{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-7-105","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-7-105","heading":"Consolidation - Studies - Petition - Majority vote in","body":"entire territory – Plan of action – Conditional consolidation -\n\nElection - Initial board for new district - New district legal\n\nsuccessor.\n\nA. Two or more school districts may, whether adjacent or not\n\nadjacent, be consolidated into a single school district in\n\naccordance with standards, rules and procedures to be determined by\n\nthe State Board of Education. When the consolidation of two or more\n\nschool districts is proposed, the State Board of Education shall\n\nconduct such studies of the populations, wealth, terrain, trade\n\nareas and other factors as may be necessary to determine the\n\nlocation of boundaries and the size of a proposed district which\n\nwill most nearly ensure an efficient and economical administrative\n\nunit. The State Board of Education shall furnish the boards of\n\neducation of the school districts which might be involved\n\ninformation and advice as to where the boundaries and what the size\n\nof the proposed new district should be. Nothing herein shall be\n\nconstrued to prevent the inclusion within a school district of\n\nterritory lying within the boundaries of two or more counties.\n\nB. Ten percent (10%) of the qualified school electors in any\n\ndistrict may petition the board of education of such district to\n\nrequest such information, or a board of education of such district\n\nmay on its own initiative ask for information and advice from the\n\nState Board of Education on the educational advantages and\n\ndisadvantages of proposed consolidation to the children and\n\nresidents of the area which might be affected. Upon the receipt of\n\nsuch a petition, the local board of education shall request the\n\nservices of the State Board of Education and shall notify the boards\n\nof education in adjacent school districts that such a request has\n\nbeen made. The State Board of Education may on its own initiative\n\nmake the study herein authorized of any area of the state and direct\n\nthe board of education of such school districts as might be involved\n\nto set into operation in their districts the procedure for\n\ndetermining what, if any, consolidation should be carried on in the\n\narea under study.\n\nC. Any rules or procedures which the State Board of Education\n\nmay prescribe for consolidation of school districts shall include\n\nthe opportunity for the qualified school electors in the school\n\ndistricts involved to express their wishes through a majority vote\n\nof the school electors in the entire territory involved.\n\nD. Prior to an election for consolidation, the boards of\n\neducation of the school districts involved may develop a plan which\n\nshall set forth the actions to be taken during and after\n\nconsolidation. The plan of action shall include agreements relating\n\nto school site closing, disposition and utilization of property and\n\nequipment and such other agreements as may be necessary to\n\nfacilitate the consolidation of the school districts. The plan of\n\naction shall also include provisions related to the technology\n\ncenter school district the newly formed district will be a part of\n\nwhich are consistent with the State Board of Career and Technology\n\nEducation rules. The plan shall be placed on a separate ballot and\n\nvoted on by the qualified school electors of each district at the\n\ntime of the consolidation election. Both the plan and consolidation\n\nquestions must be approved by a majority vote for the plan to take\n\neffect. The plan shall be binding on the board of education of the\n\nnewly formed district for at least three (3) years; provided, any\n\nprovisions related to the expenditure of appropriated money shall\n\nnot be binding beyond the current fiscal year. The newly formed\n\ndistrict may alter or disregard the plan only if there is a\n\nsignificant change in circumstances, including a significant drop in\n\nrevenue to the district or in student enrollment.\n\nE. Two or more school districts may be consolidated into a\n\nsingle school district on a conditional basis. If the voters\nure of appropriated money shall\n\nnot be binding beyond the current fiscal year. The newly formed\n\ndistrict may alter or disregard the plan only if there is a\n\nsignificant change in circumstances, including a significant drop in\n\nrevenue to the district or in student enrollment.\n\nE. Two or more school districts may be consolidated into a\n\nsingle school district on a conditional basis. If the voters\n\napprove conditional consolidation of the school districts at an\n\nelection for such purpose in accordance with the procedures set\n\nforth in this section, the newly formed school district shall be\n\nconsidered consolidated and shall go through the same procedure and\n\nmeet the same requirements as any consolidated school district.\n\nUnder a conditional consolidation plan, any subsequent decision to\n\nconsolidate the new school district or annex all or part of the new\n\nschool district, shall first be approved by a majority of the\n\nelectors, voting at such election, of each of the original school\n\ndistricts. If one or more of the original school districts\n\ndisapproves the subsequent consolidation or annexation plan, the\n\nplan shall not be approved. If all of the original school districts\n\napprove the subsequent consolidation or annexation plan, the plan\n\nshall be approved and thereafter, any further consolidation or\n\nannexation shall be subject to approval of the electors of all of\n\nthe school districts as a whole. The original school district shall\n\nmean only the districts which independently voted to join the\n\nconditionally consolidated district.\n\nF. An election for such purpose shall be held either upon:\n\n1. A petition for consolidation or conditional consolidation,\n\nsigned by forty percent (40%) of the school district electors of\n\neach school district included in the proposed consolidation, or\n\nconditional consolidation said percentage being applied to the\n\nhighest number of voters voting in a regular school election in the\n\ndistrict in the preceding five (5) years as determined by the\n\nsecretary of the county election board, who shall certify the\n\nadequacy of the number of signatures on the petition; or\n\n2. The concurrence of the boards of education of the school\n\ndistricts included in the proposed consolidation or conditional\n\nconsolidation, as shown by a resolution adopted by each board.\n\nThe election shall be called by the State Board of Education and\n\nconducted in accordance with the general election laws of this\n\nstate. Any vote to consolidate two or more districts, shall require\n\na majority vote of those voting in each school district involved.\n\nWhen such a majority vote is in favor of consolidation or\n\nconditional consolidation, the State Board of Education shall\n\ndeclare the participating school districts dissolved and the new\n\nschool district established, and the newly formed district shall\n\nthereupon be governed by the provisions of the Oklahoma School Code.\n\nG. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee\n\nshall convene the members of the boards of the districts forming the\n\nnew district, who shall be given the opportunity of selecting from\n\namong themselves the initial board of education for the new\n\ndistrict, selecting the number of members and designating the\n\ninitial terms of service of each as required to conform to law;\n\nprovided, the members convened shall have the option of forming a\n\nseven-member board pursuant to the provisions of Section 5-107A of\n\nthis title rather than a board of the size otherwise provided by law\n\nand shall have the option of temporarily increasing the number of\n\nboard positions for the new district by two positions per\n\nconsolidating district for the first two (2) years following\n\nconsolidation. The temporary positions will be filled by\n\nappointment by the board. The temporary board positions shall be\n\nabolished two (2) years from the effective date of consolidation.\nrwise provided by law\n\nand shall have the option of temporarily increasing the number of\n\nboard positions for the new district by two positions per\n\nconsolidating district for the first two (2) years following\n\nconsolidation. The temporary positions will be filled by\n\nappointment by the board. The temporary board positions shall be\n\nabolished two (2) years from the effective date of consolidation.\n\nWithin ten (10) days following the declaration of establishment of\n\nthe new district, the State Superintendent or designee shall declare\n\nthe agreement or shall declare that such agreement has not been\n\nreached, in which case persons serving as members of the board of\n\neducation of the participating district having the largest number of\n\nenumerated children as shown by the last regular enumeration shall\n\nserve as members of the board of education of the newly formed\n\ndistrict for the terms for which they were elected and until their\n\nsuccessors have been duly elected or appointed and have qualified.\n\nH. All liabilities, assets, powers and duties of the\n\nparticipating districts shall become the responsibility of the new\n\nschool district, which district shall be the legal successor in\n\nevery respect to the school districts participating in the\n\nconsolidation or conditional consolidation in accordance with law.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"dbc028ed98714de8a14c65da9f772b14786d003ae2a68affc47a6b423964fb4b","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-7-104","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-7-106"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}