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Committee moves to print bill letting very small districts employ trustees' spouses with recusal limits
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to print RS 32‑057, a proposal to allow school districts with 400 or fewer students to hire a trustee's spouse, with recusal rules and a five‑year sunset; the measure would not apply to charter schools and is estimated to affect roughly 40 districts.
The Senate Education Committee voted to print RS 32‑057, a proposal to let very small school districts hire the spouse of a trustee while the trustee remains on the board.
Senator Shippey, who presented the proposal, said the bill is intended “to pilot a flexible process by which a small school district, specifically those with a fall student enrollment of 400 or less, could employ the spouse of 1 of their trustees” because it can be difficult in small communities to fill both board and staff vacancies. He told the committee the bill would allow a spouse hired as a teacher or pupil‑services staffer to maintain contract status and would remove the requirement that a district post the position for 60 days every year before rehiring that teacher.
The proposal includes a requirement that board members recuse themselves from “any conversations about discipline, pay, or other issues” involving the employed spouse, and it contains a five‑year sunset so the pilot can be evaluated. Shippey said the request came from a constituent in Midvale, Idaho, and would not apply to public charter schools because, he said, charter boards are not directly accountable to electors. He estimated the exception would apply to roughly 40 school districts.
Senator Ward Engelking moved to print RS 32‑057; the motion was seconded and advanced on a voice vote with no roll call recorded.
No formal hearing was held on the measure at the time of the committee action; the committee chair said staff would follow up to schedule a full hearing.
Ending: The committee recorded a motion to print the bill, setting RS 32‑057 up for further consideration and a full hearing to be scheduled later. No formal changes to law were enacted at the meeting.
