Montana Code Annotated 1997

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     20-3-361. Joint board of trustees organization and voting membership. (1) The board of trustees of two or more school districts may form a joint board of trustees for the purpose of coordinating any educational program or support service of the districts. A joint board of trustees may coordinate only those programs and services agreed to by the participating boards of trustees.
     (2) When a joint board of trustees is formed, all of the members of the districts' trustees shall be members of the joint board of trustees and each member shall have the right to participate in the meetings, but voting on matters considered by the joint board shall be limited by the provisions of this section.
     (3) At the first meeting of the joint board of trustees, there shall be a chairman of the joint board of trustees selected from among the membership. A secretary of the joint board shall be selected from the membership. The chairman, when selected as a voting member, shall not be disqualified from voting because of his position of chairman of the board. The secretary shall not be a voting member except that he shall cast the deciding vote when three successive ballots have resulted in a tie vote of the joint board of trustees.
     (4) The voting membership of the joint board of trustees shall be equalized among the trustee membership of the participating districts. After the selection of the chairman and the secretary, if necessary, the voting membership shall be:
     (a) all of the membership of the board of trustees of the smallest class of district, according to 20-6-201 or 20-6-301, unless one of its members is selected as secretary, in which case such member shall not be a voting member; and
     (b) the members of the board of trustees of the other district or districts who are selected by such trustees as voting members of the joint board in a number equal to the number of voting members of the district as established under subsection (4)(a) above. The names of the voting membership selected by the trustees shall be submitted in writing to the secretary of the board and shall be the only members of such district's trustees eligible to vote on joint board matters unless such list is revised in writing by the trustees.
     (5) Each voting member shall be entitled to cast one vote, individually, upon every matter submitted to the joint board for a vote.
     (6) A joint board must remain in existence for at least 1 school year and may not be dissolved until the end of a school year.

     History: En. 75-5928 by Sec. 57, Ch. 5, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 122, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 75-5928; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 308, L. 1987.

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