Title 15.1, Elementary and Secondary Education

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Annexation" means the alteration of a school district's boundaries through the removal of real property from one school district and its attachment to another contiguous school district. 2. "Contiguous" means two or more…

An individual may petition to have property in one school district annexed to another school district by an exchange of property with property in a contiguous school district. In order to be approved: 1. The petitioner must reside within the boundary of the property to be exchang…

Real property may be annexed to a school district provided: 1. The property to be annexed constitutes a single area that is contiguous to the school district; 2. The property to be annexed does not constitute an entire school district; 3. The annexation petition is signed by two-…

1. A petition to request the annexation of property must: a. Be obtained from the county superintendent of schools; b. Identify all property to be annexed, before circulation; c. Identify one child whose place of residence is on the property to be annexed and whose parent has sta…

1. Upon receiving a petition for the annexation of property to a school district, the county superintendent shall schedule and give notice of a public hearing regarding the annexation. 2. At least twenty-one days before the date of the public hearing, the county superintendent sh…

Annexations under this chapter become effective on July first following final approval by the state board.

The legal title to all real property owned by a school district and annexed to another school district, included in a reorganized district, or subjected to dissolution, vests in the board of the reorganized school district or of the district to which the property is annexed or at…

1. The boards of two school districts may initiate a voluntary transfer of property between the districts if each board: a. Votes to pursue the transfer; b. Votes to approve the proposed adjustment of the district boundaries; and c. Files with the county superintendent a document…

1. Property annexed or attached to the receiving school district is subject to all of the receiving school district's levies, except those to retire bonded debt existing before the effective date of the annexation or dissolution. The county committee and the state board in approv…

1. In order for two or more contiguous school districts or contiguous portions of two or more school districts to initiate a reorganization process, the board of each participating school district must: a. Vote to pursue the reorganization; b. Prepare a reorganization plan; c. Ap…

A reorganization plan may provide that the general fund mill levy applicable to property in those participating districts having a general fund mill levy that is lower than the proposed general fund mill levy for the reorganized district may be raised incrementally, over a period…

1. The reorganization plan required by section 15.1-12-09 must: a. Include a map showing the boundaries of each participating district and of the proposed new district; b. Include the number of students enrolled in each participating district during the current school year and du…

The state board of public school education may not approve any reorganization plan that would result in the creation of an elementary district.

1. If the state board approves a reorganization plan, the state board shall notify each county superintendent of schools having jurisdiction over real property in the proposed new district. A county superintendent receiving notice under this section shall call a special election …

1. If the reorganization plan proposes the issuance of bonds under chapter 21-03, the question of the bond issuance may be voted on at the same election as that for which approval of the reorganization plan is sought; provided: a. Each of the school boards involved in the reorgan…

1. If the electors reject the reorganization plan, the county committee, after a period of three months from the date of the special election, may hold a public hearing as provided for in section 15.1-12-10 to consider a revised reorganization plan proposed by the participating s…

1. Upon approval of a reorganization plan by the electors, in accordance with section 15.1-12-11, a school board for the reorganized district must be elected at the next regular school district election or at a special election called by the county superintendent of schools for t…

1. The board of a reorganized school district established under this chapter shall negotiate with the district's teachers and may contract with the teachers' representative organization prior to the effective date of the reorganization. 2. Upon the completion of negotiations and …

Before a reorganization is effective, the board of a reorganized school district established under this chapter may proceed in accordance with chapter 21-03 to issue bonds for purposes specified in that chapter if the bond issuance is provided for by the approved reorganization p…

The reorganization plan required by section 15.1-12-09 may propose the inclusion of up to ten mills as a building fund levy. If the reorganization plan is approved by a majority of electors residing within the boundaries of the proposed new district, the building fund levy become…

An elementary school in existence at the time a reorganization becomes effective may be closed upon approval of the board. Unless otherwise directed by the superintendent of public instruction, a school closed under this section may be reopened only upon resolution of the school …

A reorganization plan takes effect on the first day of July following its approval by the voters. Within thirty days from the effective date of the reorganization, personnel from school districts incorporated in whole or in part into a reorganized district shall turn over to the …

The reorganizing school districts shall contact job service North Dakota for its estimation of the new reorganized school district's potential obligation to job service North Dakota for reimbursement of unemployment compensation benefits that could potentially be paid by job serv…

The board of a reorganized district may sell or move a school building located in the district. If a petition calling for the sale of a school building is signed by a majority of the qualified electors residing within the boundaries of a former school district now wholly located …

If the electors reject a reorganization plan, the cost of the election must be borne by each school district that had real property included in the proposed district. The percentage of the total cost for which each district is obligated is the same as the percentage that the dist…

1. All provisions of a reorganization plan, except those relating to boundaries and geographic voting areas, may be changed upon the concurrence of a majority of the qualified electors voting on the question. The question may be placed before the voters at a regular or special el…

1. Beginning five years after the effective date of the reorganization, the board of a reorganized district may exercise all powers granted to a school board by law, regardless of limitations contained in the district's reorganization proposal. 2. Notwithstanding subsection 1, th…

A school district that for school purposes imposed on agricultural property a proportionate tax rate different from the school district levy on other taxable property, as permitted by repealed sections 15-53.1-37 and 15-53.1-38 on December 31, 1984, shall continue to levy the pro…

A school district that ceases to provide educational services within the district must become, within one year, through a process of reorganization or dissolution, part of a district operating an approved school. If a school district affected by this section has not become part o…

The school board of the district to which a nonoperating district is attached shall provide transportation to students residing within the boundaries of the attached land in the same manner that transportation is provided to all other students in the district.

1. A county committee shall initiate proceedings to dissolve a school district and attach the property to other operating high school districts in the same county, or to a non-high school district in the same county if there are no high school districts in the same county adjacen…

Before the hearing before the county committee, the dissolving school district shall contact job service North Dakota for its estimation of the school district's potential obligation to job service North Dakota for reimbursement of unemployment compensation benefits that could po…

1. The county superintendent shall schedule and give notice of a public hearing regarding the dissolution of the district and the subsequent attachment of the property to other high school districts in the same county, or to non-high school districts in the same county if there a…

1. Any unobligated cash balance not exceeding ten thousand dollars must be held in a separate fund by the auditor of the county having the greatest share of the dissolved school district's land. The county auditor shall hold the fund for one year after the effective date of the d…

1. After the dissolution is approved by the state board and after ten thousand dollars is set aside as provided for in section 15.1-12-28, the school district shall set aside in a reimbursement account the amount of money estimated by job service North Dakota to reimburse job ser…

1. After ten thousand dollars is set aside, as required by section 15.1-12-28, and after the required amount is deposited in the reimbursement account for job service North Dakota, as required by section 15.1-12-28.1: a. Any remaining unobligated cash balance, up to an amount equ…