H*3593(Rat #0393, Act #0591 of 1984)  General Bill, By G.W. Dukes
 A Bill to provide that the members of the Board of Trustees of School District
 3 of Dorchester County must be elected rather than appointed and to provide
 for the manner in which such Trustees must be elected.

   02/29/84  House  Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
                     without reference HJ-1127
   03/01/84  House  Read second time HJ-1206
   03/06/84  House  Debate adjourned HJ-1243
   03/07/84  House  Debate adjourned until Tuesday, March 13, 1984 HJ-127
   03/13/84  House  Debate adjourned HJ-1438
   03/14/84  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-1464
   03/14/84  Senate  Intd. & placed on loc. & uncontested cal. w/o
                     referenc SJ-1001
   04/05/84  Senate Read second time SJ-1338
   04/06/84  Senate Read third time and enrolled SJ-1356
   04/18/84         Ratified R 393
   04/20/84         Signed By Governor
   04/20/84         Effective date 04/20/84
   04/20/84         Act No. 591
   04/26/84         Copies available

AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF SCHOOL DISTRICT 3 OF DORCHESTER COUNTY MUST BE ELECTED RATHER THAN APPOINTED AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER IN WHICH SUCH TRUSTEES MUST BE ELECTED.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Election of trustees

SECTION 1. (a) On January 1, 1985, the Dorchester County Board of Education shall no longer appoint the trustees of Dorchester County School District No. 3 and the trustees must be elected as follows:

(b) Beginning January 1, 1985, the board of trustees of Dorchester County School District No. 3 shall consist of seven members who must be residents of the district they represent and who must be elected at large by the qualified electors of the district. Members of the board must be elected in a nonpartisan election conducted by the county election commission at the time of the 1984 general election. The seven candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected. The four elected members of the board receiving the highest vote shall serve terms of four years and the three elected members receiving the next highest vote shall serve initial terms of two years each. Thereafter, their successors must be elected in nonpartisan elections held at the time of the general election every two years, as terms expire, for terms of four years but in no case shall any trustee serve more than two successive four-year terms. All members of the board shall serve until their successors are elected and qualify. Vacancies on the board must be filled by the district board of trustees by majority vote until the next scheduled election at which time a successor must be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term. All persons desiring to qualify as a candidate and be elected to the board or as chairman shall file written notice of candidacy with the county election commission at least thirty days before the date set for the election but not earlier than sixty days prior to the election. The notice of candidacy must be a sworn statement and shall include the candidate's name, age, voting precinct, single-member election district in which such candidate resides, period of residence in such election district, and such other information as the county election commission shall require.

The county commissioners of election shall conduct and supervise all elections for members of the board in the manner governed by the election laws of this State, mutatis mutandi. The commissioners shall prepare the necessary ballots, appoint managers for the voting precincts, and do all things necessary to carry out such elections, including the counting of ballots and declaring the results. The commissioners shall advertise the date of such election sixty days preceding the election in a newspaper of general circulation published in Dorchester County and shall publish a second notice two weeks thereafter.

A separate, nonpartisan ballot must be used for the election of the board. It shall comply substantially with the provisions of Article 3 of Chapter 13 of Title 7 of the 1976 Code, mutatis mutandi. The expenses of the election must be borne by the county.

(c) The board shall hold at least one regular meeting each month and such other meetings as may be necessary upon the call of the chairman or a majority of the board members. All regular meetings must be open to the public. The board shall elect annually from its membership a chairman and a vice-chairman and shall appoint a secretary who shall keep minutes of all meetings and file them in permanent record. The members of the board shall receive an annual compensation of three thousand six hundred dollars payable in monthly installments.

(d) The elected members of the board of trustees shall take office on the first day of January immediately following their election. The members of the board of trustees serving in office on the effective date of this act shall continue to serve until January 1, 1985, at which time their successors elected in the manner prescribed herein shall take office.

Time effective

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.