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House Bill 0051




    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                 HJR 51

        By Representative Warner






  1                      House Joint Resolution

  2         A resolution proposing an amendment to Section

  3         4 of Article IX of the State Constitution

  4         relating to school districts.

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  6  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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  8         That the amendment to Section 4 of Article IX of the

  9  State Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be

10  submitted to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection

11  at the general election to be held in November 1998:

12         SECTION 4.  School districts; school boards.--

13         (a)  Each county shall constitute a school district;

14  provided, two or more contiguous counties, upon vote of the

15  electors of each county pursuant to law, may be combined into

16  one school district; and provided further that a county with

17  45,000 or more students may be divided into more than one

18  school district, each school district to have no less than

19  15,000 students, as provided by general or special law, and

20  subject to subsequent approval by a majority of the electors

21  of the county voting in a referendum.  Except for millage

22  voted for bonded indebtedness, funding for operation and

23  capital outlay in school districts divided pursuant to this

24  section shall be calculated on a countywide basis and

25  allocated as provided by general law.

26         (b)  In each school district there shall be a school

27  board composed of five or more members chosen by vote of the

28  electors for appropriately staggered terms of four years, as

29  provided by law.

30         (b)  The school board shall operate, control and

31  supervise all free public schools within the school district

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                 HJR 51

    514-122D-97






  1  and determine the rate of school district taxes within the

  2  limits prescribed herein.  Two or more school districts may

  3  operate and finance joint educational programs.

  4         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in accordance with the

  5  requirements of section 101.161, Florida Statutes, the title

  6  and substance of the amendment proposed herein shall appear on

  7  the ballot as follows:

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  9                   AUTHORIZING THE DIVISION OF

10                    A COUNTY INTO TWO OR MORE

11                         SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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13         Provides that counties with 45,000 or more students may

14  be divided into two or more school districts pursuant to

15  general or special law, and subject to local voter referendum

16  approval.  Provides that, except for millage voted for bonded

17  indebtedness, school district funding shall be calculated

18  countywide and allocated as provided by general law.

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