The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education has approved a new board meeting format, scheduled to take effect at the Feb. 4 regular meeting at Malibu City Hall. In addition, the Feb. 4 meeting will observe a late start time, beginning at 6:30 p.m. instead of 5:30 p.m.
Last week, the board recommitted to follow the public participation policy recommended in Board Bylaw 9323, including its objective to end meetings by 10:30 p.m. The bylaw highlights that the board may limit total time for public comment on each item to 30 minutes in attempt to limit lengthy discussions.
The policy additionally states the board’s belief that late night meetings deter public participation, can affect decision-making abilities and burden staff.
Meetings will now follow a Meeting A, Meeting B or Hybrid format. The Feb. 4 regular meeting will follow a Meeting A format, with public comments being held after the Consent Calendar and possibly continued at the end of the meeting, if time permits.