A. The Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula Public Education Consortium is hereby established as an independent local entity without political subdivision status and shall be referred to in this chapter as the Consortium. For the purposes of this chapter and the work of the Consortium, “Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula” includes the Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. The governing board of the Consortium shall consist of the school superintendents of the named localities, the President of Rappahannock Community College or his designee, the Director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and seven nonlegislative citizen members representing business, industry, and community interests in the region, four of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and three of whom shall be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules. The region’s legislators, representing the Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Twenty-eighth Senatorial Districts and the Ninety-seventh, Ninety-eighth, and Ninety-ninth House Districts, shall serve as nonvoting advisory members of the board. Legislative members and members who serve by virtue of their office shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. The nonlegislative citizen members shall serve terms of two years and may be reappointed for successive terms. The board may appoint additional nonvoting advisory members to assist in the performance of its duties. Vacancies occurring other than by expiration of a term shall be filled for the unexpired term. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments.
B. No board members shall receive compensation or reimbursement for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The board shall elect a chairman and a vice-chairman from among its members and may provide such rules as it considers appropriate concerning its membership, quorum, and establishment of committees.