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                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6394

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Craswell and Bailey)

Read first time 2/3/88.

AN ACT Relating to school district boards of directors; and adding new sections to chapter 28A.57 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     Registered voters of a school district which is divided into director districts may submit a written petition signed by at least twenty percent of the registered voters of that school district requesting that only the registered voters residing within a respective director district shall be eligible to vote in the general election for a candidate running for the position of director from that director district.  The superintendent of the school district, after formation of the question to be submitted to the voters, shall give notice thereof to the county auditor who shall place the proposal on the ballot at the next general election for approval or rejection by the voters of the entire school district.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     If a majority of the registered voters voting on the issue in the election approve the proposal, when the terms of the incumbent directors of the school district expire, their successors shall be elected as provided under section 1 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall not apply to any first class school district having within its boundaries a city with a population of four hundred thousand people or more and being in a class AA county.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     Sections 1 through 3 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.57 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     Effective September 1, 1988, through August 31, 1989, any second class school district previously divided into directors' districts may return to the system of directors running at-large pursuant to the provisions of section 6 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     (1)  Upon receipt of a motion adopted by the board of directors or a written petition signed by at least twenty percent of the registered voters of a second class school district previously divided into directors' districts, which motion or petition shall request a return to the system of directors running at-large within the district, an educational service district superintendent, after formation of the question to be submitted to the voters, shall give notice thereof to the county auditor who shall call and hold a special election of the voters of the entire school district to approve or reject such proposal, such election to be called, conducted, and the returns canvassed as in regular school district elections.

          (2)  If approval of a majority of those registered voters voting in the election is acquired, at the expiration of terms of the incumbent directors of such school district, their successors shall be elected at-large.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     Sections 5 and 6 of this act do not apply to any school district of the first class nor to any second class school district otherwise eligible under RCW 28A.57.415 to return to the system of directors running at-large.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8.     Sections 5, 6 and 7 of this act shall expire September 1, 1989.