House Bill 380 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Terri CollinsRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Public K-12 education; process for the consolidation of county boards of education provided, procedure for protesting a proposed consolidation provided, adoption of rules and impact study by State Board of Education required, constitutional amendment

Summary

Proposes a constitutional amendment to allow two or more contiguous county boards of education to consolidate into a single multi-county school system, with an impact study, protest procedure, and a voter referendum before finalization.

What This Bill Does

The bill would enable two or more contiguous county boards of education to merge into one multi-county system. The State Board of Education must conduct and publish an impact study on effects to students, programs, staff, facilities, transportation, finances, community identity, and governance before finalizing the consolidation. A protest process allows 25% of qualified electors in any affected county to object within 30 days; the merger proceeds only if a majority of qualified voters in the combined area vote to approve it in a general election. If approved, the consolidation is finalized by the formal resolution and pre-consolidation obligations remain binding; rules for implementation would be adopted by the State Board of Education.

Who It Affects

• Voters in the counties considering consolidation, who would participate in the referendum and potentially experience changes in school governance and services.
• County boards of education and school system staff in the involved counties, who would merge into a single multi-county board and face new governance, administration, and contractual arrangements.

Key Provisions

• Allows two or more contiguous county boards of education to form a consolidated county school system under one multi-county board, with an agreement detailing indebtedness, process, governance roles, and implementation timeframe.
• Requires the State Board of Education to conduct and publish an impact study assessing effects on students, programs, staff, facilities, transportation, finances, community identity, and governance, before finalizing the consolidation.
• Establishes a protest mechanism: 25% of qualified electors in any affected county may protest within 30 days; consolidation requires a majority vote in a referendum held on the next general election date in the combined territory.
• If consolidation is approved, it is finalized as described in the resolution; pre-consolidation obligations remain enforceable and the remaining board can compel performance of pre-existing contracts.
• The State Board of Education must adopt rules to implement the provision, and the Code Commissioner may perform non-substantive constitutional formatting changes after ratification.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Constitutional Amendments Statewide