SB 702 - This act revises the election of the Board of Directors of St. Louis Public Schools.

Current law requires a candidate be a citizen and resident for at least three years prior to the election. The act requires a candidate to be a citizen and resident and resident of the subdistrict for at least one year preceding election.

Current law provides that board members in office on August 28, 1998 shall hold office for the full term for which they were elected, and appointed replacement members shall serve the remainder of such term. The act revises this to apply to board members in office on August 28, 2000. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the Mayor of St. Louis City, and the act requires that the appointee be a resident of the subdistrict of the vacant office.

Current law provides for a transition from the former 12- member board to a 7-member board elected from subdistricts. The act specifies that the three members to be elected in the 2001 board election shall be from the even-numbered subdistricts and the four members elected in the 2003 board election shall be from the odd-numbered subdistricts.

Current law specifies the wards contained in each subdistrict. The act provides that if the total number of wards changes, wards in a subdistrict become separated or the wards are no longer as nearly equal in population as practicable upon redistricting following the decennial census, the subdistricts shall be redrawn by the State Board of Education.

This act is similar to SB 752 from 2000.
OTTO FAJEN