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LEGAL UPDATE Terry Morrow, MSBA Director of Legal and Policy Services
LEGAL UPDATE
When is a Committee Not a Committee?
By Terry Morrow, MSBA Director of Legal and Policy Services
School board committees raise some of the more challenging questions regarding Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law. On the surface, the law appears to be relatively clear: “all meetings, including executive sessions, must be open to the public … of any committee [and] subcommittee … of a public body” (M.S. 13D.01).
It is evident that the Open Meeting Law applies when a quorum of the school board gathers to consider school district business. At the same time, uncertainty exists about when the Open Meeting Law applies to a committee. Some experts claim that only committees with decisionmaking authority are covered by the Open Meeting Law. Others contend that all committees that the school board creates and on which one or more school board members participate are covered.
A requirement that a committee have the power to make decisions would limit the Open Meeting Law’s scope. A 1988 Minnesota Court of Appeals decision — Minnesota Daily v. University of Minnesota — determined that the Open Meeting Law did not cover the Presidential Search Advisory Committee established by the university’s regents. The regents did not select the committee members and no regents served on the committee, which helped screen applicants and offered advice to the regents. The court held that this committee was not subject to the Open Meeting Law.
The Minnesota Daily court emphasized a 1983 ruling that stated that the Open Meeting Law, “by expressly including meetings of committees and subcommittees, gives fair warning that the deliberations of governing bodies are included within its proscription.” The Minnesota Daily court then quoted a 1982 case that stated, “it is the power to decide, as opposed to the right to recommend, that determines whether one is a member of a governing body.” These observations have led to a conclusion that not all committees are bound by the Open Meeting Law.
Other decisions, however, lead to a broader interpretation of the Open Meeting Law that includes all committees that are board-created and include at least one board member. In 1983, the Minnesota Supreme Court defined “meetings” subject to the Open Meeting Law to include “a quorum of a committee … at which members discuss, decide, or receive information as a group on issues relating to the official business of that governing body” (Moberg v. Independent Sch. Distr. No. 281). The Moberg court did not limit the Open Meeting Law’s application to committees with the power to decide. MSBA’s Model Policy 213 — School Board Committees — takes a conservative approach that leans in favor of the Moberg ruling. The policy states that a committee or subcommittee “is advisory in nature and has only such authority as specified by the school board. The school board will receive reports or recommendations from a committee or subcommittee for consideration.” Under this policy, the board reserves the right to make all final decisions.
While the MSBA model policy retains decision-making authority in the board, it carefully adopts a view that favors transparency and accountability. Model Policy 213 states, “[A]ll meetings of committees or subcommittees shall be open to the public in compliance with the Open Meeting Law, and notice shall be given as prescribed by law.” This position is in keeping with the Minnesota Supreme Court’s admonition that open meeting laws “should be construed most favorably to the public.”
School districts are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel for guidance on whether a specific committee must comply with Minnesota’s Open Meeting Law.
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