School Board approves committee restructuring to increase transparency, efficiency

At its Dec. 2 meeting, the North Hills School District Board of Education approved a significant restructuring of its committee system, moving from a committee-of-the-whole model to a series of standing committees beginning in 2026.

School Board President Allison Mathis said the change reflects months of collaboration with district administration. 

“This is a significant and exciting change that I’ve been advocating for and working with the administration on since November,” Mathis said, thanking Superintendent Dr. Patrick Mannarino for his cooperation and support throughout the process.

Under the new structure, each standing committee will include a chair, vice chair, and liaison, all of whom will be school board members. The superintendent and board president will serve as ex-officio members, with additional administrators participating as appropriate. All standing committee meetings will be open to the public, and meeting dates and locations will be published. Any board member may attend any committee meeting, even if they are not assigned to that committee.

Mathis outlined three primary reasons for recommending the restructuring: increasing transparency and opportunities for community involvement; improving efficiency and reducing redundancy by combining related committees; and expanding leadership and participation opportunities for board members.

As part of the reorganization, the former Buildings and Grounds and Finance committees will merge into a single Finance and Operations Committee. Because these meetings will be public and include budget discussions, Mathis noted there will no longer be a need for separate public budget meetings.

She added that the new structure provides additional responsibilities for committee chairs and vice chairs, who will help run meetings, prepare agendas, take minutes, and collaborate closely on committee work. 

“It is my intention that, as public servants, we truly enter this year with a ‘we/us’ mindset and not an ‘I/me’ mindset,” Mathis said.

While policy adjustments typically require two readings, the board voted to suspend that protocol. Mathis said doing so is necessary to implement the new committee structure at the start of 2026.