SB 619: Board of Education of Hancock County; the description of the education districts; change

Hancock County elects its school board members from four numbered education districts, plus a chairperson elected countywide. This bill redraws the boundaries of those four districts using detailed census block descriptions from the 2020 decennial census, replacing the district lines set in a 2013 update to the county's 1993 board reconstitution law. The bill defines how the new boundaries should be read, using census voting precinct (VTD) and block designations, and explains how to handle any land left out of the new descriptions or parts of a district that end up non-contiguous with the rest of that district (they get assigned to the nearest contiguous district with the smallest population). Current board members keep serving out their terms under the new district numbers that match their old ones. The bill repeals conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date beyond the standard process for local Acts.

• Redraws the boundaries of Hancock County's four education districts using new census block and voting precinct descriptions attached as Appendix A.
• Defines technical terms like 'VTD' (voting precinct) and how city boundaries are determined, based on the 2020 U.S. Census.
• Sets rules for assigning any leftover or non-contiguous land to the nearest contiguous district with the smallest population.
• Lets current school board members finish their existing terms, now representing the newly redrawn version of their same-numbered district.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with the new district descriptions.

Voters and residents of Hancock County who elect members of the county school board, current Hancock County Board of Education members serving in Education Districts 1 through 4, and the Hancock County School District administration that oversees board elections.

Because the new district lines shift which census blocks fall into which district, some Hancock County voters could end up voting for a different board member than before. Sitting board members keep their seats under the renumbered districts, so no special elections are triggered by the change.

• Section 1 rewrites Section 2 of the 1993 Act (as amended in 2013), redividing the Hancock County School District into four education districts described in Appendix A.
• Section 1(b) defines 'VTD' and block numbers by reference to the 2020 U.S. Census and explains how named cities' boundaries are determined using census maps.
• Section 1(b)(2)-(3) provides that any area left out of a district description, or any noncontiguous part of a district, goes to the contiguous district with the smallest population.
• Section 2(a) allows current board members to finish their terms without interruption.
• Section 2(b) keeps the same district numbers (1 through 4) even though their boundaries are newly described.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
• Appendix A lists the specific census VTDs and block numbers assigned to each of the four new education districts.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 703
3. 2026-05-12Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2026-04-02House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2026-04-02House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-04-02House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2026-03-20House Second Readers (House)

• David Lucas (D, SD-026)Primary sponsor
• Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2026

   50 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #728

2. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   94 yea, 75 nay (2 not voting, 5 absent)

   Supplemental Local Calendar : House Vote #857

• Hancock County
• school board elections
• redistricting
• local legislation
• education districts