Policy 1.096

Technology Committee

1. Purpose and Mission.-- The School Board recognizes that technology is a major component of its operations and in the instruction of its students. To assist the Board in developing and analyzing its technological infrastructure and performing the functions as set forth in subsections (4)(a) and (4)(b) below, the Board has created a Technology Committee as an Advisory Committee to the Board. The Committee shall be governed by its Charter, as set forth herein.

2. Advisory Authority

   1. The Technology Committee serves as an advisory committee to the Board. Its mission and membership are consistent with Board Policy 1.09, "Advisory Committees to the School Board," although provisions within this Policy are intended to supersede and control over any contrary provisions within Policy 1.09.

   2. The Technology Committee shall have regular quarterly meetings. Additional meetings may occur as needed. A quorum shall consist of 40% (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the existing voting members.

   3. To facilitate preparation for committee meetings, the agenda and backup materials should be available to members a week in advance of each regular meeting. Special meetings may be called by the Committee Chair. If a special meeting is called, the agenda and backup materials should be available upon calling and noticing the meeting, at least 48 hours in advance.

   4. The Committee will present reports to the Board that may include dissenting viewpoints. Whenever a recommendation of the Committee on a substantive issue is reported to the Board and the recommendation was not unanimous, the basis for the majority and minority positions should be brought to the attention of the Board at the same Board meeting in which the recommendation was made.

3. Composition

   1. The Technology Committee shall be composed of seven voting community members, along with seven non-voting ex-officio members representing the Board and District employees.

   2. The seven members from the community are appointed by the Board upon nomination by a Board Member-one for each Board Member. In selecting community members, preference shall be given to persons who have substantial technology leadership or technical experience within a large enterprise or who have retired from such a position. As to nominating new Committee voting members, the Committee may provide input to the Board and constitute an appropriate source for the names of potential nominees for membership with the preferred experience, as set forth in Policy 1.09(7).

   3. The seven ex-officio members shall include: two Board Members, the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Technology Officer, the Chief of Performance Accountability, and a Principal.

   4. All voting members of the Technology Committee shall be residents of Palm Beach County. Board members will appoint community members as provided in this section and Policy 1.09(7).

   5. After the initial appointments forming the Technology Committee, the community members may continue to serve as members, as stated in subsection (3)(h) below until such member resigns or is removed from the Technology Committee. In the event a community-member vacancy should occur due to a resignation or otherwise the Board may appoint a replacement at a regular or special Board Meeting. To fill a vacancy, the nominating Board member shall be the same as it was for the Committee community member whose seat has become vacant.

   6. The voting members of the Technology Committee shall annually elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among the seven community members.

   7. After the initial appointments forming the Technology Committee, the Board, at its Annual Reorganization Meeting or thereafter, will decide which two Board members will serve as ex-officio committee members. In the event of a vacancy for an ex-officio Board member on the committee between annual organizational meetings, the Board may designate a replacement at a regular or special Board meeting.

   8. Community members serve in a voluntary capacity, and the membership of a community member who was nominated by a Board member continues as long as the nominating Board member serves on the Board (consistent with Policy 1.09(5)), although the nominating Board member may exercise his/her discretion to remove his/her nominee at any time, as stated in Policy 1.09. If a vacancy exists as to the position of an appointing Board member for a particular district, the Committee members appointed by that Board member may continue to serve as voting members on the Committee until and unless the new Board member for that district decides to remove that Committee member at any time.

   9. Community members will be removed automatically should they miss three consecutive regular meetings, unless, by request of the member, the Chair grants compassionate leave due to personal, business, or familial exigency. A quarterly report will be made to the Board regarding the attendance of appointed committee members.

4. Key Areas of Advisory Responsibility

   1. The Technology Committee will be advisory in nature and operate in accordance with State and Federal regulations, as well as Board Policies.

   2. The Technology Committee will provide advice on:

      1. the District's technical infrastructure for consistency with "Best Industry Practices" and emerging infrastructure technologies;

      2. the District's Annual Technology Plan and the Five-Year Capital Plan for infrastructure technology elements; and

      3. other matters related to technology as specifically requested by the Board and/or the Superintendent.

   3. The Technology Committee will not be involved in decisions, or provide advice concerning: the selection, administration, or evaluation of instructional programs. Further, the Technology Committee will not be involved in, or provide advice about, the selection of vendors or staff. Nothing stated herein will preclude individual Committee members from participating in the District's selection of any consultants relating to technical infrastructure issues.

5. Administrative Matters

   1. Robert's Rules of Order shall guide the conduct of Technology Committee meetings. These meeting-procedure Rules may be suspended for a meeting or portion thereof by a simple majority vote of a quorum of voting members present at the meeting.

   2. Under the following circumstance, Technology Committee members may attend meetings and participate at meetings through the use of an interactive video and/or telephone systems, as long as a quorum of voting Committee members are physically present at the meeting: Voting members of the Committee may participate and vote by the use of electronic media technology to allow a member of the Committee who is not physically present to attend the meeting, in those instances where the Committee member is confined to home or hospital due to illness or accident or in those situations where the Committee member's absence is due to a death or serious illness of an immediate family member. Any other situations which cause a Committee member to be absent from a meeting will require a vote by majority of the Committee, based only on extraordinary circumstances as required by law, to allow the Committee member to participate by the above referenced technology.

   3. A unanimous vote will be considered if all community Committee members voting (not abstaining due to potential conflict of interest) audibly vote "yes," show by hands a "yes," or all those who are voting and present have indicated a "yes" vote on the e-agenda system, or if they remain silent it will also mean consent (unless they abstained due to a potential conflict of interest). However, if a member votes "no" on the e-agenda, audibly, or by a show of hands, it will then be considered a split vote. If a vote is evenly tied for and against a measure, such tie vote shall defeat the measure. For each vote, the Chair or acting chair shall announce the vote, and the names of any member in dissent, after it is tabulated.

   4. During the time a person is a member of the committee, that committee member or his/her company in which that member may have a direct financial interest shall not do business with the Board, in accordance with Fla. Stat. § 112.313.

   5. The Technology Committee's meetings shall be subject to the open meeting Sunshine provisions of Fla. Stat. § 286.011.

   6. All documents maintained as public records by persons in their capacity as Technology Committee members are subject to public disclosure unless exempt under Fla. Stat. § 119.071 or other statutes.

   7. The Superintendent shall designate staff to provide administrative support to the Technology Committee. This support staff will be responsible for scheduling meetings, taking meeting minutes, and maintaining the records of the Technology Committee.

6. Duration of Charter. - The Technology Committee's Charter shall remain in effect until repealed or amended by the Board. Following appropriate procedures for revising or repealing this Policy, the Board may modify or terminate this Charter with stated cause.