§ 195:6 — Powers and Duties of Cooperative School Districts

I. Each cooperative school district shall be a body corporate and politic with power to sue and be sued, to acquire, hold and dispose of real and personal property for the use of schools therein, and to make necessary contracts in relation thereto, and have and possess all the powers and be subject to all the liabilities conferred and imposed upon school districts under the provisions of RSA 194. Whenever a cooperative school district assumes all the functions of a pre-existing district, it shall also assume the outstanding indebtedness and obligations thereof as of the date of operating responsibility; and on such date of operating responsibility the pre-existing districts shall be deemed dissolved, and any and all assets, property and records thereof not previously disposed of shall vest in the cooperative school district, unless otherwise provided in the articles of agreement or existing arrangements.
II. Each cooperative school district shall have the power to borrow money and issue its notes or bonds in conformity with the provisions of RSA 33, provided, however, indebtedness of a cooperative district organized to provide both elementary and secondary schools may be incurred to an amount not to exceed 10 percent of its assessed valuation as last equalized by the commissioner of revenue administration.
III. Whenever only a part of the educational facilities of a local school district are incorporated into a cooperative school district, such local district shall continue in existence and function as previously. The cooperative school district shall assume only those outstanding debts and obligations of the local school district which pertain to the property acquired by the cooperative school district for use by the cooperative school district. In such case no cooperative school district shall for elementary school purposes incur debt to an amount exceeding 5 percent, and for secondary school purposes, if organized for grades 9 through 12, to an amount exceeding 5 percent, and for secondary school purposes if organized for grades 7 through 12, to an amount not exceeding 6 percent of the total assessed valuation of such district as last equalized by the commissioner of revenue administration. No cooperative school district described in this paragraph shall incur indebtedness if it subjects the taxable property of any school district forming a part thereof to debt, when added to the debt of such school district, of more than 10 percent of the total assessed value of such taxable property as last equalized by the commissioner of revenue administration.

Legislative History

1947, 199:3. 1951, 213:1, par. 6. 1953, 225:5, 6. RSA 195:6. 1955, 334:5, 8. 1957, 126:1, 2. 1959, 209:1, 2. 1963, 258:6. 1973, 544:8. 1996, 158:4, eff. July 1, 1996.