WIMBLEDON, N.D. (Wimbledon Newsletter) – Barnes County North School District is made up of 3 former districts: Wimbledon-Courtenay, North Central, and Spiritwood.
Since the merger, the school board has been composed of 3 board members from each of the 3 former districts. Voters cast their vote for candidates from all 3 former districts but candidates are from specific geographic areas.
The former Spiritwood district is smaller in size and population than the roughly equal former Wimbledon-Courtenay and North Central districts. No one ran for the open position in the 2018 school board election, prompting discussion of board reorganization.
Citing North Dakota Century Code 15.1-12-21, “by resolution, the board in a reorganized district may change to at large voting for school board members if there is a variance of more than ten percent in the population between any of the district’s established geographic areas with resident candidates,” the School Board unanimously voted to dissolve the internal district boundaries at their January 16, 2019 meeting.
The change to “at large” candidates will be effective with the next election, June 4, 2019.
There will continue to be 9 board members.