HB 521 -- SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTIONS

The bill makes several changes in the procedures for school
district consolidation elections.  Currently, a majority of the
total votes cast is required to approve the creation of a new
district; the bill makes the requirement a majority in each
district affected.  A procedure is created for forming an
interim board when the consolidation is declared on a timetable
that makes an election difficult; existing board members will
continue to serve until July first, and 7 members will be
selected by lot to serve until an election can be held.  The
proportion of members from each consolidating district is set by
dividing 7 by the number of consolidating districts and rounding
down to the nearest whole number plus one.  At the regular
election for the new school district, the seventh member will be
elected to serve until the municipal election at which the
majority of school districts elects 3 board members.

HB 521 -- SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTIONS (Fitzwater)

The bill makes several changes in the procedures for school
district consolidation elections.  Currently, a majority of the
total votes cast is required to approve the creation of a new
district; the bill makes the requirement a majority in each
district affected.  A procedure is created for forming an
interim board when the consolidation is declared on a timetable
that makes an election difficult; existing board members will
continue to serve until July first, and 7 members will be
selected by lot to serve until an election can be held.  The
proportion of members from each consolidating district is set by
dividing the number of consolidating districts by 7 and rounding
down to the nearest whole number plus one.  At the regular
election for the new school district, the seventh member will be
elected to serve until the municipal election at which the
majority of school districts elects 3 board members.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds.

HB 521 -- SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTIONS

SPONSOR:  Fitzwater

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Committee
on  Education - Elementary and Secondary by a vote of 23 to 0.

The bill makes several changes in the procedures for school
district consolidation elections.  Currently, a majority of the
total votes cast is required to approve the creation of a new
district; the bill makes the requirement a majority in each
district affected.  A procedure is created for forming an
interim board when the consolidation is declared on a timetable
that makes an election difficult; existing board members will
continue to serve until July first, and 7 members will be
selected by lot to serve until an election can be held.  The
proportion of members from each consolidating district is set by
dividing the number of consolidating districts by 7 and rounding
down to the nearest whole number plus one.  At the regular
election for the new school district, the seventh member will be
elected to serve until the municipal election at which the
majority of school districts elects 3 board members.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that no provisions in statute
currently cover the situation of consolidating districts that
hold their consolidation election in April or June and then
encounter a gap in board continuity between July 1 and the
election of permanent board members at the next possible
election date. This is not a common situation, but the potential
for it does exist. This bill provides a mechanism to select 7
members from the existing district boards to continue as interim
members of the new board, approved by the State Board of
Education, until an election can be held and thus prevents a
situation in which a newly consolidated district comes into
existence without a valid board to conduct business legally.
The bill does not affect the overall consolidation process.

Testifying for the bill were Representatives Fitzwater and
Patek; Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and
Norborne R-8 School District

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Becky DeNeve, Research Analyst

HB 521 -- School District Elections

Sponsor:  Fitzwater

The bill makes several changes in the procedures for school
district consolidation elections.  Currently, a majority of the
total votes cast is required to approve the creation of a new
district; the bill makes the requirement a majority in each
district affected.  A procedure is created for forming an
interim board when the consolidation is declared on a timetable
that makes an election difficult; existing board members will
continue to serve until July first, and 7 members will be
selected by lot to serve until an election can be held.  The
proportion of members from each consolidating district is set by
dividing 7 by the number of consolidating districts and rounding
down to the nearest whole number plus one.  At the regular
election for the new school district, the seventh member will be
elected to serve until the municipal election at which the
majority of school districts elects 3 board members.