HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2311

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to school district board of directors' terms of office.

Brief Description:  Eliminating six‑year terms of office for school board directors.

Sponsors:  Representatives Brumsickle and Regala.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  1/16/96, 2/1/96 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 19 members:  Representatives Brumsickle, Chairman; Elliot, Vice Chairman; Johnson, Vice Chairman; Cole, Ranking Minority Member; Keiser, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Clements; Fuhrman; Hatfield; Linville; McMahan; Pelesky; Poulsen; Quall; Radcliff; Smith; Talcott; B. Thomas; Thompson and Veloria.

Staff:  Cheri Keller (786-7093).

Background:  Currently, 293 of the state's 296 school districts elect members of school boards of directors to four-year terms.  Three school districts elect members of boards of directors for six-year terms.  Those districts are Spokane, Everett, and Tacoma.

Summary of Substitute Bill:   School district boards of directors that currently have six-year terms of office may request the State Board of Education to reduce the length of the terms of office for school board directors from six to four years.  The state board must grant the request if it finds that the reduction in the length of term will not affect the term of office of any incumbent director without his or her consent and that provision has been made to stagger future elections of school directors appropriately.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill required the terms of office of all persons elected to school boards to be four years, with exceptions for incumbents, and prevented all school board members from being up for election at the same time.  The substitute bill does not require four-year terms of office but allows districts that currently have six-year terms to change to four-year terms by requesting such change to the State Board of Education.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  (On original bill) State-wide uniformity in the length of terms of school district boards of directors is a good idea.  Districts effected may not like this, but the people do.  People think six-year terms are too long.

Testimony Against:  (On original bill) Some districts have six-year terms that are working well.  We shouldn't force them to change something that is working.

Testified:  Representatives Brumsickle and Regala, prime sponsors; Amy Mann, parent (pro); and Dick Sonntag, parent (pro).