CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
House Bill 0051c1




    Florida House of Representatives - 1997              CS/HJR 51

        By the Committee on Education/K-12 and Representatives
    Warner, Feeney, Ritter and Merchant





  1                      House Joint Resolution

  2         A joint resolution proposing an amendment to

  3         Section 4 of Article IX of the State

  4         Constitution relating to school districts.

  5

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

  7

  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 in the district schools within the

18  county may be divided into more than one school district, each

19  school district to have no less than 15,000 students, as

20  provided by general or special law, and subject to approval by

21  a vote of the electors of the county.  In order to divide a

22  county under this provision, and notwithstanding other

23  provisions of this constitution, a commission may be created

24  by special law to draw school district boundary lines,

25  allocate assets, and make provisions for the contractual

26  obligations, debts, and bonded indebtedness of the school

27  district, all of which shall be subject to review and approval

28  by the circuit court for compliance with state and federal

29  law.   Except for millage voted for bonded indebtedness,

30  funding for operation and capital outlay in school districts

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1997              CS/HJR 51

    185-686A-97






  1  divided pursuant to this section shall be calculated on a

  2  countywide basis and allocated as provided by general law.

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

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

  5  electors for appropriately staggered terms of four years, as

  6  provided by law.

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

  8  supervise all free public schools within the school district

  9  and determine the rate of school district taxes within the

10  limits prescribed herein.  Two or more school districts may

11  operate and finance joint educational programs.

12         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in accordance with the

13  requirements of section 101.161, Florida Statutes, the title

14  and substance of the amendment proposed herein shall appear on

15  the ballot as follows:

16

17                   AUTHORIZING THE DIVISION OF

18                    A COUNTY INTO TWO OR MORE

19                         SCHOOL DISTRICTS

20

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

22  be divided into two or more school districts pursuant to

23  general or special law, and subject to local voter approval.

24  Provides a commission to draw district boundary lines,

25  allocate assets, obligations, debts, and bonded indebtedness.

26  Provides that, except for millage voted for bonded

27  indebtedness, school district funding shall be calculated

28  countywide and allocated as provided by general law.

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