HB1155: (New Title) clarifying alternative budget adoption procedures in school administrative units.

CHAPTER 75

HB 1155 – FINAL VERSION

19Feb2004… 0407h

04/15/04 1078s

2004 SESSION

03-2030

04/09

HOUSE BILL 1155

AN ACT clarifying alternative budget adoption procedures in school administrative units.

SPONSORS: Rep. Bergin, Hills 47

COMMITTEE: Education

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill clarifies the law regarding alternative budget adoption procedures in school administrative units.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

19Feb2004… 0407h

04/15/04 1078s

03-2030

04/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Four

AN ACT clarifying alternative budget adoption procedures in school administrative units.

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

75:1 School Administrative Units; Alternative Budget Procedure. Amend RSA 194-C:9-a, I(a) to read as follows:

(a) Each school district, within a school administrative unit that is composed of 2 or more [town] school districts, may vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 194-C:9-b to determine the means for adopting the school administrative unit budget by placing a question on the warrant of their next annual school district meeting. The question shall be voted on in accordance with the ballot and voting procedures in effect in that school district.

75:2 School Administrative Units; Alternative Budget Procedure. Amend RSA 194-C:9-a, I(c) to read as follows:

(c) If a majority of the voters voting in the school districts within the school administrative unit approve the question, then RSA 194-C:9-b shall apply starting with the next annual school district meeting of the school districts within that school administrative unit, and shall continue until rescinded. Each school district moderator shall cause a vote to be taken, record the number of yeas and nays, and report the results to the secretary of the school administrative unit board who shall accumulate the total vote for all the school districts within the school administrative unit. The secretary of the school administrative unit board shall announce the results and certify the same to the department of revenue administration.

75:3 School Administrative Units; Alternative Budget Procedure. Amend RSA 194-C:9-a, III to read as follows:

III. In order to rescind the adoption of RSA 194-C:9-b, each school district within the school administrative unit shall comply with the petition procedure set forth in RSA 197:6 and upon such compliance, a question shall be placed on the warrant of the next annual school district meeting. The wording of the question shall be: “Shall the voters of the school district within school administrative unit number rescind the adoption of RSA 194-C:9-b, relative to the alternative school administrative unit budget adoption procedure, and adopt the provisions of RSA 194-C:9 as the method for governing the adoption of the school administrative unit budget?” If a majority of the voters voting in the school districts within the school administrative unit approve the question, then the provisions of RSA 194-C:9 shall govern the procedure for adopting the school administrative unit budget in such school administrative unit. Each school district moderator shall cause a vote to be taken, record the number of yeas and nays, and report the results to the secretary of the school administrative unit board who shall accumulate the total vote for all the school districts within the school administrative unit. The secretary of the school administrative unit board shall announce the results and certify the same to the department of revenue administration.

75:4 School Administrative Units; Alternative Budget Procedure. RSA 194-C:9-b is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

194-C:9-b Alternative Budget Procedure.

I. In a school administrative unit composed of 2 or more school districts which has adopted the provisions of RSA 194-C:9-a, the school administrative unit budget adopted according to RSA 194-C:9, I shall be placed before the voters of each school district of that school administrative unit in a separate warrant article at the annual school district meeting. Notwithstanding RSA 32 and RSA 40:13, the budget adopted by the school administrative unit board shall not be amended or changed in any way prior to the vote. Each school district moderator shall cause a vote to be taken, record the number of yeas and nays, and report the results to the secretary of the school administrative unit board who shall accumulate the total vote for all the school districts within the school administrative unit. The secretary of the school administrative unit board shall announce the results and certify the same to the department of revenue administration. A majority of voters voting in favor shall result in adoption of the budget proposed by the school administrative unit board. If the article receives less than a majority vote, the budget amount accepted shall be that of the previous year adjusted for continuing contracts. Wording of the warrant article shall be as follows:

“Shall the voters of (name of school district) adopt a school administrative unit budget of $_ for the forthcoming fiscal year in which $ is assigned to the school budget of this school district?

This year’s adjusted budget of $_, with $_ assigned to the school budget of this school district, will be adopted if the article does not receive a majority vote of all the school district voters voting in this school administrative unit.”

II. This section shall not apply to a school administrative unit that includes a city.

75:5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.

(Approved: May 7, 2004)

(Effective Date: May 7, 2004)