Citizen petition at annual meeting will convert four school-board seats to at-large over time; council members voice representation concerns

The superintendent told the committee a citizen petition presented at the district annual meeting passed by a vote she reported as 60–46, and it will gradually convert four of the nine school-board seats to at-large positions while guaranteeing one representative from each of the five geographic areas.

Council members raised concerns that the change could reduce Middleton’s share of representation because the city now holds more seats under the current geography-tethered system. “This dilutes the city of Middleton’s representation,” one council member said during the discussion, reflecting the worried comments heard during the annual meeting.

District staff said the petition did not include an implementation “how-to,” so the board’s legislative engagement committee will draft rules to clarify how the at-large seats are phased in and how candidate eligibility will be handled. Staff also reminded the public that the configuration change can be revisited in a later annual meeting if the community pursues another petition.

Next steps: the board’s committee will prepare rules and guidance for the transition and the district will provide outreach so voters and potential candidates understand the new election structure.