Manhattan School Board Votes to Adopt ‘Committee of the Whole’ Meeting Structure

Manhattan School District 114 Meeting | Jan. 14, 2026

Article Summary: The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education decided to restructure its committee meetings, moving from separate committee sessions to a single “Committee of the Whole” format. The change aims to ensure all board members are equally informed on complex issues, particularly finances.

Manhattan School District 114 Key Points:

• New Schedule: Starting Feb. 25, 2026, the board will hold a Committee of the Whole meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m.

• Purpose: The shift allows all seven board members to hear the same information simultaneously, rather than fragmenting discussions into smaller sub-committees like Finance or Policy.

• Trial Period: The board agreed to test this structure through the end of the school year and re-evaluate its effectiveness in the summer.

The Manhattan School District 114 Board of Education on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, voted to restructure its governance model, moving to a “Committee of the Whole” format starting in February.

Under the previous structure, small groups of board members met separately to discuss specific topics such as finance, policy, or safety before bringing recommendations to the full board. The new format will see all board members meeting together on the fourth Wednesday of the month to discuss these items collectively.

Board President John Burke advocated for the change, citing the increasing complexity of the district’s finances as a primary driver.

“I actually found that it was helpful where it wasn’t just one or two of us that kind of understood how everything worked,” Burke said regarding a previous trial of the format. “I actually think that at the end of the day… the big part of it is the money. We’re a big taxing body… and the community expects us to be knowledgeable, all of us equally knowledgeable.”

Board Member Barb Steffen supported the move, calling previous Committee of the Whole sessions an “eye-opener.”

The first Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will serve as the preparatory session for the March regular board meeting.