37-29-65 - Selection of trustees; terms; compensation; provisions applicable to East Mississippi Junior College and Coahoma Community College Districts.
§ 37-29-65. Selection of trustees; terms; compensation; provisions applicable to East Mississippi Junior College and Coahoma Community College Districts.
(1) Except as provided in this section and in Sections 37-29-409, 37-29-457 and 37-29-505, there shall be six (6) trustees from each county of the junior college district which originally entered into and gave financial aid in establishing the junior college. On June 30, 1992, the offices of the six (6) trustees from each of the original counties in the Northwest Community College District shall stand vacated. The board of supervisors of those respective counties shall appoint two (2) members on July 1, 1992, to serve full terms of office as provided in this section. Unless he chooses not to serve as provided in subsection (2), the county superintendent of education shall be a member, and there shall be one (1) member from each supervisors district. Counties which subsequent to the establishment of the junior college joined the district shall have only two (2) trustees, one (1) of whom shall be the county superintendent of education. However, the board of trustees so constituted, by appropriate resolution, may enlarge its number to six (6) trustees from each county, in which case one (1) shall be the county superintendent of education, unless he chooses not to serve as provided in subsection (2), and there shall be one (1) chosen from each supervisors district. The board of trustees shall also be authorized within its discretion to reduce its number to two (2) trustees at large from each county, in which case one (1) shall be the county superintendent of education, unless he chooses not to serve as provided in subsection (2). In any case in which there is an equal number of trustees the board of trustees may appoint another person to membership.
(2) The county superintendent may, in his discretion, choose not to serve as a member of such board of trustees. Such decision not to serve shall be in writing and entered on the minutes of the board of trustees of the junior college district. The county board of supervisors of any county whose county superintendent of education has resigned pursuant to this paragraph shall fill the vacancy caused by such resignation. In all counties where the office of "administrative superintendent" is abolished from and after January 1, 1992, the county board of supervisors shall appoint one (1) additional member to the board of trustees of their junior college district to serve in lieu of the county superintendent's position on such board. The provisions of this subsection shall not be applicable to any county superintendent whose school district is located within the East Mississippi Community College District and such county superintendents shall not serve on the board of trustees for that community college district.
(3) From and after March 24, 1990, the Board of Trustees of the East Mississippi Community College District shall consist of twelve (12) members. The appointing authorities shall appoint a new board of trustees as follows: Clay County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Kemper County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Lauderdale County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Lowndes County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Noxubee County shall be entitled to two (2) members and Oktibbeha County shall be entitled to two (2) members. No member of the Board of Trustees of the East Mississippi Community College District shall have served on such board prior to March 24, 1990.
(4) The Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District shall consist of fourteen (14) members. The appointing authorities shall appoint the new board of trustees as follows: Coahoma County shall be entitled to six (6) members appointed in the manner provided herein, Tunica County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Quitman County shall be entitled to two (2) members, Bolivar County shall be entitled to two (2) members, and Tallahatchie County shall be entitled to two (2) members. Persons who are currently serving as members of the board of Trustees of the Mississippi Delta Community College District or Northwest Community College District shall be eligible for appointment to the board.
(5) The terms of office shall be five (5) years; however, upon the first selection of trustees in each county, one (1) shall be elected for a term of five (5) years, one (1) for a term of four (4) years, one (1) for a term of three (3) years, one (1) for a term of two (2) years, and one (1) for a term of one (1) year, so as to prevent the retirement of more than one (1) member of any one (1) county in any one (1) year. Where the board chooses or is required by statute to reduce its number, the board shall specify the expiration dates of such terms of office in order to prevent the retirement of more than one (1) member of any one (1) county in any one (1) year.
(6) The board of supervisors shall elect the requisite number of discreet persons of good moral character, sufficient education and experience, and of proven interest in public education, who are qualified electors of the county, as trustees of the junior college; and annually thereafter the board of supervisors in like manner shall fill vacancies. All trustees so appointed shall be listed in the minutes of the board of supervisors and their appointment shall be certified by the chancery clerk to the president of the junior college.
(7) Each junior college trustee may be paid, out of junior college funds, a per diem as authorized in Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, per meeting of said board and, in addition thereto, the mileage authorized under Section 25-3-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, per mile in coming to and returning from said meeting, calculated upon the customary and normally traveled route from the home of such trustee to the campus of said junior college. Such allowance of per diem and mileage shall not, however, be allowed for more than fifteen (15) meetings for any one (1) fiscal year and shall only be paid for meetings actually attended by such trustees.
(8) The provisions of this section, other than those provisions pertaining to per diem compensation and travel allowances for junior college trustees, shall not apply to any existing publicly operated junior college, lying in and operated by a county bordering on the Mississippi River, and the junior college trustees of such junior college shall be appointed and confirmed as heretofore.
Sources: Codes, 1942, § 6475-05; Laws, 1950, ch. 369, § 5; Laws, 1958, ch. 298; Laws, 1960, ch. 308, § 1; Laws, 1964, ch. 402, § 1; Laws, 1971, ch. 386, § 1; Laws, 1972, ch. 409, § 1; Laws, 1975, ch. 376; Laws, 1980, ch. 547; Laws, 1988, ch. 467; Laws, 1989, ch. 575, § 1; Laws, 1990, ch. 471, § 1; Laws, 1990, 1st Ex Sess, ch. 50, § 1; Laws, 1992, ch. 307, § 1; Laws, 1995, ch. 605, § 13, eff from and after July 1, 1995.