SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   SHB 1222

             AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 27, 1991

Brief Description:  Placing the responsibility for the formation of school directors' districts with the districts' boards of directors.

SPONSORS:House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Betrozoff, Peery, Brumsickle, G. Fisher, Brough, Holland, Paris, Broback, Nealey and Orr).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

      Signed by Senators Bailey, Chairman; Anderson, Metcalf, Murray, Oke, Pelz, Rinehart, and Talmadge. 

Staff:  Leslie Goldstein (786‑7424)

Hearing Dates:March 26, 1991; March 27, 1991

BACKGROUND:

Under the laws governing school director districts, the regional committee of each educational service district is responsible for adjusting director districts.  In all districts except the Seattle School District, the regional committee divides or redivides director districts.  In the Seattle School District, the school board designates the boundaries for director districts, but the regional committee approves the plan.

Counties, municipal corporations, and special purpose districts are given the responsibility for redistricting their governmental units under laws governing redistricting by local governments.  The redistricting is required to be completed within eight months of receipt of the federal decennial census.

SUMMARY:

School district boards of directors determine the boundaries and changes to those boundaries for director districts within their school districts.  Standards are established for when the school district board of directors should revise the boundaries of the director districts.  Regional committees are no longer responsible for determining the division and redivision for director districts.  The boundaries must be determined consistent with the laws governing redistricting for municipal corporations. 

The limitation on not more than two directors living in the same director district in certain second class school districts is repealed.

Appropriation: none 

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested January 15, 1991

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SENATE AMENDMENT:

Language permitting school district boards of directors to adopt a resolution that redistricting is necessary due to significant changes in population is deleted.

District boundary changes are required to be filed with the county auditor.

TESTIMONY FOR:

School districts should be treated the same way as any other elected body with respect to redistricting so that school boards would have the authority to divide or redivide their internal director district boundaries.  The prohibition against two directors residing within a director district in second class school districts causes practical problems in small school districts and should be repealed.  School district director boundaries need to be filed with county auditors.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  PRO:  Bill Provost, Stevens County Auditor; Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors Association