Bill could limit Florida school board members to 8 years
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Voters would decide whether to limit Florida public school board members to eight years in office under a proposed constitutional amendment that has cleared a state Senate committee.
The measure by Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley was approved Wednesday by the Senate Education Committee. It must pass both houses of the Legislature by a 3/5th vote to be placed on the ballot in 2020. A House version is also moving.
The measure would bring the 358 school board members elected in Florida's 67 counties to the same term limits as the governor and Cabinet and other state elected officials. A Senate staff analysis says if the measure wins final approval, the earliest a school board member could be term limited would be 2028.
Opponents say it violates local decision-making principles.