HOUSE BILL No. 5065

 

September 24, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Taub, Amos, Ward, Howell, Drolet, DeRoche, Milosch, Sheen and Wenke and referred to the Committee on Education.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "The revised school code,"                                                  

                                                                                

    by amending sections 951, 952, 953, 953a, 954, 955, and 971 (MCL            

                                                                                

    380.951, 380.952, 380.953, 380.953a, 380.954, 380.955, and                  

                                                                                

    380.971), section 951 as amended by 1990 PA 147, section 952 as             

                                                                                

    amended by 1982 PA 370, and section 953a as added and section 971           

                                                                                

    as amended by 1995 PA 289, and by adding section 951a.                      

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 951.  (1)  An  Subject to section 951a, an intermediate                

                                                                                

2   school board may detach territory from 1 school district and                

                                                                                

3   attach the territory to another school district  if  in any of              

                                                                                

4   the following circumstances:                                                

                                                                                

5       (a) If requested to do so by resolution of the board of a                   

                                                                                

6   school district whose boundaries would be changed by the action.            

                                                                                

7   ; subject                                                                  

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (b) Subject to subsection  (2)  (3), by resolution of the                   

                                                                                

2   board of a condominium association acting pursuant to a petition            

                                                                                

3   signed by not less than 2/3 of the co-owners of the condominium             

                                                                                

4   association who reside on the land to be transferred.  ; or if              

                                                                                

5       (c) If petitioned by not less than 2/3 of the persons who own               

                                                                                

6   and reside on the land to be transferred.                                   

                                                                                

7       (2) The intermediate school board shall take final action                   

                                                                                

8   within 60 days after the receipt of the resolution or petition.             

                                                                                

9   The territory to be detached shall be contiguous to the school              

                                                                                

10  district to which it is attached.   If  Subject to section 951a,            

                                                                                

11  if the latest  assessed valuation  taxable value of the territory           

                                                                                

12  to be detached is more than 10% of the latest  assessed                     

                                                                                

13  valuation  taxable value of the entire school district from which           

                                                                                

14  the territory is to be detached, the action of the intermediate             

                                                                                

15  school board shall not be effective unless approved by an                   

                                                                                

16  affirmative vote of a majority of the school electors of the                

                                                                                

17  school district from which the territory is to be detached.                 

                                                                                

18      (3)  (2)  The board of a condominium association may request                

                                                                                

19  that an intermediate school board detach territory from 1 school            

                                                                                

20  district and attach the territory to another school district as             

                                                                                

21  described in subsection (1) only if the board of the condominium            

                                                                                

22  association represents the co-owners of a condominium project               

                                                                                

23  that is completed and not less than 75% of the units are sold and           

                                                                                

24  occupied.                                                                   

                                                                                

25      Sec. 951a.  (1) An intermediate school board shall transfer                 

                                                                                

26  territory under this section by detaching territory from 1 school           

                                                                                

27  district and attaching the territory to another school district             


                                                                                

1   that is contiguous to the territory if all of the following are             

                                                                                

2   met:                                                                        

                                                                                

3       (a) The territory to be transferred is a subdivision,                       

                                                                                

4   village, city, or township that includes property in more than 1            

                                                                                

5   school district or is a subdivision that is located in a village,           

                                                                                

6   city, or township that includes property in more than 1 school              

                                                                                

7   district.                                                                   

                                                                                

8       (b) The territory to be transferred has not been previously                 

                                                                                

9   transferred under this section within the immediately preceding             

                                                                                

10  15 years.                                                                   

                                                                                

11      (c) The intermediate school board is petitioned to make the                 

                                                                                

12  transfer by not less than a majority of the persons who own                 

                                                                                

13  property and reside in the territory to be transferred.  If the             

                                                                                

14  affected school districts are in more than 1 intermediate school            

                                                                                

15  district, the petition may be filed with either intermediate                

                                                                                

16  school board.  The petition shall specifically include all of the           

                                                                                

17  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

18                                                                               (i) The boundaries of the territory to be transferred.                              

                                                                                

19      (ii) The total number of mills of ad valorem property tax                    

                                                                                

20  levied by the school district from which the territory is to be             

                                                                                

21  detached, including both operating millage and debt millage.                

                                                                                

22      (iii) The total number of mills of ad valorem property tax                   

                                                                                

23  levied by the school district to which the territory is to be               

                                                                                

24  attached, including both operating millage and debt millage.                

                                                                                

25      (iv) A statement that the territory may continue to be part                  

                                                                                

26  of the school district from which it is detached for the purpose            

                                                                                

27  of levying debt retirement taxes for bonded indebtedness existing           


                                                                                

1   at the time of the transfer until the bonds are redeemed, but               

                                                                                

2   that the territory will be a part of the school district to which           

                                                                                

3   it is to be attached for all other purposes.                                

                                                                                

4       (d) The board of the school district to which the territory                 

                                                                                

5   is to be attached approves the proposed transfer.                           

                                                                                

6       (e) The transfer is approved by a majority of those school                  

                                                                                

7   electors residing in the territory to be transferred voting on              

                                                                                

8   the question.  The election shall be conducted by the board of              

                                                                                

9   the school district to which the territory is to be attached.               

                                                                                

10      (2) A transfer of territory under this section is not subject               

                                                                                

11  to approval by the school electors or school board of the school            

                                                                                

12  district from which the territory is detached.                              

                                                                                

13      (3) If an intermediate school board receives a petition under               

                                                                                

14  subsection (1)(c), all of the following apply:                              

                                                                                

15      (a) The intermediate school board shall notify the board of                 

                                                                                

16  the school district to which the territory is to be attached of             

                                                                                

17  the petition and forward the petition to that board within 3 days           

                                                                                

18  after receiving the petition.                                               

                                                                                

19      (b) The board of the school district to which the territory                 

                                                                                

20  is to be attached shall act to approve or disapprove the proposed           

                                                                                

21  transfer within 45 days after receiving the petition.                       

                                                                                

22      (c) If the board of the school district to which the                        

                                                                                

23  territory is to be attached approves the transfer, that board               

                                                                                

24  shall conduct the election required under subsection (1)(e)                 

                                                                                

25  within 60 days after approving the proposed transfer.                       

                                                                                

26      (d) If the transfer of territory is approved at the election,               

                                                                                

27  the transfer of territory takes effect at the beginning of the              


                                                                                

1   next school fiscal year immediately following final certification           

                                                                                

2   of the election results.                                                    

                                                                                

3       (4) As used in this section, "subdivision" means a                          

                                                                                

4   subdivision platted under the land division act, 1967 PA 288, MCL           

                                                                                

5   560.101 to 560.293, or under a predecessor act, or a condominium            

                                                                                

6   project with a condominium subdivision plan under section 66 of             

                                                                                

7   the condominium act, 1978 PA 59, MCL 559.166, that has been                 

                                                                                

8   recorded by the register of deeds.                                          

                                                                                

9       Sec. 952.   The  For a transfer of territory under section                  

                                                                                

10  951, the intermediate superintendent shall give 10 days' notice             

                                                                                

11  of the time and place of the meeting of the intermediate school             

                                                                                

12  board and of the proposed alterations in school district                    

                                                                                

13  boundaries to be considered by publication once before the                  

                                                                                

14  meeting in newspapers of general circulation in the territory of            

                                                                                

15  the affected school districts.                                              

                                                                                

16      Sec. 953.  If the territory of school districts the                         

                                                                                

17  boundaries of which are affected by  the  a proposed alteration             

                                                                                

18  under section 951 extends into 2 or more intermediate school                

                                                                                

19  districts, the intermediate school board of each intermediate               

                                                                                

20  school district shall meet jointly and sit as a single board to             

                                                                                

21  act upon the request for the transfer of territory.  The                    

                                                                                

22  resolution or petition for the transfer of territory may be filed           

                                                                                

23  with the intermediate school board of 1 of the intermediate                 

                                                                                

24  school districts.  The intermediate superintendent shall call the           

                                                                                

25  joint meeting of the affected intermediate school boards and give           

                                                                                

26  the notice of the intermediate school districts' meeting under              

                                                                                

27  section 952.  Action on the resolution or petition for transfer             


                                                                                

1   of territory shall be taken only at a meeting attended by at                

                                                                                

2   least a quorum of each of the intermediate school boards.  The              

                                                                                

3   intermediate school boards meeting jointly shall elect 1 of their           

                                                                                

4   members chairperson and another secretary of the meeting.                   

                                                                                

5       Sec. 953a.  In making a decision on a proposed transfer of                  

                                                                                

6   territory under  this part  section 951, the intermediate school            

                                                                                

7   board, or the intermediate school boards meeting jointly, shall             

                                                                                

8   consider the welfare of the affected pupil, including, but not              

                                                                                

9   limited to, the length of the pupil's commute to and from school,           

                                                                                

10  on a school bus or otherwise.                                               

                                                                                

11      Sec. 954.  If the intermediate school board or the joint                    

                                                                                

12  intermediate school boards approve  alterations in the boundaries           

                                                                                

13  of school districts  a transfer of territory under section 951 or           

                                                                                

14  if there is a transfer of territory under section 951a, the board           

                                                                                

15  or joint boards shall cause a map to be prepared showing in                 

                                                                                

16  detail the boundaries of the affected school districts before               

                                                                                

17  alteration and the boundaries of territory attached or detached.            

                                                                                

18  A copy of the map bearing the certification of the intermediate             

                                                                                

19  superintendent or the chairperson of the joint boards shall be              

                                                                                

20  filed with the secretary of each affected school district and               

                                                                                

21  with each affected township supervisor or city assessor.                    

                                                                                

22      Sec. 955.  (1)  The  For a transfer of territory under                      

                                                                                

23  section 951, the intermediate school board or joint intermediate            

                                                                                

24  school boards shall determine the effective date of the transfer,           

                                                                                

25  which shall not be less than 10 days after the date of the                  

                                                                                

26  determination.  , and                                                       

                                                                                

27      (2) For a transfer of territory under either section 951 or                 


                                                                                

1   951a, the intermediate school board or joint intermediate school            

                                                                                

2   boards shall determine whether personal property of a school                

                                                                                

3   district is to be transferred.  If real property owned by a                 

                                                                                

4   school district is located in the territory to be transferred to            

                                                                                

5   another school district, the intermediate school board shall                

                                                                                

6   determine an equitable payment for the loss of the property.  The           

                                                                                

7   intermediate school board or joint intermediate school boards may           

                                                                                

8   require an accounting from the affected boards of education and,            

                                                                                

9   for the purpose of making the determination, may adjourn subject            

                                                                                

10  to the call of the president of the intermediate school board or            

                                                                                

11  chairperson of the joint intermediate school boards.                        

                                                                                

12      Sec. 971.  (1)  One  Except as otherwise provided in                        

                                                                                

13  subsection (3), 1 or more resident owners of land considered for            

                                                                                

14  transfer from 1 school district to another, or the board of a               

                                                                                

15  school district whose territory is affected, may appeal the                 

                                                                                

16  action of the intermediate school board or joint intermediate               

                                                                                

17  school boards in transferring the land, the failure to transfer             

                                                                                

18  the land, or action relative to the accounting determination to             

                                                                                

19  the  state board  superintendent of public instruction within 10            

                                                                                

20  days after the action or determination by the intermediate school           

                                                                                

21  board or the joint intermediate school boards.  If the                      

                                                                                

22  intermediate school board or the joint intermediate school boards           

                                                                                

23  fail to take action within the time limit under section 951, the            

                                                                                

24  appeal may be made to the  state board  superintendent of public            

                                                                                

25  instruction within 10 days following the termination of the                 

                                                                                

26  period.  The pendency of an appeal shall suspend the action or              

                                                                                

27  determination of the intermediate school board or joint                     


                                                                                

1   intermediate school boards.                                                 

                                                                                

2       (2)  The state board  Upon appeal under subsection (1), the                 

                                                                                

3   superintendent of public instruction may confirm, modify, or set            

                                                                                

4   aside the order of the intermediate school board or the joint               

                                                                                

5   intermediate school boards.  In considering an appeal, the  state           

                                                                                

6   board  superintendent of public instruction shall consider the              

                                                                                

7   welfare of  the  any affected  pupil  pupils, including, but not            

                                                                                

8   limited to, the length of the  pupil's  pupils' commute to and              

                                                                                

9   from school, on a school bus or otherwise.  The action of the               

                                                                                

10  state board  superintendent of public instruction on the appeal            

                                                                                

11  is final.                                                                   

                                                                                

12      (3) This section does not apply to a transfer of territory                  

                                                                                

13  under section 951a.