Parish school boards may create school districts and set their boundaries, but generally may not create a new district that overlaps an existing district except for listed exceptions.
CHAPTER 3. SCHOOL DISTRICTS §1371. Creation of school districts by parish school boards A. Parish school boards may at any time create school districts composed of the parish as a whole or any part or parts thereof and may also, with the consent of the respective school boards of one or more adjoining parishes, create school districts composed of a part of the parish and a part or parts of such adjoining parishes, and shall have complete discretion in the fixing of the boundaries of all such school districts, but may not create a new school district within the parish if such new school district embraces part of any school district already existing within such parish, except as follows: (1) A school district may be created comprising an entire parish even though there are existing school districts in such parish, and school districts may be created within a school district comprising the entire parish; (2) A consolidated school district may be created within a parish and may include therein one or more existing school districts, with or without the addition thereto of territory not at the time lying within the boundaries of an existing school district, and school districts may be created with a consolidated school district; (3) A school district may be enlarged through the addition thereto of territory not at the time lying within an existing district, and the original district and the district as so enlarged shall not be construed to be overlapping districts within the prohibition of this section; (4) School districts may be created under the provisions of R.S. 17:1372 even though they overlap existing school districts. (5)(a) In the parishes of Bienville, Claiborne, East Feliciana, Grant, Jackson, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana, and Winn, a school district may be enlarged through the addition thereto of territory which lies within an existing school district, and the district as so enlarged shall not be construed to be an overlapping district within the prohibition of this Section. (b) An existing district within the meaning of this Subsection shall be understood to mean a school district theretofore created which has outstanding indebtedness or which has voted an unexpired special tax. B. In addition, in any parish in which there is only one parish school district governed by a parish school board and only one municipal school district governed by a municipal school board, solely for purposes of the creation of school districts by the parish school board pursuant to the provisions of this section, the said parish school district shall be considered as a school district comprising the entire parish and said parish school board is hereby authorized to create not more than two parish school districts within the said parish school district; provided, however, that should the parish school board of the parish of Ouachita create parish school districts within its existing parish school district, the Ouachita Parish School Board shall create two parish school districts and the center of the Ouachita River running in a north-south direction shall be the dividing line between the two districts. Said school districts shall be created as herein provided and no election shall be required as a condition precedent to the creation of any such school district or districts. Each school district so created shall be a political subdivision of the state and may issue bonds and vote special taxes up to the full amounts permitted by the Constitution of Louisiana. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed as affecting and shall not be applied in such manner as to affect any municipal school board or municipal school district in any manner whatsoever. C. No election shall be required as a condition precedent to the creation of any school district. Every school district so created shall be a political subdivision of the state and may issue bonds and vote special taxes up to the full amounts permitted by the Constitution of Louisiana, regardless of whether such school district may lie within the boundaries of a consolidated school district or a school district comprising all of the territory of a parish, and regardless of whether such school district may contain within its boundaries one or more other school districts as permitted by the foregoing provisions of this section. Amended by Acts 1950, No. 159, §1; Acts 1956, No. 231, §1; Acts 1958, No. 123, §1; Acts 1974, No. 345, §1; Acts 1991, No. 470, §1, eff. July 15, 1991; Acts 2011, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 41, §1, eff. June 12, 2011.