Alaska

ALASKA STATUTES

Title 14. Education, Libraries, and Museums.

Chapter 08. Education in the Unorganized Borough.

AS 14.14.080

Sec. 14.14.080 Declaring a school board vacancy.

When a member of a school board has notice of and is absent from three consecutive regular school board meetings and is not excused by the president of the school board, the other members of the school board may declare the position vacant and shall notify the ex-member by registered mail. The vacancy shall be filled as provided by > AS 14.12.070.

AS 14.08.041

Sec. 14.08.041 Regional school boards.

(a) A regional educational attendance area shall be operated on an area wide basis under the management and control of a regional school board.

(b) The qualified voters of the communities receiving educational services in each regional educational attendance area shall elect a regional school board of not less than five nor more than eleven members to be elected for the same term, in the same manner, and with the same qualifications as a city or borough school district board under AS 14.12. The initial number of regional school board members shall be determined by the department in consultation with the local communities in the regional educational attendance areas. However, the qualified voters in a regional educational attendance area may increase or decrease the number of regional school board members established under this section by placing the question on the ballot at a regular school board election in the manner prescribed by law. A change in the number of school board members is not effective until the next regular school board election.

(d) Subject to (f) of this section, a regional school board member shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the communities receiving educational services in the entire regional educational attendance area. However, each seat on the regional school board shall be designated by letter or number, and when the declaration of candidacy or other nomination papers of a candidate for the regional school board are filed those papers must indicate the seat that the candidate seeks. A newly elected board member takes office at the first regional school board meeting after certification of the election. If no candidate files for election to a seat on the regional school board, the seat is considered vacant at the time a newly elected member would have taken office.

(e) [Repealed, S 8 ch 129 SLA 1990.]

(f) The voters residing within a regional educational attendance area may petition in accordance with > AS 14.08.051(b) to have each regional school board member elected from a section of the area by the voters of that section.

AS 14.08.061

Sec. 14.08.061 Term of office.

(a) Members elected to a regional school board shall serve staggered three- year terms. However,

(1) the term of office of all of the members of a regional school board elected from the same multi-member section may not expire at the same time; and

(2) for the first board elected, the term of office of each member shall be determined by lot, according to the following schedule:

(A) the members of the first five-member school board shall hold office for terms as follows: one member for a one-year term; two for a two-year term and two for a three-year term;

(B) the members of the first seven-member school board hold office for terms as follows: two members for a one-year term; two for a two-year term and three

for a three-year term;

(C) the members of the first nine-member school board hold office for terms as follows: three for a one-year term; three for a two-year term and three for a three-year term;

(D) the members of the first 11-member school board hold office for terms as follows: three for a one-year term, four for a two-year term and four for a three-year term.

(b) If a regional educational attendance area is divided into sections under > AS 14.08.051 where the school board formerly was elected at large, or if the number of regional school board members is increased or decreased by the qualified voters in the regional educational attendance area under > AS 14.08.041(b), the term of office of all members of the existing board shall terminate on the date on which the new board members take office, and the provisions of (a) of this section are applicable to the determination of the terms of office of the new members of the regional school boards.

AS 14.08.071

Sec. 14.08.071 Elections; advisory votes.

(a) In each regional educational attendance area in the unorganized borough, the lieutenant governor, within not less than 60, nor more than 90 days after the establishment of the regional educational attendance area, shall provide for the election of a regional school board.

(b) Except for the first election of regional school members under (a) of this section, elections shall be held annually on the first Tuesday in October. Elections shall be supervised by the director of elections in the office of the lieutenant governor, but shall be administered within second class cities as part of the regular municipal election. The lieutenant governor shall adopt regulations for the conduct of the election of regional school board members comparable, as far as practicable, to those prescribed for election of school board members under AS 14.12 and > AS 29.20.300 except that the majority election requirements of > AS 29.26.060 do not apply to, nor may the regulations require runoff elections for, the first election of regional school board members under (a) of this section or, if a school board by resolution so requests, to subsequent elections in the regional educational attendance area served by that school board.

(c) The cost of each regional school board election, or recall election under > AS 14.08.081, shall be borne by the state.

(d) If a regional school board adopts a resolution requesting that an advisory question relating to education be placed on that regional school board's next election ballot, the division of elections shall place the advisory question on that regional school board's next election ballot. A resolution described in this subsection must be filed with the division of elections on or before the first Friday in August of the year in which the advisory question is required to be placed on the ballot. An advisory question authorized under this subsection may not consist of more than 100 words and shall be worded in a manner that allows the advisory question to be answered with a "yes" to favor the question or "no" to oppose the question.

AS 14.12.030

Sec. 14.12.030 School boards.

(a) Each borough and city school district with an average daily membership of 5,000 or less has a school board of five members, except that the governing body of the borough or city may by ordinance, concurred in by a majority of the district school board, provide for a school board of seven members.

(b) Each borough and city school district with an average daily membership exceeding 5,000 has a school board of seven, nine, or eleven members, as established by ordinance.

(c) The provisions of (a) and (b) of this section do not apply if the assembly serves as the school board of the borough school district.

(d) The provisions of (a) and (b) of this section do not apply to a regional

educational attendance area that converts to a city or borough school district. The number of school board members may be changed by the qualified voters in a district by placing the question on the ballot at a regular school board election in the manner prescribed by law.

(e) Each city or borough school district that is operating schools on a military reservation under > AS 14.12.020(a) has one nonvoting delegate from the military reservation or reservations to the school district board to advise and assist the board in matters relating to the military reservation schools operated by the school district and to act as liaison between the board and the military community. The nonvoting delegate shall be appointed by the school district board, shall serve at the pleasure of the school district board, and must be an inhabitant of the area served by the military reservation schools operated by the school district by contract. If an elected community school committee is established on a military reservation, the only inhabitants of that military reservation who are eligible for appointment as the nonvoting delegate are those inhabitants who are members of the elected school committee.

AS 14.12.050

Sec. 14.12.050 School board terms.

(a) The term of office of a member of a borough or city school board is three years and until a successor takes office. However, the members of a newly created five-member school board hold office for initial terms as follows: two for a term of three years, two for a term of two years, and one for a term of one year, the terms being assigned to the members by lot. The members of a newly created seven-member school board hold office for initial terms as follows: three for a term of three years, two for a term of two years, and two for a term of one year, the terms being assigned to the members by lot.

(b) When a transition is made from a five-member school board to a seven- member school board, the length of the terms of office for the two new members

to be elected shall be determined by lot so that when the terms of office for the two new members are assigned, the terms of office for the entire seven- member board shall be as follows: three members have a three-year term, two members have a two-year term, and two members have a one-year term. A seven- member school board, the terms of office of whose members at the time of transition from a five-member board did not result in terms expiring in the manner provided in this section, may, by resolution adopted by a majority of the members of the board, adjust the terms of office to conform to the schedule for expiration of terms of office provided in this section.