House Bill 0051e1
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CS/HJR 51, First Engrossed/ntc
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.
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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 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 20,000 students, as
20 provided by law. In order to divide a county school district
21 under this provision, and notwithstanding other provisions of
22 this constitution, a commission made up of residents of the
23 county shall be created by special law to draw school district
24 boundary lines, allocate assets, and provide for the
25 contractual obligations, debts, and bonded indebtedness of the
26 school district, all of which shall be subject to review and
27 approval by the circuit court for compliance with state and
28 federal law and subject to approval by a vote of the electors
29 of the county. Funding for operation and capital outlay in
30 school districts divided pursuant to this section shall be
31 determined on a countywide basis and distributed to the school
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CS/HJR 51, First Engrossed/ntc
1 districts per student as provided by law, except that funds
2 raised by voted millage for bonded indebtedness or local
3 option sales taxes may be distributed per interlocal agreement
4 between the districts. Local school taxes in school districts
5 divided pursuant to this section, including voted millage for
6 bonded indebtedness, shall be levied on a countywide basis as
7 provided by law.
8 (b) In each school district there shall be a school
9 board composed of five or more members chosen by vote of the
10 electors for appropriately staggered terms of four years, as
11 provided by law.
12 (b) The school board shall operate, control and
13 supervise all free public schools within the school district
14 and determine the rate of school district taxes within the
15 limits prescribed herein. Two or more school districts may
16 operate and finance joint educational programs.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in accordance with the
18 requirements of section 101.161, Florida Statutes, the title
19 and substance of the amendment proposed herein shall appear on
20 the ballot as follows:
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22 AUTHORIZING THE DIVISION OF
23 A COUNTY INTO TWO OR MORE
24 SCHOOL DISTRICTS
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26 Provides that counties with 45,000 or more students may
27 be divided into two or more school districts pursuant to
28 general or special law, and subject to local voter approval.
29 Provides a commission to draw district boundary lines,
30 allocate assets, obligations, debts, and bonded indebtedness.
31 Provides that, except for millage voted for bonded
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CS/HJR 51, First Engrossed/ntc
1 indebtedness, school district funding shall be calculated
2 countywide and allocated as provided by general law.
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