SB 977 - This act allows seven-director school districts and urban school districts to divide into seven subdistricts for the purposes of electing school board members or directors. A school board that desires to divide a school district as provided in the act shall vote on the question of dividing the school district. A vote of at least 4 members of the board is required for approval. The school board shall develop a proposed plan for dividing the school district that contains information as set forth in the act. After the school board develops the proposed plan, the board shall immediately notify the election authority of the county in which the school district is located. The election authority shall submit the question to the voters of the school district on the next available day for any municipal election. If the question is approved by a majority of the voters, then the school board shall adopt a final plan for the division of the school district. Such final plan shall contain information listed in the act. After the school board adopts the final plan, the school district shall be subdivided by December first of the year prior to the election of new school board members. All subdistricts shall be of contiguous and compact territory and as nearly equal in population as practicable in accordance with the final plan. The act provides procedures for reapportionment of subdistricts based on population changes reflected in the federal census. Any resident of the school district may challenge the division or reapportionment of subdistricts in state court by filing a petition within 10 business days of the election authority giving notice of the division or reapportionment. The act sets forth procedures for subdistrict elections. If no candidate who is a resident of a subdistrict files for candidacy in that subdistrict, the ticket will be extended to candidates who are residents of other parts of the school district, in which case the seat will be elected at large by all voters in the district. A school district may also be subdivided if the district receives a petition signed by at least 10% of the registered voters of the school district voting in the last school board election, calling for a division of the school district. Any such petition submitted to the school district shall contain a proposed plan for the division of the school district, with information as listed in the act. If a division of the school district is approved by the voters, then the school board shall create a school district division commission to develop a final plan for the division of the district. The commission shall be composed of 9 members, as stated in the act. The procedures for subdistrict elections under this option are set forth in the act. No new plan for division of the school district shall be proposed or adopted sooner than 5 years after a division of the school district under the act. This act is identical to provisions in the truly agreed CCS#2/HCS/SS/SCS/SBs 681 & 662 (2022), provisions in the perfected HCS/HB 1750 (2022), and HB 1804 (2022). JAMIE ANDREWS