School director districts

AN ACT Relating to school director districts; amending RCW 1
28A.343.300; adding a new section to chapter 28A.343 RCW; and 2
creating a new section. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that students and 5
communities benefit from diverse school boards of directors that are 6
representative of the communities and neighborhoods they serve. 7
Furthermore, the legislature recognizes proportional representation 8
encourages greater school board diversity, and more parents of 9
school-aged children to seek office than at-large district elections. 10
Therefore, the legislature intends to require school districts with 11
enrollments greater than 3,000 students to elect school board 12
directors from designated member districts.13
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.343 14
RCW to read as follows: 15
(1) By calendar year 2027, all elections of directors of any 16
school district with a head count enrollment greater than 3,000 17
students shall elect school board directors from designated member 18
districts accordingly: 19
Z-0318.1
HOUSE BILL 1683
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representative Ortiz-Self; by request of Superintendent of Public
Instruction
Read first time 01/29/25. Referred to Committee on Education.
p. 1 HB 1683
(a) For districts with a head count enrollment greater than 5,000 1
students, no less than four school board directors shall be elected 2
by designated member districts; and 3
(b) For districts with a head count enrollment of 3,001 to 5,000 4
students, no less than three school board directors shall be elected 5
by designated member districts. 6
(2) School districts with 3,000 students or less are exempt from 7
this section. 8
Sec. 3. RCW 28A.343.300 and 2009 c 107 s 1 are each amended to 9
read as follows: 10
The governing board of a school district shall be known as the 11
board of directors of the district. 12
Unless otherwise specifically provided, as in RCW 29A.04.340 and 13
section 2 of this act , each member of a board of directors shall be 14
elected by ballot by the registered voters of the school district and 15
shall hold office for a term of four years and until a successor is 16
elected and qualified. Terms of school directors shall be staggered, 17
and insofar as possible, not more than a majority of one shall be 18
elected to full terms at any regular election. In case a member or 19
members of a board of directors are to be elected to fill an 20
unexpired term or terms, the ballot shall specify the term for which 21
each such member is to be elected. 22
Except for a school district of the first class having within its 23
boundaries a city with a population of ((four hundred thousand )) 24
400,000 people or more which shall have a board of directors of seven 25
members, the board of directors of every school district of the first 26
class or school district of the second class shall consist of five 27
members. 28
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p. 2 HB 1683