273.8 Area education agency board of directors.
1. Board of directors. The board of directors of an area education agency shall consist of not less than five nor more than nine members, each a resident of and elected in the manner provided in this section from a director district that is approximately equal in population to the other director districts in the area education agency. Each director shall serve a four-year term which commences at the organization meeting.
2. Election of directors. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the board of directors of an area education agency shall be elected by a vote of the members of the boards of directors of the local school districts located within the director district. The procedure for conducting the elections shall be as follows:
a. Notice of the election shall be published by the area education agency administrator not later than September 15 of the odd-numbered year in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the director district. The cost of publication shall be paid by the area education agency.
b. A candidate for election to the area education agency board shall file a statement of candidacy with the area education agency secretary not later than October 15 of the odd-numbered year, on forms prescribed by the department of education. The statement of candidacy shall include the candidate’s name, address, and school district. The list of candidates shall be sent by the secretary of the area education agency in ballot form by certified mail to the presidents of the boards of directors of all school districts within the director district not later than November 1. In order for the ballot to be counted, the ballot must be received in the secretary’s office by the end of the normal business day on November 30 or be clearly postmarked by an officially authorized postal service not later than November 29 and received by the secretary not later than noon on the first Monday following November 30.
c. The board of each separate school district that is located entirely or partially inside an area education agency director district shall cast a vote for director of the area education agency board based upon the ratio that the population of the school district, or portion of the school district, in the director district bears to the total population in the director district. The population of each school district or portion shall be determined by the department of education. The member of the area education agency board to be elected may be a member of a local school district board of directors and shall be an elector and a resident of the director district, but shall not be a school district employee.
d. Vacancies, as defined in section 277.29, in the membership of the area education agency board shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term at a director district convention called and conducted in the manner provided in subsection 3.
3. Director district convention. If no candidate files with the area education agency secretary by the deadline specified in subsection 2, or a vacancy occurs, or if otherwise required as provided in section 273.23, subsection 3, a director district convention, attended by members of the boards of directors of the local school districts located within the director district, shall be called to elect a board member for that director district. The convention location shall be determined by the area education agency administrator. Notice of the time, date, and place of a director district convention shall be published by the area education agency administrator in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the director district at least thirty days prior to the day of the convention. The cost of publication shall be paid by the area education agency. A candidate for election to the area education agency board shall file a statement of candidacy with the area education agency secretary at least ten days prior to the date of the director district convention on forms prescribed by the department of education, or nominations may be made at the convention by a delegate from a board of directors of a school district located within the director district. A statement of candidacy shall include the candidate’s name, address, and school district. Delegates to director district conventions shall not be bound by a school board or any school board member to pledge their votes to any candidate prior to the date of the convention.
4. Organization.
a. The board of directors of each area education agency shall meet and organize at the first regular meeting in December following the regular school election at a suitable place designated by the president. Directors whose terms commence at the organizational meeting shall qualify by taking the oath of office required by section 277.28 at or before the organizational meeting.
b. The provisions of section 260C.12 relating to organization, officers, appointment of secretary and treasurer, and meetings of the merged area board apply to the area education agency board.
5. Quorum. A majority of the members of the board of directors of the area education agency shall constitute a quorum.
6. Change in directors. The board of an area education agency may change the number of directors on the board and shall make corresponding changes in the boundaries of director districts. Changes shall be completed not later than September 1 of the odd-numbered year for the director district conventions to be held the following November.
7. Boundary line changes. To the extent possible the board shall provide that changes in the boundary lines of director districts of area education agencies shall not lengthen or diminish the term of office of a director of an area education agency board. Initial terms of office shall be set by the board so that as nearly as possible the terms of one-half of the members expire biennially.
8. Census changes.
a. The board of the area education agency shall redraw boundary lines of director districts in the area education agency after each census to compensate for changes in population if changes in population have taken place.
b. Where feasible, boundary lines of director districts shall coincide with the boundary lines of school districts and the boundary lines of election precincts established pursuant to sections 49.3 through 49.6.
[C97, §2833; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §4119, 4121; C46, §273.1, 273.3; C50, 54, 58, 62, §273.4, 273.5, 273.9, 273.10; C66, 71, 73, §273.4, 273.5, 273.9, 273.10, 280A.23(2); C75, 77, §273.8, 280A.23(2); C79, 81, §273.8, 280A.28, 280A.29; 82 Acts, ch 1088, §1, ch 1136, §4 – 6]
84 Acts, ch 1219, §13, 14; 85 Acts, ch 138, §4; 2003 Acts, ch 180, §19, 20; 2008 Acts, ch 1115, §7 – 9, 21; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §108; 2010 Acts, ch 1061, §180; 2017 Acts, ch 155, §5 – 7, 9, 10; 2019 Acts, ch 59, §78
Referred to in §256B.9, 273.2, 273.3, 273.21, 273.23, 273.27
Applicability of 2017 amendments, which were effective July 1, 2019, to regular school elections and to terms of office of directors of local school districts, merged areas, and area education agencies; 2017 Acts, ch 155, §9, 10