House Study Bill 506 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT BILL BY CHAIRPERSON COWNIE) A BILL FOR An Act relating to school corporations by changing the date of 1 the election of directors of local school districts, merged 2 areas, and area education agency boards. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5051YC (2) 84 aw/sc

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 39.2, subsection 4, paragraph c, Code 1 2011, is amended to read as follows: 2 c. For a school district or merged area, in the odd-numbered 3 year, the first Tuesday in February, the first Tuesday in 4 April, the last Tuesday in June, or the second first Tuesday 5 in September after the first Monday in November . For a school 6 district or merged area, in the even-numbered year, the first 7 Tuesday in February, the first Tuesday in April, the second 8 Tuesday in September, or the first Tuesday in December. 9 Sec. 2. Section 260C.12, subsection 1, Code 2011, is amended 10 to read as follows: 11 1. The board of directors of the merged area shall organize 12 at the first regular meeting in October December following the 13 regular school election. Organization of the board shall be 14 effected by the election of a president and other officers from 15 the board membership as board members determine. The board 16 of directors shall appoint a secretary and a treasurer who 17 shall each give bond as prescribed in section 291.2 and who 18 shall each receive the salary determined by the board. The 19 secretary and treasurer shall perform duties under chapter 291 20 and additional duties the board of directors deems necessary. 21 However, the board may appoint one person to serve as the 22 secretary and treasurer. If one person serves as the secretary 23 and treasurer, only one bond is necessary for that person. The 24 frequency of meetings other than organizational meetings shall 25 be as determined by the board of directors but the president 26 or a majority of the members may call a special meeting at any 27 time. 28 Sec. 3. Section 260C.13, subsection 1, Code 2011, is amended 29 to read as follows: 30 1. The board of a merged area may change the number of 31 directors on the board and shall make corresponding changes 32 in the boundaries of director districts. Changes shall be 33 completed not later than June August 1 of the year of the 34 regular school election. As soon as possible after adoption 35 -1- LSB 5051YC (2) 84 aw/sc 1/ 4

H.F. _____ of the boundary changes, notice of changes in the director 1 district boundaries shall be submitted by the merged area to 2 the county commissioner of elections in all counties included 3 in whole or in part in the merged area. 4 Sec. 4. Section 273.8, subsection 2, paragraphs a and b, 5 Code 2011, are amended to read as follows: 6 a. Notice of the election shall be published by the area 7 education agency administrator not later than July September 15 8 of the odd-numbered year in at least one newspaper of general 9 circulation in the director district. The cost of publication 10 shall be paid by the area education agency. 11 b. A candidate for election to the area education agency 12 board shall file a statement of candidacy with the area 13 education agency secretary not later than August October 15 of 14 the odd-numbered year, on forms prescribed by the department 15 of education. The statement of candidacy shall include the 16 candidate’s name, address, and school district. The list of 17 candidates shall be sent by the secretary of the area education 18 agency in ballot form by certified mail to the presidents of 19 the boards of directors of all school districts within the 20 director district not later than September November 1. In 21 order for the ballot to be counted, the ballot must be received 22 in the secretary’s office by the end of the normal business 23 day on September November 30 or be clearly postmarked by an 24 officially authorized postal service not later than September 25 November 29 and received by the secretary not later than noon 26 on the first Monday following September November 30. 27 Sec. 5. Section 273.8, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code 2011, 28 is amended to read as follows: 29 a. The board of directors of each area education agency 30 shall meet and organize at the first regular meeting in October 31 December following the regular school election at a suitable 32 place designated by the president. Directors whose terms 33 commence at the organizational meeting shall qualify by taking 34 the oath of office required by section 277.28 at or before the 35 -2- LSB 5051YC (2) 84 aw/sc 2/ 4

H.F. _____ organizational meeting. 1 Sec. 6. Section 273.8, subsection 6, Code 2011, is amended 2 to read as follows: 3 6. Change in directors. The board of an area education 4 agency may change the number of directors on the board and 5 shall make corresponding changes in the boundaries of director 6 districts. Changes shall be completed not later than July 7 September 1 of a fiscal the odd-numbered year for the director 8 district conventions to be held the following September 9 November . 10 Sec. 7. Section 277.1, Code 2011, is amended to read as 11 follows: 12 277.1 Regular election. 13 The regular election shall be held biennially on the second 14 first Tuesday in September after the first Monday in November 15 of each odd-numbered year in each school district for the 16 election of officers of the district and merged area and for 17 the purpose of submitting to the voters any matter authorized 18 by law. 19 Sec. 8. Section 277.20, Code 2011, is amended to read as 20 follows: 21 277.20 Canvassing returns. 22 On the next Friday after After the regular school election, 23 the county board of supervisors shall canvass the returns 24 made to the county commissioner of elections from the several 25 precinct polling places and the absentee ballot counting board, 26 ascertain the result of the voting with regard to every matter 27 voted upon and cause a record to be made thereof , all as 28 required by section 50.24 . Special elections held in school 29 districts shall be canvassed at the time and in the manner 30 required by that section. The board shall declare the results 31 of the voting for members of boards of directors of school 32 corporations nominated pursuant to section 277.4 , and the 33 commissioner shall at once issue a certificate of election to 34 each person declared elected. The board shall also declare the 35 -3- LSB 5051YC (2) 84 aw/sc 3/ 4

H.F. _____ results of the voting on any public question submitted to the 1 voters of a single school district, and the commissioner shall 2 certify the result as required by section 50.27 . 3 The abstracts of the votes cast for members of the board 4 of directors of any merged area, and of the votes cast on any 5 public question submitted to the voters of any merged area, 6 shall be promptly certified by the commissioner to the county 7 commissioner of elections who is responsible under section 47.2 8 for conducting the elections held for that merged area. 9 EXPLANATION 10 This bill changes the date of regular school elections 11 for local school districts, merged areas, and area education 12 agencies. The bill moves the date of the regular school 13 election from the second Tuesday in September in odd-numbered 14 years to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 15 of odd-numbered years, which is the date of the regular city 16 election. 17 Because area education agency board directors are elected at 18 the director district conventions by members of school boards, 19 the bill also changes the date of their election from September 20 to November in the odd-numbered year. 21 -4- LSB 5051YC (2) 84 aw/sc 4/ 4