Sec. 19. (a) If the creation of a community school corporation out of an existing corporation:

(1) would not involve a change in its territorial boundaries or in its board of school trustees or other governing body, other than a change in the time of election or appointment or the time the board members take office; and

(2) is consistent with the standards set up under this chapter and the standards set out in this section;

the state board may on its own motion or on petition of the governing body of the existing school corporation at any time with hearing in the county where the school corporation is located, after notice by publication at least once in one (1) newspaper of general circulation published in the county where the school corporation is located, at least ten (10) but not more than thirty (30) days before the date of a hearing, and without action of the county committee declare the existing school corporation to be a community school corporation by adopting a resolution to this effect. The existing school corporation qualifies as to size and financial resources if it has an ADA of at least two hundred seventy (270) students in grades 9 through 12 or at least one thousand (1,000) students in grades 1 through 12, and has an assessed valuation per student of at least five thousand dollars ($5,000).

(b) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(1) "County tax" means a property tax:

(A) that is levied at an equal rate in the entire county in which any school corporation is located, other than a tax qualifying as a countywide tax within the meaning of Acts 1959, c.328, s.2, or any similar statute; and

(B) for which the net proceeds of which are distributed to school corporations in the county.

(2) "Assessed valuation" of any school corporation means the net assessed value of its real and personal property as of March 1, 1964, adjusted in the same manner as the assessed valuation is adjusted for each county by the department of local government finance under Acts 1949, c.247, s.5, as amended, unless that statute has been repealed or no longer provides for an adjustment. If a county has a county tax, the assessed valuation of each school corporation in the county shall be increased by the amount of assessed valuation, if any, that would be required to raise an amount of money, equal to the excess of the amount distributed to any school corporation from the county tax over the amount collected from the county tax in the school corporation, using total taxes levied by the school corporation in terms of rate:

(A) excluding the countywide tax under Acts 1959, c.328, s.2, or any similar statute; and

(B) including all other taxes levied by or for the school corporation.

The increased valuation shall be based on the excess distributed to the school corporation from the county tax levied for the year 1964 and the total taxes levied for the year, or if the county tax is first applied or is raised for years after 1964, then the excess distributions and total taxes levied for the year in which the tax is first applied or raised. If the excess distribution and total taxes levied cannot be determined accurately on or before the adoption of the resolution provided in this section, excess distribution and taxes levied shall be estimated by the department of local government finance using the last preceding assessed valuations and tax rates or such other information as that department determines, certifying the increased assessment to the state board before such time. In all cases, the excess distribution shall be determined upon the assumption that the county tax is one hundred percent (100%) collected and all collections are distributed.

(3) "Assessed valuation per student" of any school corporation means the assessed valuation of any school corporation divided by its ADA in grades 1 through 12.

(4) "ADA" in any school corporation means the average daily attendance of students who are residents in the school corporation and in the particular grades to which the term refers for the school year 1964-1965 in accordance with the applicable regulations of the state superintendent, used in determining average daily attendance in the distribution of the tuition funds by the state to its various school corporations where funds are distributed on such basis and irrespective of whether the figures are the actual resident daily attendance of the school for the school year.

(c) The community school corporation automatically comes into being on either July 1 or January 1 following the date of approval, whichever is earlier. The state board shall mail by certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy of the resolution certified by the county committee's chairperson or secretary to:

(1) the recorder of the county from which the county committee having jurisdiction of the existing school corporation was appointed; and

(2) the county committee.

The resolution may change the time of election or appointment of the board of trustees of the school corporation or the time the trustees take office. The recorder shall without cost record the certified resolution in the miscellaneous records of the county. The recording constitutes a permanent record of the action of the state board and may be relied on by any person. Unless the resolution provides that an interim member of the board of trustees shall not be appointed, the board of trustees in office on the date of the action continues to constitute the board of trustees of the school corporation until their successors are qualified, and the terms of their respective office and board membership remain unchanged except to the extent the resolution otherwise provides. For purposes of this chapter and IC 20-23-16-1 through IC 20-23-16-5, a community school corporation shall be regarded as a school corporation created under section 16 of this chapter.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-4-1-18.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.7. Amended by P.L.2-2006, SEC.93; P.L.233-2015, SEC.56.