Montana Code Annotated
Part 3. School District Trustees
20-3-361. Joint board of trustees organization and voting membership

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 must be members of the joint board of trustees and each member must have the right to participate in the meetings, but voting on matters considered by the joint board is limited by the provisions of this section.
(3) At the first meeting of the joint board of trustees, a presiding officer of the joint board of trustees must be selected from among the membership. A secretary of the joint board must be selected from the membership. The presiding officer, when selected as a voting member, may not be disqualified from voting because of the position. The secretary may not be a voting member except that the secretary 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 must be equalized among the trustee membership of the participating districts. After the selection of the presiding officer and the secretary, if necessary, the voting membership is:
(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 that member may not be a voting member; and
(b) the members of the board of trustees of the other district or districts who are selected by the 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). The names of the voting membership selected by the trustees must be submitted in writing to the secretary of the board and are the only members of the district's trustees eligible to vote on joint board matters unless the list is revised in writing by the trustees.
(5) Each voting member is entitled to cast one vote, individually, upon every matter submitted to the joint board for a vote.
(6) A joint board shall remain in existence for at least 1 school year and may not be dissolved until the end of a school year.
(7) A school district that elects to participate in a joint board formed under this section for special education purposes shall confirm in writing to the joint board by October 1 of the current school fiscal year the district's intention to participate or to not participate in a joint board agreement for the next school fiscal 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; amd. Sec. 285, Ch. 56, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 9, L. 2019.

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