Lawmakers OK Action Against Ailing School District
 
The Associated Press
KTAR News 92.3 - Phoenix
 
The Senate on Thursday gave final legislative approval to a bill to place a financially troubled Maricopa County school district under state control and temporarily extend a state law that allowed another ailing district to be placed in receivership.

The Senate's 20-3 vote came one day after the House approved, 43-15, the bill (HB2305), which now goes to Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The bill, an emergency measure that take effect upon Napolitano's signature, would order the state Board of Education to immediately place the 1,200-student Saddle Mountain Unified School District in western Maricopa County under control of an appointed receiver because of alleged mismanagement.

Also under the bill, several other school districts would be granted more time to repay state aid received as a result of the districts' miscalculations of their budgets.

The legislation would extend a 2005 law that the Board of Education used to place the Colorado City Unified School District in receivership.

The 2005 law is now set to expire on Dec. 31 but the bill would extend its life through the end of the Legislature's 2008 regular session to give lawmakers time to consider the receivership law further.

The bill would create a between-session legislative study committee that would submit a report on school district receivership issues to the full Legislature by Dec. 15.

The Colorado City district, located in a remote area of Mohave County north of the Grand Canyon, remains in receivership, though a state Board of Education official has said the district is close to meeting requirements set by the state.
 
KTAR.com
Originally broadcast May 24, 2007
 
Back