Senate Bill 2979

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-15-29 AND 37-15-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSFER OF STUDENTS RESIDING IN THE ANNEXED TERRITORY OF A MUNICIPALITY TO THE MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT LOCATED IN THE MUNICIPALITY WHEN THE ANNEXED AREA HAS NOT BEEN ADDED TO THE TERRITORY OF SUCH DISTRICT; TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-109, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE FOR AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD TO PETITION FOR A REFERENDUM ON THE QUESTION OF INCLUSION OF SUCH ANNEXED TERRITORY INTO THE MUNICIPAL SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-15-29, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-15-29. (1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3) and (4) of this section, no minor child may enroll in or attend any school except in the school district of his residence, unless such child be lawfully transferred from the school district of his residence to a school in another school district in accord with the statutes of this state now in effect or which may be hereafter enacted.

(2) Those children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are instructional personnel or certificated employees of a school district may at such employee's discretion enroll and attend the school or schools of their parent's or legal guardian's employment regardless of the residence of the child.

(3) No child shall be required to be transported in excess of thirty (30) miles on a school bus from his or her home to school, or in excess of thirty (30) miles from school to his or her home, if there is another school in an adjacent school district located on a shorter school bus transportation route by the nearest traveled road. Those children residing in such geographical situations may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend the nearer school, regardless of the residence of the child. In the event the parent or legal guardian of such child and the school board are unable to agree on the school bus mileage required to transport the child from his or her home to school, an appeal shall lie to the State Board of Education, or its designee, whose decision shall be final.

(4) Those children lawfully transferred from the school district of his residence to a school in another school district prior to July 1, 1992, may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), continue to enroll and attend school in the transferee school district. Provided further, that the brother(s) and sister(s) of said children lawfully transferred prior to July 1, 1992, may also, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend school in the transferee school district.

(5) Those children residing in territory annexed by a municipality in which the boundaries of the municipal separate school district have not been extended, may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend the school or schools in the municipal separate school district, pursuant to the provisions of Section 37-15-31(6).

SECTION 2. Section 37-15-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-15-31. (1) (a) Except as provided in subsections (2) through (5) of this section, upon the petition in writing of a parent or guardian resident of the school district of an individual student filed or lodged with the president or secretary of the school board of a school district in which the pupil has been enrolled or is qualified to be enrolled as a student under Section 37-15-9, or upon the aforesaid petition or the initiative of the school board of a school district as to the transfer of a grade or grades, individual students living in one school district or a grade or grades of a school within the districts may be legally transferred to another school district, by the mutual consent of the school boards of all school districts concerned, which consent must be given in writing and spread upon the minutes of such boards.

(b) The school board of the transferring school district to which such petition may be addressed shall act thereon not later than its next regular meeting subsequent to the filing or lodging of the petition, and a failure to act within that time shall constitute a rejection of such request. The school board of the other school district involved(the transferee board)shall act on such request for transfer as soon as possible after the transferor board shall have approved or rejected such transfer and no later than the next regular meeting of the transferee board, and a failure of such transferee board to act within such time shall constitute a rejection of such request. If such a transfer is approved by the transferee board, then such decision shall be final. If such a transfer should be refused by the school board of either school district, then such decision shall be final.

(c) Any legal guardianship formed for the purpose of establishing residency for school district attendance purposes shall not be recognized by the affected school board.

(2) (a) Upon the petition in writing of any parent or guardian who is a resident of Mississippi and is an instructional or licensed employee of a school district, but not a resident of such district, the school board of the employer school district shall consent to the transfer of such employee's dependent school-age children to its district and shall spread the same upon the minutes of the board. Upon the petition in writing of any parent or guardian who is not a resident of Mississippi and who is an instructional or licensed employee of a school district in Mississippi, the school board of the employer school district shall consent to the transfer of such employee's dependent school-age children to its district and shall spread the same upon the minutes of the board.

(b) The school board of any school district, in its discretion, may adopt a uniform policy to allow the enrollment and attendance of the dependent children of noninstructional and nonlicensed employees, who are residents of Mississippi but are not residents of their district. Such policy shall be based upon the employment needs of the district, implemented according to job classification groups and renewed each school year.

(c) The employer transferee school district shall notify in writing the school district from which the pupil or pupils are transferring, and the school board of the transferor school district shall spread the same upon its minutes.

(d) Any such agreement by school boards for the legal transfer of a student shall include a provision providing for the transportation of the student. In the absence of such a provision the responsibility for transporting the student to the transferee school district shall be that of the parent or guardian.

(e) Any school district which accepts a student under the provisions of this subsection shall not assess any tuition fees upon such transferring student in accordance with the provisions of Section 37-19-27.

(3) Upon the petition in writing of any parent or legal guardian of a school-age child who is a resident of an adjacent school district residing in the geographical situation described in Section 37-15-29(3), the school board of the school district operating the school located in closer proximity to the residence of the child shall consent to the transfer of the child to its district, and shall spread the same upon the minutes of the board. Any such agreement by school boards for the legal transfer of a student under this subsection shall include a provision for the transportation of the student by either the transferor or the transferee school district. In the event that either the school board of the transferee or the transferor school district shall object to the transfer, it shall have the right to appeal to the State Board of Education whose decision shall be final. However, if the school boards agreeing on the legal transfer of any student shall fail to agree on which district shall provide transportation, the responsibility for transporting the student to the transferee school district shall be that of the parent or guardian.

(4) Upon the petition in writing of any parent or legal guardian of a school-age child who was lawfully transferred to another school district prior to July 1, 1992, as described in Section 37-15-29(4), the school board of the transferee school district shall consent to the transfer of such child and the transfer of any school-age brother and sister of such child to its district, and shall spread the same upon the minutes of the board. (5) (a) If the board of trustees of a municipal separate school district with added territory does not have a member who is a resident of the added territory outside the corporate limits, upon the petition in writing of any parent or legal guardian of a

school-age child who is a resident of the added territory outside the corporate limits, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district and the school board of the school district adjacent to the added territory shall consent to the transfer of the child from the municipal separate school district to the adjacent school district. The agreement must be spread upon the minutes of the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district and the school board of the adjacent school district. The agreement must provide for the transportation of the student. In the absence of such a provision, the parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for transporting the student to the adjacent school district. Any school district that accepts a student under this subsection may not assess any tuition fees against the transferring student.

(b) Before September 1 of each year, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district shall certify to the State Department of Education the number of students in the added territory of the municipal separate school district who are transferred to the adjacent school district under this subsection. The municipal separate school district also shall certify the total number of students in the school district residing in the added territory plus the number of those students who are transferred to the adjacent school district. Based upon these figures, the department shall calculate the percentage of the total number of students in the added territory who are transferred to the adjacent school district and shall certify this percentage to the levying authority for the municipal separate school district. The levying authority shall remit to the school board of the adjacent school district, from the proceeds of the ad valorem taxes collected for the support of the municipal separate school district from the added territory of the municipal separate school district, an amount equal to the percentage of the total number of students in the added territory who are transferred to the adjacent school district.

(6) (a) Upon the petition in writing of any parent or legal guardian of a school-age child who is a resident of the territory of a municipality which was annexed after July 1, 1990, and which has not been added to the territory of the municipal separate school district embraced by such municipality, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district and the school board of the school district adjacent to the municipality shall consent to the transfer of the child from the adjacent school district to the municipal separate school district. The agreement shall be spread upon the minutes of the board of trustees of the municipal school district and the school board of the adjacent school district. Any such agreement by school boards for the legal transfer of a student shall include a provision for the transportation of the student. In the absence of such a provision, the parent or legal guardian shall be responsible for transporting the student to the municipal separate school district. Any school district that accepts a student under this subsection may not assess any tuition fees against the transferring student.

(b) Before September 1 of each year, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district shall certify to the school board of the adjacent school district the number of students in the annexed territory of the municipality who are transferred from the adjacent school district to the municipal separate school district under this subsection, plus the total number of students residing in the annexed territory. Based upon these figures, the school board of the transferring school district shall calculate the percentage of the total number of students in the annexed territory who are transferred to the municipal separate school district and shall certify this percentage to the levying authority for the adjacent school district. The levying authority of the adjacent school district shall remit to the levying authority of the municipal separate school district, from the proceeds of the ad valorem taxes collected for the support of the adjacent school district in such annexed territory and for the retirement of the bonded indebtedness of the adjacent school district in such annexed territory, an amount equal to the percentage of the total number of students in the added territory who are transferred to the municipal separate school district.

(c) The provisions of this subsection (6) shall be applicable and enforceable only to the extent possible within the scope of any federal court consent judgment or any federal court order imposed upon any school district within the state.

SECTION 3. Section 37-7-109, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-7-109. (1) If a petition signed by a majority of the qualified electors of specifically described territory of an existing school district shall be filed with the school board requesting that said described territory be taken from such existing district and annexed to an adjacent district, or reorganized into a new school district, the said school board, after consideration thereof, and with the consent and approval of the school board of the district to which such territory is to be annexed, if such be the case, shall have the power and authority, in its discretion, to take such territory from the existing district and annex same to the adjacent district, or to create a new school district of such specifically described territory. However, before doing so, the school board must find and determine that the taking of the territory from the existing school district will not seriously interfere with or impair the efficiency of such school district, and all orders adopted under the provisions of this section shall be invalid unless such finding and determination be made. Any order adopted under the provisions of this section shall become final without publication thereof upon such date as may be fixed by the school board but not later than the first day of July next succeeding the date of such order. The taking of territory from existing school districts under the provisions of this section shall not release the property in such territory from assessment and liability for the payment of the outstanding bonds or other indebtedness of the district from which the territory is taken and it shall be the duty of the board of supervisors to continue to levy taxes on such territory in an amount sufficient to pay such territory's pro rata part of all outstanding bonds or other indebtedness existing at the time the territory is taken from such district. In addition thereto, the territory involved shall become liable for its pro rata part of the outstanding bonds or other indebtedness of the district to which it is annexed and taxes shall be levied thereon for the payment thereof to the same extent as taxes are levied upon the other territory of such district.

(2) In the event that twenty percent (20%) of the registered voters residing within the territory of a municipality which was annexed after July 1, 1990, and which has not been added to the territory of the municipal school district embraced by such municipality petition the governing body of such municipality for a referendum on the question of inclusion in the municipal school district, the governing body of the municipality which includes the annexed territory presently outside of the municipal school district boundaries shall hold a referendum of all registered voters residing within the territory annexed by such municipality but not included within the boundaries of the municipal school district on the question of inclusion in the municipal school district. Such right of referendum shall be limited to such territories lying within counties which have two (2) judicial districts and which have municipal school districts which have a reduction in student enrollment as a result of Hurricane Katrina at least equal to ten percent (10%) when compared to the 2004-2005 school year. Approval of the inclusion of the territory into the municipal school district shall be made by a majority vote of the qualified electors voting in favor of such inclusion in said referendum to be held within ninety (90) days from the date of filing and certification of the petition provided for herein on the question of such inclusion. The referendum shall be held in the same manner as are other municipal elections. When any school district is altered under the provisions of this section, the alteration thereof shall not impair or release the property of such school district from liability for the payment of the bonds or other indebtedness of such district, outstanding at the time of the alteration, and it shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of said county to levy taxes on the property of said district so altered from year to year according to the terms of such indebtedness until same shall be fully paid.

SECTION 4. 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 5. 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.