Sec. 411a.

(1) This section applies to a first class school district only if the question under section 410 is not approved in the first class school district.

(2) Four members of the board of a first class school district shall be elected at large. The following provisions apply to the terms, nomination, and election of the at large members of the board of a school district organized as a first class school district:

(a) Four members shall be elected for a term of 4 years at the general election to be held in the next November after the question under section 410 is presented to the school electors of the first class school district and every 4 years after that November.

(b) Each candidate shall be nominated at a primary held in conjunction with the preceding primary election conducted pursuant to section 534 of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.534. The nominating petitions shall contain not less than 500 or more than 1,000 signatures of registered school electors of the city in which the first class school district is located; shall meet the requirements of section 544c of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.544c; and shall be filed with the clerk of the city in which the first class school district is located on or before 4 p.m. of the twelfth Tuesday before the primary election. The city clerk may compare the signatures on the petitions with the signatures appearing on the registration records, or in some other proper manner determine whether the signatures appearing on the petition are genuine and comply with the requirements of this section. With the petitions, a candidate shall file an affidavit as provided in section 558 of the Michigan election law, 1954 PA 116, MCL 168.558. The clerk of the city shall notify the county clerk of the name and address of each candidate not later than 3 days after the last day for candidate withdrawal. However, if the third day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the notice may be made on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.

(c) Each member shall commence his or her term of office on January 1 following his or her election.

(3) The board of a first class school district shall elect its officers during the month of January following the election of board members. The president of the board shall be a member of the board, and the duties of the president shall be determined by the board.

(4) A board member of a first class school district who is recalled may be a candidate for the same office at the next election for an office at which the recalled member is otherwise eligible.

(5) The term of office of each board member serving in a school district that becomes a first class school district after April 15, 2004 expires on the next succeeding December 31 of an even numbered year, except that if the school district becomes a first class school district later than April 1 of an even numbered year, the term of office of each board member expires on December 31 of the next succeeding even numbered year after the year in which the district became a first class school district. For a district becoming a first class school district after April 15, 2004, 4 school board members shall be elected in the general election of the even numbered year in which the terms of office expire, and the 4 school board members elected shall commence 4-year terms on January 1 of the odd numbered year following the general election.

(6) If a vacancy occurs on the first class school district board from among the at large members, the vacancy shall be filled by majority vote of the remaining first class school district board members at a meeting called by the president of the board for that purpose. If a person is appointed to fill a vacancy for which the unexpired term is more than 1 year and 8 months, that person shall serve until January 1 following the next general election. At that first general election the vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term. A vacancy shall not be filled later than 60 days before a primary election at which at large board members are to be nominated.

(7) A candidate for the office of board member at large or a person appointed to fill a vacancy on the board pursuant to subsection (6) shall be 18 years of age or older at the time of his or her election or appointment and shall be a registered school elector residing in the first class school district in which the person becomes a candidate or which the person is appointed to represent. If an at large member's residence is moved from the first class school district during the at large member's term of office, it constitutes a vacating of office.

History: Add. 1981, Act 96, Eff. Mar. 15, 1982 ;-- Am. 1982, Act 71, Imd. Eff. Apr. 14, 1982 ;-- Am. 1984, Act 322, Eff. Dec. 28, 1984 ;-- Am. 1989, Act 268, Eff. Feb. 12, 1990 ;-- Am. 2004, Act 303, Imd. Eff. Aug. 10, 2004 ;-- Am. 2007, Act 29, Imd. Eff. June 28, 2007 Popular Name: Act 451