Idaho school board elections would get a major overhaul, under a new bill introduced in the Idaho Legislature last week.
The bill would make three significant changes. School trustees would serve two-year terms, down from their current four-year terms. Trustee candidates would have to declare a party affiliation — or their unaffiliated status. And, trustee elections would move to November in even-numbered years, in conjunction with other partisan general elections. Trustee races are now held in November of odd-numbered years, in conjunction with nonpartisan municipal races.
Presenting his proposal to the House State Affairs Committee, bill sponsor Rep. Joe Alfieri did not mention the shift to even-numbered election years. He instead labeled the proposal “a fairly simple bill” that merely acknowledges the partisan nature of what are now nonpartisan trustee elections.
“This is a bill about transparency,” said Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene. “There are political parties involved in the election for school boards.”
After Alfieri’s brief presentation, his bill received some pushback. Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, said he saw value in some nonpartisan boards or organizations. “Some people are not political at all but want to serve on a school board.”
Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, suggested changing the bill’s wording to allow candidates to declare themselves as unaffiliated. Alfieri and the committee endorsed the wording — although Gannon said the change doesn’t erase his “strong reservations” about the bill.
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