SPAULDING HIGH SCHOOL UNION DISTRICT #41 CODE: BBFA
POLICY MANUAL
1st READING: 5/18/92,10/7/02 2nd READING: 6/01/92, 1/6/03
APPROVED: 6/15/92, 1/6/03

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BOARD MEMBER CONFLICT OF INTEREST

1.0 Members of the board recognize the ethical duty of all
public officers to avoid conflicts of interest. In the
case of school board members, this duty is extended by
Vermont statutory law to include a requirement that
boards adopt policies and procedures to avoid the
appearance of conflicts of interest. In order to comply
with the obligations thus imposed, the board and its
members will adhere to the following standards.

1.1 Board members will be familiar with the NSBA and
VSBA Codes of Ethics, and will observe their
provisions.

1.2 Board members will be familiar with, and adhere to,
those provisions of Vermont education laws which
define school board powers and govern board member
compensation and public bidding processes.

1.3 A board member will do nothing intended to give the
false impression that he or she has the authority to
make decisions or take action on behalf of the board
or the school administration.

1.4 A board member will not take any action which is
intended to give the impression that he or she
would represent special interests or partisan
politics for personal gain.

1.5 A board member will not use his or her position on
the board in any manner intended to unfairly promote
personal fiduciary interests or the fiduciary
interests of family members, friends or supporters.

1.6 A board member will not accept anything of value in
return for taking particular positions on matters
before the board.



CODE: BBFA
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1.7 A board member will do nothing intended to leave the
impression that his or her position on any issue can
be influenced by anything other than a fair
presentation of all sides of the question.

2.0 When a board member becomes aware of involvement in a
conflict of interest as defined in state law or this
policy, he or she will declare the nature and extent of
the conflict or appearance of conflict for inclusion in
the board minutes, and will abstain from voting or
participating in the discussion of the issue giving rise
to the conflict.

3.0 When a conflict of interest claim against a board member
is brought to the board in writing, and is signed by
another board member or a member of the public, and the
board member against whom the claim is made does not
concur that a conflict in fact exists, the following
board procedures will be followed.

3.1 Upon a majority vote of the remaining board members,
or upon order of the chair, the board will hold an
informal hearing on the conflict of interest claim
giving both the board member and the person bringing
the claim an opportunity to be heard.

3.2 At the conclusion of the informal hearing, the re-
maining board members will determine by majority
vote to take one of the following actions:

3.2.1 Issue a public finding that the conflict of
interest charge is not supported by the
evidence and is therefore dismissed.

3.2.2 Issue a public finding that the conflict of
interest charge is supported by the evidence
and that the member should disqualify him or
herself from voting or otherwise partici-
pating in the board deliberations or
decisions related to that issue, as required
by Vermont statute.



CODE: BBFA
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3.2.3 Issue a public finding that the conflict of
interest charge is supported by the evidence
and, in addition to disqualifying him or her-
self from voting or otherwise participating
in the board deliberations or decision, the
board member should be formally censured or
subjected to such other action as may be
allowed by law.

4.0 No school board member shall substitute in excess of
fifty (50) days in each school year.

REF: 16 VSA Paragraphs 557, 568, 559

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