The Pierce College board of trustees, under law, is charged with the responsibility of Community College District #11. It shall be the responsibility of the board of trustees to establish policy and to evaluate the total college program. The board of trustees shall appoint a district president to administer the college and shall delegate to him/her the authority and responsibility for implementation of board policy.

The board of trustees shall maintain an office at 9401 Farwest Dr. S.W., Lakewood, Washington 98499-1999, where all records, minutes, and the official college seal shall be kept. This office shall be open during normal business hours.

Correspondence or other business for the board shall be sent to the secretary of the board, who is located in this office.

The board of trustees customarily holds a regular meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at such time and place as it may designate. Special meetings may be requested by the chair of the board or by a majority of the members of the board.

All regular and special meetings of the board of trustees shall be publicly announced prior to the meeting and shall be open to the general public.

No official business shall be conducted by the board of trustees except during a regular or special meeting held at a preannounced time and place.

Information and materials pertinent to the agenda of all regular meetings of the board shall be sent to the trustees prior to each meeting. Any matters of business or correspondence must be received by the secretary of the board by 12:00 noon three work days before the meeting in order to be included on the agenda. The chair or secretary may, however, present a matter of urgent business received too late for inclusion on the agenda if in his/her judgment the matter is of an emergency nature.

The board of trustees may convene in executive session whenever it is deemed necessary and in the interest of the college for the purpose of discussing personnel matters, confidential matters, and receiving briefing on agenda items.

No official business of the board of trustees shall be conducted in executive session.

The chair shall announce at the beginning of each meeting that members of the audience may speak to any item on the agenda at the time of its presentation to the board. The chair shall have the right to limit the length of time used by a speaker for the discussion of a subject.

All business transacted in official board meetings shall be recorded in minutes and filed for reference.

Annually, normally during its September meeting, the board shall elect, from its membership, a chair and vice chair to serve for the ensuing year. The district president shall serve as secretary to the board of trustees as specified by state law. The secretary may, at his/her discretion, appoint an appropriate college staff member to act as recording secretary for all regular and special meetings of the board.

The chair, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the state board, shall preside at each regular or special meeting of the board, sign all legal and official documents recording actions of the board, and review the agenda prepared for each meeting of the board. The chair shall, while presiding at official meetings, have full right of discussion and vote.

The vice chair, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the state board shall act as chair of the board in the absence of the chair.

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.

The fiscal year of the board shall conform to the fiscal year of the state of Washington and shall be from July 1 to June 30 inclusive.

The board of trustees shall maintain an official seal for use upon any or all official documents of the board. The seal shall have inscribed upon it the name of the college which shall be:

Bylaws of the board 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. Bylaws may be revised by unanimous vote of the board at the same meeting at which the revision is originally proposed.

It shall be the responsibility of the Pierce College board of trustees to establish policy and to evaluate the success of the college operation. To administer the college, the board of trustees shall employ a district president and hold him/her responsible for the interpretation of board policy into administrative action and for the administration of the college in general.

Specific policies and their administrative interpretation shall be described in detail in the several sections of the official policies and procedures manual of the district.