Nebraska Statutes 79-413. School districts; creation from other school districts; change of boundaries; petition method; hearing; procedure; appeal
(1) The State Committee for the Reorganization of School Districts created under section 79-435 may create a new school district from other districts or change the boundaries of any district that is not a member of a learning community upon receipt of petitions signed by sixty percent of the legal voters of each district affected. If the petitions contain signatures of at least sixty-five percent of the legal voters of each district affected, the state committee shall approve the petitions.
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 79-413
- Action: shall include any proceeding in any court of this state. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Legal voter: means a registered voter as defined in section Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- School: means a school under the jurisdiction of a school board authorized by Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- School board: means the governing body of any school district. See Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(2) Petitions proposing to change the boundaries of existing school districts that are not members of a learning community through the transfer of a parcel of land, not to exceed six hundred forty acres, shall be approved by the state committee when the petitions involve the transfer of land between Class I, II, III, or IV school districts or when there would be an exchange of parcels of land between Class I, II, III, or IV school districts and the petitions have the approval of at least sixty-five percent of the school board of each affected district.
(3)(a) Petitions proposing to create a new school district or to change the boundary lines of existing school districts that are not members of a learning community, any of which involves the transfer of more than six hundred forty acres, shall, when signed by at least sixty percent of the legal voters in each district affected, be submitted to the state committee. The state committee shall, within forty days after receipt of the petition, hold one or more public hearings and review and approve or disapprove such proposal.
(b) If there is a bond election to be held in conjunction with the petition, the state committee shall hold the petition until the bond election has been held, during which time names may be added to or withdrawn from the petitions. The results of the bond election shall be certified to the state committee.
(c) If the bond election held in conjunction with the petition is unsuccessful, no further action on the petition is required. If the bond election is successful, within fifteen days after receipt of the certification of the bond election results, the state committee shall approve the petition and notify the county clerk to effect the changes in district boundary lines as set forth in the petitions.
(4) Any person adversely affected by the changes made by the state committee may appeal to the district court of any county in which the real estate or any part thereof involved in the dispute is located. If the real estate is located in more than one county, the court in which an appeal is first perfected shall obtain jurisdiction to the exclusion of any subsequent appeal.
(5) A signing petitioner may withdraw his or her name from a petition and a legal voter may add his or her name to a petition at any time prior to the end of the period when the petition is held by the state committee. Additions and withdrawals of signatures shall be by notarized affidavit filed with the state committee.