Board Policy
GP-1 – By-Laws of Skagit Valley College
Date of Initial Adoption: November 13, 2000
Revision Dates: 06/09/2020, 10/13/2026
The Board of Trustees of Skagit Valley College District 4, under the authority vested in said Board by the Laws of the State of Washington, hereby adopt the following by-laws.
Article I
OFFICES
Section 1. The Board of Trustees shall maintain an office (President’s Office) at Skagit Valley College, 2405 East College Way, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273. Regular Board meetings will be held in the College Board Room, unless otherwise announced.
Section 2. Correspondence of other business for the Board of Trustees shall be sent to the Executive Secretary, who is located in this office.
Article II
MEETINGS
Section 1. The Board of Trustees shall annually establish a regular meeting schedule to include time(s) and location(s). A regular meeting may be set for another day of the month or canceled up on agreement of the President of the College and Board Chair.
Section 2. Three members of the Board of Trustees shall constitute a quorum, and no action shall be taken without a quorum.
Section 3. In the event that a quorum is not present at a regular meeting, the members present shall adjourn and set another date, time, and place when a quorum is present.
Section 4. Special meetings may be requested by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees or by a majority of the members of the Board.
Section 5. All regular and special meetings of the Board of Trustees shall be publicly announced at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The announcement shall contain the time, date, and location of the meeting and shall be open to the general public.
Section 6. No official business shall be acted upon by the Board of Trustees except during a regular or special meeting held at a pre-announced time and place.
Section 7. The Executive Secretary and Board Chairperson shall be responsible for determining the agenda for meetings of the Board of Trustees.
Section 8. Public requests or proposals must be submitted, in writing, to the Executive Secretary.
Section 9. The agenda for each monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees shall provide for reports from the President or their designee of the ASSVC, SVCFT, WPEA, Board members, and the President of SVC.
Section 10. The Board of Trustees welcomes participation by interested members of the audience in its business, and members of the audience may speak to any item on the agenda. To speak to an item, however, members of the audience must first register prior to the meeting and then must be recognized by the Chairperson of the Board and at the Chairperson's pleasure. The Chairperson shall have the right to establish the rules for the discussion of a subject, including a time limit.
Article III
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
The Board of Trustees may convene in Executive Session whenever it is deemed necessary and in the interest of Community College District No. 4 for the purposes as defined in accordance with RCW 42.30.110.
Article IV
RECORDS OF BOARD ACTION
All business transacted in the official Board of Trustees’ meetings (except study sessions and retreats) shall be recorded in minutes filed for reference. These minutes are kept in the office of the College President. Other business records that are prepared, used or retained by the Board, including emails and text messages, are subject to the Public Records Act Chapter 42.56 RCW.
Article V
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
Section 1. Normally, voting shall be by voice vote. A roll call, however, may be requested by any member of the Board for purposes of the record and is required for budget approvals.
Section 2. In questions of parliamentary procedure, the actions of the Board shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, unless specified otherwise by State Law, Regulation of the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, or SVC By-laws.
Article VI
ADOPTION OR REVISION OF POLICIES
Section 1. Policies of the Board are established for Board Governance Process (GP), Board Staff Linkage Statements (BSL), and Ends Policies (E/EF). Policies should be reflected in Board decision-making.
Section 2. Proposed written policies, or revision of existing written policies, shall be presented to the Board one month prior to the intended date of formal action to provide ample time for consideration and possible revisions.
Article VII
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
Section 1. At the June meeting of the Board of Trustees each year, the Board shall elect from its membership, a Vice-Chairperson to serve for the ensuing year. There shall be no prescribed order of Trustee eligibility for the Vice-Chair position. The Vice-Chair will assume the Chairperson’s position the following year. Terms of office for the Chair and Vice-Chair shall be July 1 – June 30.
Section 2. The Chairperson, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, shall preside at each regular or special meeting of the board, sign all legal and official documents recording actions of the Board, and develop in concurrence with the Board Secretary, the agenda, prepared for each meeting of the Board. The Chairperson shall, while presiding at official meetings, have full right of discussion and vote.
Section 3. The Vice-Chairperson, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, shall act as Chairperson of the Board in the absence of the Chairperson and will serve as a mentor for the first year Trustees.
Section 4. In case of the absence of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson from any meeting of the Board of Trustees or in case of the inability of both of the two to act, the board of Trustees shall elect for the meeting a Chairperson Pro Tempore, and may authorize such Chairperson Pro Tempore to perform the duties and acts authorized or required by said Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson to be performed, as long as the inability of these said officers to act may continue.
Section 5. The President of Skagit Valley College shall serve as Executive Secretary to the Board of Trustees. The Executive Secretary may, at his/her discretion, appoint a member of his/her staff to act as recording secretary for all regular and special meetings of the Board. The Executive Secretary, or his/her designate, must attend all regular and special meetings of the Board.
Section 6. In addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the Executive Secretary shall keep the official Seal of the Board, maintain all records of meetings and other official actions of the Board.
Section 7. The Executive Secretary shall be responsible for Board correspondence, compiling the agenda of meetings, and distributing the minutes of the meetings and related reports.
Section 8. Legal authority is vested in the Board of Trustees and may be exercised only by formal action of the Board, taken in regular or special meetings. No individual member of the Board may act on behalf of the Board unless specifically instructed by action of the Board. Every member of the Board shall be under obligation to support the decision or policy after it has been adopted by the majority.
Article VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Board of Trustees shall act as a Committee of the Whole for the conduct of its business.
Section 2. The Board Chairperson shall appoint a member of the Board to be responsible for an annual Board Policy review consistent with Board Policy GP-4, Board/Operational Policies, and may appoint a committee as necessary.
Section 3. The Board of Trustees shall establish special committees which it deems necessary and appropriate. Members of special committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and shall serve at his/her discretion.
Section 4. The Board of Trustees shall appoint a Board liaison to the following organizations on an annual basis; effective September 15.
- SVC Foundation
- Head Start
- Association of College Trustees Legislative Action Committee – Primary Representative
- Association of College Trustees Legislative Action Committee – Secondary Representative
Article IX
FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Board of Trustees shall conform to the fiscal year of the State of Washington and shall be from July 1 to June 30 inclusive.
Article X
BYLAWS CHANGES
Bylaws of the Board of Trustees may be revised by majority vote of the board provided such changes are proposed at least one meeting prior to the meeting at which the vote is taken.