202 School Board Election Process
I. PURPOSE
The
purpose of this policy is to clarify the procedure and schedule for the
election of school board members and officers.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
According to
the bylaws, “the membership of the school board consists of at least nine
elected directors, and according to Minn. Stat. § 124D.10, Subd. 4g will
consist of at least one licensed teacher
employed at the school, one parent or guardian of student(s) currently enrolled
at Arcadia, and one interested community member who is not employed by Arcadia
and does not have a child enrolled at the school. The board will aim to balance the number of
teachers and parents. The term of office
for parents and community members is three years. The term of office for
licensed teachers employed by the school is 2 years. The Board shall not
include more than one member of a family; this includes spouse, partner or
children.”
III. ELECTION SCHEDULE
A. The following schedule will be used for
the election of school board members and officers:
1.
Notification of elections: 2nd Friday in April
2.
Application for election deadline: 2nd Friday in May
3.
Ballots mailed to Arcadia
community: 3rd Friday in May
4.
Deadline for ballots:
Monday before the scheduled June board meeting (2nd Thursday)
5.
Counting ballots:
Tuesday before the scheduled June board meeting (2nd
Thursday)
6.
Certify election results: Scheduled board meeting/ 2nd
Thursday in June
7.
Election of board officers: Annual Meeting (September board meeting/ 2nd
Thursday in September)
B. Newly-elected persons will be “board
members-elect” and will begin their terms at the September board meeting.
III. ELECTION NOTIFICATIONS
A. Notices announcing school board
elections and inviting candidates to file for election will be posted no later
than the 2nd Friday of April in at least the following places:
– Parent
Meetings
– Northfield
News, Northfield.org, Northfield
Patch
– Arcadia
website
– Arcadia
– Newsletter
to parents
III. ELECTION PROCESS
A. The election ballots will be mailed by
the 3rd Friday in May with directions that completed ballots be
received at Arcadia no later than
the Monday immediately prior to the scheduled board meeting in June. The election ballots may be mailed through
the United States Postal Service and/or electronically by the Board Chair with
support of school staff.
B. The Board Secretary will count the
ballots on the Tuesday immediately prior to the scheduled board meeting in June. If the Secretary is unable to count the
ballots, then the Board Chair will count the ballots. If the Board Chair is
unable to count the ballots, then the Board Vice-Chair will count the
ballots. Ballots received after the
second Monday in June will be disqualified and may not be counted.
C.
The election results will be
reported to the Board at the June board meeting and the Board will verify and
accept the results of the election.
Newly-elected persons will serve as board members-elect and participate
in a non-voting capacity in orientation, goal-setting, and any other meetings
prior to the beginning of their terms in September.
D.
The board will aim to balance the
number of teachers and parents serving on the board. In the notifications for the election, openings
for positions needed to maintain this balance will be listed. In the event of a shortage of either
interested parents or teachers, the board will maintain the required number of
at least 1 teacher, 1 parent, and 1 community member.
III. BOARD VACANCIES
A. A vacancy caused by a member being
unable to serve on the board and attend its meetings for not less than 90 days
because of illness or prolonged absence may, after the board has declared such
vacancy to exist, be filled by the board at any regular or special meeting for
the remainder of the unexpired term, or until such ill or absent member is
again able to resume duties as a member of such board, whichever date is
earliest. When the ill or absent member is able to resume duties as a member of
the board, the board must by resolution declare such person to be again a
member of the board, and the member appointed by the board to be no longer a
member.
B. Any other vacancy in a board must be
filled by board appointment at a regular or special meeting. The appointment
shall be evidenced by a resolution entered in the minutes and shall continue
until an election is held. All elections to fill vacancies shall be for the
unexpired term.
III. IMPLEMENTATION
Due to the change in the election policy,
two elections will be held in the 2012-2013 school year. The first election will be held in the fall
as per the old policy; the second election will follow the new schedule and be
held in the spring. The first year of
the terms for board members elected in the fall of 2012 will begin at the board
meeting in November, 2012 and end prior to the board meeting in September, 2013. Any board members whose terms were to expire
in October, 2013 will expire prior to the board meeting in September, 2013. Hereafter, terms will begin at and expire
prior to the September board meeting.
Legal
References: Minn.
Stat. § 124D subd.4(d)
Minn.
Stat. § 124D subd.4(g)
OLD POLICY -----------------------------------------------------------------------
202 School Board Election Process
The
following schedule will be used for the election of school board members and
officers:
Notices announcing school board elections and inviting
candidates to file for election will be posted no later than the fourth Friday
of August in at least the following places:
·
Parent Orientation meetings
·
Northfield News
·
Northfield.org
·
Arcadia Website
·
At Arcadia
·
Newsletter to families
The deadline to file for election to school board
positions will be the third Friday in September.
The election ballots will be mailed by the fourth Friday
in September, with directions that completed ballots be received at Arcadia no
later than the Monday immediately prior to the Annual Meeting in October. The election ballots may be mailed through the United States Postal Service and/or electronically by the
Board Chair with support of school staff.
The Board Secretary will count the ballots on the Tuesday
immediately prior to the Annual Meeting in October. If the Secretary is unable to count the
ballots, then the Board Chair will count the ballots. If the Board Chair is
unable to count the ballots, then the Board Vice-Chair will count the
ballots. Ballots received after the
second Monday in October will be disqualified and may not be counted.
The election results will be reported to the Board at the
annual meeting and the Board will verify and accept the results of the
election.
Legal
References: Minn.
Stat. § 124D subd.4(d)
Minn.
Stat. § 124D subd.4(g)
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