Governor Signs Bill to Move All School Elections to November

Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill this week that amends the Michigan Election Law to require school board elections to coincide with general November elections.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, election of all school board candidates must take place in November of even-numbered years to coincide with local, state and federal general elections.

Because the terms of four West Bloomfield School Board members were set to expire in odd-numbered years, the new legislation automatically extended them until the end of the following even-numbered year to ensure they were in compliance.

West Bloomfield Schools confirmed Friday that Randi Sakwa (term ending 2015), secretary Raman Singh (2015), treasurer Nick Hersh (2017) and trustee-elect Carol Finkelstein (2017) are now due to have their terms extended to the following even-number year.

Calls to the four were not immediately returned; Superintendent JoAnn Andrees was unavailable for comment.

Is it unclear whether or not the extra year is a dealbreaker for any school board member, in other words, whether they would resign at the end of their six-year term or hang on for the full seven years.

Supporters of the election change say the law will help boost voter turnout for school elections, which are historically lower than general elections. The most recent November election saw a 19 percent voter turnout rate.

"Utilizing a standard election cycle will cut administrative costs and help schools maintain focus on educating students," Snyder said in a press release Tuesday. "This change also allows for more consolidated elections so voters have the best opportunity to make their voices heard."

The Michigan Education Association released a statement opposing HB 4005.

“What these new laws really do is again strip school boards of local control and make school board elections more political, with school district business being lost in other issues,” the statement said.

Township Clerk Catherine Shaughnessy was unavailable for comment.