MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Education
By: Senator(s) Nunnelee
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-203, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE TRUSTEES OF MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL BE ELECTED FROM SPECIAL TRUSTEE ELECTION DISTRICTS BY THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF SUCH DISTRICT BEGINNING WITH THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE YEAR 2009; TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH ELECTION SHALL BE HELD EVERY FOUR YEARS IN THE SAME MANNER AS ELECTIONS ARE HELD FOR OTHER MUNICIPAL OFFICERS; TO PROVIDE THAT THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD SHALL APPORTION THE NEW TRUSTEE ELECTION DISTRICTS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-703, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE TRUSTEES OF SPECIAL MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL BE ELECTED IN THE SAME MANNER AS TRUSTEES OF MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-5-9, 37-7-211 AND 37-7-711, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM NUMBER OF SIGNATURES ON PETITIONS OF NOMINATION TO RUN FOR THE OFFICE OF ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD AND TO REQUIRE PETITIONS TO BE FILED AT LEAST 60 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ELECTION; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 37-7-209 THROUGH 37-7-219, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDE CERTAIN METHODS FOR ELECTING TRUSTEES OF MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM ADDED TERRITORY; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 37-7-705 THROUGH 37-7-717, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDE CERTAIN METHODS FOR SELECTING TRUSTEES OF SPECIAL MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-9-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF ALL SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS FROM AND AFTER JANUARY 1, 2008, UNLESS THE INCUMBENT COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION CHOOSES TO SEEK REELECTION; TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-5-61, 37-5-71 AND 37-9-25, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY THERETO; TO REPEAL SECTION 37-9-12, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDES FOR A REFERENDUM ON THE QUESTION OF RETAINING THE ELECTIVE METHOD OF CHOOSING THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 37-5-63 THROUGH 37-5-69, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDE FOR THE ELECTION OF COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS OF EDUCATION; TO PROVIDE THAT IN ANY MISSISSIPPI COUNTY HAVING 6 OR MORE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THERE SHALL BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE CONSOLIDATION INTO NOT MORE THAN 3 SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO PROVIDE FOR A NEW COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO BE ELECTED IN SUCH COUNTY IN THE NOVEMBER 2007 GENERAL ELECTION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE NEW COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL SERVE AS THE LEAD AGENCY TO CONSOLIDATE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN SUCH COUNTY AND TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ADMINISTRATIVELY CONSOLIDATE ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH DOES NOT VOLUNTARILY FOLLOW THE CONSOLIDATION ORDER; TO ABOLISH THE FORMER SCHOOL BOARDS FOLLOWING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CONSOLIDATION AND PROVIDE FOR THE TRANSFER OF SCHOOL DISTRICT ASSETS AND LIABILITIES; TO PROVIDE FOR EXECUTION OF TEACHER AND SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEE CONTRACTS IN THE NEW SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGETS IN THE NEW SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO DIRECT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT SUCH ADMINISTRATIVE CONSOLIDATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 37-7-203, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-203. (1) The boards of trustees of all municipal separate school districts created under the provisions of Article 1 of this chapter, either with or without added territory, shall consist of five (5) members * * *. On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June 2009, and every four (4) years thereafter, an election shall be held in each municipal separate school district in this state, in the same manner and at the same time as the regular municipal elections are held, for the purpose of electing the members of the boards of trustees established under the provisions of this article. Provided, however, that in any special charter municipality where the general municipal election date is different from June 2009, the members of the school board of the municipal separate school district shall be elected as provided in this section in the same manner and at the same time as the general municipal elections are held in such special charter municipality. All members of the boards of trustees as herein constituted shall take office on the first Monday of July following the date of their election and shall serve for a term of four (4) years. The five (5) members of the board of trustees of such school district shall be elected from special trustee election districts by the qualified electors thereof, as herein provided. The board of trustees of such school district shall apportion the municipal separate school district, including added territory, into five (5) special trustee election districts as nearly equal as possible according to population, incumbency and other factors heretofore pronounced by the courts. The board of trustees shall place upon its minutes the boundaries determined for the new five-trustee election districts. The board of trustees shall thereafter publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within said school district for at least three (3) consecutive weeks; and after having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the board of trustees. When the orders of the board of trustees adopting the special trustee election district lines have been entered and are final, the new district lines shall be submitted to the Attorney General of the United States for preclearance or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for a declaratory judgment in accordance with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended. In the event the new trustee election districts are either precleared by the United States Department of Justice, or approved by the United States District Court, the board of trustees shall formally declare the new districts as effective. All incumbent trustees holding office at the time of the creation of such trustee election districts shall continue holding their respective offices, provided they reside within the new district, for the remainder of the term of office to which they have heretofore been selected, and their successors shall be elected from the new trustee election districts constituted herein in the manner provided for in this section.
(2) Vacancies in the membership of the board of trustees of any municipal separate school district shall be filled by appointment, within sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs, by the governing authorities of such municipality. Such appointee shall be selected from the qualified electors of the district in which the vacancy occurs. The president of the municipal governing authority shall certify to the Secretary of State the fact of the appointment, and the person so appointed shall be commissioned by the Governor; and if the unexpired term be longer than six (6) months, such appointee shall serve until a successor is elected as hereinafter provided, unless the vacancy shall occur before ninety (90) days prior to the general election in a year in which an election would normally be held for that office as provided by law, in which case the person so appointed shall serve the unexpired portion of the term. Such vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term by the qualified electors at the next regular special election day occurring more than ninety (90) days after the occurrence of the vacancy. The president of the municipal governing authority shall, within ten (10) days after the happening of the vacancy, make an order, in writing, directed to the commissioners of election, commanding an election to be held on the next regular special election day to fill the vacancy. The election commissioners shall require each candidate to qualify at least sixty (60) days before the date of the election, and shall give a certificate of election to the person elected, and shall return to the Secretary of State a copy of the order of holding the election showing the results thereof, certified by the president of the municipal governing authority. Such election shall be held in the same manner provided for other municipal office vacancies. The person elected shall be commissioned by the Governor.
Provided, however, where only one (1) person shall have qualified with the commissioners of election to be a candidate within the time provided by law, the commissioners of election shall certify to the municipal governing authority that there is but one (1) candidate. Thereupon, the municipal governing authority shall dispense with the election and shall appoint the candidate so certified to fill the unexpired term. The president of the municipal governing authority shall certify to the Secretary of State the candidate so appointed to serve in such office and that candidate shall be commissioned by the Governor. In the event that no person shall have qualified at least sixty (60) days prior to the date of the election, the commissioners of election shall certify that fact to the municipal governing authority which shall dispense with the election and fill the vacancy by appointment. The president of the municipal governing authority shall certify to the Secretary of State the fact of the appointment, and the person so appointed shall be commissioned by the Governor.
SECTION 2. Section 37-7-703, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-703. In all such special municipal separate school districts * * *, theboard of trustees of such special municipal separate school district shall be elected in the manner provided by subsection (1) of Section 37-7-203, and all of the provisions thereof shall be fully applicable in all respects to the selection and constitution of such board of trustees. Provided, however, that the board of trustees of any special municipal separate school district shall have the authority to apportion the new trustee election districts as provided in Section 37-7-203(1).
SECTION 3. Section 37-5-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-5-9. The name of any qualified elector who is a candidate for the county board of education shall be placed on the ballot used in the general elections by the county election commissioners, provided that the candidate files with the county election commissioners, not more than ninety (90) days and not less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of such general election, a petition of nomination signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of the county residing within each supervisors district or special county board of education election district, as the case may be. Where there are less than one hundred (100) qualified electors in said supervisors district, it shall only be required that said petition of nomination be signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors of such supervisors district or special county board of education election district, as the case may be. The candidate in each supervisors district who receives the highest number of votes cast in the district shall be declared elected.
* * *
In no case shall any qualified elector residing within a municipal separate school district or special municipal separate school district be eligible to sign a petition of nomination for any candidate for the county board of education under any of the provisions of this section.
SECTION 4. Section 37-7-211, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-211. Any person otherwise eligible under the provisions of subsection (1) of Section 37-7-203 who shall desire to be a candidate for the office of trustee must qualify in the following manner in order to be allowed to be considered for election. By 5:00 p.m. not more than ninety (90) days and at least sixty (60) days before the election he shall file with the office of the superintendent of the municipal separate school district, or the special municipal separate school district, as the case may be, a petition signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of the area represented by the office which he seeks, either for a full term or an unexpired term, as the case may be, and an affidavit by the candidate offering for election stating his qualifications under the terms of said sections. Where there are less than one hundred (100) qualified electors in said area represented by the trustee, it shall only be required that said petition of nomination be signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors in said area. The petition shall contain an affidavit certifying that all signatures are the personal signatures of each person whose name appears on the petition and that each person is a qualified elector.
Unless the petition and affidavit required above shall be filed by 5:00 p.m. not less than sixty (60) days prior to the election, the name of the candidate shall not be considered in the election, and votes cast for any person who has failed to qualify shall not be counted in the election.
If after the time for candidates to file the petition and affidavit provided for herein there should be only one (1) person to qualify for the office of trustee, then no election or notice of election shall be necessary and such person shall, if otherwise qualified, be declared elected without opposition.
SECTION 5. Section 37-7-711, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-711. In all such special municipal separate school districts which may be so organized, reorganized or reconstituted to embrace the entire county in which the majority of the inhabitants of the county reside outside the corporate limits of the municipality or less than the entire county, the name of any qualified elector who is a candidate for the board of trustees of such special municipal separate school district, whether such person be a candidate for an unexpired term or for a full term, shall be placed on the ballot used in the elections, provided that the candidate files with the county election commissioners, not more than ninety (90) days and not less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of such general election, a petition of nomination signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of the trustee election district. Where there are less than one hundred (100) qualified electors in the trustee election district, it shall only be required that such petition of nomination be signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors of the trustee election district. The candidate in each election who receives the highest number of votes cast in the election shall be declared to have been elected.
SECTION 6. Sections 37-7-209, 37-7-211, 37-7-213, 37-7-215, 37-7-217 and 37-7-219, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provide certain methods for electing trustees of municipal separate school districts from added territory, are repealed.
SECTION 7. Sections 37-7-705, 37-7-707, 37-7-709, 37-7-711, 37-7-713, 37-7-715 and 37-7-717, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provide certain methods for selecting trustees of special municipal separate school districts, are repealed.
SECTION 8. Section 37-9-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
[Until December 31, 2007, this section will read as follows:]
37-9-13. Each school district shall have a superintendent of schools, selected in the manner provided by law. No person shall be eligible to the office of superintendent of schools unless such person shall hold a valid administrator's license issued by the State Department of Education and shall have had not less than four (4) years of classroom or administrative experience.
[From and after January 1, 2008, this section will read as follows:]
37-9-13. (1) In all public school districts, except in countywide school districts wherein the incumbent county superintendent of education chooses to seek reelection, the school board shall appoint the superintendent of schools of such district. Any county superintendent of education serving on July 1, 2007, may choose to seek reelection, and if he is reelected in the manner provided by law, the office of county superintendent of education shall remain an elective office in such county until the incumbent vacates the office or is not reelected. If the incumbent vacates the office prior to the expiration of the term, the office of superintendent shall become an appointed office beginning immediately. If the incumbent is not reelected, the office of superintendent shall become an appointed office at the end of the four-year term of the person who was elected.
(2) No person shall be eligible to the office of superintendent of schools unless such person shall hold a valid administrator's license issued by the State Department of Education and shall have had not less than four (4) years of classroom or administrative experience.
SECTION 9. Section 37-5-61, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
[In counties wherein the county superintendent of education serving on July 1, 2007, chooses to seek reelection and is reelected, this section shall read as follows:]
37-5-61. (1) There shall be a county superintendent of education in each county.
(2) Said superintendent shall serve as the executive secretary of the county board of education, but shall have no vote in the proceedings before the board and no voice in fixing the policies thereof.
(3) In addition, said superintendent shall be the director of all schools in the county outside the municipal separate school districts.
(4) Said superintendent shall be elected at the same time and in the same manner as other county officers are elected and shall hold office for a term of four (4) years.
[In counties wherein the county superintendent of education serving on July 1, 2007, chooses not to seek reelection, this Section 37-5-61 shall have no force or effect.]
SECTION 10. Section 37-5-71, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
[In counties wherein the county superintendent of education serving on July 1, 2007, chooses to seek reelection and is reelected, this section shall read as follows:]
37-5-71. (1) The county superintendents of education shall be elected in the manner prescribed by the provisions of this chapter, unless such office be made appointive as provided in this chapter, in which case the county superintendent shall be appointed by the county board of education or by the trustees of a separate school district embracing an entire county with a population of fifteen thousand (15,000) or less, as provided in subsection (2) of Section 37-7-203. In all cases he shall have such qualifications as prescribed by Section 37-9-13 and receive such compensation as established under Section 37-9-37.
(2) All qualified electors residing within any municipal separate or special municipal separate school district shall not vote in the election for the county superintendent of education:
(a) In all counties of the second class which have a population, according to the 1960 federal decennial census of at least thirty-three thousand (33,000) and less than thirty-four thousand (34,000), and having a city located therein which is the Southern Division of the A.T.&S.F. Railroad Company;
(b) In all counties of the fourth class which have a population, according to the 1960 federal decennial census, in excess of twenty-six thousand (26,000) and less than twenty-seven thousand (27,000), and having located therein the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science;
(c) In all counties of the first class which have a population, according to the 1960 federal decennial census, in excess of forty-six thousand (46,000) and less than forty-seven thousand (47,000), and having located therein the Mississippi University for Women;
(d) In any county bordering on the Mississippi Sound and having a population in excess of one hundred thousand (100,000), according to the 1960 federal decennial census, and having an assessed valuation in excess of Seventy Million Dollars ($70,000,000.00);
(e) In any county having a population in excess of eight thousand (8,000) and less than nine thousand (9,000), and having an assessed valuation in excess of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) but less than Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00) in 1960;
(f) In any county having a population in excess of twenty-two thousand (22,000) and less than twenty-three thousand (23,000) in 1960, and having a total assessed valuation in excess of Thirteen Million Dollars ($13,000,000.00) in 1960;
(g) In any county having a population in excess of fifty-nine thousand (59,000) but less than sixty thousand (60,000), according to the 1960 federal decennial census;
(h) In any county bordered on the east by the Alabama line and on the south by the Mississippi Sound;
(i) In any county where Mississippi Highway 35 crosses U.S. Highway 80 and whose population, according to the 1960 regular census, was between twenty-one thousand (21,000) and twenty-two thousand (22,000), and in which there are located four (4) or more chicken packing plants, one (1) zipper plant and one or more factories manufacturing Sunbeam electrical appliances;
(j) In any county having a population of twenty-six thousand one hundred ninety-eight (26,198) according to the 1970 census wherein Highways 51 and 84 intersect;
(k) In any county having a municipal separate school district lying therein, having a population in excess of twenty-one thousand (21,000) but less than twenty-one thousand five hundred (21,500), according to the 1960 decennial census, and having a combined assessed valuation in 1963 in excess of Sixteen Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($16,900,000.00) but less than Seventeen Million Dollars ($17,000,000.00) according to the State Tax Commission's compilation;
(l) In any county where Mississippi Highway 15 crosses Mississippi Highway 16, whose population was more than twenty thousand (20,000) and less than twenty-one thousand (21,000), according to the regular 1960 census, and within which there is located a Choctaw Indian reservation and school operated by the United States government;
(m) In any county where U.S. Highway 45W Alternate intersects Mississippi Highway 50, and having a population of eighteen thousand nine hundred thirty-three (18,933), according to the 1960 federal census;
(n) In any county having a population in excess of forty thousand five hundred (40,500), according to the 1960 federal decennial census, wherein U.S. Highways 78 and 45 intersect, and wherein there is a United States fish hatchery;
(o) In any county being traversed by Mississippi Highway 15 and U.S. Interstate Highway 20;
(p) In all counties wherein there is located a national military park and a national cemetery;
(q) In any county where U.S. Highway 82 crosses U.S. Interstate Highway 55 and having a population of twelve thousand three hundred eighty-seven (12,387) according to the 1990 federal decennial census;
(r) In any county where U.S. Highway 49E and U.S. Highway 82 intersect, and having a population of thirty-seven thousand three hundred forty-one (37,341) according to the 1990 federal decennial census;
(s) In any county bordering the Mississippi River on the west and with a population of less than thirty-one thousand (31,000), according to the 2000 federal decennial census, and with a county seat in which U.S. Highway 49 and U.S. Highway 61 intersect.
In any such county, however, the county superintendent of education may be a resident of a municipal separate school district or special municipal separate school district.
(3) The qualified electors residing within the municipal separate school districts shall not participate in the election of the county superintendent of education:
(a) In any county having a population of more than twenty-seven thousand (27,000) and less than twenty-eight thousand (28,000) and containing therein a municipality having a population in excess of three thousand (3,000), according to the 1960 federal decennial census;
(b) In any Class 1 county wherein is located a state-supported university and a National Guard camp, and in which Interstate Highway 59 and U.S. Highway 49 intersect;
(c) In any Class 4 county having two (2) judicial districts, wherein is partially located a national forest, and wherein Mississippi Highways 8 and 15 intersect;
(d) In any Class 2 county, the southern boundary of which partially borders on the State of Louisiana, traversed by U.S. Highway 98 which intersects Mississippi Highway 13, with a land area of five hundred fifty (550) square miles and having a population of twenty-three thousand two hundred ninety-three (23,293) in the 1960 federal decennial census;
(e) In any county bordering on the Gulf of Mexico or the Mississippi Sound having therein a test facility operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(f) In any county having a population in excess of twenty-seven thousand one hundred seventy-nine (27,179) according to the 1970 federal decennial census, wherein U.S. Highways 45 and 72 intersect; and
(g) In any Class 1 county bordering on the Pearl River in which U.S. Highway 80 intersects Mississippi Highway 18 and having a population, according to the federal decennial census of 1970, of forty-three thousand nine hundred thirty-three (43,933).
(4) The county superintendent of education, with the approval of the county board of education by its first having adopted a resolution of approval and spread upon its minutes, shall be elected from the county at large, exclusive of the municipal separate school district boundaries:
(a) In any county bordering on the State of Tennessee having a land area of seven hundred ten (710) square miles, wherein is located part of a national forest, and wherein U.S. Highway 78 and Mississippi Highway 7 intersect;
(b) In any Class 4 county wherein is located the state's oldest state-supported university, in which Mississippi Highways 6 and 7 intersect; and
(c) In any county having a population in excess of seventeen thousand (17,000) and less than eighteen thousand (18,000), according to the 1970 federal decennial census, wherein Mississippi Highways 6 and 9 intersect.
(5) In any county having a municipality of between forty-nine thousand (49,000) and fifty thousand (50,000) population according to the 1960 federal census, and adjoining the Alabama line, wherein U.S. Highways 80 and 45 intersect, the qualified electors residing within any municipal separate school district shall not participate in the election of the county superintendent of education, and such county superintendent of education shall not be a resident of a municipal separate school district.
(6) In any county traversed by the Natchez Trace Parkway wherein U.S. Highway 45 and Mississippi Highway 4 intersect and having a population of seventeen thousand nine hundred forty-nine (17,949) according to the 1960 federal census, the qualified electors residing within any municipal separate school district shall not participate in the election of the county superintendent of education, and such county superintendent of education shall not be a resident of a municipal separate school district.
[In counties wherein the county superintendent of education serving on July 1, 2007, chooses not to seek reelection, this Section 37-5-71 shall have no force and effect.]
SECTION 11. Section 37-9-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
[Until December 31, 2007, this section will read as follows:]
37-9-25. The school board shall have the power and authority, in its discretion, to employ the superintendent, unless such superintendent is elected, for not exceeding four (4) scholastic years and the principals or licensed employees for not exceeding three (3) scholastic years. In such case, contracts shall be entered into with such superintendents, principals and licensed employees for the number of years for which they have been employed. All such contracts with licensed employees shall for the years after the first year thereof be subject to the contingency that the licensed employee may be released if, during the life of the contract, the average daily attendance should decrease from that existing during the previous year and thus necessitate a reduction in the number of licensed employees during any year after the first year of the contract. However, in all such cases the licensed employee must be released before July 1 or at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the school term, whichever date should occur earlier. The salary to be paid for the years after the first year of such contract shall be subject to revision, either upward or downward, in the event of an increase or decrease in the funds available for the payment thereof, but, unless such salary is revised prior to the beginning of a school year, it shall remain for such school year at the amount fixed in such contract. However, where school district funds, other than minimum education program funds, are available during the school year in excess of the amount anticipated at the beginning of the school year the salary to be paid for such year may be increased to the extent that such additional funds are available and nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit same.
[From and after January 1, 2008, this section will read as follows:]
37-9-25. The school board shall have the power and authority, in its discretion, to employ the superintendent * * * for not exceeding four (4) scholastic years and the principals or licensed employees for not exceeding three (3) scholastic years. In such case, contracts shall be entered into with such superintendents, principals and licensed employees for the number of years for which they have been employed. All such contracts with licensed employees shall for the years after the first year thereof be subject to the contingency that the licensed employee may be released if, during the life of the contract, the average daily attendance should decrease from that existing during the previous year and thus necessitate a reduction in the number of licensed employees during any year after the first year of the contract. However, in all such cases the licensed employee must be released before July 1 or at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the school term, whichever date should occur earlier. The salary to be paid for the years after the first year of such contract shall be subject to revision, either upward or downward, in the event of an increase or decrease in the funds available for the payment thereof, but, unless such salary is revised prior to the beginning of a school year, it shall remain for such school year at the amount fixed in such contract. However, where school district funds, other than minimum education program funds, are available during the school year in excess of the amount anticipated at the beginning of the school year the salary to be paid for such year may be increased to the extent that such additional funds are available and nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit same.
SECTION 12. Section 37-9-12, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provides for a referendum on the question of retaining the elective method of choosing the county superintendent of education, is hereby repealed.
SECTION 13. Sections 37-5-63, 37-5-65, 37-5-67 and 37-5-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, which provide for the election of county superintendents of education, are hereby repealed.
SECTION 14. (1) (a) In any Mississippi county in which is located six (6) or more school districts, there shall be an administrative consolidation of all of the school districts in the county into not more than three (3) school districts with three (3) administrative units and three (3) school boards. This consolidation shall not require closing school facilities. In such county, there shall be a new county board of education elected in the November 2007 general election which shall be elected as provided in Section 37-5-7, Mississippi Code of 1972. The new county board of education shall provide for the administrative consolidation of all school districts in the county into not more than three (3) school districts on or before July 1 next following the November election. The new county board of education shall serve as the school board for one (1) of the three (3) school districts in the county. Any school district affected by the required administrative consolidation that does not voluntarily consolidate with the new school district ordered by the county board of education shall be administratively consolidated by the State Board of Education with the appropriate school district in which such district is located, to be effective on July 1 following the election of the new county board of education. The State Board of Education shall promptly move on its own motion to administratively consolidate a school district which does not voluntarily consolidate in order to enable the affected school districts to reasonably accomplish the resulting administrative consolidation into three (3) school districts by July 1 following the election of the new county board of education. All affected school districts shall comply with any consolidation order issued by the county board of education or the State Board of Education, as the case may be, on or before July 1 following the election of the new county board of education.
(b) On July 1 following the election of the new county board of education, the former county board of education, the board of trustees of any municipal separate, special municipal separate, consolidated or line consolidated school district located in such county shall be abolished. All real and personal property which is owned or titled in the name of a school district located in such county shall be transferred to the new reorganized school district of the county in which such school district is located. Each affected school board shall be responsible for establishing the contracts for teachers and principals for the next school year following the required administrative consolidation with the consultation of the newly elected successor county board of education. The selection of the appointed county superintendent of education and the assistant superintendent of education in the central administration office of the successor countywide school district shall be the responsibility of the successor county board of education. No such administratively consolidated school district shall have more than two (2) assistant superintendents of education. It shall be the responsibility of the successor county board of education to prepare and approve the budget of the new reorganized districts, and the county board of education may use staff from the former school districts to prepare the budget. Any proposed order of the successor county board of education directing the transfer of the assets, real or personal property of an affected school district in the county, shall be submitted and approved by the State Board of Education. The finding of the State Board of Education shall be final and conclusive for the purposes of the transfer of property required by such administrative consolidation. Any person or school district aggrieved by an order of the successor county school board of education pursuant to the required administrative consolidation may appeal therefrom to the State Board of Education within ten (10) days from the date of the adjournment of the meeting at which such order is entered. Such appeal shall be de novo, and the finding of the State Board of Education upon such question shall be final and conclusive for the purpose of the approval or disapproval of the action by said county board of education.
(c) When any school district in such county is abolished under the provisions of this section, the abolition thereof shall not impair or release the property of such former school district from liability for the payment of the bonds or other indebtedness of such district and it shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said county to levy taxes on the property of said district so abolished from year to year according to the terms of such indebtedness until same shall be fully paid.
(d) In the administratively consolidated countywide school district created under this section, the ad valorem tax rate shall be determined as set forth under Section 37-57-1 et seq.
(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the closing of any school or school facility, unless such facility is an unneeded administrative office located within a school district which has been abolished under the provisions of this section. All administrative consolidations under this section shall be accomplished so as not to delay or in any manner negatively affect the desegregation of another school district in the county pursuant to court order.
(f) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate the administrative consolidation of the school districts in a county pursuant to this section. When the orders of the successor county board of education adopting the boundaries of the successor countywide school district have been entered and are final, as approved by the State Board of Education, the new district lines shall be submitted by the State Board of Education with the assistance of the Attorney General to the Attorney General of the United States for preclearance or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for a declaratory judgment in accordance with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended. In the event the change in the school district lines are precleared or approved, the State Board of Education shall formally declare the new lines as the new boundaries of the consolidated countywide school district.
SECTION 15. The Attorney General of the State of Mississippi shall submit this act, immediately upon approval by the Governor, or upon approval by the Legislature subsequent to a veto, to the Attorney General of the United States or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in accordance with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended.
SECTION 16. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after the date it is effectuated under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended.