AN ACT INCREASING THE NUMBER AND AMENDING THE METHOD OF ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF MALDEN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 24 of chapter 169 of the acts of 1881 is hereby amended by striking out the first five sentences and inserting in place thereof the following five sentences:- The school committee of the city of Malden shall consist of nine members, one of whom shall be the mayor, and one other member to be elected from each ward by and from the registered voters of that ward; but no person shall be eligible for membership on the committee who is not an inhabitant of the city. With the exception of the mayor, who shall serve commensurate with his term as mayor and until a successor is qualified, all members shall be elected to serve for two municipal years from the first Monday in January next following their election until their successors are qualified. The school committee members shall serve with such compensation as determined by municipal ordinance and the mayor shall be chairman of the committee. The committee may choose from among its members or otherwise, a secretary, to be under the direction and control of said committee, and may appoint, but not from among its members, a superintendent of the schools. The compensation of such secretary and superintendent shall be determined from year to year by the school committee and it may remove such secretary and superintendent at its pleasure.
SECTION 2. The sixth sentence of said section 24 of said chapter 169, as appearing in section 3 of chapter 255 of the acts of 1964, is hereby amended by striking out the words "a registered voter of the city" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- a registered voter of the ward.
SECTION 3. The seventh sentence of said section 24 of said chapter 169, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words "a registered voter of the city" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- a registered voter of the ward.
SECTION 4. Candidates for election to the school committee of the city of Malden shall be nominated in accordance with the requirements of chapter 53 of the General Laws; provided, however, that nomination papers of candidates for the office of ward school committee member shall be signed in the aggregate by not less than 50 voters qualified to vote in said ward in the next municipal election; and provided, further, that if a majority of the votes cast in answer to the question provided for in this act and the question provided for by chapter 264 of the acts of 1998 are both in the affirmative, the provisions of this section shall prevail with respect to the number of signatures required for nomination to the school committee.
SECTION 5. Upon the organization of the school committee elected under and in accordance with the provisions of this act, the terms of office of the members of the present school committee shall terminate and their powers and duties shall cease. The school committee elected under and in accordance with the provisions of this act shall be the lawful successors of the present school committee, and shall be entitled to all the powers and privileges conferred and subject to the duties and obligations imposed by said chapter 169 of the acts of 1881, as amended.
SECTION 6. Chapter 113 of the acts of 1908 is hereby repealed.
SECTION 7. Section 3 of chapter 155 of the acts of 1933 is hereby repealed.
SECTION 8. This act shall be submitted to qualified voters of the city of Malden at the municipal election to be held in 1999, in the form of the following question which shall be placed upon the official ballot to be used at said election: "Shall an act passed by the general court in 1998 entitled 'An Act increasing the number and amending the method of election of members of the school committee of the city of Malden', be accepted?" If a majority of the votes cast on said question is in the affirmative, this act shall take effect at the municipal election in the year 2001.