(A) The initial members of any new governing board of an educational service center established in accordance with this section shall be all of the members of the governing boards of the former educational service centers whose territory comprises the new educational service center. The initial members of any such governing board shall serve until the first Monday of January immediately following the first election of governing board members conducted under division (C) of this section.

Notwithstanding section 3313.11 of the Revised Code, that section shall not apply to the filling of any vacancy among the initial members of any governing board established in accordance with this section. Any such vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a majority vote of all the remaining members of the governing board.

(B) Prior to the next first day of April in an odd-numbered year that occurs at least ninety days after the date on which any new governing board of an educational service center is initially established in accordance with this section, the governing board or, at the governing board's option, an executive committee of the governing board appointed by the governing board shall do both of the following:

(1) Designate the number of elected members comprising all subsequent governing boards of the educational service center, which number shall be an odd number not to exceed nine.

(2) Divide the educational service center into a number of subdistricts equal to the number of governing board members designated under division (B)(1) of this section and number the subdistricts. Each subdistrict shall be as nearly equal in population as possible and shall be composed of adjacent and compact territory. To the extent possible, each subdistrict shall be composed only of territory located in one county. In addition, the subdistricts shall be bounded as far as possible by corporation lines, streets, alleys, avenues, public grounds, canals, watercourses, ward boundaries, voting precinct boundaries, or school district boundaries.

If the new governing board fails to divide the territory of the educational service center in accordance with this division, the superintendent of public instruction shall establish the subdistricts within thirty days.

(C) At the next regular municipal election following the deadline for creation of the subdistricts of an educational service center under division (B) of this section, an entire new governing board shall be elected. All members of such governing board shall be elected from those subdistricts.

(D) Within ninety days after the official announcement of the results of each successive federal decennial census, each governing board of an educational service center established in accordance with this section shall redistrict the educational service center's territory into a number of subdistricts equal to the number of board members designated under division (B)(1) of this section and number the subdistricts. Each such redistricting shall be done in accordance with the standards for subdistricts in division (B)(2) of this section. At the next regular municipal election following the announcement of the results of each such successive census, all elected governing board members shall again be elected from the subdistricts most recently created under this division.

If a governing board fails to redistrict the territory of its educational service center in accordance with this division, the superintendent of public instruction shall redistrict the service center within thirty days.

(E) All members elected pursuant to this section shall take office on the first Monday of January immediately following the election. Whenever all elected governing board members are elected at one election under division (C) or (D) of this section, the terms of each of the members elected from even-numbered subdistricts shall be for two years and the terms of each of the members elected from odd-numbered subdistricts shall be for four years. Thereafter, successors shall be elected for four-year terms in the same manner as is provided by law for the election of members of school boards except that any successor elected at a regular municipal election immediately preceding any election at which an entire new governing board is elected shall be elected for a two-year term.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 10-29-1996 .