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, theThe 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 14paragraph "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 31paragraph "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