House Bill 73

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-15-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OF CERTAIN TRANSFERRING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CERTAIN RECEIVING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO CERTIFY TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT FROM THE DISTRICT OF RESIDENCE FOR PURPOSES OF CALCULATING THE PER PUPIL PRO RATA SHARE OF LOCAL AD VALOREM SCHOOL DISTRICT MAINTENANCE FUNDS TO BE REMITTED TO THE RECEIVING SCHOOL DISTRICT; TO AMEND SECTION 37-57-107, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY THERETO; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. 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.

(d) Before September 1 of each year, the board of trustees of the receiving school district shall certify to the State Department of Education the number of students enrolled in the school district who are transferred from the school district of residence under this subsection. The transferring school district also shall certify the total number of students residing in the school district enrolled therein plus the number of those students who are transferring to a different school district, yet continue to reside in the transferring school district. Based upon these figures, the department shall calculate the percentage of the total number of students in the school district of residence who are transferred to a different school district and shall certify this percentage to the levying authority for the transferring school district. The levying authority shall remit to the school board of the receiving school district, from the proceeds of the ad valorem taxes collected for the support of the transferring school district, an amount equal to the percentage of the total number of students in the transferring school distict who are transferred to a different school district.

(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.

SECTION 2. Section 37-57-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-57-107. (1) Beginning with the tax levy for the 1997 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter, the aggregate receipts from taxes levied for school district purposes pursuant to Sections 37-57-105 and 37-57-1 shall not exceed the aggregate receipts from those sources during any one (1) of the immediately preceding three (3) fiscal years, as determined by the school board, plus an increase not to exceed seven percent (7%). For the purpose of this limitation, the term "aggregate receipts" when used in connection with the amount of funds generated in a preceding fiscal year shall not include excess receipts required by law to be deposited into a special account. However, the term "aggregate receipts" includes any receipts required by law to be paid to a charter school. The additional revenue from the ad valorem tax on any newly constructed properties or any existing properties added to the tax rolls or any properties previously exempt which were not assessed in the next preceding year may be excluded from the seven percent (7%) increase limitation set forth herein. Taxes levied for payment of principal of and interest on general obligation school bonds issued heretofore or hereafter shall be excluded from the seven percent (7%) increase limitation set forth herein. Any additional millage levied to fund any new program mandated by the Legislature shall be excluded from the limitation for the first year of the levy and included within such limitation in any year thereafter. For the purposes of this section, the term "new program" shall include, but shall not be limited to, (a) the Early Childhood Education Program required to commence with the 1986-1987 school year as provided by Section 37-21-7 and any additional millage levied and the revenue generated therefrom, which is excluded from the limitation for the first year of the levy, to support the mandated Early Childhood Education Program shall be specified on the minutes of the school board and of the governing body making such tax levy; (b) any additional millage levied and the revenue generated therefrom which shall be excluded from the limitation for the first year of the levy, for the purpose of generating additional local contribution funds required for the adequate education program for the 2003 fiscal year and for each fiscal year thereafter under Section 37-151-7(2); and (c) any additional millage levied and the revenue generated therefrom which shall be excluded from the limitation for the first year of the levy, for the purpose of support and maintenance of any agricultural high school which has been transferred to the control, operation and maintenance of the school board by the board of trustees of the community college district under provisions of Section 37-29-272.

(2) The seven percent (7%) increase limitation prescribed in this section may be increased an additional amount only when the school board has determined the need for additional revenues and has held an election on the question of raising the limitation prescribed in this section. The limitation may be increased only if three-fifths (3/5) of those voting in the election shall vote for the proposed increase. The resolution, notice and manner of holding the election shall be as prescribed by law for the holding of elections for the issuance of bonds by the respective school boards. Revenues collected for the fiscal year in excess of the seven percent (7%) increase limitation pursuant to an election shall be included in the tax base for the purpose of determining aggregate receipts for which the seven percent (7%) increase limitation applies for subsequent fiscal years.

(3) Except as otherwise provided for excess revenues generated pursuant to an election, if revenues collected as the result of the taxes levied for the fiscal year pursuant to this section and Section 37-57-1 exceed the increase limitation, then it shall be the mandatory duty of the school board of the school district to deposit such excess receipts over and above the increase limitation into a special account and credit it to the fund for which the levy was made. It will be the further duty of such board to hold said funds and invest the same as authorized by law. Such excess funds shall be calculated in the budgets for the school districts for the purpose for which such levies were made, for the succeeding fiscal year. Taxes imposed for the succeeding year shall be reduced by the amount of excess funds available. Under no circumstances shall such excess funds be expended during the fiscal year in which such excess funds are collected.

(4) For the purposes of determining ad valorem tax receipts for a preceding fiscal year under this section, the term "fiscal year" means the fiscal year beginning October 1 and ending September 30.

(5) Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, each school district in which a charter school is located shall pay to the charter school an amount for each student enrolled in the charter school equal to the ad valorem taxes levied per pupil for the support of the school district in which the charter school is located. The pro rata ad valorem taxes to be transferred to the charter school must include all levies for the support of the school district under Sections 37-57-1 (local contribution to the adequate education program) and 37-57-105 (school district operational levy) but may not include any taxes levied for the retirement of school district bonded indebtedness or short-term notes or any taxes levied for the support of vocational-technical education programs. Payments made pursuant to this subsection by a school district to a charter school must be made before the expiration of three (3) business days after the funds are distributed to the school district.

(6) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, in accordance with Section 37-15-31(1)(d), each school district from which a resident student transfers shall pay to the receiving school district an amount for each student enrolled in the receiving school district equal to the ad valorem taxes levied per pupil for the support of the transferring school district in which the student resides. The pro rata ad valorem taxes to be transferred to the receiving school district must include all levies for the support of the school district under Sections 37-57-1 (local contribution to the adequate education program) and 37-57-105 (school district operational levy) but may not include any taxes levied for the retirement of school district bonded indebtedness or short-term notes or any taxes levied for the support of vocational-technical education programs. Payments made pursuant to this subsection by a transferring school district to a receiving school district must be made before the expiration of three (3) business days after the funds are distributed to the school district.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2015.