Mississippi 2025 Regular Session Status: Died

HB 1495 — School district boundaries; create legislative study committee to determine if revisions should be made near Stennis Space Center.

Last action — Died On Calendar

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
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    Passed House
  4. Died in session

This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

117 added · 795 removed

Plain-language change summary

The revised version of Bill HB 1495 has shifted from directly altering school district boundaries to instead creating a legislative study committee. This committee’s purpose is to evaluate whether changes to the boundary between the Picayune School District and the Hancock County School District are necessary, with a report expected by December 1, 2025. This change is significant because it allows for a more thorough examination of the implications and needs related to these boundaries before making any official decisions.

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State Affairs HOUSE BILL NO.
State Affairs COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO.
1495 AN ACT TO ALTER THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES LINES OF TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS IMPACTED BY THE JOHN C.
1495 AN ACT TO CREATE A LEGISLATIVE STUDY COMMITTEE FOR THE PURPOSE OF STUDYING AND DETERMINING WHETHER THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE PICAYUNE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE HANCOCK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD BE REVISED;
STENNIS SPACE CENTER BUFFER ZONE, TO RETURN THE AREA OF THE BUFFER ZONE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE COUNTY WHEREIN THE SPACE CENTER IS LOCATED;
TO PRESCRIBE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE;
TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-7-103 AND 37-7-113, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PRECEDING PROVISIONS;
TO REQUIRE THE COMMITTEE TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE HOUSE AND SENATE ON ITS FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2025;
TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-115, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE A COURSE OF JUDICIAL REVIEW FOR PARTIES AGGRIEVED BY THE ALTERATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARY LINES;
TO BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 37-7-201, 37-7-203, 37-7-204, 37-7-207, 37-7-208, 37-7-209, 37-7-211, 37-7-215, 37-7-217 AND 37-7-219, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH RELATE TO THE SELECTION, ELECTION AND QUALIFICATION OF SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS AND OTHER RELATED PROVISIONS, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS;
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, effective with the 2025-2026 school year, the two (2) school districts located within the region where Interstate 10 or Interstate 59 traverse portions of such school district jurisdictions, sharing county lines, and wherein such parameters, the John C.
(1) The Legislature finds that:
Stennis Space Center is located, and within which the school district boundaries of the municipal school district encompassing the established buffer zone for the space center extends into the county wherein the space center is officially H.
(a) The Picayune School District and the Hancock County School District are adjoining school districts situated in a region of the state traversed by Interstates 10 and 59 and in which is located the John C.
B.
Stennis Space Center;
No.
(b) The boundaries of the Picayune School District, a municipal school district that is located primarily in Pearl River County, extend into the adjacent Hancock County and encompass an established buffer zone for the space center, which is located in Hancock County;
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 1 (DJ\KW) located, adjoins the county school district boundaries in the county where said municipal school district is not subject to the jurisdiction of the governing of the county into which its boundaries extend.
(2) (a) The municipal school district described in subsection (1) of this section whose school district boundaries, as of January 1, 2025, are more particularly defined as:
Following the North Boundary of:
Section 1, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 2, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 3, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 4, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 5, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 6, Township 8 South, Range 16 West Section 1, Township 8 South, Range 17 West Section 2, Township 8 South, Range 17 West shall, upon the effective date of this act, or July 1, 2025, whichever should occur first, have the following coordinates established as its school district boundaries, being more particularly defined as:
Following the North Boundary of:
Section 24, Township 7 South, Range 16 West Section 23, Township 7 South, Range 16 West Section 22, Township 7 South, Range 16 West Section 21, Township 7 South, Range 16 West H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 2(DJ\KW) Section 20, Township 7 South, Range 16 West Section 19, Township 7 South, Range 16 West Section 24, Township 7 South, Range 17 West Section 23, Township 7 South, Range 17 West (b) The two (2) school districts described in Section 1 of this act, upon the effectuation of the school districts' boundaries alteration shall, as soon as practical thereafter, at any regular meeting thereof or at any special meeting called for that purpose, spread upon the minutes of each respective school board the official boundaries of said school districts as prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subsection (2).
SECTION 2.
Section 37-7-103, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-103.
* * * Except as otherwise provided in Section 1 of this act, the school board of any school district shall have full jurisdiction, power and authority, at any regular meeting thereof or at any special meeting called for that purpose, to abolish such existing district, or to reorganize, change or alter the boundaries of any such district.
In addition thereto, with the consent of the school board of the school district involved, the school board may add to such school district any part of the school district adjoining same, and with the consent of the school board of the school district involved, may detach territory from such school district and annex same to an adjoining district.
Provided, however, that the consent of the school board of the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 3(DJ\KW) school districts involved in implementing the provisions of Section 37-7-104, 37-7-104.2, 37-7-104.3, 37-7-104.4, 37-7-104.5, 37-7-104.6, 37-7-104.7 or 37-7-104.8 shall not be required for the administrative consolidation of such school districts pursuant to the order of the State Board of Education.
SECTION 3.
Section 37-7-113, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-7-113.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions, it is hereby expressly provided that no order of the school board reorganizing, abolishing or altering any school district, whether same be taken with or without a petition therefor, shall be final unless and until said proposed reorganization, alteration or abolition shall be submitted to and approved by the State Board of Education, except as otherwise provided in Section 1 of this act.
In the event the proposed action shall be disapproved by the State Board of Education, the same shall be void and of no effect.
In the event of the filing of any petitions with the school board under the provisions of said sections, the school board shall verify same and make a determination of whether same are signed by the requisite number of qualified electors.
The finding of the school board upon such question shall be final and conclusive for the purpose of the submission of said matter to the State Board of Education and the approval or disapproval of the action by said board.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 4(DJ\KW) SECTION 4.
1495 *HR43/R1749CS.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2 25/HR43/R1749CS.1 PAGE 1 (RKM\KP) (c) The Picayune School District, including the area situated in Hancock County, is not subject to the jurisdiction of the governing authorities of Hancock County;
Section 37-7-115, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
and (d) The governing authorities of Hancock County desire to pursue economic development of all or part of the property that comprises the buffer zone and which is currently part of the Picayune School District situated in Hancock County.
37-7-115.
(2) There is created a legislative study committee for the purpose of determining whether the existing boundary line between the Picayune School District and the Hancock County School District should remain in place or be revised.
(1) Any person aggrieved by an order of the school board adopted under any of the foregoing provisions may appeal therefrom within ten (10) days from the date of the adjournment of the meeting at which such order is entered.
The study committee shall consist of the following members:
Said appeal shall be taken in the same manner as appeals are taken from judgments or decisions of the board of supervisors as provided in Section 11-51-75, Mississippi Code of 1972, the provisions of which shall be fully applicable to appeals taken hereunder.
(a) Each member of the House of Representatives whose district, in whole or in part, is situated it Hancock or Pearl River County, or both;
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The State Board of Education shall not pass upon or approve or disapprove any such order until the time for an appeal therefrom shall have expired, nor shall said board pass upon or approve or disapprove any such order from which an appeal is taken until said appeal shall have been finally determined.
(b) Each member of the Senate whose district, in whole or in part, is situated it Hancock or Pearl River County, or both;
(2) (a) Any person aggrieved by boundaries alteration prescribed in Section 1 of this act may petition for judicial review.
and (c) Members of the House Committee on State Affairs.
The petition shall be filed in the circuit court of the county wherein the affected portion of the school district boundaries are located.
(3) The study committee shall meet as soon as practicable upon the call of the Chairman of the House Committee on State Affairs, who shall serve as chair of the study committee.
(b) The review by the circuit court shall be de novo and conduct a full evidentiary judicial hearing on all factual and legal issues raised by the affected school districts which address the substantive or procedural propriety of the action to alter the school district boundaries.
A majority of the membership shall be necessary for the establishment of a quorum of the committee, and a majority vote of H.
H.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 5(DJ\KW) (c) Any person or entity aggrieved by the decision of the circuit court may appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
1495 *HR43/R1749CS.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR43/R1749CS.1 PAGE 2(RKM\KP) the committee members present to establish a quorum shall be required for the adoption of any reports and recommendations.
SECTION 5.
(4) The committee shall investigate and undertake a study of all matters necessary for determining if the existing boundary line between the Picayune School District and the Hancock County School District should remain in place or be revised, including, but not limited to, analyses of the following:
Section 37-7-201, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
(a) The number of students enrolled in the Picayune School District who reside in Hancock County and the distance those students must travel from home to school;
37-7-201.
(b) The distance those students described in paragraph (a) would be required to travel to attend school in the Hancock County School District if the boundary line between the two (2) school districts is revised;
In order for a person to be eligible to hold the office of trustee of any school district, such person must be a bona fide resident and a qualified elector of such school district, and, in the case of a school district lying in two (2) or more counties, but not including municipal separate school districts, such person must be a bona fide resident and a qualified elector of the territory entitled to such representation on the board.
(c) For the preceding ten (10) fiscal years, the ad valorem tax receipts received by the Picayune School District from property situated in Hancock County which is part of the Picayune School District;
SECTION 6.
(d) The prospect for economic development of the property situated in Hancock County which is part of the Picayune School District and the potential increase in property values which may be realized from economic development projects;
Section 37-7-203, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
(e) The benefit that may be realized by Hancock County, Pearl River County and the entire region by the development of the H.
37-7-203.
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (3), (4) and (5) of this section, the boards of trustees of all municipal separate school districts created under this chapter, either with or without added territory, shall consist of five (5) members, each to be chosen for a term of five (5) years, but so chosen that the term of office of one (1) member shall expire each year.
In the event the added territory of a municipal separate school district furnishes fifteen percent (15%) or more of the pupils enrolled in the schools of such district, then at least one (1) member of the board of trustees of such school district shall be a resident of the added territory outside the corporate limits.
H.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 6(DJ\KW) In the event the added territory of a municipal separate school district furnishes thirty percent (30%) or more of the pupils enrolled in the schools of such district, then not more than two (2) members of the board of trustees of such school district shall be residents of the added territory outside the corporate limits.
1495 *HR43/R1749CS.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR43/R1749CS.1 PAGE 3(RKM\KP) property situated in Hancock County which is part of the Picayune School District;
In the event the added territory of a municipal separate school district in a county in which Mississippi Highways 8 and 15 intersect furnishes thirty percent (30%) or more of the pupils enrolled in the schools of such district, then the five (5) members of the board of trustees of such school district shall be elected at large from such school district for a term of five (5) years each except that the two (2) elected trustees presently serving on such board shall continue to serve for their respective terms of office.
(f) Efforts to ensure that if the boundary line between the school districts is revised, each school district will benefit from the new boundary line;
The three (3) appointed trustees presently serving on such board shall continue to serve until their successors are elected in March of 1975 in the manner provided for in Section 37-7-215.
and (g) Any other matters which, in the determination of the committee, are necessary in order for the committee to perform a thorough investigation and make recommendations for an equitable determination regarding the boundary between the Picayune School District and the Hancock County School District.
At such election, one (1) trustee shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, one (1) for a term of three (3) years and one (1) for a term of five (5) years.
(5) The chairman shall call all meetings of the committee.
Subsequent terms for each successor trustee shall be for five (5) years.
The committee may conduct the meetings at any place and any time it deems necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this act.
In the event one (1) of two (2) municipal separate school districts located in any county with two (2) judicial districts, District 1 being comprised of Supervisors Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5, and District 2 being comprised of Supervisors District 3, with added territory embraces three (3) full supervisors districts of a H.
The committee may subpoena those persons or documents, or both, deemed necessary to further the work of the committee.
(6) For attending meetings of the committee, each member shall be paid, from the contingent expense fund of the member's respective house, per diem in the amount authorized by Section 25-3-69 and a mileage allowance and an expense allowance in the amount authorized by Section 5-1-47.
However, no per diem, mileage allowance or expense allowance may be paid for attending meetings of the committee while the Legislature is in session, and no per diem, mileage allowance or expense allowance may be paid H.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 7(DJ\KW) county, one (1) trustee shall be elected from each of the three (3) supervisors districts outside the corporate limits of the municipality.
1495 *HR43/R1749CS.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR43/R1749CS.1 PAGE 4(RKM\KP) without prior approval of the proper committee in the member's respective house.
In the further event that the territory of a municipal separate school district located in any county with two (2) judicial districts, District 1 being comprised of Supervisors Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5, and District 2 being comprised of Supervisors District 3, with added territory embraces four (4) full supervisors districts in the county, and in any county in which a municipal separate school district embraces the entire county in which Highways 14 and 15 intersect, one (1) trustee shall be elected from each supervisors district.
(7) The study committee shall prepare and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any recommendations for legislation, to the House of Representatives and the Senate before December 1, 2025, at which time the study committee will be dissolved.
Except as otherwise provided herein, the trustees of such a municipal separate school district shall be elected by a majority of the governing authorities of the municipality at the first meeting of the governing authorities held in the month of February of each year, and the term of office of the member so elected shall commence on the first Saturday of March following.
SECTION 2.
In the case of a member of the board of trustees who is required to come from the added territory outside the corporate limits as is above provided, such member of the board of trustees shall be elected by the qualified electors of the school district residing in such added territory outside the corporate limits at the same time and in the same manner as is otherwise provided in this article for the election of trustees of school districts other than municipal separate school districts.
H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 8(DJ\KW) In the event that a portion of a county school district is reconstituted, in the manner provided by law, into a municipal separate school district with added territory and in the event that the trustees to be elected from the added territory are requested to be elected from separate election districts within the added territory, instead of elected at large, by the Attorney General of the United States as a result of and pursuant to preclearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended, and in the event the added territory of a municipal separate school district of a municipality furnishes thirty percent (30%) or more of the pupils enrolled in the schools of such district, then two (2) members of the board of trustees shall be residents of the added territory outside the corporate limits of such municipality and shall be elected from special trustee election districts by the qualified electors thereof as herein provided.
The board of trustees of the school district shall apportion the added territory into two (2) special trustee election districts as nearly as possible according to population and other factors heretofore pronounced by the courts.
The board of trustees of the school district shall thereafter publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within that school district for at least two (2) consecutive weeks;
and after having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the board of trustees of the school district, the new district lines shall thereafter be effective.
Any person elected H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 9(DJ\KW) from the new trustee election districts constituted herein shall be elected in the manner provided for in Section 37-7-215 for a term of five (5) years.
Any vacancy in the office of a trustee elected from such trustee election district, whether occasioned by redistricting or by other cause, shall be filled by appointment of the governing authorities of the municipality, provided that the person so appointed shall serve only until the next general election following his appointment, at which time a person shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term in the manner provided in Section 37-7-215.
In any county organizing a countywide municipal separate school district after January 1, 1965, the trustees thereof to be elected from outside the municipality, such trustees shall be elected by the board of supervisors of such county, and the superintendent of such school district shall have authority to pay out and distribute the funds of the district.
In the event a municipal separate school district should occupy territory in a county other than that in which the municipality is located and fifteen percent (15%) or more of the pupils enrolled in the schools of such district shall come from the territory of the district in the county other than that in which the municipality is located, the territory of such county in which the municipality is not located shall be entitled to one (1) member on the board of trustees of such school district.
The trustee shall be a resident of the territory of that part of the district lying in the county H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 10(DJ\KW) in which the municipality is not located and shall be elected by the qualified electors of the territory of such county at the same time and in the same manner as is provided for the election of trustees of school districts other than municipal separate school districts having territory in two (2) or more counties.
All vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired terms by appointment of the governing authorities of the municipality;
except that in the case of the trustees coming from the added territory outside the corporate limits, the person so appointed shall serve only until the next general election following his appointment, at which time a person shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term in the manner otherwise provided herein.
No person who is a member of such governing body, or who is an employee of the municipality, or who is a member of the county board of education, or who is a trustee of any public, private or sectarian school or college located in the county, inclusive of the municipal separate school district, or who is a teacher in or a trustee of the school district, shall be eligible for appointment to the board of trustees.
(2) In counties of less than fifteen thousand (15,000) people having a municipal separate school district with added territory which embraces all the territory of a county, one or more trustees of the school district shall be nominated from each supervisors district upon petition of fifty (50) qualified H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 11(DJ\KW) electors of that supervisors district, or twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors of such district, whichever number shall be smaller.
One (1) trustee must be elected from each supervisors district of the county.
In such counties embraced entirely by a municipal separate school district, there shall be no county board of education after the formation of such district, and the county superintendent of education shall act as superintendent of schools of the district and shall be appointed by the board of trustees of that district, and the provisions of subsection (1) of this section and the first paragraph of Section 37-7-211 shall not apply to such districts.
(3) In municipalities designated as having a mayor-council form of government under Chapter 8, Title 21, Mississippi Code of 1972, and having a population in excess of one hundred thousand (100,000) according to the 2000 federal decennial census, the boards of trustees of the municipal separate school district located in the municipality may, if authorized by ordinance of the municipal governing authority, consist of seven (7) members residing in each of the seven (7) wards in the municipality, to be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council as follows:
(a) each board member shall reside in the ward from which he is appointed;
(b) members serving on March 31, 2010, shall continue to serve until a new term commences and new members shall be selected from wards not currently represented on the board;
(c) one (1) of the two (2) additional appointments shall H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 12(DJ\KW) serve a term of five (5) years and one (1) for a term of four (4) years, with all subsequent appointments for a five-year term;
and (d) each new appointment shall be made by the mayor and confirmed by the city council of the municipality at the first meeting of the governing authorities held in the month of June following March 31, 2010, and thereafter each year, and the term of office of each member so selected shall commence on the first Saturday of July following.
(4) (a) Beginning in 2017, in any municipal separate school district that is traversed by the Escatawpa River and in which Interstate Highway 10 and Mississippi Highway 63 intersect, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district shall consist of five (5) members, each to be elected for a term of four (4) years in the manner provided in this subsection.
Within forty-five (45) days after July 1, 2017, the municipal governing authority shall apportion the municipal separate school district, including any added territory outside the corporate limits, into five (5) special trustee election districts as nearly equal as possible according to population, incumbency and other factors pronounced by the courts before August 8, 2017.
The municipal governing authority shall place upon its minutes the boundaries determined for the new five (5) trustee election districts and shall publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within the school district for at least three (3) consecutive weeks.
After having given notice of publication and recording the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 13(DJ\KW) same upon the minutes of the municipal governing authority, the new district lines shall be effective.
(b) On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2017, and every four (4) years thereafter, an election shall be held in the municipal separate school district for local school board members from trustee election districts 1, 3 and 5 in the same manner and at the same time as the general municipal election is held and conducted, for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district.
All members of the board of trustees elected pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall take office on the first Monday of January immediately following the date of their election.
However, in order to provide for an orderly transition, the term of each member of the board of trustees serving on July 1, 2017, which otherwise would expire after the first Monday in July 2018, shall expire on the first Monday of January 2018.
If no individual qualifies for the elective office of school district trustee, the trustee for that specific trustee district shall be filled by appointment of the municipal governing authority;
however, the person so appointed to fill the vacancy may serve only until the first Monday in January 2019, at which time the trustee elected pursuant to this subsection shall take office for the remainder of the unexpired initial term.
From and after January 1, 2018, any vacancy on the board of trustees shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 14(DJ\KW) of the board of trustees within sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs.
The appointee must be selected from the qualified electors of the trustee election district in which the vacancy occurs.
The appointee shall serve until the first Monday of January succeeding the next general municipal election, at which election a member from that trustee election district shall be elected for a full term.
(c) On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2018, and every four (4) years thereafter, an election shall be held in the municipal separate school district for local school board members from trustee election districts 2 and 4 in the same manner and at the same time as the Congressional mid-term election is held and conducted, for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district.
All members of the board of trustees elected pursuant to this paragraph (c) shall take office on the first Monday of January immediately following the date of their election.
However, in order to provide for an orderly transition, the term of each member of the board of trustees serving on July 1, 2018, which otherwise would expire after the first Monday in July 2018, shall expire on the first Monday of January 2019.
If no individual qualifies for the elective office of school district trustee, the trustee for that specific trustee district shall be filled by appointment of the municipal governing authority;
however, the person so appointed to fill the vacancy may serve only until the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 15(DJ\KW) first Monday in January 2020, at which time the trustee elected pursuant to this subsection shall take office for the remainder of the unexpired initial term.
From and after July 1, 2020, any vacancy on the board of trustees shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the board of trustees within sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs.
The appointee must be selected from the qualified electors of the trustee election district in which the vacancy occurs.
The appointee shall serve until the first Monday of July succeeding the next general municipal election, at which election a member from that trustee election district shall be elected for a full term.
(5) (a) Beginning in 2024, in any municipal separate school district in which Interstate Highway 20 and Mississippi Highway 15 intersect, the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district shall consist of five (5) members, each to be elected for a term of four (4) years in the manner provided in this subsection.
Within forty-five (45) days after July 1, 2024, the municipal governing authority shall apportion the municipal separate school district, including any added territory outside the corporate limits, into five (5) special trustee election districts as nearly equal as possible according to population, incumbency and other factors pronounced by the courts before January 1, 2024.
The municipal governing authority shall place upon its minutes the boundaries determined for the new five (5) H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 16(DJ\KW) trustee election districts and shall publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within the school district for at least three (3) consecutive weeks.
After having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the municipal governing authority, the new district lines shall be effective.
Candidates for such positions shall file the intent to be a candidate not later than 5:00 p.m.
on September 1, 2024, and shall qualify as otherwise provided by law.
(b) On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2024, an election shall be held in the municipal separate school district for local school board members in the same manner and at the same time as the presidential election is held and conducted, for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district.
All members of the board of trustees elected pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall take office on the first Monday of January immediately following the date of their election, and may serve until the first Monday in January 2028, at which time the trustee elected pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection shall take office.
If no individual qualifies for the elective office of school district trustee, the trustee for that specific trustee district shall be filled by appointment of the municipal governing authority;
however, the person so appointed to fill the vacancy may serve only until the first Monday in January 2028, at which time the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 17(DJ\KW) trustee elected pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection shall take office.
From and after January 1, 2028, any vacancy on the board of trustees shall be filled by appointment by the remaining members of the board of trustees within sixty (60) days after the vacancy occurs.
The appointee must be selected from the qualified electors of the trustee election district in which the vacancy occurs.
The appointee shall serve until the first Monday of January succeeding the next general election, at which election a member from that trustee election district shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(c) On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2027, and every four (4) years thereafter, an election shall be held in the municipal separate school district for local school board members in the same manner and at the same time as the general elections are held and conducted in accordance with Section 23-15-193, for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district.
All members of the board of trustees elected pursuant to this paragraph (c) shall take office on the first Monday of January immediately following the date of their election.
SECTION 7.
Section 37-7-204, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-204.
In the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of any elected trustee of a countywide municipal separate school H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 18(DJ\KW) district, and the next regular school board election at which the vacancy may be filled is less than one (1) year from the date of the resignation, the school board of the district may, in its discretion, take action to appoint an interim board member to fill the vacancy until a duly qualified successor takes office.
The interim board member shall serve until such time as the successor board member is duly elected to fill the unexpired term, pursuant to an election held at the next regularly scheduled school board election held in the county.
SECTION 8.
Section 37-7-207, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-207.
(1) All school districts reconstituted or created under the provisions of Article 1 of this chapter, and which lie wholly within one (1) county, but not including municipal separate and countywide districts, shall be governed by a board of five (5) trustees.
The first board of trustees of such districts shall be appointed by the county board of education, and the original appointments shall be so made that one (1) trustee shall be appointed to serve until the first Saturday of March following such appointments, one (1) for one (1) year longer, one (1) for two (2) years longer, one (1) for three (3) years longer, and one (1) for four (4) years longer.
After such original appointments, the trustees of such school districts shall be elected by the qualified electors of such school districts in the manner provided for in Sections 37-7-223 through 37-7-229, with each trustee to be H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 19(DJ\KW) elected for a term of five (5) years.
The five (5) members of the board of trustees of such consolidated school district shall be elected from special trustee election districts by the qualified electors thereof, as herein provided.
The board of trustees of any such consolidated school district shall apportion the consolidated school district into five (5) special trustee election districts.
The board of trustees of such school district shall place upon its minutes the boundaries determined for the new five (5) trustee election districts.
The board of trustees shall thereafter publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within said school district for at least three (3) consecutive weeks;
and after having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the board of trustees, said new district lines shall thereafter be effective.
On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, in any year in which any consolidated school district shall elect to utilize the authority to create single member election districts, an election shall be held in each such district in this state for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of such district.
At said election the member of the said board from District One shall be elected for a term of one (1) year, the member from District Two shall be elected for a term of two (2) years, the member from District Three shall be elected for a term of three (3) years, the member from District Four shall be elected for a term of four (4) years, and the member from District Five shall be H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 20(DJ\KW) elected for a term of five (5) years.
Thereafter, members shall be elected at general elections as vacancies occur for terms of five (5) years each.
Trustees elected from single member election districts as provided above shall otherwise be elected as provided for in Sections 37-7-223 through 37-7-229.
All members of the said board of trustees shall take office on the first Monday of January following the date of their election.
All vacancies which may occur during a term shall be filled by appointment of the consolidated school district trustees, but the person so appointed shall serve only until the next general election following such appointment, at which time a person shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term at the same time and in the same manner as a trustee is elected for the full term then expiring.
The person so elected to the unexpired term shall take office immediately.
Said appointee shall be selected from the qualified electors of the district in which the vacancy occurs.
In the event the school district is under conservatorship and no members of the board of trustees remain in office, the Governor shall call a special election to fill the vacancies and the said election will be conducted by the county election commission.
(2) All school districts reconstituted and created under the provisions of Article 1 of this chapter, which embrace territory in two (2) or more counties, but not including municipal separate school districts, shall be governed by a board of five (5) trustees.
In making the original appointments, the several county H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 21(DJ\KW) boards of education shall appoint the trustee or trustees to which the territory in such county is entitled, and, by agreement between the county boards concerned, one (1) person shall be appointed to serve until the first Saturday of March following, one (1) for one (1) year longer, one (1) for two (2) years longer, one (1) for three (3) years longer and one (1) for four (4) years longer.
Thereafter, such trustees shall be elected as is provided for in Sections 37-7-223 through 37-7-229, for a term of five (5) years.
The five (5) members of the board of trustees of such line consolidated school district shall be elected from special trustee election districts by the qualified electors thereof, as herein provided.
The existing board of trustees of such line consolidated school district shall apportion the line consolidated school district into five (5) special trustee election districts.
The board of trustees shall place upon its minutes the boundaries determined for the new five (5) trustee election districts.
The board of trustees shall thereafter publish the same in a newspaper of general circulation within said school district for at least three (3) consecutive weeks;
and after having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the board of trustees, said new district lines shall thereafter be effective.
Provided, however, that in any line consolidated school district encompassing two (2) or more counties created pursuant to Laws, 1953, Extraordinary Session, Chapter 12, Section 8, in which, as a condition precedent to the creation of said H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 22(DJ\KW) district, each county belonging thereto was contractually guaranteed to always have at least one (1) representative on said board, in order that said condition precedent may be honored and guaranteed, in any year in which the board of trustees of such line consolidated school district does not have at least one (1) member from each county or part thereof forming such district, the board of trustees in such district shall be governed by a board of a sufficient number of trustees to fulfill this guarantee, five (5) of whom shall be elected from the five (5) special trustee election districts which shall be as nearly equal as possible and one (1) member trustee appointed at large from each county not having representation on the elected board.
In such cases, the board of supervisors of each county shall make written agreement to guarantee the manner of appointment of at least one (1) representative from each county in the district, placing such written agreement on the minutes of each board of supervisors in each county.
On the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, in any year in which any line consolidated school district shall elect to utilize the authority to create single member election districts, an election shall be held in each such district in this state for the purpose of electing the board of trustees of such district.
At said election the member of the said board from District One shall be elected for a term of one (1) year, the member from District Two shall be elected for a term of two (2) H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 23(DJ\KW) years, the member from District Three shall be elected for a term of three (3) years, the member from District Four shall be elected for a term of four (4) years, and the member from District Five shall be elected for a term of five (5) years.
Thereafter, members shall be elected at general elections as vacancies occur for terms of five (5) years each.
Trustees elected from single member election districts as provided above shall otherwise be elected as provided for in Sections 37-7-223 through 37-7-229.
All members of the said board of trustees shall take office on the first Monday of January following the date of their election.
In all elections, the trustee elected shall be a resident and qualified elector of the district entitled to the representation upon the board, and he shall be elected only by the qualified electors of such district.
All vacancies which may occur during a term of office shall be filled by appointment of the consolidated line school district trustees, but the person so appointed shall serve only until the next general election following such appointment, at which time a person shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term at the same time and in the same manner as the trustee is elected for the full term then expiring.
The person so elected to the unexpired term shall take office immediately.
In the event the school district is under conservatorship and no members of the board of trustees remain in office, the Governor shall call a special election to fill the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 24(DJ\KW) vacancies and the said election will be conducted by the county election commission.
SECTION 9.
Section 37-7-208, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-208.
The board of trustees of any consolidated school district may pay from funds other than total funding formula funds the cost and expense of litigation involved by or resulting from the creation of or litigation to create single member school board trustee election districts, and pay from funds other than the total funding formula funds the cost or expense to implement any plan, decree or reorganization as approved by the court.
Said payments by the board of trustees shall be deemed a "new program" under the provisions of Section 37-57-107, and any additional millage levied for such purpose and the revenue generated therefrom shall be excluded from the tax increase limitation prescribed in Sections 37-57-105 and 37-57-107.
The board of supervisors of any county in which there is located such consolidated school district may, in its discretion, contribute out of county general funds to the cost and expense of such litigation and/or the cost of implementing such redistricting plan.
SECTION 10.
Section 37-7-209, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-209.
All elections of trustees who are elected under the provisions of subsection (1) of Section 37-7-203 shall be held H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 25(DJ\KW) and conducted in the manner and at the time provided for in Sections 37-7-211 through 37-7-219.
SECTION 11.
Section 37-7-211, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-211.
(1) The name of any qualified elector who is otherwise eligible under the provisions of subsection (1) of Section 37-7-203 who shall desire to be a candidate for the office of trustee must qualify in the following manner in order to be allowed to be considered for election.
By 5:00 p.m.
no more than ninety (90) days and not less than sixty (60) days before the election, he shall file with the county election commissioners a petition signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of the area represented by the office which he seeks, either for a full term or an unexpired term, as the case may be, and an affidavit by the candidate offering for election stating his qualifications under the terms of the section.
Where there are less than one hundred (100) qualified electors in said area represented by the trustee, it shall only be required that said petition of nomination be signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors in said area.
The petition shall contain an affidavit certifying that all signatures are the personal signatures of each person whose name appears on the petition and that each person is a qualified elector.
(2) Unless the petition and affidavit required in subsection (1) of this section are filed by 5:00 p.m.
not less than sixty H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 26(DJ\KW) (60) days prior to the election, the name of the candidate shall not be considered in the election, and votes cast for any person who has failed to qualify shall not be counted in the election.
(3) If after the time for candidates to file the petition and affidavit provided for in this section there should be only one (1) person to qualify for the office of trustee, then no election or notice of election shall be necessary and such person shall, if otherwise qualified, be declared elected without opposition.
SECTION 12.
Section 37-7-215, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-215.
All such elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each year and in the same manner as general state and county elections are held and conducted.
In the event a runoff is necessary the runoff shall be held four (4) weeks thereafter.
SECTION 13.
Section 37-7-217, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-217.
(1) The county election commissioners shall indicate on the ballot which of the persons whose names appear thereon are candidates for a full term, and which of such persons, if any, are candidates for an unexpired term or terms.
(2) The qualified electors of each school district operating under Section 37-7-215 shall vote on the date specified in that section and at the special trustee election districts.
H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 27(DJ\KW) (3) A person elected shall assume the duties of his office for the full term on the first day of January if the election is for the full term.
A person elected to an unexpired term shall assume office immediately.
(4) The county election commissioners shall forthwith certify the results of the election to the superintendent of the municipal separate or special municipal separate school district, as the case may be, which certificate shall be delivered to such superintendent within five (5) days following the first election.
(5) If a person does not receive a majority of the votes cast at the election, a runoff shall be held between the two (2) persons receiving the highest number of votes at the first election.
In the event a runoff is necessary, the runoff shall be held four (4) weeks thereafter.
SECTION 14.
Section 37-7-219, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
37-7-219.
(1) For the purpose of holding such an election, it shall be the duty of the county election commissioners to prepare from the records in the office of the county registrar a list of the qualified electors of the school district who are eligible to participate in the election.
The list shall be furnished to the election managers in each precinct, together with the ballots and other election supplies.
(2) In the event that any election precinct embraces parts of two (2) or more school districts it shall be the duty of the H.
B.
No.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 PAGE 28(DJ\KW) county election commissioners to prepare from the records in the office of the county registrar separate lists of the qualified electors of each school district who reside in the precinct and who are eligible to participate in the election.
The election commissioners shall furnish to the election managers in the precinct separate ballots and separate ballot boxes and separate voting lists for each school district.
(3) For each day spent in carrying out the provisions of Sections 37-7-211 through 37-7-219, the county election commissioners shall be paid at the rate prescribed by law.
SECTION 15.
1495 *HR26/R1749* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR26/R1749 ST:
1495 *HR43/R1749CS.1* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 25/HR43/R1749CS.1 ST:
School district boundaries;
School District Boundaries;
create PAGE 29(DJ\KW) legislative study committee to determine if revisions should be made near Stennis Space Center.
create PAGE 5(RKM\KP) legislative study committee to determine if revisions should be made near Stennis Space Center.
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Action History

  1. Died On Calendar

  2. Read the Third Time

  3. Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

  4. Referred To State Affairs

Sponsors

  • Anderson · Primary

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 174 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

  • Anderson

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (174)

174 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Who sponsors HB 1495?
HB 1495 is sponsored by Anderson.
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This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “Passed House” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
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