119.06 Initial establishment of board.

(1) Members of a school board in existence in a city immediately prior to the date on which such city becomes a city of the 1st class shall continue to hold office and shall exercise all of the rights and privileges and discharge the duties of members of the board until their successors appointed under sub. (2) are appointed and qualified.

(2) Within 120 days after the date on which a city becomes a 1st class city, the mayor, the city treasurer, the city comptroller, the city attorney and the president of the common council of that city, acting as a commission for the city, shall meet and appoint a board of one at-large member and 8 members from election districts numbered and designated by the common council. The election districts shall be substantially equal in population and the boundaries of the election districts shall be drawn so as to reflect a balanced representation of citizens of all areas within the city. The person appointed to represent an election district shall reside within the boundaries of the election district as determined by the common council under this subsection.

(3) The terms of members first appointed to the board by the commission shall be as follows:

(a) The at-large member and 4 of the combined aldermanic district members shall serve for a term beginning on the 4th Monday of the month next following their appointment and expiring on the 4th Monday in April in the 2nd year following the year in which a city becomes a city of the 1st class.

(b) Four of the combined aldermanic district members shall serve for a term beginning on the 4th Monday of the month next following their appointment and expiring on the 4th Monday in April in the 4th year following the year in which a city becomes a city of the 1st class.

(4)

(a) Within 90 days after the board members appointed by the commission under sub. (2) have taken office, the common council of the city may, by resolution adopted by a majority of its members-elect, call a special election to elect successors to the board members so appointed. Such resolution shall be introduced at a regular meeting of the common council. No action may be taken on the resolution until the next regular meeting of the common council and until the resolution has been published as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, together with a notice of the time when the resolution will be considered by the common council.

(b) The board members elected at the special election shall be nominated and elected to succeed the board members appointed for the terms expiring under sub. (3) (a) and (b) and for the same terms. The terms of office of the board members elected at the special election shall begin on the 4th Monday following the election.

(c) Candidates for the board at the special election shall be nominated in the same manner as for the spring election.

(d) The special election shall be held at the polling places and shall be conducted in the manner of and by the election officials for the spring election.

(5) The board first appointed under sub. (2) or first elected at a special election under sub. (4) shall hold an organizational meeting under s. 119.10 (2) on the 4th Monday of the month, or the next day if the 4th Monday is a legal holiday, following their appointment or election, and annually thereafter shall meet in accordance with s. 119.10 (2).

(6) Successors to board members appointed under sub. (3) or elected under sub. (4) shall be elected at the spring election immediately preceding the expiration of the terms of such board members and shall serve for 4-year terms.

(7) This chapter does not affect the term of office or employment of any person serving in any capacity by virtue of an appointment or contract of employment made by the school board in a city prior to the date on which a city becomes a city of the 1st class, but such person shall continue to serve in the same capacity under the board for the term for which the person was so appointed or employed, unless removed from such office or employment for the causes and in the manner provided in this chapter.

History: 1977 c. 445; 1983 a. 484; 1989 a. 290; 1993 a. 492.