SECOND REGULAR SESSION
92ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES JACKSON (Sponsor), EMERY, SANDER, LEMBKE, WOOD,
NIEVES, MORRIS AND SCHLOTTACH (Co-sponsors).
Read 1st time January 29, 2004, and copies ordered printed.
STEPHEN S. DAVIS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To repeal sections 177.011, 177.031, 177.051, 177.061, 177.071, 177.073, 177.091, 177.101, 177.111, 177.131, and 177.151, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof four new sections relating to school facilities.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 177.011, 177.031, 177.051, 177.061, 177.071, 177.073, 177.091, 177.101, 177.111, 177.131, and 177.151, RSMo, are repealed and four new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 177.011, 177.031, 177.091, and 177.101, to read as follows:
177.011. The title of all schoolhouse sites and other school property is vested in the district in which the property is located, or if the directors of both school districts involved agree, a school district may own property outside of the boundaries of the district and operate upon such property for school purposes; provided that, such property may only be used for school purposes for students residing in the school district owning such property or students who are enrolled in such school district as part of a court-ordered desegregation plan. All property leased or rented for school purposes shall be wholly under the control of the school board during such time. [No board shall lease or rent any building for school purposes while the district schoolhouse is unoccupied, and no schoolhouse or school site shall be abandoned or sold until another site and house are provided for the school district.]
177.031. 1. The school board has the care and keeping of all property belonging to the district and shall provide the necessary [globes, maps, charts, apparatus, supplementary books, and other material] equipment and materials for the use of the school. The board shall keep the schoolhouses and other buildings in good repair, the grounds belonging thereto in good condition[, and shall provide fuel, heating apparatus, and other material and appliances necessary for the proper heating, lighting, ventilation and sanitation of the schoolhouses; shall have the floors swept and fires made at the expense of the district,] and cause an accurate account of the expense thereof to be kept and a report and settlement to be made at the next annual meeting or as required by law.
2. The school board having charge of the schoolhouses, buildings and grounds appurtenant thereto may allow the [free] use of [the houses, buildings and grounds for the free discussion of public questions or subjects of general public interest, for the meeting of organizations of citizens, and for any other civic, social and educational purpose that] these facilities for school, community, and civic events, so long as these activities will not interfere with the prime purpose to which the houses, buildings and grounds are devoted. If an application is granted and the use of the houses, buildings, or grounds is permitted for the purposes aforesaid, [the school board may provide, free of charge, heat, light and janitor service therein when necessary, and may make any other provisions, free of charge, needed for the convenient and comfortable use of the houses, buildings and grounds for such purposes, or] the school boards may require the expenses to be paid by the organizations or persons who are allowed the use of the houses, buildings and grounds. All persons upon whose application or at whose request the use of any schoolhouse, building, or part thereof, or any grounds appurtenant thereto, is permitted as herein provided shall be jointly and severally liable for any injury or damage thereto which directly results from the use, ordinary wear and tear excepted.
177.091. 1. The school board in each [seven-director] school district, as soon as sufficient funds are provided, shall establish an adequate number of [elementary] schools, and if the demands of the district require more than one [elementary] school building, the board shall divide the district into [elementary] school wards and fix the boundaries thereof. [The board shall select and procure a site in each ward and erect and furnish a suitable school building thereon.]
2. [The board may also establish high schools and may select and procure sites and erect and furnish buildings therefor.
3.] The board may acquire additional grounds when needed for school purposes. If the directors of both school districts involved agree, such grounds may be located outside of the boundaries of the district and operated for school purposes.
[4.] 3. If there is any school property, the ownership of which is vested in the district, that is no longer required for the use of the district, the board, by an affirmative vote of a majority of the whole board, may authorize and direct the sale or lease of the property, except that, property outside the boundaries of the school district may not be leased. Real property may be sold or leased by listing the property with one or more real estate brokers licensed by the state of Missouri and paying a commission upon such sale or lease. Real property not sold or leased through a real estate broker and all personal property exceeding five hundred dollars in value, unless sold or leased to a public institution of higher education, shall be sold or leased to the highest bidder. Personal property valued at five hundred dollars or less may be sold upon terms established by the board of education. If real property is not sold or leased through a real estate broker, notice that the board is holding the property for sale or offering it for lease shall be given by publication in a newspaper within the county in which all or a part of the district is located which has general circulation within the district, once a week for two consecutive weeks, the last publication to be at least seven days prior to the sale or lease of the property; except that, any real or personal school property may be sold or leased to a city, state agency, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision of the state located within the boundaries of the district, for public uses and purposes, by the giving of public notice as herein provided and at such sum as may be agreed upon between the school district and the city, state agency, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision of the state. The lease or deed of conveyance shall be executed by the president and attested by the secretary of the board. If the district has a seal, it shall be affixed to the deed or lease. The proceeds derived from the sale of real property or nonrealty [by districts identified as financially stressed pursuant to section 161.520, RSMo, shall, until July 1, 1998, be placed to the credit of the incidental fund or the capital projects fund of the district, with notice of any such sale to be included in the budget and education plan submitted to the department of elementary and secondary education, and, on and after July 1, 1998, any such proceeds shall be placed to the credit of the capital projects fund. The proceeds from the sale of real property or nonrealty and from leases, by any other district,] shall be placed to the credit of the capital projects fund.
[5.] 4. The school board of [a seven-director] any district may also list real property for sale on which a building has been constructed by an approved vocational education class with a real estate broker licensed by the state of Missouri and pay a commission thereon.
[6.] 5. Other provisions of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, bids for the purchase of any building constructed by students as part of an approved vocational education class may be accepted prior to completion of such construction.
177.101. 1. In [seven-director] districts as specified in this section, the school board may establish and maintain public parks and playgrounds, stadiums or similar athletic facilities, school libraries, art galleries and museums, and other related facilities for the use of the public school district, and may appropriate the sums they deem proper for the support thereof. 2. The school board may lease or purchase grounds additional to the schoolhouse site, either adjacent thereto or elsewhere in the school district, for [libraries, public parks and playgrounds and pay for the grounds so leased or purchased out of the funds of the school district available for the purpose] these purposes.
3. The board of education shall have full custody and control of the parks and playgrounds including the policing and the preservation of order thereon and may permit the use of the grounds that it deems best in the interest of the district. The board shall adopt and enforce, subject to the laws of the state and the ordinances of the city, suitable rules and regulations for the control of the grounds and the conduct of persons using them.
4. The board of education may accept contributions and gifts of money or property for the acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of the stadium and sites and appurtenances thereto.
[177.051. If there is within any school district any school property that is not required for the use of the school district and the property could be used for purposes of offering education beyond grade twelve by a public institution of higher education, the school board may lease or convey the property to the public institution, and the proceeds derived from a conveyance shall be placed to the credit of the incidental fund of the district.]
[177.061. 1. Any of the sixteenth-sections of land, or lands selected in lieu thereof, granted to the state of Missouri by acts of Congress for the support of schools in congressional townships may be sold and conveyed by the school district for whose benefit the land is held in the manner provided by law for the sale of property owned by the school district and no longer required for school purposes. The deed of conveyance shall be executed by the president of the school board of the district, signed by him and attested by the clerk or secretary of the board. If the district has a seal the seal shall be affixed to the deed.
2. Any conveyance of the land made by a school board in accordance with this section shall divest the state of Missouri of all title to the land, and vest title in the grantees, their heirs and assigns, forever.
3. The proceeds derived from the sale of the sixteenth-section school lands shall be placed to the credit of the incidental fund of the district.
4. This section does not affect conveyances of sixteenth-section school lands made under prior laws.]
[177.071. All sales of land in sections numbered sixteen, or lands selected in lieu thereof, by any sheriff, in the attempt to carry out the provisions of any statute relating to the sale of the lands as school lands for the townships in which they lie, which sales took place more than ten years before October 13, 1963, shall, upon the expiration of two years from October 13, 1963, become and be deemed valid and effectual for all intents and purposes, and the title thereto sought to be conveyed is hereby confirmed in the respective purchasers and those claiming under them at the expiration of the two years, whether there was any petition from the householders of the townships for the sales or not, and notwithstanding any other errors, defects, omissions or imperfections in the petition, order of sale, notice, sale, or other proceeding therein; save only as to such lands now involved or which during the period of two years may become involved in any suit because thereof, as to which lands this section shall not take effect until the final determination of the suit.]
[177.073. 1. The board of directors or school board in urban school districts, metropolitan school districts, and school districts located totally or partially within a first class charter county adjoining a city not within a county, by an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of all the members, may:
(1) Select, direct and authorize the purchase of sites for and authorize the construction of libraries, schools, school offices, art galleries and museums; and the necessary janitors' houses, repair buildings, supply houses and parking facilities to be used in the operation and maintenance of the schools;
(2) Authorize and direct the purchase of additional ground needed for school purposes;
(3) Authorize and direct the sale and transfer or lease of any real or personal property belonging to the district which is not required for operation of the school program. Real property may be sold or leased by listing the property with one or more real estate brokers licensed by the state of Missouri and paying a commission upon such sale or lease. Real property not sold or leased through a real estate broker and all personal property shall be sold or leased to the highest bidder, except that any real or personal school property may be sold or leased to a community group or a city, state agency, municipal corporation, or any other governmental subdivision of the state located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the district, for public uses and purposes, at such sum as may be agreed upon between the school district and the community group or the city, state agency, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision of the state. If property is to be leased by bid, written proposals for lease terms shall be submitted by potential lessees. The lease proposal offering the most economically advantageous terms shall be considered the highest lease bid. A purchase proposal may include contingencies; the proposal offering the most economically advantageous terms shall be the highest bid. All bids for purchase or lease of real property shall be submitted formally as closed bids. Bids shall be opened at a meeting, which shall be an open meeting. The board may reject all bids, or negotiate an acceptable sale or lease with the highest bidder, if all bids are unsatisfactory. The records of the bid-opening meeting shall be an open record. If real property is not sold or leased through a real estate broker, notice that the board is holding real property for sale or offering it for lease, including a planned sale or lease to a community group or a city, state agency, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision of the state, shall be given by publication in a newspaper within the county in which all or a part of the district is located which has general circulation within the district, once a week for two consecutive weeks, the last publication to be at least seven days and not more than fourteen days prior to the date of the bid opening. The term of a lease may be for any period which the board finds is advantageous and meets the needs of the district. The lease or deed of conveyance shall be executed by the president and attested by the secretary of the board. If the district has a seal, it shall be affixed to the deed or lease. The proceeds derived from sale of real property shall be placed to the credit of the incidental fund of the district. The proceeds from sale of nonrealty and from leases shall be placed to the credit of the incidental fund.
2. The board may receive, in behalf of the school district, any grants, gifts, or devises made for the benefit of the district or its schools, or any public library, art gallery or museum under the control of the board.]
[177.111. 1. Any seven-director school district, acting through its board of directors, may acquire, construct, erect, equip and furnish, operate, control and regulate a stadium or similar structure for the holding of school athletic games, contests and other recreational activities and exhibitions, and for purposes and uses incidental thereto. Portions of the structure may be constructed and equipped for gymnasium or training rooms and dressing rooms. From time to time the district may make additions to or enlarge the structure.
2. The school district may use real property now or hereafter belonging to it as a site for the stadium, or may acquire by purchase, lease, gift or otherwise the real and personal property that in the judgment of the board of directors is necessary, advisable and suitable for the purpose, together with adequate space for off-street parking of vehicles. It may accept contributions and gifts of money or property for the acquisition, construction, operation and maintenance of the stadium and sites and appurtenances thereto.
3. If the district uses for such purpose property acquired by funds derived from proceeds of taxation, it shall make payment from the proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to sections 164.231 to 164.301, RSMo, or from funds available therefor from sources other than taxation, into its treasury to the credit of the appropriate fund a sum equal to the cost to the school district of the property or its then appraised value, whichever is greater. The appraised value shall be determined by a proceeding in the circuit court of the county where the land is situated in the nature of a condemnation proceeding, so that the school district will in effect have condemned the land for the benefit of the project and it will have ceased to represent investment of proceeds of taxation. The circuit court is vested with jurisdiction of the proceeding in which the school district shall be plaintiff and the attorney general shall be made a party defendant as representing the public interest in the property and funds of the school district derived from taxation.]
[177.131. The school board in each urban district, as soon as sufficient funds have been provided, shall establish an adequate number of elementary and high schools, select and procure sites, and erect and furnish suitable school buildings therefor.]
[177.151. The board may erect, construct and maintain, and use for all purposes connected with or incident to the work of the public schools or library or art gallery or museum, and let out to others for compensation, an auditorium or public hall suitable for public gatherings. The auditorium may be erected or constructed either in connection with the building devoted to the public library, art gallery or museum, or separate therefrom. The proceeds of rents over expenses shall be used for the purchase of books for the public library.]