Reorganization initiated by school board or voters--Development of plan--Deadlines for acknowledging petition and filing plan--Submission of plan to voters

If the school board or the voters of two or more districts or parts of districts express a desire to consolidate their respective districts to create a new entity; or the school board or the voters of an existing district express a desire to divide the district to create one or more new entities; or the school board or the voters of an existing district express a desire to dissolve and be annexed to an existing district, the school board may by resolution, or shall, if presented by a petition signed by fifteen percent of the registered voters residing in the district, based upon the total number of registered voters at the last preceding general election, develop a plan to accomplish the desire expressed in the resolution or contained in the petition. If more than one district is involved, their respective school boards shall act jointly in the preparation of the plan. Within fifteen days after a petition is filed as provided in this section, the school district shall acknowledge the receipt of the petition in writing to the person who filed the petition. Within one hundred eighty days after the petition was filed, the school board shall develop the plan required in this section and shall file the plan as required in §