15-1444

15-1444. General powers and duties of district
governing boards

A. Except as otherwise provided, the district board shall:

1. Maintain each community college for a period of not less than eight months in
each year and, if the funds of the district are sufficient, maintain each community
college for a longer period.

2. Adopt policies in a public forum to offer programs that meet the educational
needs of the population served by the community college.

3. Enforce the courses of study prescribed by the district board.

4. Visit each community college under its jurisdiction and examine carefully into
its management, conditions and needs.

5. Exclude from each community college all books, publications or papers of a
sectarian, partisan or denominational character intended for use as textbooks.

6. Appoint and employ a chancellor or chancellors, vice-chancellors, a president or
presidents, vice-presidents, deans, professors, instructors, lecturers, fellows and such
other officers and employees it deems necessary. The district board may enter into
employment contracts with chancellors, vice-chancellors and presidents for a duration of
more than one year but not more than five years.

7. Determine the salaries of persons it appoints and employs.

8. Remove any officer or employee if in its judgment the interests of education in
this state require the removal.

9. Award degrees, certificates and diplomas on the completion of courses and
curriculum as it deems appropriate.

10. Appoint or employ, if it deems necessary, police officers who shall have the
authority and power of peace officers. The police officers who have received a
certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board are eligible for
membership in and benefits under either title 38, chapter 5, article 2 or the public
safety personnel retirement system under title 38, chapter 5, article 4.

11. Determine the location within the district of a community college and purchase,
receive, hold, make and take leases of, sell and convey real or personal property for the
benefit of the community colleges under its jurisdiction.

12. Obtain insurance or be self-insured, or a combination of insurance and
self-insurance, against loss, to the extent it is determined necessary on community
college buildings of the district. The local district shall have an insurable interest in
the buildings.

B. The district board may:

1. Administer trusts declared or created for the district and receive by gift or
devise and hold in trust or otherwise property wheresoever located, and if not otherwise
provided, dispose of the property for the benefit of the district.

2. Lease real property, as lessor or as lessee. If a district is the lessee, the
lease may contain an option to purchase the property. The district board may adopt
policies as are deemed necessary and may delegate in writing to the chancellor or
president of the district, or their designees, all or any part of its authority to lease
property under this paragraph. A district board shall not delegate the authority to
execute a lease that exceeds one hundred thousand dollars per year. Any delegation by
the district board pursuant to this paragraph may be rescinded in whole or in part at any
time by the district board.

3. Sue and be sued.

4. Contract. The district board may adopt such policies as are deemed necessary and
may delegate in writing to the chancellor or president of the district, or their
designees, all or any part of its authority to contract under this paragraph. Any
delegation of authority under this paragraph may be rescinded by the district board at
any time in whole or in part.

5. Construct, remodel and repair buildings.

6. In conjunction with other districts, establish policies for procurement of goods
and services.

7. Provide a plan or plans for employee benefits, which may include optional
retirement programs pursuant to section 15-1451, subsection A, which allow for
participation in a cafeteria plan that meets the requirements of the United States
internal revenue code of 1986.

8. Accept grants or donations of monies from the United States, or from any of its
agencies, departments or officers, or from persons, corporations, foundations or
associations. A district board shall deposit the monies into a specific fund or account
and a district board shall administer the monies in accordance with the purpose of the
grant or donation with specific policies or restrictions as described or stipulated in
the grant or donation. In the case of personal property granted or donated to or for the
benefit of a community college district, a district board shall immediately transfer
possession and ownership of the property to the designated district.

9. Enter into intergovernmental agreements or contracts pursuant to section
11-952.01 for participation in programs offered by public agency pools or separately
contract with a trustee or board of trustees that provides a common self-insurance
program with pooled funds and risks pursuant to section 15-382, subsection B, paragraph
2. The district board is not required to engage in competitive procurement in order to
make the decision to participate in these programs.

10. Name a building or a group of buildings that is located on a community college
campus on behalf of a person or entity that has made a significant contribution of monies
or other property to the community college or the community college district.

11. Enter into research and development agreements, royalty agreements, development
agreements, licensing agreements and profit-sharing agreements concerning the research,
development, production, storing or marketing of new products developed or to be
developed through community college district research.

C. If a district acquires real or personal property, whether by purchase, exchange,
condemnation, gift or otherwise, the district shall pay to the county treasurer any taxes
on the property that were unpaid as of the date of acquisition, including penalties and
interest. The lien for unpaid delinquent taxes, penalties and interest on property
acquired by the district:

1. Is not abated, extinguished, discharged or merged in the title to the property.

2. Is enforceable in the same manner as other delinquent tax liens.

D. In a district whose boundaries encompass a vehicle emissions control area as
defined in section 49-541, the district board shall require all out-of-county and
out-of-state students to sign an affidavit at the time of course registration that the
student's vehicle meets the requirements of section 49-542. The district board on
property under its jurisdiction within a vehicle emissions control area shall prohibit
the parking of those vehicles that fail to comply with section 49-542.

E. A community college district and a joint technical education district governing
board may enter into agreements for the provision of administrative, operational and
educational services and facilities.

F. Each district may establish a program for the exchange of students between the
community colleges under its jurisdiction and colleges and universities located in
Sonora, Mexico. The program may provide for in-state tuition for Sonora students at the
community colleges under the jurisdiction of the district in exchange for similar tuition
provisions for Arizona students enrolled or seeking enrollment in Sonora colleges and
universities. The community colleges may work in conjunction with the Arizona-Mexico
commission in the governor's office to coordinate recruitment and admissions activities
to provide for in-state tuition for up to fifty Sonora students at the community colleges
under the jurisdiction of the district in exchange for similar tuition provisions for up
to fifty total Arizona students enrolled or seeking enrollment in Sonora colleges and
universities.

G. Each district shall facilitate transfer articulation coordination pursuant to
section 15-1824.