House File 327 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY TYMESON
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to school board director district boundaries and
2 optional methods of election when any school district is
3 enlarged, reorganized, or changes its boundaries.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1848YH 82
6 kh/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 275.12, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code
1 2 2007, is amended by striking the paragraph.
1 3 Sec. 2. Section 275.12, subsection 3, Code 2007, is
1 4 amended to read as follows:
1 5 3. If the petition proposes the division of the school
1 6 district into director districts, the The boundaries of the
1 7 proposed director districts shall not be drawn until the
1 8 question is approved by the voters. If the question is
1 9 approved by the voters, the directors of the new school
1 10 district shall draw the boundaries of the director districts
1 11 according to the standards described in section 275.23A,
1 12 subsection 1, and, to the extent possible, shall provide that
1 13 the number of local communities divided among more than one
1 14 director district shall be as small as possible. When there
1 15 is a choice between dividing local communities, the more
1 16 populous communities shall be divided before the less
1 17 populous. For purposes of this subsection, "local community"
1 18 means a township, school district, or school district
1 19 attendance center. Following adoption by the school board,
1 20 the plan shall be submitted to the state commissioner of
1 21 elections for approval.
1 22 Sec. 3. Section 275.23A, subsection 1, Code 2007, is
1 23 amended to read as follows:
1 24 1. School districts which have directors who represent
1 25 director districts as provided in section 275.12, subsection
1 26 2, paragraphs "b", "c", "d", and "e", shall be divided into
1 27 director districts according to the following standards:
1 28 Sec. 4. Section 275.36, unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 2007,
1 29 is amended to read as follows:
1 30 If the proposal adopted by the voters requires the
1 31 establishment of or a change in director district boundaries
1 32 pursuant to section 275.12, subsection 2, paragraph "b", "c",
1 33 "d", or "e", the school board shall draw the necessary
1 34 boundaries within forty days after the date of the election.
1 35 The boundaries shall be drawn according to the requirements of
2 1 section 275.23A. Following adoption by the school board, the
2 2 plan shall be submitted to the state commissioner of elections
2 3 for approval. The new boundaries shall become effective on
2 4 July 1 following approval.
2 5 Sec. 5. Section 275.38, Code 2007, is amended to read as
2 6 follows:
2 7 275.38 IMPLEMENTING CHANGED METHOD OF ELECTION.
2 8 If change in the method of election of school directors is
2 9 approved at a regular or special school election, the
2 10 directors who were serving unexpired terms or were elected
2 11 concurrently with approval of the change of method shall serve
2 12 out the terms for which they were elected. If the plan
2 13 adopted is that described in section 275.12, subsection 2,
2 14 paragraph "b," "c," "d," or "e," the board shall at the
2 15 earliest practicable time designate the districts from which
2 16 residents are to be elected as school directors at each of the
2 17 next three succeeding annual school elections, arranging so
2 18 far as possible for elections of directors as residents of the
2 19 respective districts to coincide with the expiration of terms
2 20 of incumbent members residing in those districts. If an
2 21 increase in the size of the board from five to seven members
2 22 is approved concurrently with the change in method of election
2 23 of directors, the board shall make the necessary adjustment in
2 24 the manner prescribed in section 275.37, as well as providing
2 25 for implementation of the districting plan under this section.
2 26 Sec. 6. Section 275.57, subsection 1, Code 2007, is
2 27 amended to read as follows:
2 28 1. If a school district accepting attachments of a
2 29 dissolved district is currently divided into director
2 30 districts as provided in section 275.12, subsection 2,
2 31 paragraph "b", "c", "d", or "e", the board of directors of the
2 32 district shall draft a proposal to incorporate the newly
2 33 received territory into existing contiguous director
2 34 districts. If the attached territory is contiguous to more
2 35 than one director district, the board may divide the territory
3 1 and attach it to more than one director district. If
3 2 necessary to comply with the population equality standards
3 3 prescribed in section 275.23A, the board shall redraw the
3 4 boundaries of all director districts according to the
3 5 standards provided in section 275.23A, subsection 1,
3 6 paragraphs "a", "c", and "d".
3 7 EXPLANATION
3 8 This bill affects the drawing of school board director
3 9 district boundaries when any school district is enlarged,
3 10 reorganized, or changes its boundaries. The bill eliminates
3 11 one of the optional methods for electing directors, that of
3 12 election at large from the entire district by the electors of
3 13 the entire district. The bill also requires that the
3 14 directors of the new school district, when drawing the new
3 15 boundaries, provide that the number of local communities
3 16 divided among more than one director district be as small as
3 17 possible and, when there is a choice, that the more populous
3 18 communities be divided before the less populous. The bill
3 19 defines local communities to mean townships, school districts,
3 20 and school district attendance centers.
3 21 The bill includes technical changes.
3 22 LSB 1848YH 82
3 23 kh:nh/je/5