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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.747 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:Senate Introduced Date:19990421 Primary Sponsor:Washington All Sponsors:Washington Drafted Document Number:l:\s-res\mw\009boar.kad.doc Residing Body:Senate Subject:Charleston County School Districts, Trustees election, abolish constituent districts, budgetary powers History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ Senate 19990422 Read second time, notice of general amendments Senate 19990421 Introduced, read first time, placed on local and uncontested Calendar without reference Versions of This Bill Revised on April 21, 1999 - Word format
INTRODUCED
April 21, 1999
S. 747
S. Printed 4/21/99--S.
Read the first time April 21, 1999.
TO AMEND ACT 340 OF 1967, AS LAST AMENDED BY ACT 936 OF 1970, RELATING TO THE CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SO AS TO ESTABLISH NINE NUMBERED SEATS WITHIN THREE ELECTION DISTRICTS FOR THE CHARLESTON SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES, TO REQUIRE A MEMBER ELECTED TO A SEAT TO BE A RESIDENT OF THE ELECTION DISTRICT WHERE THE SEAT IS ESTABLISHED, TO PROVIDE FOR ELECTIONS, TO ABOLISH CONSTITUENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO PROVIDE FOR PRECLEARANCE SUBMISSION OF THE ACT TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE; AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE TRANSFER OR APPROVAL AUTHORITY OVER THE DISTRICT'S ANNUAL TAX LEVY FROM THE COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. There is hereby established in Charleston County a single school district to be known as the Charleston County School District, which shall be a body politic and corporate and shall be vested with all of the powers, duties, and assets provided in this act.
SECTION 2. (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the governing body of the Charleston County School District is a board of trustees composed of nine members who shall be elected from the nine numbered seats within the election districts established in this section. Members shall serve for a term of office of four years except that the initial term of office for the elections held under this act for seats 1, 4, and 7 shall be two years.
(B) The seats for the respective election districts shall be:
Election District Seats
1 1, 2, 3
2 4, 5, 6
3 7, 8, 9
Each trustee must be a resident elector of the election district where the seat is established. Candidates running for seats 1, 4, and 7 must be resident electors of the respective election district corresponding to the seat number and elected by a vote of the registered electors of the entire county. Candidates for seats 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9 must be resident electors of the respective election district corresponding to the seat number elected by a vote of the registered electors residing in the election district for which the seat is established. Any vacancy must be filled by special election as provided in Section 7-13-190. The terms of office begin on January 1 of the year following the general election.
(C) To have his name placed on the ballot as a candidate for any of the respective seats, a person must submit to the county election commission a petition which, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7-11-70 of the 1976 Code, must contain the signatures of at least five hundred resident electors of Charleston County, not less than two hundred and fifty of whom must reside in the election district for the seat for which the candidate has filed. The election of members of the board of trustees shall be nonpartisan and candidates shall be nominated by petition filed with the county election commission prior to September the first of each election year. Candidates so nominated must be placed on the ballot in the general election without any party designation and in alphabetical order.
(D) The three election districts for the Charleston County School Board of Trustees are divided as follows:
Election District 1
Charleston County
AWENDAW ......................................................1,276
CHARLESTON 1 ................................................1,128
CHARLESTON 2 ................................................1,203
CHARLESTON 3 ................................................2,610
CHARLESTON 4 ...................................................478
CHARLESTON 5 ................................................3,076
CHARLESTON 6 ................................................1,471
CHARLESTON 7 ...................................................789
CHARLESTON 8 ................................................1,438
CHARLESTON 9 ................................................1,123
CHARLESTON 10 ...............................................1,743
CHARLESTON 11 .................................................564
CHARLESTON 12 .................................................734
CHRIST CHURCH 1 .............................................1,888
CHRIST CHURCH 2 .............................................2,180
CHRIST CHURCH 3 .............................................1,027
CHRIST CHURCH 4 ...............................................793
CHRIST CHURCH 5 .............................................1,682
CHRIST CHURCH 6 ...............................................468
CHRIST CHURCH 7 .............................................1,637
CHRIST CHURCH 8 .............................................7,248
CHRIST CHURCH 9 .............................................2,998
FOLLY BEACH ..................................................1,255
ISLE OF PALMS 1 .................................................929
ISLE OF PALMS 2 ...............................................2,751
JAMES ISLAND 1 ...............................................1,323
JAMES ISLAND 2
Tract 0020.03
Blocks: 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 609, 610 ........................................................0
JAMES ISLAND 3 ...............................................1,428
JAMES ISLAND 4 .................................................809
JAMES ISLAND 5 ...............................................2,527
JAMES ISLAND 6 ...............................................1,243
JAMES ISLAND 7 .................................................859
JAMES ISLAND 8 ...............................................1,289
JAMES ISLAND 9 ...............................................2,110
JAMES ISLAND 10 .............................................1,718
JAMES ISLAND 11 .............................................1,898
JAMES ISLAND 12 .............................................1,586
JAMES ISLAND 13 ................................................965
JAMES ISLAND 14 .............................................1,223
JAMES ISLAND 15 .............................................2,259
JAMES ISLAND 16 ................................................594
JAMES ISLAND 17 ................................................950
JAMES ISLAND 18 ................................................496
JAMES ISLAND 19 ................................................749
JAMES ISLAND 20 .............................................1,507
JAMES ISLAND 21 .............................................1,372
JAMES ISLAND 22 .............................................1,809
MCCLELLANVILLE 1 ...........................................852
MCCLELLANVILLE 2 ...........................................339
MOUNT PLEASANT 1 ...........................................824
MOUNT PLEASANT 2 .........................................1,790
MOUNT PLEASANT 3 .........................................1,308
MOUNT PLEASANT 4 .........................................1,054
MOUNT PLEASANT 5 .........................................1,637
MOUNT PLEASANT 6 .........................................1,905
MOUNT PLEASANT 7 .........................................1,254
MOUNT PLEASANT 8 .........................................1,334
MOUNT PLEASANT 9 .........................................3,345
MOUNT PLEASANT 10 .......................................1,110
MOUNT PLEASANT 11 .......................................1,175
SAINT ANDREWS 4 ............................................1,718
SAINT ANDREWS 5 ............................................1,418
SAINT ANDREWS 6 ..............................................288
SAINT ANDREWS 7 ............................................1,627
SAINT ANDREWS 8 ............................................1,067
ST JAMES - SANTEE ..........................................1,157
SULLIVANS ISLAND
Tract 0048.00
Blocks: 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 215, 216, 217, 220, 221, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 328, 329, 330, 331, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620 ...............1,623
DISTRICT TOTAL ................................................98,028
PERCENT VARIATION ........................................- 0.323
Election District 2
Area Population
Charleston County
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 1 ............................................0
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 2 .........................................617
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 3 .........................................704
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 4 .........................................524
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 5 ..........................................19
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 6 .........................................305
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 7 .........................................116
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 8 .........................................120
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 9 ..........................................62
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 10 .......................................182
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 11 .........................................90
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 12 .......................................314
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 13 .......................................398
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 14 .......................................309
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 15 .......................................172
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 16 ..........................................0
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 17 .......................................346
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 18 ..........................................0
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 19 ..........................................0
AIR FORCE BASE NO. 20 ..........................................0
DEER PARK 1 ...................................................3,600
DEER PARK 2 ...................................................5,771
DEER PARK 3 ...................................................2,300
LADSON ..........................................................3,133
LINCOLNVILLE ................................................1,050
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 1 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 2 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 3
Tract 0042.00
Blocks: 903A ....................................................0
Tract 0042.99
Blocks: 903Z ................................................5,694
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 4 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 5 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 6 ..........................................4
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 7 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 8 ..........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 9 ........................................92
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 10 .......................................24
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 11 ........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 12 ........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 13 ........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 14 ........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 15 ........................................0
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 16 ........................................2
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 17 .....................................110
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 18 .......................................56
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 19 .....................................256
NAVAL SHIPYARD NO. 20 .......................................33
NORTH CHARLESTON 3 .....................................2,945
NORTH CHARLESTON 6 .....................................1,767
NORTH CHARLESTON 7 .....................................2,072
NORTH CHARLESTON 9 .....................................3,541
NORTH CHARLESTON 10 ....................................1,265
NORTH CHARLESTON 11 ....................................2,091
NORTH CHARLESTON 12 ....................................4,176
NORTH CHARLESTON 13 ....................................3,617
NORTH CHARLESTON 14 ....................................4,852
NORTH CHARLESTON 15 ....................................1,949
NORTH CHARLESTON 16 ....................................1,300
NORTH CHARLESTON 17 ....................................1,886
NORTH CHARLESTON 18 ....................................1,701
NORTH CHARLESTON 19 ....................................1,479
NORTH CHARLESTON 20 ....................................1,564
NORTH CHARLESTON 21 ......................................727
NORTH CHARLESTON 22 ......................................681
NORTH CHARLESTON 23 ....................................1,195
NORTH CHARLESTON 24 ....................................1,282
NORTH CHARLESTON 25 ....................................1,168
NORTH CHARLESTON 26 ....................................1,750
NORTH CHARLESTON 27 ......................................623
NORTH CHARLESTON 28 ....................................1,155
NORTH CHARLESTON 29 ....................................1,155
NORTH CHARLESTON 30 ....................................2,190
NORTH CHARLESTON 31 ....................................2,195
NORTH CHARLESTON 32 ....................................3,632
NORTH CHARLESTON 33 ....................................4,531
SAINT ANDREWS 26 ..........................................1,004
SAINT ANDREWS 27 ..........................................2,781
SAINT ANDREWS 28 ..........................................2,294
SAINT ANDREWS 29 ..........................................3,146
SAINT ANDREWS 30 ..........................................1,032
SAINT ANDREWS 32 ..........................................3,670
DISTRICT TOTAL ................................................98,819
PERCENT VARIATION ........................................+ 0.481
Election District 3
Area Population
Charleston County
ADAMS RUN 2 ...................................................1,149
CHARLESTON 13 ...............................................1,116
CHARLESTON 14 .................................................881
CHARLESTON 15 .................................................722
CHARLESTON 16 .................................................984
CHARLESTON 17 ...............................................1,676
CHARLESTON 18 ...............................................1,469
CHARLESTON 19 ...............................................2,864
CHARLESTON 20 ...............................................1,570
CHARLESTON 21 ...............................................1,338
CHARLESTON 22 .................................................730
CHARLESTON 23 ...............................................1,296
CHARLESTON 24 .................................................879
CHARLESTON 25 ...............................................1,552
CHARLESTON 26 .................................................952
CHARLESTON 27 .................................................994
CHARLESTON 28 .................................................992
CHARLESTON 29 ...............................................1,047
CHARLESTON 30 ...............................................2,795
EDISTO ............................................................1,318
HOLLYWOOD ...................................................2,198
JOHNS ISLAND 1 ...............................................3,057
JOHNS ISLAND 2 ...............................................1,557
JOHNS ISLAND 3 ...............................................3,004
JOHNS ISLAND 4 ...............................................1,157
JOHNS ISLAND 5 ...............................................1,631
MEGGETT 1 ......................................................2,340
MEGGETT 2 ........................................................969
no name for (0190154) ..........................................1,764
NORTH CHARLESTON 1 .....................................3,431
NORTH CHARLESTON 2 .....................................1,080
NORTH CHARLESTON 4 .....................................1,481
NORTH CHARLESTON 5 .....................................1,952
NORTH CHARLESTON 8 .....................................1,533
RAVENEL 1 ......................................................1,738
RAVENEL 2 ......................................................1,210
SAINT ANDREWS 1 ............................................1,141
SAINT ANDREWS 2 ............................................1,745
SAINT ANDREWS 3 ............................................1,132
SAINT ANDREWS 9 ............................................1,065
SAINT ANDREWS 10 ..........................................1,082
SAINT ANDREWS 11 ..........................................1,726
SAINT ANDREWS 12 ..........................................2,272
SAINT ANDREWS 13 ..........................................1,983
SAINT ANDREWS 14 ..........................................2,108
SAINT ANDREWS 15 .............................................871
SAINT ANDREWS 16 ..........................................1,567
SAINT ANDREWS 17 ..........................................2,193
SAINT ANDREWS 18 .............................................990
SAINT ANDREWS 19 ..........................................1,966
SAINT ANDREWS 20 ..........................................2,929
SAINT ANDREWS 21 ..........................................1,849
SAINT ANDREWS 22 ..........................................1,417
SAINT ANDREWS 23 ..........................................2,181
SAINT ANDREWS 24 ..........................................2,118
SAINT ANDREWS 25 ..........................................1,031
SAINT ANDREWS 31 ..........................................5,830
WADMALAW 1 .................................................1,266
WADMALAW 2 .................................................1,304
DISTRICT TOTAL ................................................98,192
PERCENT VARIATION .......................................- 0.157
SECTION 3. (A) The members of the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of this act beginning with the 2000 general election. The members of the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees in office on the effective date of this act shall continue in office until January 1, 2001, with the powers and duties conferred by Act 340 of 1967, as amended. Beginning January 1, 2001, the initial terms of office for members of the board elected at the time of the 2000 general election shall commence.
(B) The members of the board shall meet within ten days after their terms commence and shall organize by electing from their number a chairman and vice chairman. All meetings of the board shall be held in the office of the Superintendent of Education for the School District of Charleston County. The members of the board shall receive a per diem allowance of ten dollars for meetings actually attended, not exceeding twenty meetings in any calendar year and mileage at the rate of nine cents per mile for each mile of travel from the place of his residence to and from such meetings. A majority of the board members shall constitute the action of the board.
(C) The boards of trustees for the constituent school districts shall remain in office and continue to perform their powers and duties until January 1, 2001. Thereafter, the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District shall administer the Charleston County School District as it deems necessary and proper; provided, that such administration shall be consistent with the provisions of this act.
SECTION 4. The Superintendent of Education of Charleston County shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District for a term of four years. He shall be selected on the basis of professional qualifications as an administrator and shall have had experience in the administration of the affairs of schools. The Superintendent of Education in office on December 31, 2000, shall continue in office until the end of the term for which he was appointed. Thereafter, the Superintendent of Education of the Charleston County School District shall be appointed in January to take office on July first of the same year. The Superintendent of Education of the Charleston County School District, in addition to the duties imposed upon county superintendents of education by the general laws of the State, shall perform such other duties as shall be prescribed by the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District.
SECTION 5. (A) Each election district shall constitute an administrative area within the Charleston County School District.
(B) The Board shall appoint, upon recommendation of the Superintendent, a deputy superintendent for each administrative area within the district. Each deputy superintendent for an administrative area shall be responsible to the superintendent for the operation of the schools in his administrative area and shall have such authority as deemed necessary in consultation with the district superintendent by the board.
(C)(1) The Board shall appoint for each administrative area within the district an Area Advisory Council composed of eleven members, comprised as follows:
(a) the deputy superintendent for the administrative area, who shall be appointed ex-officio and who shall serve as chairman of the council;
(b) three principals from schools within the administrative area;
(c) three teachers from schools within the administrative area; and
(d) four parents of students attending schools within the administrative area.
(2) The deputy superintendent shall serve on the council for a term of office that is coterminous with his term as deputy superintendent. Each of the remaining members of the council shall serve for four year terms; provided, that a person appointed to the council because he is a teacher or principal shall no longer serve on the council if he ceases to be a teacher or principal; provided further, that a person appointed to the council because he is a parent but who no longer has a student attending a school within the administrative area shall continue to serve on the council for the remainder of his unexpired term. A member appointed as a parent shall not serve for more than four consecutive years on the council but shall be re-eligible after he has not been a member of the council for at least four years.
(3) The Area Advisory Councils shall determine local policies within their respective administrative areas; provided such policies are not inconsistent with the policies set forth by the board. The board may delegate additional authority to the Area Advisory Councils to the extent necessary for the effective operation of the public schools in the county. Patrons of the schools in each administrative area shall present their grievances to their Area Advisory Council through their area deputy superintendent. Appeals may be made to the board.
(D) Each administrative area shall constitute a separate student attendance zone. Students residing within an attendance zone may only attend schools within the attendance zone.
SECTION 6. In addition to the duties, powers, and responsibilities provided by law for school district trustees, the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District shall:
(1) adopt and alter a corporate seal;
(2) adopt and publish administrative policies and procedures and maintain a system of public relations which will keep the public fully informed of the operation of the public schools;
(3) prescribe uniform employment procedures, position qualifications, and a uniform salary schedule for all professional personnel and establish and maintain a program of professional personnel recruitment to enable all schools in the county to employ fully-certified and capable employees;
(4) upon recommendation of the Superintendent of Education of the Charleston County School District, appoint such number of assistant superintendents, resource personnel, and other countywide personnel as deemed necessary;
(5) provide programs of in-service education for professional educational personnel in the county and promote the continuous development of qualified public leadership for the county schools;
(6) borrow in anticipation of the collection of taxes, state aid, or federal aid. The borrowing shall be in the form of notes, maturing not later than one year from the date of issue, bearing such rate of interest as the board shall determine. The notes shall be payable, both principal and interest, from the funds in anticipation of the receipt of which they are issued, and to the payment of the principal of an interest on the notes for which such funds shall be pledged;
(7) determine and evaluate the educational program in the schools in the district and provide a systematic program of curriculum development and revision designed to provide maximum educational opportunities for each child in the county;
(8) provide for physically and mentally handicapped children educational programs organized and conducted in cooperation with the social or civic organizations and agencies in the county or community; provided for intellectually gifted children a program which shall challenge their talents;
(9) keep an accurate record of board proceedings, which record shall be kept in the office of the board and shall be open to public inspection;
(10) authorize the purchase and sale of land, the planning and construction of new school facilities, and the maintenance and repair of existing buildings and grounds, and develop long-range planning for physical facilities and the educational program in the county;
(11) adopt a system of budgetary controls and annually adopt a budget, with power to revise when necessary, sufficient to meet the educational needs of the district;
(12) provide for the disbursement of all county, state, and federal educational funds received by the county;
(13) establish and maintain a central purchasing system for the purchase of all contractual services, equipment, and supplies and purchase all equipment and supplies pursuant to rules promulgated by the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District;
(14) prescribe the forms of vouchers or pay warrants to be used in said district;
(15) cooperate with the County Council of Charleston in the annual audit of the financial affairs of the district, and one copy of each audit shall be kept in the office of the board, and one copy shall be filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County, to be open to the public.
SECTION 7. Effective January 1, 2001, in addition to all other powers and duties conferred upon the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District by this act or by the general law, the Board shall also have the following powers previously conferred upon the constituent school districts by Act 340 of 1967:
(1) to transfer any pupil from one school to another within an administrative area so as to promote the best interest of education, and determine the school in which any pupil shall enroll;
(2) to suspend or dismiss pupils when the best interest of the schools makes it necessary;
(3) to cooperate with the State Highway Department in enforcing safety rules and regulations applicable to school buses and making provisions for school bus transportation within the area of the district where such transportation has heretofore been in operation in such areas; and
(4) to require all school buses operated under any transportation contract to be covered by casualty liability insurance in an amount to be fixed by the trustees, the policies to be approved by said trustees and filed in the office of the Superintendent of Education of the Charleston County School District.
SECTION 8. (A) Effective January 1, 2001, the teachers and other district personnel necessary for the efficient operation of the schools in the district shall be employed by the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District.
(B) Effective January 1, 2001, no teacher or other professional employee shall be transferred from one school to another without the approval of such employee and the Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District.
(C) Effective January 1, 2001, the compensation and benefits of any person employed in the district whose employment is continued after the effective date of this act in the same or an equal position shall not be reduced.
SECTION 9. The Board of Trustees of the Charleston School District shall prepare and submit to the Charleston County Council, as information, on or before the fifteenth day of August of each year a proposed budget for the ensuing school year. In order to obtain funds for school purposes the board is authorized to impose an annual tax levy in an amount determined by the council.
If the board determines that the annual tax levy should exceed the amount determined by the council, the board shall hold a public hearing on the question at least two weeks prior to submitting such a request to the council. Notice of such public hearing shall be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and shall state the date, time and place of the hearing as well as a clearly worded statement of the requested annual tax levy. Upon certification by the board to the county auditor of the tax levy to be imposed, the auditor shall levy and the county treasurer shall collect the millage so certified upon all taxable property in the district.
SECTION 10. All local acts pertaining to any school district of Charleston County inconsistent with the provisions of this act are repealed as of January 1, 2001, it being the intent of the General Assembly to have this act and the general law be the only provisions of law governing the school districts of the county.
SECTION 11. The office of the Attorney General shall be responsible for making the necessary submission to the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain preclearance of this act and to facilitate the conduct of the elections in the General Election of 2000.
SECTION 12. If any provision of this act for any reason is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional or invalid, such holding shall not affect the constitutionality or validity of the remaining portions of this act. The General Assembly hereby declares that it would have passed this act and each and every provision herein irrespective of the fact that any one or more provisions hereof may be declared to be unconstitutional, invalid, or otherwise.
SECTION 13. Sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 take effect January 1, 2001. Sections 3, 10, 11, and 12 take effect upon approval of the Governor and, upon preclearance by the Department of Justice, elections must be held in the General Election of 2000 for each of the nine seats established by this act.
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