The State Committee will approve or disapprove petitions for
school district boundary changes, following a review for required contents in
this section and the holding of public hearings.
003.01 Criteria for Approval of Petitions
Petitions under Section
79-413
R.R.S. or of school boards or boards of education under Sections
79-415,
and
79-416
R.R.S. shall be filed with the State Committee.
003.01A Petitions of the people must contain
the signatures of sixty percent of the legal voters of each district affected.
If the petitions contain the signatures of at least sixty five percent of the
legal voters of each affected district, the State Committee shall approve the
petition.
003.01B Petitions
proposing to change the boundaries of existing school districts through the
transfer of a parcel of land, not to exceed six hundred forty acres, shall be
approved when the petitions involve the transfer of land between Class II, III,
IV, and V school districts or when there would be an exchange of parcels of
land between Class II, III, IV, and V school districts and the petitions have
the approval of at least sixty five percent of the school board of each
affected district.
003.01C
Applicable incentive payments will be approved or disapproved after review by
the State Committee according to the criteria and application requirements set
forth in Section
79-1011
R.R.S.. For incentive payments to be approved for consolidations, a
reorganization study, including efficiency, demographics, curriculum, facility,
financial, and community components, must be completed. If a study containing
such elements is completed and the reorganization plan or unification agreement
"will most likely result in more efficiency in the delivery of educational
services or greater educational opportunities," pursuant to Section
79-1011
R.R.S., the State Committee may approve incentive payments for the affected
districts.
003.01D Petitions
proposing to create a new school district or to change the boundary lines of
existing school districts, any of which involves the transfer of more than six
hundred forty acres, shall, when signed by at least sixty percent of the legal
voters in each district affected, be submitted to the State Committee. The
State Committee shall, within forty days after receipt of the petition, hold
one or more public hearings and review and approve or disapprove such proposal.
See Section
003.01I of this
Rule for notice and hearing procedures.
003.01E If there is a bond election to be
held in conjunction with a petition, the State Committee will hold the petition
until the bond election has been held, during which time names may be added to
or withdrawn from the petitions. If the bond election is unsuccessful, no
further action on the petition is required. If the bond election is successful,
the State Committee will, within fifteen days after receipt of the
certification of the results, approve the petition and notify the county clerk
to effect the changes in boundary lines as set forth in the petition.
003.01E1 The results of the bond election
shall be certified by the County Clerk or County Election Commissioner to the
State Committee.
003.01F
In addition to the petitions of legal voters pursuant to Sections
003.01A through
003.01E of this
Rule, Sections
79-415
to
79-418
R.R.S. provide that:
003.01F1 Changes in
boundaries and the creation of a new school district from other districts may
be initiated and accepted by the school board or board of education of any
district.
003.01F2 When the legal
voters of a Class II school district in which no city or village is located
petition to merge in whole or in part with a Class II district, the merger may
be accepted by petition of the school board of the accepting
district.
003.01F3 Except as
otherwise provided in Section
79-418
R.R.S., petitions presented pursuant to Sections
003.01F1 through
003.01F3 of this
Rule shall be subject to the same requirements for content, hearings, notice,
review, and appeal as petitions submitted to Sections
003.01A through
003.01E of this
Rule. See Section
003.01I of this
Rule for notice and hearing procedures.
003.01G When a new district is to be created
from other districts or when boundary changes are proposed by dissolution and
merger the petition shall contain:
003.01G1 A
description of the proposed boundaries of the new district and the established
school districts;
003.01G2 A
summary of the terms on which reorganization is to be made between the
reorganized districts, which terms may include a provision for initial school
board districts or wards within the proposed district for the appointment of
the first school board and also for the first election as provided in Section
79-451
R.R.S., which proposed initial school board districts or wards shall be
determined by the State Committee taking into consideration population and
valuation, and a determination of the terms of the board members first
appointed to membership of the board of the newly reorganized
district;
003.01G3 A map showing
the boundaries of established school districts and the boundaries proposed
under any plan or plans of reorganization;
003.01G4 A separate statement as to whether
the reorganization is contingent upon success of a bond election held in
conjunction with the reorganization;
003.01G5 An affidavit from the county clerk
or election commissioner regarding the validity of the signatures on the
petition; and
003.01G6 Such other
matters as the petitioners may determine proper to be included.
003.01H Within thirty days after
the creation of a new school district, the State Committee shall appoint from
among the legal voters of the new school district created the number of members
necessary to constitute a school board of the class in which the new school
district has been classified, in accordance with Section
79-420
R.R.S..
003.01H1 The State Committee may
request from the petitioners a list of persons qualified to serve on the board
of education of the new school district and written applications from such
persons to serve on the board of education.
003.01I Notice and Hearing Procedures for
Petitions Submitted under Sections 003.01.
003.01I1 Upon receipt of any petition meeting
the applicable regulatory and statutory requirements of Sections
003.01A -
003.01G of this
Rule and Sections
79-413
and
79-415
through
79-418
R.R.S., the Commissioner of Education, as an ex officio member of the State
Committee, or his or her designee, shall set a date for a hearing to occur
within forty (40) days of the receipt of such petition and notify, by regular
U.S. mail, all affected school districts. Such notice shall also be provided to
each member of the State Committee.
003.01I2 All hearings are to be held in
Lincoln, Nebraska, unless otherwise determined by the Commissioner or his or
her designee.
003.01I3 Notice of
such hearing shall be given in a legal newspaper or newspapers of general
circulation of each county wherein any portion of any affected district lies.
Publication of such notice shall occur at least ten (10) days prior to the
hearing and proof of such publication shall be filed with the State Committee
prior to the commencement of the hearing. Publication of such notice shall be
the responsibility of the affected district with the largest number of pupils
to the most recently filed Fall School District Membership Reports of the
affected districts under Section
79-528(4)
R.R.S.. The notice shall state that a
hearing on the petition is to be held before the State Committee, shall state
the date, time, and place of the hearing, shall contain a description of the
current and proposed boundaries of the affected districts, and shall contain a
statement as to where interested persons may view the petition. A sample notice
is contained in Appendix A of this Rule.
003.01I4 The hearings shall be informal
proceedings. The State Committee shall hear all persons interested in the
petition. The State Committee may impose reasonable time limitations on
presentations and testimony as it deems appropriate and necessary, and limit
repetitious testimony. The State Committee, at its discretion, may receive into
the record exhibits offered by school districts and other interested parties.
The State Committee shall keep a record of all hearings in the formulation of
its approval of petitions.
003.01I5
Following the submission of testimony and evidence, the State Committee shall
review and approve or disapprove petitions for school district boundary changes
by an open roll call vote. Prior to such vote, the State Committee may, at its
discretion and as necessary, meet in closed session as permitted by the public
meetings laws, Section
84-1410
R.R.S.. Following its review and approval or disapproval of a petition, the
State Committee shall issue an order in accordance with its decision to all
affected districts.
003.01I6
Appeals from changes made by the State Committee shall be taken as provided in
Section
79-413(4)
R.R.S..
003.02 Criteria for Approval of Plans for
Reorganization of School Districts
The State Committee will approve or disapprove plans for
reorganization which are subject to a special election under Sections
79-447
and
79-452
R.R.S., following a review for required content specified in Section
003.02B of this
Rule and the holding of public hearing or hearings.
003.02A Before any plan of reorganization is
completed or approved by the State Committee, it shall hold one or more public
hearings. At such hearings, it shall hear any and all persons interested with
respect to (1) the merits of proposed reorganization plans, (2) the value and
amount of all school property of whatever nature involved in the proposed
action, (3) the amount of outstanding indebtedness of each district and
proposed disposition thereof, and (4) the equitable adjustment of all property,
debts, and liabilities among the districts involved. The State Committee shall
keep a record of all hearings in the formulation or approval of plans for the
reorganization of school districts. Notice of such public hearings of the State
Committee shall be given by publication in a legal newspaper of general
circulation in the county at least ten days prior to such hearing. See Section
003.02E of this
Rule for notice and hearing provisions.
003.02B After one or more public hearings
have been held, the State Committee may approve a plan or plans of
reorganization. Such plan shall contain:
003.02B1 A description of the proposed
boundaries of the reorganized district;
003.02B2 A summary of the reasons for each
proposed change, realignment, or adjustment of the boundaries;
003.02B3 A summary of the terms on which
reorganization is to be made between the reorganized districts. Such terms
shall include a provision for initial school board districts or wards within
the proposed district, which proposed initial school board districts or wards
shall be determined by the State Committee taking into consideration population
and valuation, and a determination of the terms of the board members first
appointed to membership on the board of the newly reorganized
district;
003.02B4 A separate
statement as to whether the reorganization is contingent upon the success of a
bond election held in conjunction with the reorganization;
003.02B5 A statement of the findings with
respect to the location of schools, the utilization of existing buildings, the
construction of new buildings, and the transportation requirements under the
proposed plan of reorganization. The plan may contain provisions for the
holding of school within existing buildings in the newly reorganized district
and that a school constituted under this section shall be maintained from the
date of reorganization unless the legal voters served by the school vote by a
majority vote for discontinuance of the school;
003.02B6 A map showing the boundaries of
established school districts and the boundaries proposed under any plan or
plans or reorganization;
003.02B7
Section
79-443(7)
R.R.S. also provides that such plan shall
contain such other matters as the State Committee determines proper to be
included. These shall include (1) The full names and addresses of persons
proposed by the affected districts submitting the plan to serve on the initial
school board to be appointed by the State Committee under Section
003.02D of this
Rule; (2) A statement of assurance that such persons are legal voters of the
new school district, if and when created; (3) An assurance that the districts
submitting the plan(s) believe such persons are qualified to serve on such
board and are in no manner prohibited from holding such office by any law or
regulation.
003.02C The
State Committee shall, within thirty days after holding one or more public
hearings on the proposed plan of reorganization, notify in writing and by first
class mail the head administrator of the school districts whether it approves
or disapproves such plan or plans. See Section
003.02E for notice
and hearing procedures.
003.02C1 If the State
Committee disapproves the plan, it shall be returned to the school districts
and shall not be submitted to a special election.
003.02C2 If the State Committee approves the
plan, or any part thereof, it shall be designated as the final approved plan
and shall be returned to the school districts to be submitted to a vote in the
special election under Section
79-447
R.R.S..
003.02C3 Applicable
incentive payments (Section
79-1010
R.R.S.) will be approved or disapproved pending final approval of the plan by
the legal voters voting in a special election.
003.02C4 If the majority vote in each voting
unit at the election described in Section
79-447
R.R.S. is not in favor of the plan of reorganization, the school districts may
continue in their efforts in an attempt to prepare a revised plan that might be
acceptable. If a revised plan is approved by the school districts, it shall be
submitted for the approval of the State Committee, and if approved by the State
Committee it shall be submitted to a vote under the procedure provided in
Section
79-447
R.R.S..
003.02D The
State Committee shall, within thirty days after the classification of the
reorganized school districts by the county clerk, appoint from among the legal
voters of each new school district created, the number of members necessary to
constitute a school board of the class in which the new school district has
been classified. The first board shall be appointed on an at-large basis, and
all boards shall be elected at large until such time as school districts are
established as provided in Section
32-554
R.R.S.. The terms of the appointment will be as specified in Section
79-451
R.R.S..
003.02E Procedures for
Notice and Hearings on Plans for the Reorganization of School Districts.
003.02E1 Upon the filing with the State
Committee of a plan for the reorganization of school districts pursuant to
Section
79-441(2)
R.R.S., the Commissioner of Education, as an
ex officio member of the State Committee, or his or her designee, shall set a
date for such hearing and notify, by regular U.S. mail, all affected school
districts of the date, time and place of such hearing. Such notice shall also
be provided to each member of the State Committee. All hearings shall be held
in Lincoln, Nebraska unless otherwise determined by the Commissioner or his or
her designee.
003.02E2 Pursuant to
Section
79-442
R.R.S., notice of such public hearings of the State Committee on plans of
reorganization shall be given by publication in a legal newspaper of general
circulation in the county at least ten (10) days prior to such hearing.
003.02E2A Publication of such notice shall be
the responsibility of the affected school district that has the largest number
of pupils according to the most recently filed Fall School District Membership
Reports of the affected districts under Section
79-528(4)
R.R.S.. Proof of such publication shall be
filed with the State Committee prior to commencement of such hearing.
003.02E2B The notice shall state that a
hearing on the plan of reorganization of school districts is to be held before
the State Committee for the Reorganization of School Districts, the date, time
and place of the hearing, and state a description of the current and proposed
boundaries of the reorganized districts in the statement as to where interested
persons may view the proposed plan. The notice shall identify that it is being
submitted by the superintendent or other authorized official of the school
district that has the responsibility of publication of a notice under Section
003.02E2A of this
Rule. A sample notice is contained in Appendix B of this Rule.
003.02E3 The hearing shall be an
informal proceeding. The State Committee shall hear all persons interested with
respect to the aspects in Section
003.02A of this
Rule. The State Committee may impose reasonable time limitations on the
presentations and testimony as it deems appropriate and necessary, and limit
repetitious testimony. The State Committee, at its discretion, may receive into
the record exhibits offered by school districts and other interested parties.
003.02E4 At the conclusion of any
hearing, the State Committee may take the matter under advisement and issue its
approval or disapproval of a plan within thirty (30) days after the conclusion
of the hearing or hearings in accordance with Section
79-444
R.R.S. and Section
003.02C of this
Rule.
003.02E5 At its discretion
and as it deems necessary, at the conclusion of any hearing, the State
Committee may require further hearings on a plan of reorganization. In such an
event, the approval or disapproval of a plan of reorganization is not required
until thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the final
hearing.
003.03 Dissolution Petitions; Class II
Districts
Section
79-452
R.R.S. provides that a proposal to dissolve a Class II school district and
attach it to one or more existing Class II, III, IV, or V school districts may
be initiated by filing with the State Committee a petition or petitions signed
by at least twenty-five percent of the legal voters of the district, together
with an affidavit from the county clerk or election commissioner listing all
legal voters of the district and a determination by the county clerk or
election commissioner that the signatures are sufficient.
003.03A The petition shall contain a plan of
the proposed reorganization, an effective date, and a statement whether any
existing bonded indebtedness shall remain on the property of the district which
incurred it or be assumed by the enlarged district. The petition may also
contain provisions for the holding of school within existing buildings in the
proposed reorganized district, and when so provided, the holding of school
within such buildings shall be maintained from the date of reorganization
unless either the legal voters served by the school or the school board of the
reorganized district votes by a majority vote for discontinuance of the school.
In case of conflicting votes between the legal voters and the school board on
such issue, the decision of the legal voters shall prevail. A signing
petitioner shall not be permitted to withdraw his or her name from the petition
after the petition has been filed. The school board of each Class II, III, IV,
or V district to which the merger is proposed shall also submit to the State
Committee a statement to the effect that a majority of the board members
approve the proposal contained in the petition.