HB 2444 -- SCHOOL DISTRICT ANNEXATION PROCEDURES

SPONSOR: Merideth

This bill specifies a process for the annexation of school districts.

If a school district wants to be attached to an adjacent special school district, the school board must first establish its own special school district.

If requested by a petition and signed by the specified number of voters from the school district proposing to be attached to an adjacent special school district, the school board shall submit the question to the voters of the district. If a majority of the votes cast in the special school district proposing annexation favor annexation, the secretary of the board shall certify the fact.

For any newly created special school district with more than 100,000 inhabitants, the membership of the governing council shall be expanded to include each school district annexed to the special school district and redistricting guidelines are specified in the bill. The newly formed special school district must adopt a resolution forming a redistricting committee every decade after the decennial census has been reported, as specified in the bill. The proposed redistricting plan must be approved by a majority of the committee prior to its adoption. Upon adoption a copy of the plan certified by the secretary of the committee must be sent to the State Board of Education(SBE) for its approval or disapproval. Criteria for approval is specified in the bill. If a redistricting plan is not adopted within one year of the publication of the census the SBE shall provide the redistricting plan.

Within 30 days of the adoption of a redistricting plan, the SBE shall call for a special election for school board members of the new special school district. The bill specifies that a member of a redistricting committee shall not serve on the school board for a period of six years following his or her service on the redistricting committee.

Statutes affected:
Introduced (5022H.01): 162.877