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: Highline College, Community College District 9.

At the first regular meeting of the board each fiscal year, the board shall elect, from its membership, a chair and vice chair to serve for the ensuing year. In addition, the president of Community College District 9 shall serve as secretary to the board of trustees as specified by state law. The secretary may, at his discretion, appoint an appropriate college staff member to act as recording secretary for all regular and special meetings of the board.

(1) The chair, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the state board for community college education, 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.

(2) The vice chair, in addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the state board for community college education shall act as chair of the board in the absence of the chair.

(3) The secretary of the board shall be the president of Community College District 9 and shall serve as chair, without privilege of vote, in any official meeting of the board conducted in the absence of the chair and vice chair. In addition to any duties imposed by rules and regulations of the state board for community college education, he shall keep the official seal of the board and maintain all records of meetings and other official actions of the board. The secretary shall also be responsible for board correspondence, compiling the agenda for meetings, and distributing the minutes of the meetings and related reports. The secretary, or his designee, must attend all regular and special meetings of the board, and official minutes must be kept of all such meetings excepting study and executive sessions.

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. Three members shall constitute a quorum and no action may be taken with less than a quorum present.

The board customarily holds monthly meetings on the second Thursday of each month at such place as it may designate. Notices of the time and place of all regular and special meetings shall be governed by the requirements of chapter 42.30 RCW, Open Public Meetings Act, as now or hereafter amended.

Any matters of correspondence must be received by the secretary of the board by 12:00 noon ten days before the meeting in order to be included on the agenda. The chair or secretary may, however, present a matter of business received too late for inclusion on the agenda if in his judgment the expedient consideration of the matter would be beneficial to the college.

(1) The order of business governing all regular meetings of the board of trustees shall be as follows:

(a) Roll call

(b) Approval of previous minutes

(c) Correspondence

(d) Standing reports

(e) Recommendations for action

(f) Reports

(g) Discussion

(h) Unscheduled business

(i) New business

(j) Adjournment

(2) The order of business may be changed by the chair with the consent of the board members present. The chair may 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.

(3) Proposed new policies and/or changes in policy will be presented first to the board of trustees as a report. Board action will be taken normally at a subsequent meeting. If expedient action on the matter would be clearly beneficial to the college, the board may consider, by casting not less than four affirmative votes, taking action at the time the policy is first presented to the board.

All business transacted in official board meetings shall be recorded in minutes and filed for reference. Records are kept in the office of the secretary of the board.

The board of trustees may adopt bylaws to govern its operations. A record of these bylaws shall be maintained in the office of the president. Bylaws of the board may be revised by majority vote of the board provided such changes are proposed at least one regular 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.