ST.PAUL – This week, the House passed a bill to allow South St Paul schools to change the structure of their school board elections. The bill, requested by South St Paul public schools and authored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL - South St Paul), will allow elections to take place on an at-large basis, rather than by specific wards.
The need for the bill stems from several unique aspects of the South St Paul school district. South St Paul is one of only two special school districts in the state. When the district was formed, it decided to structure its school board by ward. Each member of the school board would represent a single ward that included a single school.
Over time, the makeup of the school district changed significantly, making the school board structure obsolete. Among other reasons, South St Paul Public Schools requested this bill because the district often has candidates running unopposed or has board members seats filled through appointment and an all at-large election system would be more cost effective.
“This bill addresses the concerns of the school district and community by allowing school board elections to be held on an at-large basis,” said Hansen. “School officials and community members did an excellent job making their case to lawmakers at the Capitol and they should be proud of the work they’ve done.”
The bill passed the House floor on a vote of 127 to 1. It will now be taken up in the Senate before being sent to the Governor to be signed into law.
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