§66.  Central Community School Board and school system; creation; membership; qualifications; apportionment; election; powers, duties, and functions; system operation

A.(1)  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon the appointment of members of the interim school board as provided in R.S. 17:66.1, there shall be established a separate school system and school board for the Central community in East Baton Rouge Parish.  The school board shall be designated the Central Community School Board.  The board shall be composed of seven members, one from each of the single-member districts provided for in Subsection B of this Section who shall be electors and shall meet the qualifications for office provided in R.S. 17:52(D) and (E).

(2)  The geographic boundaries of the school system shall be as follows:

Commence at a point on the Comite River at the center line of the river and its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 64; thence proceed in a southerly direction along the center line of the Comite River to its intersection with the center line of White Bayou; thence proceed in a northwesterly direction along the center line of White Bayou to a point due east of the intersection of Foster Road and Green Gate Drive; thence run due west from said point 3500 feet, more or less, along a line to its intersection with the center line of Foster Road; thence proceed in a southerly direction along the center line of Foster Road to its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 408 (Hooper Road); thence proceed in an easterly direction along the center line of Louisiana Highway 408 (Hooper Road) ninety feet, more or less, to its intersection with an electric power transmission line on the western boundary of the Four Seasons Trailer Park; thence proceed in a southerly direction along the electric power transmission line and its extension to its intersection with the center line of Cypress Bayou; thence proceed in a southeasterly direction along the center line of Cypress Bayou to its intersection with the center line of the Comite River; thence proceed in a southeasterly direction along the center line of the Comite River to its confluence with the center line of the Amite River; thence proceed in a northerly direction along the center line of the meanders of the Amite River to its confluence with the center line of Sandy Creek; thence proceed in a northerly direction along the center line of Sandy Creek to its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 37 (Greenwell Springs Road); thence proceed in a southwesterly direction along the center line of Louisiana Highway 37 (Greenwell Springs Road) to its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 409 (Liberty Road); thence proceed in a northerly direction along the center line of Louisiana Highway 409 (Liberty Road) to its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 64 (Greenwell Springs-Port Hudson Road); thence continue north along the center line of Louisiana Highway 409 (Liberty Road) a distance of 1000 feet to a point; thence proceed from said point northwesterly along a line 1000 feet north of and parallel to Louisiana Highway 64 (Greenwell Springs-Port Hudson Road) to its intersection with the east boundary of Section 16, Township 5 South, Range 2 East; thence proceed along the east boundary of Section 16, north a distance of 2200 feet, more or less, to the northeast corner of Section 16; thence, along the north boundary of Section 16, proceed west a distance of 3100 feet, more or less, to the northwest corner of Section 16; thence, along the west boundary of Section 16, proceed south a distance of 1000 feet, more or less, to a point on the west boundary of Section 16 that is 1000 feet north of the center line of Louisiana Highway 64; thence proceed in a northwesterly direction along a line 1000 feet north of and parallel to Louisiana Highway 64 to a point 500 feet west of Saunders Bayou; thence proceed southerly along a line 500 feet west of Saunders Bayou to its intersection with the center line of Louisiana Highway 64; thence proceed in a westerly direction along the center line of Louisiana Highway 64 to its intersection with the center line of the Comite River, the point of beginning.

B.(1)  By not later than sixty days after the appointment of the members of the interim school board as provided in R.S. 17:66.1, the interim school board shall develop and adopt a plan to divide the Central community school system into seven single-member districts from each of which one member of the Central Community School Board shall be elected.  The districts shall be drawn in a manner such that each member of the Central Community School Board represents as nearly as possible the same number of persons, using population figures from the latest federal decennial census, and shall be effective in time for qualifying for office for a special election for school board members to be held at the time and place of voting for municipal primary and municipal general elections in 2007.  School board members elected at this time shall take office at noon on the thirtieth day following the general election and serve until the taking of office of the school board members elected as provided in Subsection C of this Section.

(2)  If the special election for school board members provided for in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection is not held, such election shall be held on the dates for the next available special election authorized by R.S. 18:402(E) to fill newly created offices.  School board members elected at this time shall take office at noon on the third Monday next following the general election date authorized for such available special election and serve until the taking of office of the school board members elected as provided in Subsection C of this Section.

(3)  Prior to the final adoption of the apportionment plan required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the interim school board shall order a public hearing on the proposed plan and shall cause to be published in its official journal at least twenty days prior to the date of such hearing, the time and place thereof, a general summary and map of the proposed plan, and the times and places where copies of the proposed plan are available for public inspection.

C.  Except as otherwise provided in this Section and in R.S. 17:66.1 for the initial elected members of the board, each member of the Central Community School Board shall be elected at the time and place provided by law generally for parish school board members.  The members of the Central Community School Board elected in 2010 shall take office as otherwise provided by law generally for parish school board members, and such members and their successors in office shall serve for four-year concurrent terms.

D.  Vacancies on the board shall be filled as provided by law generally for parish school boards.

E.(1)  The organization of the Central Community School Board as well as the board's powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities shall be as provided by law generally for city, parish, and other local public school boards.  Compensation for board members and reimbursement for expenses also shall be as provided by law generally for city, parish, and other local public school board members.

(2)  The Central Community School Board shall adopt rules, regulations, and procedures consistent with law to effectuate this Section and to administer the duties, functions, and responsibilities of the board.

F.(1)  The Central Community School Board shall begin actual operation of providing for the education of students within its jurisdiction on July 1, 2007. Beginning on the date the school board begins actual operation of providing for the education of students and thereafter, notwithstanding any provision of law or rule or regulation to the contrary and pursuant to the duty and responsibility placed with the legislature by Article VIII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Louisiana to establish and maintain a public educational system and the authority granted the legislature by Article VIII, Section 10(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana to enact laws affecting parish school board systems in existence on the effective date of the constitution, all lands, buildings, and improvements, facilities, and other property having title vested in the public and subject to management, administration, and control by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board for public education purposes but located within the geographic boundaries of the Central community school system or used to provide student transportation services to such facilities, or both, shall be managed, administered, and controlled by the Central Community School Board.

(2)  If the members of the Central Community School Board are elected at the time provided in Paragraph (2) of Subsection B of this Section, the interim school board shall begin actual operation of providing for the education of students within its jurisdiction on such date and shall exercise all powers and authorities granted to the Central Community School Board and for the purposes of R.S. 17:58.2(H), the Central Community School Board shall be deemed to have begun actual operation on such date.

G.  Consistent with Article VIII of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 relevant to equal educational opportunities, no state dollars shall be used to discriminate or to have the effect of discriminating and failing to provide an equal educational opportunity for all students.

Acts 2006, No. 202, §1, eff. Dec. 11, 2006; Acts 2007, No. 47, §1; Acts 2010, No. 598, §1.