Albany MEASURE S1 2016

School Board Term Limits

Simple majority vote required

The Question:  Shall the Albany City Charter be amended to remove term limits for the Albany Unified School District School Board of Education Members, this provision to take effect on January 1, 2023?

The Situation:   The Albany Unified School District is governed by a Board of Education consisting of five members elected by the voters. Board members normally are elected to four-year terms. Currently, the Charter provides that any person who has been elected to two successive terms as a member of the Board of Education is not eligible to serve again as a Board member until a period of two years has elapsed after the end of that person’s second term..

The Proposal:  This measure would remove this limitation on the number of consecutive terms an individual could serve as a member of the Board of Education

Fiscal Effect:   Unknown

Supporters Say:   

  • School board term limits create an impediment to positive high-impact governance. Even a short “sabbatical” of two years can cause a gap in historical perspective and can destabilize an otherwise focused governance team.
  • Research indicates that the educational effectiveness of a school system depends on continuity of service—not total length of service—of the governance team.

Opponents Say: 

  • The desire of current school board members to eliminate term limits is based on a misunderstanding of how our term limits work. School board members are eligible to serve an unlimited number of four-year terms. All that is required is that they take a break of at least two years after every eight years of consecutive service. A break every eight years has real benefits. It creates openings for new board members
  • During the 41 years since Albany voters approved term limits, the school district has achieved a well-deserved reputation for excellence.
  • Our current term limits are working well. They should be retained.

A “Yes” vote means:  A “Yes” vote is a vote in favor of removing term limits for Board of Education Members.

A “No” vote means:  A “No” vote is a vote against removing those term limits.