HB 990 Summary

• Requires election of all school board members on the same date as presidential or general statewide elections, with trustee districts 1, 3, and 5 voting in November 2016 and districts 2 and 4 voting in November 2019, repeating every four years thereafter.

• Changes school board member terms of office from varying lengths to uniform four-year terms beginning with the 2016 or 2019 elections depending on trustee district.

• Establishes nominating petition requirement of 50 qualified electors (or 20% if fewer than 100 qualified electors exist in the district) for candidates to appear on ballots.

• Exempts municipal separate school districts and special municipal separate school districts with "A" or "B" accreditation ratings from elected board requirements, but requires conversion to elected boards if ratings drop to "C," "D," or "F".

• Provides vacancy-filling procedures by appointment of qualified electors from the affected district, with elections held at the next general state or presidential election, or by special election if board members cannot agree on an appointee.