GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

1987 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 890

SENATE BILL 1600

 

AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE MANNER OF ELECTION OF THE NEW ROWAN-SALISBURY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  A PLAN FOR MERGER OF THE ROWAN COUNTY SCHOOL AND THE SALISBURY CITY SCHOOLS, as approved by the State Board of Education on December 3, 1987, and filed with the Secretary of State in accordance with G.S. 115C-67 on December 21, 1987, is amended as provided in Section 2 of this act.

Sec. 2.  Article V of A PLAN FOR MERGER OF THE ROWAN COUNTY SCHOOL AND THE SALISBURY CITY SCHOOLS reads as rewritten:

"V.       Governing Board of Merged School District:

A.        Interim Board of Education  -  An interim Board of Education will serve from July 1, 1989, until the first Monday in December, 1990.  The interim board will be composed of nine (9) members, including all five (5) members of the then existing Rowan County School Board in office at the termination of that board together with four (4) members from the then existing City School Board.  It is intended that the interim board will be governed by and limited to guidelines established by the two Boards of Education.  The City School Board will select four of its members to so serve.  If any vacancy occurs on the Interim Board of Education, during the period beginning July 1, 1989, and ending on the termination of the Interim Board of Education, in one of the positions initially filled by persons from the Rowan County Board of Education, the remaining members of the Interim Board of Education holding seats initially filled by members of the Rowan County Board of Education shall choose some person to fill the vacancy until the termination of the Interim Board.  If any vacancy occurs during the period beginning July 1, 1989, and ending on the termination of the Interim Board of Education in one of the positions initially filled by persons from the Salisbury City Board of Education, the remaining members of the Interim Board of Education holding one of the four seats subject to initial appointment by the Salisbury City Board of Education shall choose some person to fill the vacancy until the termination of the Interim Board.

B.        First Elected Board - A non-partisan election as provided in Chapter 163 of the North Carolina General Statutes will be held during November 1990 at the same time county officers are elected in accordance with G.S. 163-1 in 1990 to elect a seven (7) member Board of Education whose terms will commence on the first Monday in December, 1990. Candidates shall file with the Rowan County Board of Elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the sixteenth Friday and no later than 12:00 noon on the twelfth Friday before the general election, a notice of candidacy which shall give the candidate's name, address, place of residence and a statement that he desires to be a candidate for membership on the said Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education for the seat for the district in which he resides, or the at-large position for which the candidate is eligible, except in the case of residents of the Salisbury High School Attendance Zone, for the combined election for seats 5 and 6. The results shall be determined on a plurality basis in accordance with G.S. 163-292.  One (1) member will be elected from each of the five (5) high school attendance zones, and two (2) members will be elected at large as follows:

 

Seat No.                             Term               School Attendance Zone

 

1                                         4 years            North Rowan High School

2                                         4 years            South Rowan High School

4                                         4 years            West Rowan High School

6                                         4 years            At-large (guaranteed to Salisbury High School Attendance Zone for one term)

3                                         2 years            East Rowan High School

5                                         2 years            Salisbury High School

7                                         2 years            At-large (The two at-large seat holders must reside in different high school zones.)

 

            In the initial election, only persons who are residents of the Salisbury High School Attendance Zone may be candidates for seat 6.  In the initial election, only persons who are residents of Rowan County but who reside outside the Salisbury High School Attendance Zone may be candidates for seat 7.  In each of the other districts, only a person who is a resident of the attendance zone specified for a particular seat may be a candidate for that seat.  Each seat shall appear separately on the ballot, but all the qualified voters of the entire county are eligible to vote on all the seats. In the initial election only, the election for seats 5 and 6 shall be combined.  The person receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected for a four-year term to seat 6, and the person receiving the next highest number of votes shall be elected for a two-year term to seat 5.

            [The terms for seats 3, 5, and 7 will be four (4) years after expiration of the initial two (2) year terms.]

C.        Permanent Board of Education - At the expiration of the terms of the at-large seats on the initially elected Board of Education, those at-large seats will lose all district designation.  However, no more than two (2) members of the Board from the same high school attendance zone will serve on the Board at any one time.  In subsequent elections for the district 6 seat, only persons who are residents of Rowan County who live outside the attendance zone of the person holding the district 7 seat may be candidates.  In subsequent elections for the district 7 seat, only persons who are residents of Rowan County who live outside the attendance zone of the person holding the district 6 seat may be candidates.  In each of the other districts, only a person who is a resident of the attendance zone specified for a particular seat may be a candidate for that seat.  Each seat shall appear separately on the ballot, but all the qualified voters of the entire county are eligible to vote on all the seats. All terms for the permanent Board will be four (4) years with elections to be held on a non-partisan basis as provided in Chapter 163 of the North Carolina General Statutes, with the election held on the date for election of county officers as provided by G.S. 163-1 and the results determined by a plurality basis in accordance with G.S. 163-192. Candidates shall file with the Rowan County Board of Elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the sixteenth Friday and no later than 12:00 noon on the twelfth Friday before the general election, a notice of candidacy which shall give the candidate's name, address, place of residence and a statement that he desires to be a candidate for membership on the said Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education for the seat for the district in which he resides, or the at-large position for which the candidate is eligible.

D.        Organizational Matters - The interim, the first elected, and the permanent Board of Education described above shall be organized as provided in G.S. §115C-41 G.S. 115C-41 with vacancies to be filled as provided in G.S. §115C-37 G.S. 115C-37 and with members to be compensated as provided in G.S. §115C-38 G.S. 115C-38, except that a vacancy in an at-large seat shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term.  A vacancy in an at-large seat shall be filled by the appointment of a person who resides in the same attendance zone as that of the vacating member. A change in the boundaries of attendance zones shall not affect the ability of any person to complete their term of office.

E.         Effective at the end of June 30, 1989, the Rowan County Board of Education and the Salisbury City Board of Education are abolished."

Sec. 3.  This act is effective upon ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 17th day of June, 1988.