In those local school districts having a population of more than two hundred thousand, as shown by the most recent decennial census, the qualified electors of the districts may choose to have a local school board composed of seven members, residents of and elected from single member districts.
If a majority of the qualified electors voting in such a district election vote to have a seven-member board, the school district shall be divided into seven local school board member districts which shall be compact, contiguous and as nearly equal in population as possible. One school board member shall reside within, and be elected from each local school board member district. Change of residence to a place outside the district from which a school board member was elected shall automatically terminate the service of that school board member and the office shall be declared vacant.
The school board member districts shall be established by resolution of the local school board with the approval of the state legislature, and may be changed once after each federal decennial census by the local school board with the approval of the state legislature.
The elections required under this amendment shall be called and conducted as provided by law for other local school board elections. The state board of education shall, by resolution, establish the terms of the first board elected after the creation of such a seven-member board. (As added November 4, 1980.)
Editor’s notes.
An amendment proposed by S.J.R. 6 (Laws 2007), which would have increased the size of certain school boards to nine members and allowed elections by mail-in ballots was defeated at the general election held on November 4, 2008, by a vote of 184,781 for and 511,900 against.
Laws 2004, ch. 27, § 27, effective May 19, 2004, provides that all references in law to the state board of education shall be deemed to be references to the public education department.