Frequently Asked Questions

The North Shore School District 112 Board of Education consists of seven members who are elected to serve four-year terms. Members may also be appointed by the Board to fill a vacant seat but would be required to run in the next scheduled election. Members of the Board are non-partisan and volunteer (unpaid). Board members are representatives for the entire community, including families with and without students in the district.

One of the most important functions of the Board is to employ the superintendent of schools. The Board is also responsible for approving and adopting policies, curriculum and the budget with recommendations from the district's administration.

The Board typically holds its regular meetings on either the second or third Tuesday of each month. You can find the full schedule of upcoming meetings by visiting our Board calendar. The schedule of each year's regular meetings is announced and approved by the Board in May. All regular meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. unless an alternate starting time is posted.

In addition to regular meetings, there are various committee meetings scheduled throughout the year. Please be aware that dates and times for these are subject to change. You can always find the most up-to-date committee meeting schedule on our calendar.

Board meetings are held at Northwood Middle School (945 North Avenue in Highland Park) unless otherwise noted. They are also livestreamed on our Vimeo page (link available in the agenda). Agendas for all meetings are posted at least 48 hours in advance and can also be found on our website.

Yes, all regular and committee meetings are open to visitors as dictated by the state's Open Meetings Act. The Board may go into a closed session to discuss sensitive matters, but any action (vote) related to a closed session must be conducted in an open session.

Regular board meetings follow an established agenda that includes a call to order, roll call, pledge of allegiance, superintendent's report, information and presentations, public comments, and action items. Action items also include a consent agenda (more information below).

Discussion may occur during various points of a meeting, either following a presentation or prior to an action item (vote).

The Board abides by Robert's Rules of Order, the standard for parliamentary procedure in the United States.

Closed session refers to a portion of the meeting that is not open to the public. These typically occur at the end of a regular meeting, but can occasionally occur at the beginning of the meeting.

During a closed session, the Board discusses matters that are confidential or sensitive in nature. This can include topics such as student discipline, personnel matters or litigation. While these discussions are not open to the public, any action (vote) relating to a closed session issue must be conducted in an open session.

The consent agenda is utilized by the Board to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine, procedural or non-controversial items into a group. These items are then passed with a single motion and vote. This can include the approval of board meeting minutes, staff hires, payroll, or other items that have previously been discussed by the Board in a prior meeting. Any member of the Board can request that a particular issue be removed from the consent agenda so that it can be discussed or voted on by itself.

There are various methods for communicating with the Board.

At meetings, there are two opportunities for public comments. The first opportunity is for public comments relating to matters that appear on the meeting agenda. The second opportunity is open for any issue, whether it appears on the agenda or not. Comments are only allowed during these stated times on the agenda.

An individual must be in person at the meeting in order to address the Board. Comments are limited to three minutes per speaker and will become part of the public record.

The Board is not permitted to respond directly to public comments but can follow up after a meeting if visitors are willing to leave their contact information. Follow-up can also come from a member of the district's administration if the issue at hand is within their purview.

Additionally, the Board can be contacted by emailing boardmembers@nssd112.org.

A Board member must be, on the date of election or appointment:

• A United States citizen
• At least 18 years of age
• A resident of Ilinois and the district for at least one year immediately preceding the election
• A registered voter