If there’s one thing that came out of the Lyle Public School Board meeting Monday night, it’s that board members agree they need to work on communication and trust.

The board met with Minnesota School Board Association representatives Monday to hash out a few general questions and concerns revolving around board communication, trust amongst each other, the staff, the superintendent, the public, and more. Though board members found they agree on several matters, they also realized they needed to work on a few issues.

“It went well,” Dean Rohne, board chairman, said of the meeting. “We’re all looking out for student achievement.”

As MSBA officials answered questions in a broad manner, board members asked what the proper procedure was for disagreeing with one another, how to fix trust that’s broken between board members and the people they serve and more. They sought clarification on a number of issues, from data privacy to open meeting law to board governance.

The board is under scrutiny for its recent communication policy at meetings and for its support of Lyle Superintendent Jim Dusso, whose managerial style and decisions have been questioned in recent months by board members and some Lyle residents.

To speak at a Lyle meeting, delegates must sign up at least 10 days in advance. According to Rohne in May, Lyle puts out public notice of its board meetings a week in advance, and 10 days would give school staff plenty of time to put delegations on the agenda. The past three public meetings were posted about three days in advance per Minnesota’s open meeting law, not a week in advance.

Some board members made it a point to say they would work on listening to the public more when they have concerns without taking criticism as personal attacks.

“We need to listen to people too,” Kent Golberg, board member said during Monday’s meeting.