HB2700 - 562R

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 3, article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 15-349, to read:

START_STATUTE15-349. Governing board members; professional development training

If the superintendent of public instruction, any county school superintendent or any school district superintendent offers professional development training relating to school district governance, each school district governing board member of each school district in this state shall complete either:

1. Eight hours or more of that professional development training.

2. A professional development training workshop. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 15-421, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE15-421. Governing boards; members; qualifications; prohibitions; candidate statements; definitions

A. The governing body of a school district shall be a governing board. There shall be three governing board members, except as otherwise provided by this section and section 15-425, subsection A.

B. The governing body of a high school district shall be a governing board composed of:

1. In a single district, the governing board members of the common school district.

2. In a union high school district, five members.

C. A person who is a registered voter of this state and who has been a resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of election is eligible for election to the office of governing board member if the person meets all of the following requirements:

1. Is a registered voter of this state and has been a resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election.

2. Has at least four years of:

(a) Postsecondary education.

(b) Experience, including experience as a paid employee, volunteer or intern, relating to any of the following:

(i) Public school finance.

(ii) Public school budgets.

(iii) School property.

(iv) Student health and safety.

(v) Student achievement.

(vi) The open meeting law.

(vii) Conflicts of interest.

(viii) Fiduciary responsibilities.

(ix) Any other experience relating to school district governance.

D. An employee of a school district, including a person who directly provides certified or classified services to the school district as an employee of a third-party contractor, or the spouse of such an employee may not hold membership on the governing board of a school district by which the employee is employed.

E. Notwithstanding subsection D of this section and title 38, chapter 3, article 8, a small school district may employ, including employment through a third-party contractor that provides services to the small school district, a substitute teacher who is related to a member of the governing board as the member's spouse or immediate family and who has had the same household of residence within the preceding four years. If a small school district employs a substitute teacher pursuant to this subsection, the member of the governing board who is related to the substitute teacher shall be recused from voting on any matter relating to substitute teachers.

F. A school district may employ, including employment through a third-party contractor that provides services to the school district, a person who served as a member of the school district's governing board during the preceding two years only in a position in which the person will provide services directly to students, including as a certificated teacher, a substitute teacher and an employee or contractor who provides transportation, instructional support or student support services. A school district may increase the time period prescribed in this subsection to be more than two years.

G. A member of one governing board is ineligible to be a candidate for nomination or election to or serve simultaneously as a member of any other governing board, except that a member of a governing board may be a candidate for nomination or election for any other governing board if the member is serving in the last year of a term of office. A member of a governing board shall resign the member's seat on the governing board before becoming a candidate for nomination or election to the governing board of any other school district, unless the member of the governing board is serving in the last year of a term of office.

H. Notwithstanding section 15-511, each county school superintendent shall publish on the superintendent's website the statement of each certified candidate for membership on a school district governing board located in the county. The county school superintendent shall list each school district on the superintendent's website from which a link shall be established to the candidate's name, which shall link to the candidate's statement and photograph. The candidate shall submit the statement to the person at the county school superintendent's office assigned to manage candidate statements, after notice of certification from the county school superintendent's office but not later than twenty-one days before the date that general election early ballots are allowed to be mailed. The person shall post each candidate's statement on the county school superintendent's website not later than fourteen days before the date that general election early ballots are allowed to be mailed. If a candidate does not submit a statement, the county school superintendent's website shall state "no response submitted" for the candidate. The candidate statements shall be posted on the website alphabetically by each school district and by candidate. The candidate statement shall be typewritten or electronically submitted. The county school superintendent shall post the statements verbatim as they are received unless a candidate requests in writing that typographical errors be corrected. The candidate statement shall contain the following items in the same size and format for each candidate:

1. A recent photograph of the candidate.

2. A statement not to exceed five hundred words.

3. A disclosure of any relationships by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree that exist between the candidate and any current governing board members or other candidates for election to the same governing board.

I. Persons related as immediate family who have the same household of residence within four years prior shall not serve simultaneously on the governing board of the same school district if the governing board is composed of five members. For a school district with a student count of at least two hundred fifty that is located in a county with a population of more than five hundred thousand persons, not more than two persons related by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree shall serve simultaneously on the governing board of the same school district if the governing board is composed of five members. A qualified elector who resides in the school district may bring an action in superior court to enforce this subsection.

J. A person related as immediate family who has the same household of residence within four years prior to a member of the governing board of the same school district is ineligible to be a candidate for nomination or election to that governing board if the governing board is composed of five members, except that a person related as immediate family who has the same household of residence within four years prior to a member of a governing board may be a candidate for nomination or election to the governing board of the same school district if the member is serving in the last year of a term of office. For a school district with a student count of at least two hundred fifty that is located in a county with a population of more than five hundred thousand persons, not more than two persons related by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree shall be eligible to be a candidate for nomination or election to a governing board that is composed of five members. A qualified elector who resides in the school district may bring an action in superior court to enforce this subsection.

K. Persons related as immediate family who have the same household of residence within four years prior are ineligible to be simultaneous candidates for nomination or election to the governing board of the same school district if the governing board is composed of five members. For a school district with a student count of at least two hundred fifty that is located in a county with a population of more than five hundred thousand persons, not more than two persons related by affinity, by consanguinity or by law to the third degree shall be simultaneous candidates for nomination or election to a governing board that is composed of five members. A qualified elector who resides in the school district may bring an action in superior court to enforce this subsection.

L. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Household of residence" means the place of abode during applicable time periods or the residence address used by an individual for voter registration or property tax purposes.

2. "Immediate family" means individuals who are married to each other and any children of those individuals.

3. "Small school district" has the same meaning prescribed in section 15-901. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Applicability; delayed repeal

A. Notwithstanding section 15-421, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, all persons serving as members of a school district governing board on the effective date of this act may continue to serve until the expiration of their normal terms.

B. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2028.