BOARD OF EDUCATION 

Pictured from left to right: Jim McMullen, Patrick Hurley (President), Jodie Dietz, Jan Kessenger, Dr. Tonya Merrigan (Superintendent), Kaety Bowers (Vice President), Gina Knapp and Tom Mitchell

Blue Valley Board of Education members live within their individual geographic member districts and are elected by a voting plan whereby six members live in geographic member districts and one runs at large.

In a primary election, only residents from the geographic member district vote for the candidates. In all general elections, all residents vote for all candidates. This method reinforces the district's belief that all members represent all children in Blue Valley. Board members are elected to four-year terms. All seven serve the entire district without pay.

Start time and open forum

The Blue Valley Board of Education established the 2022-23 schedule for regular Board of Education meetings.

• The 2022-23 Board of Education meeting schedule is available below.

• Board meetings start at 5:30 p.m. with open forum. Doors open at 5:15 p.m.. The livestream begins when the meeting is called to order, after open forum has concluded.

• Open forum will occur prior to every regularly scheduled monthly board meeting. Thirty minutes will be allotted (approx. 10 participants; 3 minutes each) for individuals to address the board. Additional opportunities for community engagement with the board will be discussed as part of the work of the Communications Board Advisory Committee.

BOARD DOCS

The Blue Valley Board of Education uses BoardDocs to host many resources related to the official business of the board. 

• Board Policies
• Upcoming Board Meeting Details
• Special Board Meetings Details
• Meeting Agendas
• Meeting Documents and Presentations
• Meeting Minutes

Open Forum occurs prior to every regularly scheduled monthly board meeting and provides 30 minutes (approx. 10 participants; 3 minutes each) of allotted time on the agenda for individuals to address the board. Patrons who would like to speak during open forum may speak in-person. If you would like to address the board, you must complete the Open Forum Request Form. Request forms will open at noon one business day prior to the scheduled meeting and will close at noon on the day of the board meeting or before if speaker capacity has been reached. Please note speaker substitutions are not permitted. A speaker may not yield their time to another individual during their remarks. The livestream will begin when the meeting is called to order, after recognitions and open forum have concluded.

I submitted a form online - how do I know if I am one of the 10 alloted speakers?
Patrons who submit an online Open Forum Request Form prior to the 10 speaker capacity will receive an automated email from the district confirming their spot as one of the 10 open forum speakers. This email will also include additional instructions about the open forum process. Request forms will open at noon one business day prior to the scheduled meeting and will close at noon on the day of the board meeting or before if speaker capacity has been reached. If you click the link to the form once it has closed, you will be redirected to an automated message and will be unable to submit a form. 

The Blue Valley School District is proud to offer livestreaming of regular Board of Education meetings. As part of the district’s commitment to providing a safe, socially distanced environment for patrons, as well as open and transparent communication, patrons are invited to tune in virtually through the district’s livestream. 

New! Beginning June 13, 2022, Blue Valley will no longer livestream public comments made during Open Forum. The livestream will begin when the meeting is called to order, after open forum has concluded. Blue Valley School District’s regularly scheduled Board of Education meetings are livestreamed to provide patrons a virtual opportunity to stay up-to-date on all board actions. 

A link to each meeting livestream will be posted on the district website for patrons on the day of the meeting shortly before the meeting begins. The livestreams will be hosted on Blue Valley’s Board of Education YouTube channel and video recordings of all meetings will be accessible on Blue Valley Board of Education Meetings YouTube channel at the conclusion of the livestream.

Interpreter services are always available via livestream. If you need these services and plan to attend in-person, please submit a request to [email protected] by noon on the day of the board meeting.