South Carolina General Assembly
106th Session, 1985-1986

Bill 305


                    Current Status

Bill Number:               305
Ratification Number:       227
Act Number:                268
Introducing Body:          Senate
Subject:                        School districts in Dorchester
                           County may not be consolidated except upon
                           petition of the
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(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

(A268, R227, S305)

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THREE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN DORCHESTER COUNTY AND THAT THEY MAY NOT BE CONSOLIDATED EXCEPT UPON PETITION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN THE DISTRICTS TO BE CONSOLIDATED AND APPROVAL OF A MAJORITY OF THE REGISTERED VOTERS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO BE CONSOLIDATED VOTING IN A REFERENDUM AND RATIFICATION BY THE DORCHESTER COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

School District in Dorchester County

SECTION 1. There are three school districts in Dorchester County: the St. George District or District One, the Summerville District or District Two, and the Harleyville-Ridgeville District or District Three, with each district serving the same areas of the county served by it on January 1, 1984. Students residing in the Rosinville section of Dorchester County on January 1, 1984, may, upon application and petition as provided by state law, be permitted to complete their educations by attending schools in Dorchester County School District One.

Consolidated referendum

SECTION 2. The Dorchester County Board of Education may, by majority vote, certify to the Dorchester County Election Commission the question of whether to consolidate any of the three school districts of the county. One hundred twenty days after the certification of this question, a consolidation referendum, which must be conducted by the Dorchester County Election Commission at the direction of the Dorchester County Board of Education, must be held in every school district which would be affected in any manner by the proposed consolidation. Notice of the consolidation referendum must be published by the Dorchester County Election Commission in a newspaper of general circulation in the county not earlier than forty-five days, and not later than thirty days, prior to the date of the referendum. No consolidation may take place unless a majority of the qualified electors of each of the school districts which would be affected in any manner by it, voting in the consolidation referendum, vote in favor of the proposed consolidation. Further, no consolidation may be effected following the referendum until the Dorchester County Board of Education, by majority vote occurring not later than ninety days after the favorable vote obtained at the referendum, ratifies the consolidation.

Provisions not to change membership, etc.

SECTION 3. The provisions of this act may not be construed to change the membership, method of selection, powers, and duties of the three district boards of trustees as provided by law on January 1, 1985.

Time effective

SECTION 4. This act shall take July 1, 1985.