AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE CITY OF WORCESTER SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTION
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. The charter of the city of Worcester, which is on file in the office of the archivist of the commonwealth, as provided in section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is amended as set forth in this act to provide that all biennial local municipal elections for the city of Worcester school committee shall be conducted under a district and at-large system, hereinafter referred to as the hybrid system.
SECTION 2. Under the hybrid system, the city of Worcester shall be divided into 6 school committee districts of which at least 2 shall be majority-minority single member districts where Hispanic/Latino/a and Black residents together comprise a majority of the citizen voting age population. The hybrid system shall have 2 at-large seats elected by plurality voting. The district boundaries shall be drawn in consultation with an independent expert retained by the city pursuant to paragraph R contained within the terms of the October 26, 2021 consent decree in the United States District Court of Massachusetts matter of Worcester Interfaith, Inc. et. al. v. City of Worcester et. al., Case No. 4:21-cv-40015-TSH.
SECTION 3. Section 4-1 of article four of the charter of the city of Worcester, which is on file in the office of the archivist of the commonwealth, as provided in section 12 of chapter 43B of the General Laws, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
(a) Composition - The school committee shall consist of the mayor, who shall chair the committee, 6 district members and 2 members elected at-large.
SECTION 4. Said section 4-1 of said article four of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
(c) Eligibility - (1) Any voter shall be eligible to hold the office of at-large school committee member; provided, however, that the person shall have resided within the city for 1 year immediately prior to the election.
(2) Any voter shall be eligible to hold the office of a district school committee member; provided, however, that the person shall have resided within the district for 1 year immediately prior to the election.
(3) For the 2023 school committee election only, if the school committee district boundaries have not been finalized by September 1, 2022, then the date by which a person shall have been a resident of the district shall be 60 days following finalization of the school committee district boundaries.
(4) In the event that a district school committee member relocates their residence to a different district within the city during their term of office, such school committee member shall be permitted to serve the remainder of their 2-year term but shall not be eligible for reelection in the same district.
SECTION 5. Said article four of said charter is hereby further amended by striking out section 4-6 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-
Section 4-6 Vacancies.
(a) At-large school committee member -
If a vacancy shall occur amongst the 2 at-large members of the school committee, said vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as provided in section 2-10(a) for the filling of vacancies in the office of councilor-at-large, from among the candidates for election to the office of at-large school committee members at the preceding regular municipal election.
(b) District school committee member -
If a vacancy shall occur in the office of district school committee member it shall be filled in the same manner as provided in section 4-6(a) for the office of at-large school committee member, except that the list shall be of the candidates for the office of district school committee member in the district in which the vacancy occurs; provided, however, if there be no candidate on such list who remains eligible and willing to serve, the vacancy shall be filled at a special election called by the city council to be held within 90 days after the city council is notified by the board of election commissioners that the vacancy cannot be filled as aforesaid.
SECTION 6. Section 7-4 of article seven of said charter is hereby amended by striking out subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
(b) Signature requirements:-
The number of certified signatures of voters to appear on the petition accompanying the statement of a candidate for election to the office of councilor-at-large or school committee member-at-large shall be not less than 300. The number of certified signatures of voters from the district from which nomination is sought, required to appear on the petition accompanying the statement of a candidate for election to the office of district councilor or district school committee member, shall be not less than 100.
SECTION 7. Section 7-6 of said article seven of said charter is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-
(a) Number, requirements:-
(1) The board of election commissioners shall divide the city into 5 districts for the purpose of electing district councilors under Article Two. Each such district shall be compact and shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, shall be composed of contiguous existing precincts, and shall be drawn with a view toward preserving the integrity of existing neighborhoods.
(2) The board of election commissioners shall divide the city into 6 districts for the purpose of electing district school committee members under Article 4, of which at least 2 shall be majority-minority single member districts where Hispanic/Latino/a and Black residents together comprise a majority of the citizen voting age population. Each such district shall be compact and shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, shall be composed of contiguous existing precincts and shall be drawn with a view toward preserving the integrity of existing neighborhoods.
SECTION 8. The changes to the city of Worcester’s school committee electoral system as set forth in this act shall take effect for the city’s municipal elections in November of 2023.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
Approved, September 1, 2022.