(a) A regional educational attendance area shall be operated on an areawide basis under the management and control of a regional school board.

(b) The qualified voters of the communities receiving educational services in each regional educational attendance area shall elect a regional school board of not less than five nor more than eleven members to be elected for the same term, in the same manner, and with the same qualifications as a city or borough school district board under AS 14.12. The initial number of regional school board members shall be determined by the department in consultation with the local communities in the regional educational attendance areas. However, the qualified voters in a regional educational attendance area may increase or decrease the number of regional school board members established under this section by placing the question on the ballot at a regular school board election in the manner prescribed by law. A change in the number of school board members is not effective until the next regular school board election.

(c) A regional school board shall consist of five, seven, nine or 11 members.

(d) Subject to (f) of this section, a regional school board member shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the communities receiving educational services in the entire regional educational attendance area. However, each seat on the regional school board shall be designated by letter or number, and when the declaration of candidacy or other nomination papers of a candidate for the regional school board are filed those papers must indicate the seat that the candidate seeks. A newly elected board member takes office at the first regional school board meeting after certification of the election. If no candidate files for election to a seat on the regional school board, the seat is considered vacant at the time a newly elected member would have taken office.

(e) [Repealed, § 8 ch 129 SLA 1990.]

(f) The voters residing within a regional educational attendance area may petition in accordance with AS 14.08.051(b) to have each regional school board member elected from a section of the area by the voters of that section.