(a) Unless the district school boards or the petitioners requesting the merger recommend that the enlarged school district retain the same name and number which was previously assigned to the most populous district included in the merger, the district boundary board shall give the enlarged district the new name recommended under ORS 330.095, and the county assessor shall assign a new number that has not previously been used. However, if the boundaries of the enlarged school district are the same as the boundaries of the county, the official name of the enlarged school district shall be ______ (name of county) County School District.

(b) The school districts included in the merger shall become identified with the newly named district or the most populous district.

(c) The employees of the component districts shall be considered to be employees of the enlarged district, which shall succeed the other districts in such merger as a party to their respective contracts of employment.

(d) No school district employee shall be deprived of seniority or accumulated sick leave solely because the duties of the employee have been assumed or acquired by another school district as a result of a merger or boundary change.

(2) The board of directors of the most populous district shall constitute the board of directors of the enlarged district and the terms of all other directors of component districts shall expire on the effective date of the merger except that the number of directors may be increased to seven members.

(3) All real and personal property belonging to the districts within the enlarged district shall become the property of the enlarged district.

(4) When a petition or request for a merger of school districts contains proposals for distribution of debt as provided in ORS 330.095 and the district boundary board in the manner provided in ORS 330.101 declares such merger effective, the district school board of the enlarged district is authorized to levy taxes in conformity with such proposals.

(5) Notwithstanding ORS 328.555, school districts requesting a boundary change in response to chapter 393, Oregon Laws 1991, shall, as part of the boundary change request under ORS 330.092, provide for the distribution of existing debt, if any. [Formerly 330.300; 1973 c.522 §1; 1989 c.819 §10; 1991 c.167 §13; 1993 c.329 §3; 1999 c.21 §64; 2011 c.313 §9]