The Seattle School Board introduced a new ethics policy Wednesday, calling it an important next step in an effort to prevent another financial scandal like the one that rocked the district last spring.

The proposed policy, drafted by new district ethics officer Wayne Barnett, would replace a decade-old policy that officials classified as vague and noncomprehensive. In particular, the new policy would strongly enhance provisions barring conflicts of interest and retaliation for making ethics complaints.

And, for the first time, the policy would apply to School Board members and all district employees.

The policy would be modeled on the city of Seattle's ethics policy.

Barnett, executive director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, pointed to the conflict-of-interest provision as the most important change in the proposed policy.

"(The old policy) did bar you from misusing your position, but it didn't bar you from participating in a matter in which you had a conflict of interest," he said. "This does."

The mission is to train every school-district employee on this new ethics policy," Barnett said.

School Board member Sherry Carr called the new proposed policy "a really strong instrument."

Some community members have raised concerns about conflicts of interests in the district. Most recently, some feared that former director of facilities Fred Stephens was involved in the district's decision to sell the former Martin Luther King Elementary School to the lowest bidder, First African Methodist Episcopal Church, which Stephens attends.

An audit released by the state in October found that Stephens did not participate in the decision-making process and the district acted lawfully.

The board will formally vote on the proposed policy next month.

In the meantime, Barnett said he is working to craft a more specific whistle-blower protection policy.

Brian M. Rosenthal: 206-464-3195 or brosenthal@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @brianmrosenthal.