The primary function of the Board of Education is to develop school policy and write statements of intent which guide the operation of the school program. According to state and federal law, local boards of education can make decisions only at properly convened school board meetings. Alone, a board member has no authority.
Five citizens of Ardmore serve on the Board. Each member is elected to office and serves for a term of five years. The public is always invited to attend all meetings of the Board of Education.
Requirements to Become a Board Member
- To be eligible to become a candidate for the school board, a person must meet the following statutory requirements:
- The individual must hold a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency.
- The individual must reside in the district (and precinct or ward if applicable) for at least six (6) months prior to filing.
- The individual must be a registered voter within the district for at least six (6) months prior to filing.
- The individual cannot have been convicted of a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony for a period of fifteen (15) years following completion of the sentence or during the pending of an appeal of such conviction.
- The individual is not eligible to be a candidate if he/she is currently employed by the school district governed by that board of education or is related within the second degree by blood or marriage to any other member of the board of education or to any employee of the school district governed by that board of education. 70 O.S. 5-113.
Meetings and Notification Procedures
The Ardmore Board of Education shall transact all business at official meetings of the board. A “meeting” is defined as the gathering of a majority of members of a public body to discuss school business. Board meetings shall be regarded as public meetings. No meetings will be held by teleconference. These may be either regular, special, or emergency meetings, defined as follows:
Regular Meeting
- The usual, official legal action meeting held regularly.
- The regular meeting of the Ardmore Board of Education shall be the first Tuesday or Thursday on, or following, the tenth (10th) of each month at 5:30 p.m.  Meetings are currently being held at Charles Evans Elementary in the cafeteria, 1906 Harris Street.
Special Meeting
- An official legal action meeting called between scheduled regular meetings to consider specific topics as listed on the agenda.  Special meeting of the board may be called by the superintendent, or his/her designee at any time.
Emergency Meeting
- An official legal action meeting held only for dealing with situations involving either injury to persons or damage to public or personal property or an immediate financial loss so severe that the 48-hour notice period of a special meeting would be impractical and increase the likelihood of injury or damage or immediate financial loss.
Notification of Meetings
Notice of all meetings of the board of education shall be made in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Law except that federal confidentiality laws take precedence and except that a board of education is not considered a public body and is not subject to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Law when the board meets for the sole purpose of considering recommendations of a multidisciplinary team and deciding the placement of any child who is the subject of such recommendations. Otherwise, a written notice of the date, time and place of the meeting will be sent to each person and media that has filed a written request for such notice.
Regular meetings of the Board of Education shall be held each month on the first Tuesday or Thursday on, or following, the tenth (10th) day of the month or upon such day as may be fixed by the Board. A majority of the Board membership shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business. Special meetings may be held from time-to-time as circumstances may demand. All meetings will be held in compliance with the open meeting law of the State of Oklahoma. (70-5-118)
What is the procedure to speak at a board meeting?
The following guidelines shall apply with regard to individuals wanting to place an action item on the board agenda:
- Any individual wishing to have an item placed on the board agenda for action shall communicate such wish to the superintendent by letter. The letter must state the nature of the matter to be discussed, the full name, address and phone number of the person making the request, and what is expected from the board. The letter must be received by the superintendent at least ten (10) business days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. The superintendent will discuss the request with the board president and they will determine if the item is to be placed on the agenda.
- If the Board President and/or the Superintendent determine that an item received in written format should be placed on the Board agenda, the individual requesting the item will be given four (4) minutes to discuss with the Board why they feel the Board should consider and/or act on their request. The board president may require all proponents of one side of an issue to elect one spokesperson.
The following guidelines apply with regard to individuals wanting to be placed on the board agenda for items not requiring board action.
The Open Meeting Act gives the public a right to be present at the board meetings and to see and hear everything. While the act requires open meetings, it does not guarantee all citizens the right to participate in the meetings. Neither the Open Meeting Act nor the Constitution grants to members of the public the right to be heard by public bodies. However, in an effort to allow individuals an avenue to express concerns or to make comments on items not requiring action, the following guidelines have been set:
Any person wishing to make a comment to the Board of Education on items not requiring action shall submit a written request to the President of the Board asking to be placed on the agenda and stating the nature or subject matter of the comment, at least ten (10) business days prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. The written request should also include the full name, address and phone number of the person making the request. Whether such request shall be granted will be at the discretion of the Board President and the Superintendent of Schools.
    The comment should be:
    a.  Mailed to the Board of Education, PO Box 1709, Ardmore, OK 73402; or
    b.  Hand delivered to the Education Services Center Mail Room, 800 M Street NE, Room 115 to the attention of the Board of Education.
The Board President will follow up with the Superintendent for any items that require further investigation or a possible response.
Note: Any individual asking to be placed on the Board agenda for a complaint for which a resolution has not been sought through the proper staff or administrative channels or any business that did not originate at the proper staff or administrative level will not be placed on the agenda. The Superintendent and/or the presiding officer shall make any final determinations necessary as to whether or not prior and appropriate resolution has been sought concerning the complaint.
Public Complaints
The Ardmore Board of Education welcomes comments and suggestions for improvement from the patrons whom it serves. Constructive criticism of the schools is welcome whenever it is motivated by a sincere desire to improve the quality of the educational program or to allow the schools to do their tasks more effectively. However, the board has confidence in its professional staff and desires to support their actions in order that they be free from unnecessary, spiteful, or negative criticism and complaint. Therefore, whenever a complaint is made directly to the board as a whole or to a board member as an individual, it will promptly be referred to the school administration for study and possible solution.
Since individual board members have no authority to resolve complaints, other than by formal board action, administrators are expected to follow up on all complaint referrals and to advise the board members of the nature of the complaint and the action(s) taken. The board expects that the administration will develop a procedure for receiving complaints courteously and that it will take steps to make a proper reply to the complainant. Follow-up shall be in the form of a written memorandum to the board members.
Anonymous complaints provide no avenue for response or redress of the complaint. Therefore, it will be the policy of the board that anonymous complaints shall not be pursued. An unsigned complaint will not be read or acted upon at any meeting of the board and anonymous telephone complaints will not be brought to the board by any individual board member, administrator, or other district employee. However, the nature of some anonymous complaints may warrant investigation. The Board of Education gives the administration the authority to use reasonable discretion in the investigation of those complaints.
- Complaints for which specific resolution procedures are provided shall be directed through those channels. This includes complaints about personnel, complaints about instructional materials, etc.
- Complaints should be resolved at the lowest possible level of authority. If the complaint cannot be resolved at the building level, either party is encouraged to bring the matter to the attention of the superintendent of schools.
If all other remedies have been exhausted and a complaint cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the complaint may be appealed to the board of education. The item will be placed on the agenda to be heard at the next regular meeting of the board of education or by a special meeting of the board of education. No appeal will be heard by the board and no charges or accusations against an employee will be investigated or acted upon unless the accusations are reduced to writing, signed by the party making the complaint, and presented to the board through the superintendent.
In addition to the above, the board will request written reports be provided to the board prior to the meeting from the following:
1.  The person against whom the complaint is made,
2.  The principal of the school involved,
3.  The superintendent, and
4.  The complainant.
Generally, all parties involved will be asked to attend the board meeting for the purposes of presenting any additional facts, making further explanations, and clarifying issues.
The board will not consider or act upon complaints that have not been explored at the appropriate administrative level or complaints for which specific resolution procedures have been established that do not include board review. If the board decides to hear the complaint, the board shall make a decision which shall be sent to all interested parties. The board’s decision is final.