                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REFERENDUM TO REVERT TO APPOINTMENT BY SCHOOL BOARD SELECTION COMMISSION (§
22.1-45)

A. Upon a petition (i) filed with the circuit court of any county which has
changed the method of appointment of the members of the school board to
appointment by the governing body as a result of a referendum as provided in
this article or former &#xA7;&#xA7; 22-79.1 through 22-79.6, (ii) signed by a
number of registered voters of the county equal to fifteen per centum of the
number of votes cast in the county in the preceding presidential election, and
(iii) asking that a referendum be held on the question of changing the method of
selection of members of the county school board, the court shall, by order
entered of record, require the regular election officials on the day fixed in
such order to open the polls and take the sense of the qualified voters of the
county on the question printed on the ballot as herein provided. The clerk of
the county shall cause a notice of such referendum to be published in some
newspaper published or having a general circulation in the county once a week
for three successive weeks prior to such referendum and shall post a copy of
such notice during the same time at the front door of the courthouse of the
county. The ballots used in such referendum shall be printed as follows:
			&#8220;Shall the present method of selecting the members of the county school
board be changed from appointment by the governing body of the county to
appointment by a school board selection commission?
			Yes [ ]
			No [ ]&#8221;
			The ballots shall be counted, returns made and canvassed as in other
elections, and the results certified by the electoral board to the State Board
of Elections, the clerk of the county and the circuit court; and the court shall
enter of record the results of such referendum.

B. If the majority of the votes cast in such referendum shall be for the
proposition, a school board selection commission shall be appointed as provided
in &#xA7; 22.1-35 and the commission shall appoint the members of the county
school board and the tie breaker as provided in Article 2 (&#xA7; 22.1-34 et
seq.) of this chapter as the terms of the incumbents expire or as vacancies
otherwise occur.
			If a majority of the votes cast in such referendum are against the
proposition, the members of the school board and the tie breaker shall continue
to be appointed by the governing body as provided in this article.

HISTORY: 1980, c. 559.