Relating to school districts, including by modifying provisions related to school district dissolution proposals and election dates for school district mergers, consolidations, or dissolutions

This bill relates to school districts, including by modifying provisions related to school district dissolution proposals and election dates for school district mergers, consolidations, or dissolutions. Current law requires that elections related to school district mergers, consolidations, or dissolutions must be held, in odd-numbered years, on the first Tuesday in March, the second Tuesday in September, or the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and in even-numbered years, on the first Tuesday in March, or the second Tuesday in September. The bill modifies these provisions to provide that elections related to school district mergers or consolidations must be held on a date determined by the county commissioner of elections that is in the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the merger or consolidation will take effect, and that elections related to school district dissolutions must be held on a date determined by the county commissioner of elections. Current law requires a school district dissolution commission to send a copy of its dissolution proposal to the board of directors of the school district, or inform the board that it cannot agree upon a dissolution proposal, not later than one year following the date of the commission’s organizational meeting. Current law also requires the commission to send a copy of the proposal to the boards of directors of all school districts to which area of the dissolving school district will be attached, and if the board to which area of the dissolving school district will be attached objects to the attachment, the board is required to send its objections in writing to the commission. The bill modifies this provision to provide that, within one year after the date of the organizational meeting of the commission, the commission is required to agree upon and develop a dissolution proposal and send a copy of the proposal to the department of education (DE) for approval. DE is required to either approve the proposal or recommend changes. Once DE has approved the proposal, the bill requires the commission to file a copy of the proposal with the board of directors of the school district and send a copy of the approved proposal to the boards of directors of all school districts to which area of the dissolving school district will be attached. If the commission cannot agree upon a proposal within one year after the date of the organizational meeting, the commission is required to inform the board of directors of the school district that it cannot agree. If the board of directors of a district to which area of the dissolving school district will be attached objects to the attachment, the board is required to send its objections in writing to DE, and DE is required to consider the objections and may direct the commission to modify the proposal if DE determines that the objections are reasonable.