SCHOOL ELECTIONS - S.B. 207: FLOOR ANALYSIS

Senate Bill 207 (as reported without amendment)

Sponsor: Senator George A. McManus, Jr.

Committee: Government Operations

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to place in the Election Law provisions for conducting school elections, including provisions regarding the canvassing of school elections by local officials, filling vacancies on a school board, and submitting election questions to a district's voters; limit the dates upon which school elections could be held; and prescribe the payments that school districts would have to make to local units for conducting a school election.

The bill would recodify in the Michigan Election Law several provisions proposed to be repealed from the School Code (by Senate Bill 202), regarding school district elections. The bill states that the provisions of the Election Law applicable to the conduct of elections would have to apply "as near as possible in all respects" to a general or special election conducted under the bill, unless otherwise specifically provided. Further, the bill would require that at least one school board member in each school district be elected in each "November school election".

The bill would require a school board to submit a question to the vote of the district's electors upon the receipt of petitions signed by 5% or more of the registered electors of the district, but not less than 25 electors. Further, the bill would allow a school board to submit a question to a vote of the electors. Upon a decision to submit a question to a vote of the electors, or a determination by the school board that a petition met the lawful signature requirements, the question would have to be submitted at a special election held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in April, in August, or in November. If a school board called a special election to submit a question to the electors, the school district would have to pay to each county, city, and township conducting the election an amount determined as prescribed in the bill.

Proposed MCL 168.17 et al. - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne

FISCAL IMPACT

Senate Bills 207 and 224 would have no fiscal impact on State government.

The bills could result in savings to school districts by requiring school board elections to take place at November general elections and coordinating special school elections with local units of government. Savings would depend on agreements between local units of government and school boards on what constituted valid costs of conducting elections compared with costs under the current system. Senate Bill 207 provides that if a special school election called by a school board were not held in conjunction with any other election held in the county, city, or township, the school district would have to pay 105% of the actual costs of conducting the election.

There are 555 K-12 school districts and 57 intermediate school districts in Michigan. There were 1,074 school millage elections in 1994 and 641 school millage elections in 1995.

Date Completed: 11-24-97 - Fiscal Analyst: E. Pratt, B. Bowerman

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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.