This article reports on how Seattle has joined the growing list of urban districts where policymakers are eyeing changes in school governance. A bill pending in the Washington state legislature, introduced late January 2007 by three lawmakers from the city, would permit citizens to petition to hold a local referendum on switching from the elected board to an appointed panel. While the measure would apply to all of the state's 296 school districts, it is aimed squarely at Seattle, where critics say the school board has failed to address critical issues, including closing schools that are under-enrolled. However, opponents of the Washington state measure, including those on the Seattle school board, say the bill is unneeded because the public already can vote board members they do not like out of office in regular elections.