Opinion ID: 2509859
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The 1983 Constitution: The General Assembly May Provide by Law for the Creation of Special Schools in Such Areas as May Require Them

Text: Our current Constitution, which took effect in 1983, again maintained the basic public education scheme of county, area, and pre-existing independent school systems, along with the prohibition on establishing new independent systems. See Art. VIII, Sec. V, Par. I. Local boards of education were again granted the authority to establish and control public schools within their limits, id., and to manage and control their school systems. Art. VIII, Sec. V, Par. II. And the 1983 Constitution again separately authorized the General Assembly to create special schools: The General Assembly may provide by law for the creation of special schools in such areas as may require them and may provide for the participation of local boards of education in the establishment of such schools under such terms and conditions as it may provide; but no bonded indebtedness may be incurred nor a school tax levied for the support of special schools without the approval of a majority of the qualified voters voting thereon in each of the systems affected. Art. VIII, Sec. V, Par. VII(a). However, the 1983 provision was different than its predecessors in several important respects. First, the language areas schools, including special schools became special schools in such areas as may require them. Second, the three specific examples of special schools listed in the 1966 Amendment and the 1976 Constitution were deleted. In addition, the General Assembly was granted the authority to create special schools unilaterallyauthority it had not had, at least expressly, since the 1945 Constitution prohibited the creation of any new independent school systems. Although the General Assembly may still provide for local boards of education to participate in the creation of special schools, that is no longer required. Similarly, special schools can now be created without the approval of voters in the school districts affected, although the General Assembly cannot draw on local school taxes or bonds to finance special schools without local voter approval.