(A) Pursuant to the powers of the general assembly and for the purposes of this chapter, upon the declaration of a fiscal emergency in any school district pursuant to division (B) of section 3316.03 of the Revised Code, there is established, with respect to that school district, a body both corporate and politic constituting an agency and instrumentality of the state and performing essential governmental functions of the state to be known as the "financial planning and supervision commission for ........ (name of school district)," which, in that name, may exercise all authority vested in such a commission by this chapter. A separate commission is established with respect to each school district as to which there is a fiscal emergency as determined under this chapter.

(B) A commission appointed after July 1, 1999, shall consist of five voting members, including women and at least one Hispanic or African American if Hispanic and African Americans together constitute at least twenty per cent of the student population of the district, as follows:

(1) Two ex officio members: the director of budget and management, or a designee of the director, and the superintendent of public instruction, or a designee of the superintendent. A designee, when present, shall be counted in determining whether a quorum is present at any meeting of the commission and may vote and participate in all proceedings and actions of the commission. The designations shall be in writing, executed by the member making the designation, and filed with the secretary of the commission. The designations may be changed from time to time in like manner, but due regard shall be given to the need for continuity.

(2) Three appointed members, who shall be appointed within fifteen days after the declaration of the fiscal emergency, one by the governor, one by the superintendent of public instruction, and one by the mayor of the municipal corporation with the largest number of residents living within the school district, except that if more than fifty per cent of the residents of the district reside outside the municipal corporation containing the greatest number of district residents or if there is no municipal corporation located in the school district, the county auditor of the county with the largest number of residents living within the school district shall make the appointment in lieu of a mayor. All of the appointed members shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority during the life of the commission. In the event of the death, resignation, incapacity, removal, or ineligibility to serve of an appointed member, the appointing authority shall appoint a successor within fifteen days after the vacancy occurs.

(a) The member appointed by the governor and the member appointed by the mayor or county auditor shall be an individual:

(i) Who has knowledge and experience in financial matters, financial management, or business organization or operations, including at least five years of experience in the public or private sector in the management of business or financial enterprise, or in management consulting, public accounting, or other similar professional activity;

(ii) Whose residency, office, or principal place of professional or business activity is situated within the school district.

(b) The member appointed by the superintendent of public instruction shall be a parent of a child currently enrolled in a public school within the district.

(C) Immediately after appointment of the initial appointed members of the commission, the superintendent of public instruction shall call the first meeting of the commission and shall cause written notice of the time, date, and place of the first meeting to be given to each member of the commission at least forty-eight hours in advance of the meeting.

(D) The superintendent of public instruction shall serve as the commission's chairperson and the commission shall elect one of its members as vice-chairperson and may appoint a secretary and any other officers, who need not be members of the commission, as it considers necessary.

(E) The commission may adopt and alter bylaws and rules, which shall not be subject to section 111.15 or Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, for the conduct of its affairs and for the manner, subject to this chapter, in which its powers and functions shall be exercised and embodied.

(F) Three members of the commission constitute a quorum of the commission. The affirmative vote of three members of the commission is necessary for any action taken by vote of the commission. No vacancy in the membership of the commission shall impair the rights of a quorum by such vote to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the commission. Members of the commission, and their designees, are not disqualified from voting by reason of the functions of the other office they hold and are not disqualified from exercising the functions of the other office with respect to the school district, its officers, or the commission.

(G) The auditor of state shall act as the financial supervisor for the school district under contract with the commission unless the auditor of state elects to contract for that service. At the request of the commission the auditor of state shall designate employees of the auditor of state's office to assist the commission and to coordinate the work of the auditor of state's office. Upon the declaration of a fiscal emergency in any school district, the school district shall provide the commission with such reasonable office space in the principal building housing the administrative offices of the school district, where feasible, as the commission determines is necessary to carry out its duties under this chapter. The attorney general shall serve as the legal counsel for the commission.

(H) The members of the commission, the superintendent of public instruction, the auditor of state, and any person authorized to act on behalf of or assist them shall not be personally liable or subject to any suit, judgment, or claim for damages resulting from the exercise of or failure to exercise the powers, duties, and functions granted to them in regard to their functioning under this chapter, but the commission, the superintendent of public instruction, the auditor of state, and such other persons shall be subject to mandamus proceedings to compel performance of their duties under this chapter.

(I) At the request of the commission the administrative head of any state agency shall temporarily assign personnel skilled in accounting and budgeting procedures to assist the commission in its duties.

(J) The appointed members of the commission are not subject to section 102.02 of the Revised Code, each appointed member of the commission shall file with the commission a signed written statement setting forth the general nature of sales of goods, property, or services or of loans to the school district with respect to which that commission is established, in which the appointed member has a pecuniary interest or in which any member of the appointed member's immediate family, as defined in section 102.01 of the Revised Code, or any corporation, partnership, or enterprise of which the appointed member is an officer, director, or partner, or of which the appointed member or a member of the appointed member's immediate family, as so defined, owns more than a five per cent interest, has a pecuniary interest, and of which sale, loan, or interest such member has knowledge. The statement shall be supplemented from time to time to reflect changes in the general nature of any such sales or loans.

(K) Meetings of the commission shall be subject to section 121.22 of the Revised Code except that division (C) of such section requiring members to be physically present to be part of a quorum or vote does not apply if the commission holds a meeting by teleconference and if provisions are made for public attendance at any location involved in such teleconference.

Effective Date: 06-29-1999.

Related Legislative Provision: See 129th General AssemblyFile No.39, SB 171, §4 .