No more nominating panels for regional seats; candidates could toss names in hat in advance or night of fall meetings
During its quarterly meeting last weekend, the KSBA Board of Directors completed one set of amendments to the association’s bylaws, and then adopted an additional change designed to encourage more members to seek election to the board as regional chairpersons.
The first general update of the association’s bylaws since 2008 was submitted to the general membership in March and ratified at the March 30 board meeting. Many of those changes were of a routine housekeeping nature, but some fundamentally changed the election process for officer and director-at-large positions. The most significant of those were:
* The nominating committee for officer and director-at-large openings essentially becomes a selection committee, considering all self-nominated candidates; attempting to ensure a proportional geographic, size and county/independent makeup of the board; and then submitting a slate of candidates to be approved by board members who attend the association business meeting as part of each annual conference.
* Candidates may run for only one office in future elections and no more than one member of an individual board of education may serve on the KSBA board at the same time.
* No director-at-large may serve more than six (6) years or a maximum of two full three-year terms.
An additional bylaws amendment relating to the regional chairperson nominating process could become a moot issue, as the board resolved to make an additional change to further open up that election process.
KSBA President Tom Blankenship proposed, and the board unanimously adopted, a bylaws amendment that would eliminate the nominating committee for regional chairperson elections, starting in 2013 (there are no regional chairperson slots up for election this year).
Under Blankenship’s amendment, any eligible local board member would put her or his name into contention for a regional chairperson’s seat in advance of, or from the floor on the night of, the KSBA Fall Regional Meeting with an election. All candidates would be given time to address the board members in attendance and the election would follow.
Blankenship said he feels eliminating the regional nominating committee would ensure that all interested members would have an opportunity to offer themselves for service on the association’s board through the 12 regional chairperson positions. In the past, most regional chairperson elections have attracted only a single candidate, but there have been several contested elections in the 2010 and 2011 cycles.
The recommended bylaws amendment now will be sent to all members for consideration and comment at least 30 days before the KSBA board’s June meeting, at which time it will be considered for final ratification.
Photo above: KSBA Executive Director Bill Scott (standing) and Eastern Kentucky South Regional Chairperson Frank McGuire of Pike County review an agenda item during the KSBA Board of Director's spring meeting March 30.