Please review and keep the following points in mind when preparing your items.
General Expectations
- Clarity. Our Board is the District’s highest public-governance body, and each agenda item becomes part of the permanent record. Submissions should therefore demonstrate executive-level clarity, professionalism, and consistency to avoid confusing the public about what the Board is being asked to approve.
- Purpose of item. Write so trustees and the public can quickly grasp the purpose of your item. Include technical details only if they are essential and use lay terms whenever possible.
- Proofreading. Before submitting, review the entire item—check grammar, punctuation, flow, and formatting (Verdana 12). Remove redundancies, stray symbols, informal language, or casual phrases.
- Consistency. Use the same capitalization, acronyms, and list structure throughout your item. Do not capitalize generic terms or job titles (e.g., district, college, vice chancellor, president). If your item updates or repeats content from a previous item (or another item on the same agenda), mirror the language, references, and structure for clarity and alignment.
- Active voice. Clearly state who is responsible for each action; avoid passive voice.
Required Item Structure
Provide a concise, descriptive heading (e.g., “Ratification of Contract with ABC Company”).
Start with "The Board of Trustees..." followed by one clear sentence describing the action the Board is recommended to take.
Begin with the dollar amount and funding source(s), then briefly explain fiscal implications as needed.
List relevant Board Policies/Administrative Procedures, prior Board actions, resolutions, and legal citations (e.g., Government Code §53060). Instead of quoting policy, just reference the relevant policy name/number and briefly paraphrase if you feel it’s necessary to add context.
Provide context and relevant history to help the Board make an informed decision. Outline the issue(s), the factors influencing the decision, why the item is needed, and (if relevant) any alternatives considered.
Note preparatory meetings, contributors, and any departments or external partners that have been or will be involved.
Explain next steps and what the Board can expect after approval (timelines, reports, deliverables).
Please Note: Agenda Items requiring extensive editing or that are incomplete will be removed from the agenda and returned to the originating submitter to be revised for a future meeting.