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Running for
school board
Election
and Term of Office
All
school board members in Washington are publicly elected (except when a
person is appointed by a board to fill a vacancy pending the next
regular school board election). In some districts all or some directors
are elected at large and may live anywhere in the district. In other
districts, board members must live within certain areas called director
districts. In either case, candidates are voted on by all voters in the
school district except in primary elections in Seattle. Check with the
superintendent of schools or the
county auditor’s elections office
for
the election plan in your district.
State
law provides that school board elections are to be held in odd-numbered
years. School board elections are "staggered," which means
only part of the board is up for election in any given year.
The
filing period for school board elections is Monday through Friday of the
first full week in June (this is a change from previous years). Declarations of candidacy are filed with
the
county auditor’s elections office, and there is no filing fee. If
a district is located in more than one county, candidates file in the
county where the majority of the district’s residents live.
Primary
election day is the third Tuesday in August and the general election
is on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If no more
than two people file for a position, there is no primary election for
that position. Newly elected directors take office at the first official
board meeting following the certification of election results by the
county auditor or county elections officer.
All
Washington school boards have five members except the Seattle School
Board, which has seven. School directors in Spokane, Tacoma and Everett
serve six-year terms, and all others serve four-year terms.
Legal
qualifications
To be
legally eligible for the office of school director a person must be a:
-
Registered voter in the school district; and
-
Registered voter in the director district within the school district,
if applicable.
To
register to vote, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal
resident of Washington State, and at least 18 years old by election day.
Conflict
of interest
Neither
a school director nor his/her spouse or interdependent family members
may be employed by the school district except:
-
When the director’s spouse was employed by the district before the
director’s election or appointment to the board;
-
In districts with fewer than 200 students, a director’s spouse may
be employed as certificated or classified staff;
-
A director’s spouse may be employed as a substitute teacher if there
is a shortage of substitutes;
-
In second-class districts (under 2,000 students) a director, his/her
spouse or interdependent family members may be employed as a bus
driver at the same rate of pay as other such employees; or
-
In second-class districts a director, his/her spouse or his/her
dependents may work as unskilled, day laborers for not more than $100
per month.
In
addition, a school director may not have any direct or indirect
financial interest in any contract, purchase of materials or activity
paid from school funds that exceeds $1500 per month. For more details on
conflict of interest restrictions and exemptions, review
Chapter 42.23
of the Revised Code of Washington.
Financial
Reporting
Most
school directors and school board candidates are required to file
financial disclosure statements with the Washington State Public
Disclosure Commission (PDC). These reports begin with candidacy and
continue throughout the term of office. Candidates must also file
campaign financial reports. For detailed information regarding
requirements, deadlines and forms for reports, contact your
county
auditor’s elections office or the
Public Disclosure Commission.
Campaigning
It is
important to remember that the state’s public disclosure law prohibits
the use of facilities of any public agency from being used directly or
indirectly to assist any campaign for or against any candidate or ballot
proposition. Thus, school board candidates must make a complete
separation between campaign activities and the school district.
Local ordinances may also contain specific requirements, such as the
placement of campaign signs, so be sure to check with the city or
county. Again, for details on campaign restrictions, contact your county
auditor’s elections office or the Public Disclosure Commission.
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