HB 2139 was subject to a strike-everything amendment. NOW HB2139- schools, consolidation, unification This bill mandates that by July 1, 2024, each school district
in Arizona must be a unified school district. Requires each governing board to annually determine the cost
savings that result from consolidation, unification or both with other school
districts. Requires school districts to retain and use the cost savings
resulting from consolidation or unification for classroom expenditures, with at
least 25 percent of the monies used for teacher salaries. Requires, by June 30, 2022, each governing board, in cooperation with other school districts in the same county, to develop, adopt and publish a plan to consolidate school district with other school districts in that county based on the feasibility study and submitted to the superintendent. County Superintendents may extend deadline until June 30, 2023. Requires the plan to include a process to unify or
consolidate without an election if all affected governing boards: a) approve the unification or
consolidation through resolutions; and b) certify approval of the unification
or consolidation to the county superintendent of the county or counties in
which the individual school districts are located. Requires the county superintendent to assist districts in
their plans AND develop and publish a plan to consolidate school districts in
that county, if the governing boards within the county do not adopt a plan by
June 30, 2022, or the extended deadline- to be executed without an election. Requires, within 90 days after the effective date, the
governing board of each school district that is not a unified district on the
general effective date to develop a transition plan to comply with the
requirements by July 1, 2024. Repeals, on July 1, 2027, the small school districts general
budget limit exemption and budget revisions. Allows a school district that is unified or consolidated
without an election according to plans adopted by the affected governing boards
to increase the revenue control limit (RCL) and district support level for the
first three years of operation by: a) 7% of the RCL in the first year
for which a budget is computed; b) 5% of the RCL in the second year
for which a budget is computed; and c) 3% of the RCL in the third year
for which a budget is computed. Reduces the allowable small school district budget revisions
by: a) 25% in FY 2025; b) 50% in FY 2026; and c) 75% in FY 2027. Appropriates for costs associated with implementing this act,
including feasibility studies: a) $250,000 from the state GF in FY
2020 to each county BOS of a county with a population of 500,000 or less; and b) $750,000 from the state GF in FY
2020 to each county BOS of a county with a population of more than 500,000. Requires each county superintendent to commence a feasibility
study on unification of school districts by September 15, 2020 and outlines requirements
for the report. Allows the county superintendent to include a recommendation
on enlarging or diminishing the size of affected school districts if: a) any combined school districts
must have contiguous boundaries, must be adjacent to each other, or both; b) a county with a three-member
county Board of Supervisors (BOS) has a maximum of 3 school districts; c) a county with a five-member
county BOS and a population of less than 2,000,000 has a maximum of 7 school
districts; and d) a county a with five-member
county BOS and a population of at least 2,000,000 has a maximum of 20 school
districts. Directs Legislative Council Staff to prepare conforming legislation. |