20-3-321. Organization and officers. (1) The trustees of each district shall annually organize as a governing board of the district after the regular school election day and after the issuance of the election certificates to the newly elected trustees, but not later than 25 days after the election. In order to organize, the trustees of the district must be given notice of the time and place where the organization meeting will be held, and at the meeting they shall choose one of their number as the presiding officer. In addition, except for the trustees of a high school district operating a county high school, the trustees shall employ and appoint a competent person, who is not a member of the trustees, as the clerk of the district. The trustees of a high school district operating a county high school shall appoint a secretary, who must be a member of the board.

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Terms Used In Montana Code 20-3-321

  • Customary: means according to usage. See Montana Code 1-1-206
  • district: means the territory, regardless of county boundaries, organized under the provisions of this title to provide public educational services under the jurisdiction of the trustees prescribed by this title. See Montana Code 20-6-101
  • Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
  • Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
  • school: means an institution for the teaching of children that is established and maintained under the laws of the state of Montana at public expense. See Montana Code 20-6-501
  • School election: means a regular school election or any election conducted by a district or community college district for authorizing taxation, authorizing the issuance of bonds by an elementary, high school, or K-12 district, or accepting or rejecting any proposition that may be presented to the electorate for decision in accordance with the provisions of this title. See Montana Code 20-1-101
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustees: means the governing board of a district. See Montana Code 20-1-101

(2)The presiding officer of the trustees of any district shall serve until the next organization meeting and shall preside at all the meetings of the trustees in accordance with the customary rules of order. The presiding officer shall perform the duties prescribed by this title and any other duties that normally pertain to a presiding officer.

(3)The presiding officer of a board of trustees of an elementary district may be any trustee of the board, including an additional trustee as provided for in 20-3-352(2). If an additional trustee is chosen to serve as the presiding officer of the board of trustees of an elementary district described in 20-3-351(1)(a), the additional trustee may not vote on issues pertaining only to the elementary district.