REPORT TITLE:
Board of Education; Elections


DESCRIPTION:
Requires at least one member of the first school board district,
not including a member who is required to be a resident of one of
the 4 departmental school districts in the 1st school board
district, to have a bachelor of science degree in engineering,
physics, chemistry, biology, or computer science.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2268
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Section 13-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
 
 3      "(b)  Ten members shall be elected at-large from the first
 
 4 school board district.  Of the ten members elected at-large from
 
 5 that district, one shall be a resident of the third departmental
 
 6 school district (Honolulu), one shall be a resident of the fourth
 
 7 departmental school district (Central Oahu), one shall be a
 
 8 resident of the fifth departmental school district (Leeward
 
 9 Oahu), [and] one shall be a resident of the sixth departmental
 
10 school district (Windward Oahu)[.], and one shall have a bachelor
 
11 of science degree as specified in section 13-2(b)."
 
12      SECTION 2.  Section 13-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
13 amended to read as follows:
 
14      "§13-2 Qualifications.  (a)  No person shall be eligible
 
15 for election or appointment to the board of education unless the
 
16 person is a registered voter of the school board district from
 
17 which the person is to be elected or appointed and, where
 
18 residency in a particular departmental school district is a
 
19 requirement, a resident of the departmental school district for
 

 
Page 2                                                     2268
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 which seat the person is seeking election or appointment.  No
 
 2 member of the board shall hold or be a candidate for any other
 
 3 public office under the state or county governments in accordance
 
 4 with Article II, section 7 of the Constitution of the State; nor
 
 5 shall a person be eligible for election or appointment to the
 
 6 board of education if that person is also a candidate for any
 
 7 other public office under the state or county governments.  The
 
 8 term "public office", for the purposes of this section, shall not
 
 9 include notaries public, reserve police officers, or officers of
 
10 emergency organizations for civilian defense or disaster relief.
 
11      (b)  One member of the first school board district shall
 
12 have a bachelor of science degree in engineering, physics,
 
13 chemistry, biology, or computer science from an institution of
 
14 higher education accredited by an accrediting organization
 
15 recognized by the United States Secretary of Education."
 
16      SECTION 3.  Section 13-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
17 amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
 
18      "(a)  Members of the board of education shall be nominated
 
19 at a primary election and elected at the general election.
 
20 Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the candidates for
 
21 the board of education shall be elected in the manner prescribed
 
22 by this title.
 

 
 
 
Page 3                                                     2268
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (1)  [Nomination papers, preparation of.]  The chief
 
 2           election officer shall prepare nomination papers in
 
 3           such a manner that a candidate desiring to file for
 
 4           election to the board of education shall be able to
 
 5           specify whether the candidate is seeking a seat
 
 6           requiring residency in a particular departmental school
 
 7           district [or], a seat [without such residency
 
 8           requirement.] not requiring residency in a particular
 
 9           departmental school district or a bachelor of science
 
10           degree as specified in section 13-2(b), or a seat
 
11           requiring a bachelor of science degree as specified in
 
12           section 13-2(b).
 
13      (2)  [Ballot.]  The school board ballot shall be prepared in
 
14           such a manner as to afford every voter eligible to vote
 
15           in a school board district race the opportunity to vote
 
16           for each and every candidate seeking election from that
 
17           school board district.
 
18                The school board ballot shall contain the names of
 
19           all board candidates arranged alphabetically in a
 
20           nonpartisan manner; provided that the names of
 
21           candidates seeking seats requiring residency in a
 
22           particular departmental school district or requiring a
 

 
 
 
Page 4                                                     2268
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1           bachelor of science degree as specified in section
 
 2           13-2(b), shall be grouped alphabetically according to
 
 3           departmental school districts[.] and one other category
 
 4           designated by the chief election officer.
 
 5      (3)  [Primary election.]  Two candidates receiving the most
 
 6           votes for each available seat shall be nominated for
 
 7           the general election.  If, after the close of filing of
 
 8           nomination papers, there are only two qualified
 
 9           candidates for any seat requiring residency in a
 
10           particular departmental school district[,] or requiring
 
11           a bachelor of science degree as specified in section
 
12           13-2(b), the chief election officer shall declare those
 
13           two candidates duly nominated for the general election.
 
14           The names of those two candidates shall not appear on
 
15           the primary election ballot.
 
16      (4)  [General election.]  Each voter in the general election
 
17           shall be entitled to receive the school board ballot
 
18           and to vote for the number of seats available in the
 
19           respective school board districts."
 
20      SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
21 New statutory material is underscored.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Page 5                                                     2268
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval and
 
 2 shall apply to the board of education beginning with the year
 
 3 2000 primary and general elections.
 
 4 
 
 5                           INTRODUCED BY:_________________________