Law simplifies conflict rules

School board members will be exempted from conflict of interest in cases where their spouse is a part of a labor bargaining unit.

Under the law, signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty April 4, as long as the employee’s spouse receives no additional monetary benefit from the rest of the group, school boards can contract with a class of district employees, even if a member of the board is a spouse of one of the members of that class. A board applying this exemption would need to have a majority of members vote to support the contract, have the school board member’s spouse abstain from voting, and publicly establish the facts of the contract at the meeting where the contract is approved.

The law is effective April 5.

Sponsored by Sen. Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley) and Rep. Paul Gardner (DFL-Shoreview), the law comes from a situation in the Mounds View School District where a school board member’s husband was the head of the school’s custodial union and served on the bargaining team that negotiated the custodians’ contract with the board. The board member said she would excuse herself from the vote, but was asked to step down.

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