Sec. 130.088. BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF CERTAIN JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICTS. (a) If an independent school district board that has control and management of a junior college district that contains all or part of a city with a population of more than 1,500,000 divests itself of control and management under Section 130.016 or 130.017 of this code, the appointment and election of trustees of the junior college district are subject to Sections 130.018 and 130.082 of this code, except as otherwise provided by this section.

(b) The board of trustees consists of nine members elected from trustee districts.

(c) If the board of trustees of the independent school district that divests itself of management and control of the junior college district is elected from nine single-member districts, the trustees appointed for the junior college district shall have the same initial single-member district boundaries. For the initial board members of the junior college district appointed by the independent school district board of trustees, three members shall serve terms of two years, three members shall serve terms of four years, and three members shall serve terms of six years. The trustees shall draw lots to determine the length of their terms. The terms of the initial board members shall expire on the last day of December of the odd-numbered year that does not exceed their terms.

(d) Each trustee district must be compact and contiguous and of a population to the extent practicable equal to other trustee districts.

(e) The general election for trustees shall be held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of the odd-numbered year or on the uniform election date chosen by the prior board under prior law.

(f) The board of trustees of the independent school district shall designate a number for each trustee district. At each election candidates are voted on and elected separately for each trustee district, and a candidate's name is placed on the official ballot according to the number of the district for which the candidate is running.

(g) The voters of each trustee district elect one trustee.

(h) If a trustee changes residence to a location outside the district from which the trustee is elected, the trustee vacates the office. Except as provided by Subsection (i) of this section, a district boundary change that results in the trustee who represents the district no longer being a resident of the district does not affect the trustee's term. That trustee serves for the remainder of the term to which elected. If the trustee changes residence to a location that is neither in the district as it existed on the date the trustee was elected to the current term nor in the new district, the trustee's seat on the board is vacated.

(i) If a change in district boundaries occurs as a result of redistricting and places the residence of a trustee whose office is not next up for election outside the numbered district for which the trustee was elected and the trustee fails to move his residence within the new boundaries of that numbered district before the 75th day preceding the date of the first election for which the boundary changes are effective, the office is vacated and shall be filled at that election.

(j) If new territory is added to the district, the board shall temporarily assign the territory to one or more trustee districts as appropriate. Not later than the 180th day after the publication of a federal census, the board shall revise district boundaries to take account of district population changes.

(k) To be entitled to a place on the ballot, a candidate for trustee must file an application for a place on the ballot with the board secretary not later than 5 p.m. of the 45th day before election day. An application may not be filed earlier than the 30th day before the date of the filing deadline.

(l) To be elected, a trustee candidate must receive a majority of the total number of votes received by all the candidates for the position. If no candidate receives the vote required for election to a position, the board shall order a runoff election to be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Election Code.

(m) Trustees serve for six-year staggered terms. The terms of three members expire on the last day of December of each odd-numbered year.

(n) The board shall fill by appointment a board vacancy. The remaining members of the board, not later than the 30th day after the date on which the vacancy occurs, shall select a suitable person who resides in the applicable district to fill the board vacancy until the next regular trustee election. If the board for any reason fails or refuses to appoint a person to fill the board vacancy, the board shall order an election for the purpose of filling the vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term. The election shall be held on the next uniform election date provided by the Election Code as long as that date does not occur before the 90th day after the date on which the vacancy occurs.

Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 556, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.