Every January the Henry County Board of Education votes to name its own chair and vice-chair who serve for the calendar year. This is as directed in the board’s official policies.

With those appointments coming up in a few weeks, board members spent some time at their Dec. 10 meeting discussing how they are done and how often those officers should change.

After placing a proposal of a revised policy out for public comment and review, staff reported that more than 20 members of the public urged the board to change the chair and vice-chair every year. In recent years that has not happened, and it has been typical for someone to serve in either of those roles for several years in a row after being reappointed by majority vote each year.

Proposed revisions to the current policy, adopted in 1995, do not address this specific point — or perhaps they do, depending upon one’s interpretation:

“At the first meeting of the Board in each calendar year the Board shall organize by selecting a chairperson and vice-chair to serve for (1) one year terms. Such other officers as shall be deemed necessary for effective organization shall be selected at the discretion of the Board. Unless otherwise specified by the Board the duties of the Secretary or Treasurer shall be the legal duties of the Superintendent. The Board may elect a member of the Board to serve as Secretary or, for specific occasions, a temporary secretary.”

Josh Hinton, the current chair, asked to hear from other board members about their understanding of the language in that policy.

The first to speak up was Dr. Donna McBride, who was in her final meeting as a board member, saying that she understood it to mean that there needs to be a different chair/vice-chair each year. That notion was disputed by Dr. Pam Nutt, who has served several consecutive terms as chair during her board tenure.

Annette Edwards noted that she was completing her fourth year on the board she doesn’t think it is fair that everyone doesn’t get the opportunity to sit in the chair or vice-chair position. She said that everyone is entitled to gain the experience in the leadership position. When Hinton asked for clarification on whether Edwards believes the current policy language suggests a rotation, she replied that she stood by what she presented.

Holly Cobb noted that the new language sounds exactly like the practice they already have in place. She said she doesn’t believe anything should be rotated and that those who want to be in one of the positions should step forward and have everyone vote on it.

Hinton noted that the language being changed was more of a clarification of the current policy/practices. He said that the chair is the spokesperson for the BOE and he feels all BOE members should be able to vote for this important position, as the time requirement is one that should be taken seriously and not just given to someone based on a rotational basis.

Superintendent Dr. Mary Elizabeth Davis noted that it appears as though Georgia code does not allow for the rotation of leadership roles on the board, and she suggested that there should be further discussion and legal review prior to moving forward. McBride added that since it seems as though there are several interpretations of the policy, a vote should not be taken at that time.

After this discussion concluded in the study session, the matter was brought up at the regular business meeting a few hours later. Hinton made a motion to decline the current draft, and his motion passed 4-1 with Edwards opposed.