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Bill would let small Minnesota districts ask voters to reduce school board size to five members
Summary
Senate File 3963 would allow districts with 1,000 or fewer students to ask voters whether to change from a six-member board to a five-member board; supporters argued the change provides practical flexibility for rural districts that struggle to recruit candidates. The committee laid the bill over for potential omnibus inclusion.
Senate File 3963, presented March 9 to the Senate Education Policy Committee, would permit school districts with 1,000 or fewer students to ask voters whether their board should consist of five members instead of the current six-member statutory requirement.
Sponsor Senator Hostile said the measure responds to practical realities in small rural districts where recruiting candidates to fill six seats can be difficult. Superintendents and school-board members testified in support: Chris Lindholm (Cook County Schools superintendent) and Joe Martins (school board member) described small-district recruiting challenges and said a voter-driven option would be a local-control solution.
The Minnesota School Boards Association representatives also testified in favor, saying the bill preserves local choice and includes transition provisions for implementation. The committee laid SF 3963 over for possible inclusion in a future omnibus education bill.
