Forum

Number of Board Members and term lengths

Posted by Bonnie Berry on July 15, 2022 at 1:09pm

Currently we have a 7 member board with terms of 5 years rotated so that 2 seats may be open in one year.  We have discussed about moving to 3 year terms or having a mix of 3 and 5 year terms.  

Would like to know if some have moved to 3 years and does that create a problem with consistency? Anyone have a mix of term lengths?  

 

Thank you 

You need to be a member of Board Officers' Forum to add comments!

Join Board Officers' Forum

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Kerry Cunningham September 18, 2022 at 6:32pm
    We have a 7 member board with 3 year terms that are staggered.
  • Michelle Jacobsen July 22, 2022 at 11:02am
    We have 5 members, all 3 year terms. We rotate 2-2-1. We like the consistency it gives our district but also the ability to bring others on board.
  • Wade Abbott July 21, 2022 at 4:54pm
    We've got 7 board members, 3 year terms. Every year we have either 2 or 3 seats up for election. Seems to work well for us. I'd say most of our board members end up serving 2-3 terms.
  • David Fenlong July 20, 2022 at 2:40pm
    We have been using a 9 member board with 3 year terms very effectively with no issues for a long period of time.
  • Paul Haggett July 16, 2022 at 11:40am
    Our board is nine members elected at-large for 5 year terms. I think the longer terms do help us maintain more consistency than if they were, say, three year terms.
  • Seth J. Blau July 16, 2022 at 9:05am
    Over the past 120+ years, my district went from a
    - 5-member Board with 3 year terms,
    - to a 5-member Board with 5-year terms,
    - to a 7-member Board with 3 year terms (by specific seat) (in 1972),
    - to a 7-member Board with 3-year (at-large) terms (in 1989)
    - back to a 7-member with 3 year terms by specific seat (since 2002).

    We have had no issues with consistency with the 3-year terms. We haven't had a Board member serve less than 12 years since the 1990s.

    I am not familiar with Boards having a mix term lengths. I'd be interested to know whether such a structure would be legally permissible under SED law/regs.
  • Tracy Young July 15, 2022 at 4:59pm
    We have a 7-member board with 3-year terms. 5 years feels like too big a commitment. Most of our members run for a second term so they are with us for 6 years. Perhaps it's more of a psychological issue with commitment?
  • Rob Curtis July 15, 2022 at 4:14pm
    We have 9 member and each term is for 3 years. I’ve been on the board for 12 years and there hasn’t been any issues of consistency by having 3 year terms.
This reply was deleted.