A hoghouse amendment introduced Friday (2/20) proposes a review of the minor boundary change procedures of school districts.

 

Sen. Tim Rave said the minor boundary change provisions allowed in state law has resulted in an “ongoing problem” for school districts and lead to his amendment of Senate Bill 134, which calls for a one-year moratorium on any minor boundary change proposals and would create a task force for review of the procedures.

 

Members of the Senate State Affairs committee unanimously approved the amended version of SB 134. The bill now moves on to the Senate floor for review and vote.

 

Sen. Rave said the task force would consists of “a bunch of smart people” working together to “find a solution” to the issue, which saw legislation passed last year in the form of House Bill 1071; a bill that adjusted the minor boundary change procedure for a school district by requiring change petitions to include potential value of the land when full developed, if the land would affect more than two percent of assessed valuation and ownership interests of the land.

 

Rep. Herman Otten, HB 1071’s prime sponsor, supported Sen. Rave’s proposal, noting the legislature needed “to stand back, take a good look at (minor boundary changes) and see if we can’t fix what’s going on.”

 

ASBSD is monitoring the bill.