H-4906.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2955
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 55th Legislature 1998 Regular Session
By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Schoesler, Sterk, Johnson, Mulliken, Bush, Hickel and Quall)
Read first time 02/05/98. Referred to Committee on .
AN ACT Relating to procedures for annexation of school district property; amending RCW 28A.315.250; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.315.250 and 1997 c 47 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
Each incorporated city or town in the state shall be comprised in one school
district: PROVIDED, That nothing in this section shall be construed: (((1)))
(a) To prevent the extension of the boundaries of a school district
beyond the limits of the city or town contained therein, or (((2))) (b)
to prevent the inclusion of two or more incorporated cities or towns in a
single school district, or (((3))) (c) to change or disturb the
boundaries of any school district organized prior to the incorporation of any
city or town, except as hereafter in this section provided.
(2)
In case all or any part of a school district that operates a school or schools
on one site only or operates elementary schools only on two or more sites is
included in ((an)) any incorporated city or town through the
extension of the limits of such city or town in the manner provided by law, the
regional committee may, in its discretion, prepare a proposal for transfer of
any part or all of the territory so included to the school district containing
the city or town and, whenever a part of a district so included contains a
school building of the district, for the disposition of any part or all of the
remaining territory of the district.
(3)
In case of the extension of the limits of a city with a population of less
than three thousand persons or a town to include territory lying in a
school district that operates on more than one site one or more elementary
schools and one or more junior high schools or high schools, the regional
committee may, in its discretion, prepare a proposal or proposals for
annexation to the school district in which the said city or town is
located any part or all of the territory aforesaid which has been included in
the said city or town and for annexation to the school district in which
the said city or town is located or to some other school district or
districts any part or all of the remaining territory of the school district
affected by extension of the limits of the said city or town: PROVIDED,
That where no school or school site is located within the territory annexed to
the city with a population of less than three thousand persons or the
town and not less than seventy-five percent of the registered voters residing
within the annexed territory present a petition in writing for annexation and
transfer of said territory to the school district in which the said city or
town is located, the educational service district superintendent shall declare
the territory so included to be a part of the school district containing said city
or town: PROVIDED FURTHER, That territory approved for annexation to ((a))
any city or town by vote of the ((electors)) voters
residing therein prior to January 12, 1953, shall not be subject to the
provisions herein respecting annexation to a school district or school districts:
AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That the provisions and procedural requirements of this
chapter as now or hereafter amended not in conflict with or inconsistent with
the provisions hereinabove in this section stated shall apply in the case of
any proposal or proposals (((1))) (a) for the alteration of the
boundaries of school districts through and by means of annexation of territory
as aforesaid, and (((2))) (b) for the adjustment of the assets
and liabilities of the school districts involved or affected thereby.
(4)
In case of the incorporation of ((a)) any city or town containing
territory lying in two or more school districts or of the uniting of two or
more cities or towns not located in the same school district, the educational
service district superintendent, except where the incorporation or
consolidation would affect a district or districts of the first class, shall:
(((1))) (a) Order and declare to be established in each such case
a single school district comprising all of the school districts involved, and
(((2))) (b) designate each such district by name and by a number
different from that of any other district in existence in the county.
(5) The educational service district superintendent shall fix as the effective date of any declaration or order required under this section a date no later than the first day of September next succeeding the date of the issuance of such declaration or order.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The state board of education shall study the existing laws and rules on organizing and changing school district boundaries and shall recommend to the education committees of the legislature comprehensive legislation modernizing laws on reorganizing school district boundaries to make them more understandable, more efficient, more consistent, and more equitable. The board is encouraged to seek input from many different persons, organizations, and viewpoints, hold public hearings, and seek consensus where possible. The report and recommendations are due September 1, 1998.
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