Committee backs bill allowing spouses of school-board members to serve in very small districts with safeguards

Representative Dan Garner presented Senate Bill 1045 and asked the committee to send it to the House floor with a "do pass" recommendation. He said the bill is intended to give very small rural school districts — those with fewer than 400 students — flexibility to fill educator and classified positions when candidate pools are limited.

"We already had exceptions for small rural schools. This just tweaks it a little bit for the smallest of the rural schools which are under 400 students. There are 40 of them in the State," Garner said. Under the bill the existing restriction that required a spouse of a board member who taught to remain in a limited, category-one contract would be relaxed so a spouse could hold other categories of teaching positions or classified posts. The bill retains a requirement that the board member abstain from votes related to payroll, negotiation or discipline involving the relative or spouse.

Quinn Perry, deputy director of the School Boards Association, testified in support and explained how similar current law works for districts with 1,200 or fewer students. She told the committee that when a board member abstains on contract items the motion effectively can die if a tie results. "If they're 5 member board, they're voting on let's say the teacher contracts and that 1 member has to abstain, if there was a tie the motion would die," Perry said.

The bill includes a five-year sunset clause so the change would expire unless renewed. Representative Thais moved to send Senate Bill 1045 to the floor with a "do pass" recommendation; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and the bill will proceed to the House floor. Sponsors said Representative Garner will carry the bill on the floor.