Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-7-203

A. There is hereby created in the State Treasury a fund to be

designated the "School Consolidation Assistance Fund". The fund

shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations,

and shall consist of any monies the Legislature may appropriate or

transfer to the fund and any monies contributed for the fund from

any other source, public or private.

B. All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby

appropriated and may be budgeted and expended by the State Board of

Education for the purposes established by this section, the

Legislature and in accordance with rules promulgated by the State

Board of Education. The purposes shall be to provide:

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1. Voluntarily or mandatorily consolidated school districts or

districts who have received part or all of the territory and part or

all of the students of a school district dissolved by voluntary or

mandatory annexation, during the first year of consolidation or

annexation with a single one-year allocation of funds needed for:

a. purchase of uniform textbooks in cases where the

several districts were not using the same textbooks

prior to consolidation or annexation,

b. employment of certified personnel required to teach

courses of the district for which personnel from the

districts consolidated or annexed are not certified

and available,

c. employment assistance for personnel of the several

districts who are not employed by the consolidated or

annexing district. Employment assistance may include

provision of a severance allowance for administrators,

teachers and support personnel not to exceed eighty

percent (80%) of the individual's salary or wages,

exclusive of fringe benefits, for the school year

preceding the consolidation or annexation. Personnel

receiving such severance pay may accumulate one (1)

year of creditable service for retirement purposes.

Employment assistance may also include the payment of

unemployment compensation benefits. The State Board

of Education shall provide a severance allowance to

employees dismissed from employment due to annexation

or consolidation of a school district in the year of

the annexation or consolidation and who were denied a

severance allowance or unemployment compensation

benefits and the voluntary consolidation funding of

the annexing or consolidating district or districts

has been paid on or after July 1, 2003, at the maximum

allowable amount. Application for a severance

allowance shall be made to the Finance Division of the

State Department of Education by the dismissed

employee no later than September 1 of the fiscal year

immediately following the fiscal year in which the

annexation or consolidation occurred,

d. furnishing and equipping classrooms and laboratories,

e. purchase of additional transportation equipment, and

f. when deemed essential by the school district board of

education to achieve consolidation or combination by

annexation, renovation of existing school buildings

and construction or other acquisition of school

buildings; and

2. Assistance to school districts which have entered into a

mutual contract with a superintendent as authorized pursuant to

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 488

Section 5-106A of this title in paying the salary or wages of the

superintendent. The assistance shall equal not more than fifty

percent (50%) of the salary or wages of the superintendent for not

more than three (3) consecutive years. In no case shall the total

amount of assistance paid over the three-year period be more than

One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) nor shall any

school district be eligible to receive assistance pursuant to this

paragraph for more than one three-year time period.

C. The State Board of Education shall only make allocations

from the fund to school districts formed from the combination of two

or more of the districts whose boards of education notify the State
od be more than

One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) nor shall any

school district be eligible to receive assistance pursuant to this

paragraph for more than one three-year time period.

C. The State Board of Education shall only make allocations

from the fund to school districts formed from the combination of two

or more of the districts whose boards of education notify the State

Board of Education on or before June 30 of their intent to annex or

consolidate and are subsequently combined by such means by January 1

of the second year following the notification of intent. The boards

of education which have entered into a mutual contract with a

superintendent shall notify the Board on or before June 30 of the

year preceding the school year the mutual contract will become

effective.

D. Allocations will be made to school districts formed by

voluntary or mandatory consolidation on the basis of combined

average daily membership (ADM) of the school year preceding the

first year of operation of the school district resulting from the

consolidation; provided, not more than two hundred (200) ADM of any

one school district shall be counted in determining the combined ADM

of any district formed by consolidation. The ADM of any one school

district shall not be considered more than once for allocations from

the fund when the school district consolidates with two or more

school districts. Allocations from the fund pursuant to this

subsection shall be calculated by multiplying the combined ADM by

Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00).

E. Allocations will be made to school districts which have

received part or all of the territory and students of a school

district by voluntary or mandatory annexation on the basis of ADM of

the annexed school district for the school year preceding the first

year of operation of the school district resulting from the

annexation; provided, not more than two hundred (200) ADM of the

annexed district shall be counted. Allocations from the fund

pursuant to this subsection shall be calculated by multiplying the

allowable ADM by Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00). In no case

shall allocations payable pursuant to this subsection be greater

than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00).

F. If monies in the School Consolidation Assistance Fund are

insufficient to make allocations to all qualified combined

districts, allocations shall be made based upon the determination of

the State Board of Education with preference given to school

district consolidation and annexation.

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