72-1077. Board member district boundaries; adjustment. (a) (1) Except as provided by paragraph (3), the board of education of any school district may change the boundaries of board member districts, if any, within the school district at any time the board determines such change is necessary. The board is directed to make any appropriate changes in the board member districts of the school district by resolution duly adopted at a meeting of the board. The board shall draw boundaries of board member districts that are as compact and equal in population as possible. The boundaries of board member districts shall be drawn, to the extent practical, to include whole voting precincts. Upon a finding by the board that whole voting precincts cannot be included, boundaries shall be drawn to include whole census blocks.

(2) If the population of any board member district is at least 5% above or 5% below the mean population of all board member districts within the school district, based upon the most recently published federal decennial census or upon population estimates as determined by the county election officer of the home county of the school district, the board of education of such school district shall change the boundaries of the board member districts so that the population of any board member district is not greater than 5% above nor 5% below the mean population of all board member districts within the school district. If the board does not change the boundaries as required by this paragraph, the county or district attorney of the home county of the school district shall notify the board of its duty to make such changes. If within 60 days after receiving such notification, the board fails to change the boundaries as required by this paragraph, the county or district attorney shall file an action in the district court of such county requesting an order to compel the school board to change the board member district boundaries as required by this paragraph.

(3) No boundary changes shall be made during the ninety-day period preceding any regular election of the school district. Such resolution shall be published one time in a newspaper having general circulation in the district, and such publication shall be made within two weeks after the adoption of such resolution. No action shall be brought in any court to contest the location of the boundaries of any member district except within 60 days immediately following the publication of such resolution. Any such action shall be filed in the name of the state by a county or district attorney or the attorney general in a district court of competent jurisdiction. Such a court is authorized to advance any such action on its docket for early determination to facilitate the conduct of elections to be held in the unified district.

(b) Amendments to board member district boundaries may be made to correct errors therein or to make the territory thereof more practicable. In the event of transfer of any territory into a school district, such territory shall be assigned to one or more board member districts, if any, by the board of education by resolution duly adopted no later than 60 days prior to any regular election in the school district. In the event of transfer of any territory out of the school district, board member districts shall be adjusted, if needed, by the board by resolution duly adopted no later than 60 days prior to any regular election in the school district.

Whenever the boundaries of any board member district are changed, the board of education shall immediately notify, in writing, the county election officer of the home county of the school district. Such notice shall describe the boundaries as changed.

History: L. 1965, ch. 420, § 6; L. 1972, ch. 266, § 1; L. 1996, ch. 7, § 1; L. 2006, ch. 188, § 1; July 1.