1. In all urban districts containing the greater part of the population of a city which has more than three hundred thousand inhabitants, the election authority of the city in which the greater portion of the school district lies, and of the county if the district includes territory not within the city limits, shall serve ex officio as a redistricting commission. The commission shall on or before November 1, 2018, divide the school district into five subdistricts, all subdistricts being of compact and contiguous territory and as nearly equal in the number of inhabitants as practicable and thereafter the board shall redistrict the district into subdivisions as soon as practicable after each United States decennial census. In establishing the subdistricts each member shall have one vote and a majority vote of the total membership of the commission is required to make effective any action of the commission.

2. School elections for the election of directors shall be held on municipal election days in 2014 and 2016. At the election in 2014, directors shall be elected to hold office until 2019 and until their successors are elected and qualified. At the election in 2016, directors shall be elected until 2019 and until their successors are elected and qualified. Beginning in 2019, school elections for the election of directors shall be held on the local election date as specified in the charter of a home rule city with more than four hundred thousand inhabitants and located in more than one county. Beginning at the election for school directors in 2019, the number of directors on the board shall be reduced from nine to seven. Two directors shall be at-large directors and five directors shall represent the subdistricts, with one director from each of the subdistricts. At the 2019 election, one of the at-large directors and the directors from subdistricts one, three, and five shall be elected for a two-year term, and the other at-large director and the directors from subdistricts two and four shall be elected for a four-year term. Thereafter, all seven directors shall serve a four-year term. Directors shall serve until the next election and until their successors, then elected, are duly qualified as provided in this section. In addition to other qualifications prescribed by law, each member elected from a subdistrict shall be a resident of the subdistrict from which he or she is elected. The subdistricts shall be numbered from one to five.

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3. The five candidates, one from each of the subdistricts, who receive a plurality of the votes cast by the voters of that subdistrict and the at-large candidates receiving a plurality of the at-large votes shall be elected. The name of no candidate for nomination shall be printed on the ballot unless the candidate has at least sixty days prior to the election filed a declaration of candidacy with the secretary of the board of directors containing the signatures of at least two hundred fifty registered voters who are residents of the subdistrict within which the candidate for nomination to a subdistrict office resides, and in case of at-large candidates the signatures of at least five hundred registered voters. The election authority shall determine the validity of all signatures on declarations of candidacy.

4. In any election either for at-large candidates or candidates elected by the voters of subdistricts, if there are more than two candidates, a majority of the votes are not required to elect but the candidate having a plurality of the votes shall be elected.

5. The names of all candidates shall appear upon the ballot without party designation and in the order of the priority of the times of filing their petitions of nomination. No candidate may file both at large and from a subdistrict and the names of all candidates shall appear only once on the ballot, nor may any candidate file more than one declaration of candidacy. All declarations shall designate the candidate’s residence and whether the candidate is filing at large or from a subdistrict and the numerical designation of the subdistrict or at-large area.

6. The provisions of all sections relating to seven-director school districts shall also apply to and govern urban districts in cities of more than three hundred thousand inhabitants, to the extent applicable and not in conflict with the provisions of those sections specifically relating to such urban districts.

7. Vacancies which occur on the school board between the dates of election shall be filled by special election if such vacancy happens more than six months prior to the time of holding an election as provided in subsection 2 of this section. The state board of education shall order a special election to fill such a vacancy. A letter from the commissioner of education, delivered by certified mail to the election authority or authorities that would normally conduct an election for school board members shall be the authority for the election authority or authorities to proceed with election procedures. If a vacancy occurs less than six months prior to the time of holding an election as provided in subsection 2 of this section, no special election shall occur and the vacancy shall be filled at the next election day on which local elections are held as specified in the charter of any home rule city with more than four hundred thousand inhabitants and located in more than one county.