HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                  HB 1120

Title:  An act relating to school district territory included in city and town boundary extensions.

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to territory included in city and town boundary extensions.

Sponsors:  Representatives Koster, Costa, Johnson and Scott; by request of Board of Education.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Meeting Date:  January 23, 1997.

Bill Analysis Prepared by:  Joe Hauth (786-7111).

Background:  The Legislature enacted the Acity or town districts@ statute in 1909. The central policy objective behind the statute is to ensure that each city or town is served by a single school district.  The Legislature has added several procedural requirements to change school district boundaries in response to city or town boundary changes.  None of these amendments, however, exempt a particular boundary change from the basic requirement that a city or town may not be included in more than one school district.

In some town or city boundary extensions, the educational service district superintendent must automatically transfer school district territory that is located within the annexed territory to the school district affiliated with the city or town that is annexing the territory.  The educational service district superintendent must take this action when the city or town boundary extension affects a school district that:

Coperates all schools on a single site, or

Coperates elementary schools only on two or more sites. 

If the school district territory included in the annexation contains a school building, the educational service district superintendent must also propose to a regional committee how the remaining school district territory will be handled.

When a city or town that is expanding its boundaries includes a school district that operates elementary schools on more than one site or operates junior high or high schools, the regional committee may, at its discretion and subject to several provisions, submit a proposal to the state board of education regarding the transfer of any part or all of the school district=s territory to the district affiliated with the annexed territory.

Summary of Bill:   Regional committees may propose to transfer school districts affected by city or town annexations at their discretion.

Educational service district superintendents no longer must transfer school district territory that is located within the annexed territory to the school district affiliated with the city or town that is annexing the territory, if the school district in the annexed territory operates all schools on a single site, or operates elementary schools only on two or more sites.  Regional committees may propose to transfer any part or all of a school district resulting from a town or city boundary extension at their discretion.  Each incorporated city or town must continue to be comprised in one school district.  

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 17, 1997.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.