The Idaho Senate, which is back on the floor this afternoon, has voted 22-11 in favor of SB 1280, Sen. Mary Souza’s bill to move school board elections to November of odd-numbered years, the same time as city elections. The bill now moves to the House side.

Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, has been working on the bill for three years; she originally proposed moving school board elections to the November general election in even-numbered years – the same time as partisan elections for president, governor, the state Legislature and more. But school board members both in Coeur d’Alene and across the state strongly opposed having their non-partisan elections moved into that mix.

This year, Souza proposed a compromise she reached with the Idaho School Boards Association – moving the elections to the November general election date in odd-numbered years, which is when Idaho holds non-partisan city elections. She said the move is designed tin increase vote turnout and citizen involvement in school districts. Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Souza, said his local school board went through difficulties after a low-turnout May election. “I fully expect to see less turmoil in my school dist, and we’ve had some,” he said.

Sen. Michelle Stennett, D-Ketchum, spoke out against the bill, saying county clerks are telling her it’ll cause difficulties resolving school district trustee zone lines and city voter precinct lines. And Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, the Senate transportation chairman, said it’d leave highway district elections hanging on their own, in some cases, decreasing turnout in them. “I really don’t think in an effort to solve one problem we should create another one,” he said. “Highway districts spend millions of dollars too.”

Souza said she’s confident county clerks can handle the changes. “What I’m asking you to do is to keep your eye on the prize, and the prize is our children,” she said.

The bill still needs House passage and the governor’s signature to become law.

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