02.06 - 02.13 BOARD INTERNAL ORGANIZATION

The term of office of newly elected board members shall begin at the first regular, special or emergency board meeting after the member has been certified as elected.

The board of education shall be organized at the beginning of the first regular, special, or emergency meeting following the annual school election and certification of election of new members. The board shall vote to approve a rotating reorganization of officers from its membership, with the board member entering the fifth year of their term being recommended as President, fourth year as Vice-President, third year as Clerk, and second year as Deputy Clerk, each of whom shall serve for a term of one year. The board may choose to elect a clerk and, in its discretion, a deputy clerk, either of whom may or may not be one of the members of the board and shall hold office at the pleasure of the board and shall receive, if not a board member, such compensation for services as the board may allow.

Reference: 70 OKLA. STAT. §5-107A, 70 OKLA. STAT. §5-119

The president of the board of education serves as the presiding officer and manages routine work of the board, signs all contracts, appoints all committees, approves all checks ordered by the board of education to be drawn upon the treasurer of school money, certifies tax levies and defends them, serves as spokesperson, and performs other duties that are delegated to him/her by state law or by order of the board of education.

In addition to performing the duties specifically imposed by the board of education, the president shall have the authority to enforce all permanent rules and regulations adopted for the governance and control of the technology center, and shall at all times take such measures and employ such means as may be proper and lawful to enforce school laws within the technology center in the interim between meetings of the board.

The president shall have authority to appoint a member or members as ex officio representatives of the board of education to other organizations of the community that request such representation.

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-120, 135

It shall be the duty of the vice-president to perform all of the duties of the president in case of the president’s absence or disability.

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-121

The board of education has established the following duties for the clerk of the board of education:

1. Attend all meetings of the board, counter-approve all checks for school monies drawn upon the treasurer by the board and perform such other duties as the board may direct.
2. In addition to performing the duties specifically imposed upon him/her by the school code, cooperate with the superintendent of schools, the board treasurer and the minutes/encumbrance clerk in the management of the business affairs of the school. 
3. Attest, in writing, the execution of all deeds, contracts, reports and other instruments that are to be executed by the board of education.
4. Furnish, whenever requested, any and all reports concerning school affairs, on such forms and in such manner as the State Board of Education, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, or the Superintendent of Public Instruction may require. 
5. Destroy all claims, checks, contracts, purchase orders and any other financial records or documents, including those relating to school activity funds, on file or stored in the offices of the board of education of the district for a period of longer than five (5) years. 
6. Maintain all required school board election related filings for a period of four (4) years, including coordinating efforts with the district’s technology department for including the filings on the district’s website. 

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-119

It shall be the duty of the deputy clerk to perform all the duties of the clerk in case of the clerk’s absence or disability.

It is the policy of the board of education to employ a treasurer for the technology center. The treasurer shall serve at the pleasure of the board and for such compensation as the board may determine and shall perform those duties as the board may in its discretion confer upon the treasurer, including but not limited to the duty to maintain records and files as required by law or as instructed by the board or the superintendent. The treasurer so appointed shall execute, before entering upon the duties of the office of the treasurer, a surety bond in an amount which it is estimated by the board of education the treasurer will have on hand at any one time during the current year, and the amount of securities held as investments shall not be considered. The board of education is empowered to require the treasurer to increase or decrease the bond of the treasurer as the amount of funds on hand may require. Provided, the bond of a school district shall not, in any event, be required to be in an amount greater than that of the county treasurer of the county.

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-114
OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-115

The board of education shall employ a minute clerk. The minute clerk shall attend all meetings of the board and shall keep an accurate journal of the proceedings of the board of education and perform such other duties as the board of education or its committees may require. The board of education has established the following additional duties for the minute clerk:

1. List approved encumbrances in the minutes of the board meetings.
2. Furnish tentative minutes to newspapers requesting copies.

The board of education may designate a deputy minute clerk. The deputy minute clerk may perform any of the duties and exercise any of the powers of the minute clerk with the same force and effect as if the same were done or performed by the minute clerk.
Before entering upon the discharge of the duties of the minute clerk or deputy minute clerk, both shall each give a bond in a sum of not less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) with good and sufficient sureties to be approved by the board conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of the minute clerk or deputy minute clerk.
Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-119

The board of education has established the following responsibilities for the encumbrance clerk:

1. Keep technology center books and documents.
2. Enter authorized amounts of appropriations in the appropriate accounts.
3. Charge the correct appropriation account and credit the affected encumbrance outstanding accounts with approved encumbrances after first determining that the encumbrances do not exceed the balance of the appropriation charged.
4. Receive certification from the proper technology center employee that services or merchandise billed to the technology center have been received, file bills and invoices in official records, debit the outstanding account and credit the accounts payable account for the amount of the approved bills. 
5. Pay the approved bills by issuing checks against the designated funds, charge the checks against the appropriate accounts payable accounts and credit them to the appropriate warrants issued accounts, notify the board treasurer when bills are approved for payment in lieu of issuing warrants so that the treasurer can record payments by check, wire transfer, direct payroll deposit or make other disbursement approved by the Federal Reserve System. 
6. Receive all warrants, certificates of indebtedness or bonds after the treasurer has registered the warrants in numerical order. 
7. Perform other duties as assigned by the board of education, which may include completing purchase order forms and continuing education requirements.

The encumbrance clerk will post a surety bond in the amount of $1,000.00 before discharging any duties as encumbrance clerk.

Reference: OKLA. STAT. tit. 70 § 5-119