Brief Description: Providing a process for the dissolution of first-class school directors' districts.

Sponsors: Senators Parlette, McAuliffe, Brandland, Tom, King, Hobbs, Holmquist, Kauffman, Weinstein, Eide, Zarelli, Rasmussen, Hewitt, Oemig and Shin.

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
House Committee on Education

Background: Current law provides an election process to change a second-class school district (i.e., a school district with less than 2,000 students) that is divided into director districts to a combination of director districts and at-large positions. The process requires the second-class district to obtain a petition signed by at least 20 percent of the registered voters of the school district to qualify the question to be submitted to the voters within the school district at a special election. If approved by a majority of voters at the election then the district may change to have a minimum of three director districts and a maximum of two at-large positions. There is currently no such process available to first-class school districts.

Summary: An election process is provided to change first-class school districts that are divided into director districts to a combination of director districts and at-large positions. The process requires the first-class district to obtain a petition signed by at least 20 percent of the registered voters of the school district, which qualifies the question to be submitted to the voters within the school district at a special election. If approved by a majority of voters at the election then the district may change to have a minimum of three director districts and a maximum of two at-large positions.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      48   0
House      96   0

Effective: June 12, 2008