MIDDLETON, Wis. — Middleton-Cross Plains School District residents approved a change Tuesday that will open four school board seats to qualified candidates from anywhere in the district. The district will continue to have nine board seats. Five will remain assigned to specific geographic areas, a structure that has been in place since 1963. The other four seats will become districtwide positions. The change will not add seats or alter the terms of current board members. Incumbents will remain on the board under the existing structure. The resolution came before residents after organizers submitted a petition containing 605 signatures from district residents. Approval required a majority vote at the meeting, conducted in person using paper ballots, following public comment. Supporters said the change could expand the pool of candidates, reduce uncontested races and give more residents a chance to serve. Chase Olsen, one of the resolution’s organizers, said the proposal was intended to make school board service more accessible across the district. Olsen said more than 100 people from across the district participated in conversations about the future of school board elections. He also acknowledged concerns from residents who felt the proposal had arrived with too little notice or public discussion. Opponents raised questions about representation, particularly whether districtwide elections could allow some neighborhoods to gain influence at the expense of lower-income areas. Supporters countered that the five remaining geographic seats would preserve place-based representation while giving additional candidates an opportunity to run. The new arrangement will shape future school board races in a district that includes Middleton, Cross Plains and surrounding communities. Residents who want to challenge for one of the four open seats will no longer need to live in a particular board area, while candidates for the remaining five seats will continue to face geographic eligibility requirements.