Sample Template For

Collaborative Issue Resolution

General Steps

1. An “ISSUE” is brought up in a study session or general business meeting by the Administration or a Board member.

2. The Board assigns a sub-committee of 2-3 Board members (must be less than a quorum to comply with the Open Meetings Act) to address the issue in collaboration with the Administrator(s) who will be directly involved with the issue.

3. This constitutes an official District Advisory Committee on the ISSUE.

4. As deemed necessary, the Advisory Committee enlists the assistance of other resources (e.g. vendors, legal counsel, professional organizations, etc.) regarding the ISSUE.

5. Based on its research, the Advisory Committee submits a public summary of its initial findings to the full Board and the community at a general business meeting. This would customarily include data, examples, suggestions, and respective justifications.

6. The Board invites and receives feedback from the community.

7. Utilizing a customary iterative and agile process, the Advisory Committee works through each issue that is raised, by meaningfully involving its vendors, community members, and any other needed resources. This is where the hard and repetitive work happens, and it may require several updates over several Board meetings/study sessions to resolve all the issues that come up satisfactorily.

8. This iterative process follows the normal PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) model that is utilized worldwide to work through issues responsibly.

9. The Advisory Committee is tasked with producing a workable resolution that is transparent and fully understood by the full Board, before any proposal appears on the agenda of a Board general business meeting.

10. When there is sufficient Board understanding (not necessarily consensus), the Advisory Committee submits a proposal to be voted on during a general business meeting.

What does this sort of collaborative protocol accomplish?

1. ISSUE resolution is implemented systematically and predictably, instead of on a rushed cadence.

2. The iterative approach resolves all meaningful concerns ahead of time (i.e. prior to the meeting during which a proposal vote is taken).

3. The community is engaged.

4. Vendors are managed.

5. The Administration, the Board, and the community are on the same side of the table, providing a collaborative solution.

6. The Administration and vendors are not “peppered” with questions and doubts during a Business Meeting.

7. There is no “sales job” needed when the proposal appears on the agenda.

8. For the most part, all parties involved are satisfied and confident in the District’s direction.

In short, this is the type of collaborative protocol that the Board and Administration should be following for the vast majority of the issues and initiatives with which the District deals.