A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to stagger the terms of the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Section 2(a)(5)(ii) of Chapter 112 of the 1961 Session Laws, as rewritten by Chapter 466 of the 1985 Session Laws, and as amended by Chapter 696 of the 1991 Session Laws, S.L. 2009‑72, and S.L. 2011‑141, reads as rewritten:
"(ii)	Effective on the first Monday in December 1986, the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education shall be composed of nine members serving four‑year staggered terms. The terms of those elected shall expire on the first Monday in December.
In 2024, to implement staggering of the terms, all members shall be elected and serve as follows:
(1)	Two persons shall be elected from District 1. The person receiving the highest number of votes shall serve a four‑year term, and such seat shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter. The person receiving the second highest number of votes shall serve a two‑year term, and such seat shall be up for election in 2026 and every four years thereafter.
(2)	Four persons shall be elected from District 2. The two persons receiving the highest and second highest number of votes shall serve a four‑year term, and such seats shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter. The persons receiving the third and fourth highest number of votes shall serve a two‑year term, and such seats shall be up for election in 2026 and every four years thereafter.
(3)	Three members shall be elected at large from all of Forsyth County. The persons receiving the highest and second highest number of votes shall serve a four‑year term, and such seats shall be up for election in 2028 and every four years thereafter. The person receiving the third highest number of votes shall serve a two‑year term, and such seat shall be up for election in 2026 and every four years thereafter.

For an at‑large seat, any qualified voter of Forsyth County is eligible to vote. For the district seats, only residents of the district shall be eligible to be candidates and only qualified voters of the district shall be eligible to vote.
The districts as established for the purpose of this subparagraph are subject to change under G.S. 115C‑37(i)."
SECTION 2.  Section 2(a)(5)(i) of Chapter 112 of the 1961 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"(i)	The board shall be composed of nine persons and the members of the board shall continue in office (regardless of the terms for which they were originally appointed) until their successors are elected and qualified, as hereinafter provided."
SECTION 3.  This section does not affect the terms of office of any person elected in 2020 to the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. Each member of the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education elected in 2020, or any member appointed to fill a vacancy for a member elected in 2020, shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified.
SECTION 4.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.