2023 Arizona Revised Statutes › Title 15 - Education › § 15-450 - Formation of a new joint unified school district; petition; report; election; notice; ballots; canvass of votes; appointment of governing board

15-450.
Formation of a new joint unified school district;  petition;  report;  election;  notice;  ballots;  canvass of votes;  appointment of governing board
A. Notwithstanding any other statute,  a new joint unified school district may be formed if the formation is approved by the state board of education and if the following requirements are met:
1. The boundaries of the proposed new joint unified school district include an incorporated city that is divided by two counties.
2. The proposed new joint unified school district includes territory within the boundaries of two or more existing school districts.
3. The proposed new joint unified school district would have a student count of not less than six hundred.
4. A high school is not located within the boundaries of the proposed new joint unified school district.
5. The assessed valuation of the proposed school district is at least two million dollars.
6. The governing boards of the districts affected have been given notice of the proposed change and an opportunity to be heard pursuant to section 15-442,  subsection B.
B. If it is desired that a new joint unified school district be formed pursuant to the provisions of this section,  ten per cent or more of the qualified electors residing within the boundaries of the proposed joint unified school district shall file petitions with the county school superintendents of the counties in which the territory of the proposed district is situated. The petitions shall describe the territory to be included in the proposed joint unified school district and shall request that the formation of the proposed district be submitted to the qualified electors who reside within the proposed district.
C. Each county school superintendent with whom petitions for the formation of a joint unified school district are filed shall examine the petitions within fifteen days of the date of receipt to determine their sufficiency,  including the adequacy of the signatures from the portion of the proposed district within his county. If the petitions are found sufficient,  the county school superintendent shall transmit the petitions to the state board of education.
D. The state board of education shall promptly schedule a review of the issue of the formation of the proposed joint unified school district after receiving the petitions from the county school superintendents pursuant to subsection C of this section. The board shall approve or reject the formation of the proposed joint unified school district within sixty days of the date of receipt of the petitions. The board shall consider:
1. Operational costs of the existing and proposed districts.
2. Travel times and distances.
3. Climatic conditions.
4. Local terrain.
5. The number of pupils.
6. The fairness and appropriateness of any redistribution of taxable wealth from an existing school district to a proposed joint unified school district.
7. Whether the assessed valuation of the proposed joint unified school district is sufficient to support the district in a manner comparable to other districts of similar size.
If the state board after considering all such factors determines that the proposed new district will not cause an undue adverse effect on the operations of any existing school district,  jeopardize the operation of the proposed joint common school district or cause a disproportionate amount of taxable wealth to be redistributed,  it shall approve the petitions and return them to the respective county school superintendents.
E. On approval from the state board of education,  the county school superintendent of each county whose territory or a portion of whose territory will be included in the proposed joint unified school district shall submit the question of the formation of the proposed joint unified school district to the voters at a general election or at a special election to be held for that purpose. If no general election is scheduled to be held within sixty days after the date the county school superintendent receives the approved petitions from the state board of education,  he shall promptly call a special election to be held within sixty days after receipt of the approved petitions. Notice of the election shall be given by the county school superintendent to the boards of supervisors. At least ten days before the election,  the county school superintendent shall cause notice of the proposed election to be posted in not less than three public places in the proposed district and to be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the proposed district. The notice shall state the following:
1. The question to be voted on and the boundaries of the proposed joint unified school district with sufficient definiteness to make them readily ascertainable.
2. A description of voter qualifications,  including requirements that the voters shall be residents of the proposed district.
3. The location of voting places within the proposed district,  at least one of which shall be in each county.
F. Within ten days after the election,  the county school superintendent and the chairman of the board of supervisors of each county shall canvass the vote. If a majority of the votes cast in each county of persons who reside within the proposed district favors formation of the proposed joint unified school district,  the boards of supervisors shall jointly declare the election and the joint unified school district shall become operative from and after June 30 next following the election.
G. If the joint unified school district includes territory located in two or more counties,  the county of jurisdiction is the county in which the largest number of qualified electors of the joint unified school district resides,  except that if all of the existing school buildings are located in one county,  that county is the county of jurisdiction. The county school superintendent of the jurisdictional county shall perform all duties for and with respect to the joint unified school district required to be performed by county school superintendents. The board of supervisors of the jurisdictional county shall perform all duties for and with respect to the joint unified school district required to be performed by boards of supervisors,  except that school district taxes to be levied on property in the portion of the joint unified school district lying in another county shall be levied by the board of supervisors of the other county or counties and on receipt shall be transferred to the county of jurisdiction.
H. If a new joint unified school district is authorized,  the governing boards of the existing school districts shall prepare a projected list of assets for the existing districts prior to the end of the fiscal year in which the election is held. The governing boards of the original school districts and the new joint unified school district shall prepare a final statement of assets for the formerly existing school districts as of the end of the fiscal year in which the election was held and shall have the statement of cash and bonded indebtedness certified by the county treasurers by August 30 of the year in which the new school district becomes operative. The governing boards of the original school districts and the new joint unified school district shall set aside sufficient assets or provide other means to satisfy the liabilities of the former existing districts except for bonded indebtedness and approve the final division of all assets by September 15 of the year in which the new school district becomes operative. If one or more of the governing boards fail to provide for satisfying the liabilities and fail to approve the division of assets by September 15,  the county attorney or attorneys shall determine the means to satisfy the liabilities and final division of assets by October 1 of the fiscal year in which the new school district becomes operative.
I. The division of bonded indebtedness of the original school districts shall be in accordance with the provisions of section 15-457,  subsection B. In addition,  any debt due to lease-purchase agreements shall be handled in a similar manner as outlined for bonded indebtedness in section 15-457,  subsection B.
J. Sections 15-457,  15-975 and 15-997 apply to joint unified school districts formed under this section.
K. A joint unified school district shall not be formed if any of the resulting school districts would have a student count for the current year of less than six hundred.
L. The governing board of the joint unified school district shall prepare policies,  curricula and budgets for the new school district. These policies shall require that:
1. The base salary of each teacher for the first year of operation of the new school district shall not be lower than the teacher's base salary for the prior year in the previously existing school district.
2. The teacher's years of employment in the previously existing school district shall be included in determining the teacher's years of employment in the new joint unified school district.
M. If a new joint unified school district is authorized,  the governing board of a district that will have its boundaries reduced by creation of the new joint unified district may hold an override election for the year beginning July 1 after the election that authorized the formation of the new joint unified district. The governing board of a school district that will have its boundaries reduced by creation of the new joint unified district may hold a bond election for bonds applicable to and paid solely by the school district as it will exist after the formation of the new joint unified school district. Override elections and bond elections under this subsection shall be held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November as prescribed by section 16-204. The electors who reside in an area that property will not be subject to taxation for operation or payment of the bonds of the school district calling the override or bond election after creation of the new joint unified school district are not eligible to vote in such an override or bond election.