SB 1254 Summary

• Amends Arizona Revised Statutes section 15-459 to clarify school district consolidation procedures, including removal of the phrase "of each other" from the twenty-mile distance requirement for consolidations involving A or B-rated districts.

• Removes a requirement that the instructional school district's governing board must approve consolidation of financing-only school districts; instead makes approval contingent only on voter elections in both districts.

• Adds new subsection S establishing that when a union high school district consolidates with a common school district, non-consolidating common school districts become independent common school districts not within a high school district and must pay tuition for high school pupils under section 15-824.

• Makes section 1 amendments retroactively effective from December 31, 2017, and delays section 2 amendments until December 31, 2020, establishing two different effective dates for related provisions.