(a)

(1) Should it be desired to incorporate any local teacher tenure system into the state system, the board having jurisdiction over the teachers under the local system shall publish in some newspaper of general circulation in the town or county in which the local tenure system is located a notice of its intent to apply for admission to the state teacher tenure system, and, in the notice, shall fix the date for a hearing thereon, which date shall not be less than ten (10) days after the first publication of the notice.

(2) Upon the day fixed by the notice for the hearing, which hearing may be adjourned from time to time if deemed necessary, the board shall hear interested parties who shall have the right to appear in person or by counsel upon the advisability of the entry or merger into the state system.

(3) After the local board of education concludes its hearing, the board shall conduct a referendum of the teachers within the local teacher tenure system, and if a majority of the teachers vote in favor of merging with the state system, then the board shall request the merger and shall forward a certified copy of the result of the referendum to the commissioner of education for consideration.

(4) If the commissioner approves the merger, then the commissioner shall give proper notice of the merger and, at the end of ten (10) days from the giving of the public notice of acceptance, the local tenure system shall be merged with and become a part of the state teacher tenure system, and the members of the local tenure system shall thereupon be entitled to all the benefits of the state tenure system to the same extent as though they had been members of the state tenure system from its inception.

(b) As used in this section:

(1) “Board” means any county board of education in a county operating under a local teacher tenure act or any municipal board of education in a city operating under such act; and

(2) “Local teacher tenure systems” means any teacher tenure system applicable only to a county or to a city or town and authorized by special act of the general assembly.