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Barnes County North School District 7 board votes to send 9‑to‑7 reorganization question to voters and sets Jan. 29 election
Summary
The Barnes County North School District 7 board voted to place a reorganization question on the ballot asking voters to reduce the board from nine to seven members and approved Jan. 29 as the election date, citing tight printing and canvass deadlines.
The Barnes County North School District 7 board voted to place a reorganization question on the ballot asking voters whether the district should change its reorganization plan from a nine‑member board to a seven‑member board elected at large. A board member moved to submit the question to voters and the motion passed on a roll call vote.
The motion, presented by a board member during discussion of district reorganization options, asked: “Should the Barnes County North School District 7 change the reorganization plan from a 9 member school board election to a at large to a 7 member school board elected at large?” The board seconded the motion and approved it unanimously as recorded in the roll call.
Board members discussed timing and logistics before moving the measure, noting administrative deadlines for printing ballots and canvassing. The clerk‑like speaker outlined the timeline: if the board wanted the question on a winter ballot, the ballot would have to be printed by Dec. 20 for a Jan. 29 election, notices and precinct naming deadlines (40‑ and 35‑day windows) would have to be met, and the canvass would occur 13 days after the election.
After approving placement of the question, the board voted to set the election date for Jan. 29. Members cited conflicts with local athletics (district and regional basketball events in early February) and the practicalities of meeting statutory printing and notice deadlines when selecting Jan. 29 over Feb. 5 or Feb. 12.
Why it matters: Reducing the number of elected seats alters the district’s reorganization plan and the trajectory of future board openings and committee assignments. Board members said the change would affect how terms fall off and how many seats appear on future ballots.
Next steps: With the board’s vote to place the reorganization question on the ballot and the Jan. 29 election date set, election‑management tasks remain: finalizing ballot text, printing ballots by the stated deadline, publishing required notices, and preparing for canvassing following the election.
