades board plans fewer business meetings

In the first major change in its annual full-board meeting schedule in many years, Palisades School District will hold fewer full-board public business meetings. The change is understood to make room for more full-board public work sessions, and to further support the district’s long-running goal of maximizing opportunities for community participation.

Partial-board committee meetings, typically attended by only two board members, and functioning as work sessions toward making recommendations to the full board, are to continue as usual. The major change for the full-board business meeting schedule was made through approval of the 2024-25 calendar at the June 5 business meeting.

Next school year, the formerly typical bimonthly business meetings will now only be in December, May and June. Only one business meeting is scheduled on the other months.

The board can now add work sessions with full-board participation, as deemed needed, in the topics addressed in the Extracurricular, Educational Programs and Services, Buildings and Grounds, Fiscal Oversight, and Policy committee meetings, as well as for any special topics.

Updates at full-board meetings are understood to be continuing for the district’s participation in the Upper Bucks Technical School Joint Operating Committee and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. Actions by the full-board work sessions are understood to have the same advisory/recommending status as the committee meetings, with full-board approval at the business meetings needed for any recommendations to go into effect.

Public full-board work sessions that have essentially already been in effect have taken place as the annual district budget segment presentations that start in the autumn months. Conducted before regular full-board meetings, they allow for full-board consideration and discussion of numerous budget recommendations in three major areas, as developed by the district’s professional staff working with district committees, line by line. Accordingly, the full budget begins to shape up for the mandated annual approval timelines.

Also at the June 5 meeting, officials accepted a petition from a grateful group of its food service workers, with more than 250 signatures from the community, supporting their continued service to the district.

Last month, the board voted to reject all outsourcing proposals it had received. A speaker noted the workers’ long-running relationship with district children, including a commitment to their nutrition and attention to special food needs.

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