Boards of education; providing special election process to fill vacancy. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 709 changes how Oklahoma school districts fill vacancies on their boards of education. It eliminates the option for boards to appoint members to fill vacancies, requiring all vacancies to be filled solely through elections instead. The bill establishes a special election process with a 10-day filing window for candidates after a vacancy is declared, and specifies that special elections must occur on dates set by law. This affects all public school districts and technology center school districts in Oklahoma, directly changing how they handle empty board seats. The law takes effect July 1, 2025.