HB 0750

HB 750-LOCAL - AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT relative to the development and adoption of the school administrative unit budget.

SPONSORS: Rep. Kurk, Hills 5; Rep. Alger, Graf 9; Rep. Clegg, Hills 23

This bill requires that the school administrative unit board shall prepare a preliminary budget for approval at a joint meeting of the school districts in the school administrative unit.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT relative to the development and adoption of the school administrative unit budget.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 School Administrative Units; Weighted Votes Amended. Amend RSA 194-C:8 to read as follows:

194-C:8 Weighted Voting. In all votes regarding school administrative unit affairs, including the organization of such unit's school board [~~and~~], the selection of officers and the adoption of the school administrative unit budget, each district shall be entitled to one vote for each 16 pupils residing in that district and enrolled in schools under the administrative unit. A balance of 8 or more students shall entitle that district to an additional vote. A balance of fewer than 8 students shall have no net effect on a district's vote. Enrollments shall be based on the average daily membership in residence of each district for the school year which ended in the preceding June. Weighted votes shall only be used upon the demand of a majority of the members of any board present and voting in the school administrative unit. The school board members present at a school administrative unit school board meeting shall be entitled to cast the entire number of votes assigned to their school districts, provided that each representative present shall be entitled to a proportionate share of the total to be cast as provided in RSA 194-C:7.

2 School Administrative Unit; Budget; Proposal of Preliminary Budget. RSA 194-C:9 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

I. At a meeting held before January 1, the school administrative unit board shall propose a preliminary budget required for the expenses of the school administrative unit for the next fiscal year. Such preliminary budget may include the salary and expenses of supervisors of health, physical education, music, art, and guidance, and any other employees, and shall include the expenses necessary for the operation of the school administrative unit. Superintendents, assistant superintendents, business administrators, teacher consultants, and the regularly employed office personnel of the school administrative unit office shall be deemed employees of the school administrative unit for the purposes of payment of salaries and contributions to the employee's retirement system of the state of New Hampshire and workers' compensation.

II. The budget for school administrative units comprising only one district shall be a part of the school district budget and subject to the vote of the annual school district meeting or, for those districts without an annual meeting, by the legislative body.

3 School Administrative Units; Public Hearing; Budget Adoption Procedure. RSA 194-C:10 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

I. Not later than January 15 in each year, a public hearing shall be held within the school administrative unit, at a time and place, specified by the school administrative unit board chairperson, on the preliminary budget prepared by the school administrative unit board. Notice of such public hearing and a summary of the preliminary budget shall be submitted by the secretary of the board for publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the school administrative unit at least 7 days prior to the date of the hearing.

II. There shall be a moderator and a clerk to conduct the public hearing under this section. For the first public hearing held after the effective date of this paragraph, the person holding the position of school district moderator and the person holding the position of school district clerk in the school district listed first alphabetically within each school administrative unit shall act as moderator and clerk, respectively, Thereafter, the selection of moderator and clerk shall proceed according to the alphabetical order of the school districts in the school administrative unit. The moderator and clerk selected under this section shall have the same powers and duties of a moderator and clerk as set forth in RSA 197:19-a and RSA 197:20, respectively.

III. Adoption of the preliminary budget shall be by weighted majority vote as provided in RSA 194-C:8, except for questions which require a 2/3 vote by law, contract, or written agreement.

IV. Upon approval of the budget, the school administrative unit board shall apportion the total amount of the budget among the school districts in the school administrative unit in the following manner: the apportionment shall be based 1/2 on the average membership in attendance for the previous school year and 1/2 on the most recently available equalized valuation of each district as of June 30 of the preceding school year. The board shall certify to the chairperson of the school board of each district in the school administrative unit the amount so apportioned.

V. Each district within a school administrative unit shall raise at the next annual district meeting the sum of money apportioned to it by the school administrative unit board for the expenses of services which each district received in connection with the school administrative unit office.

VI. A vote to adopt the school administrative unit budget shall not be construed as a vote to raise and appropriate money within the meaning of RSA 197:3.