(a) No city school system or special district school system shall be created or reactivated for the purpose of operating a system of schools, unless the school system is large enough to offer adequate educational opportunities for the pupils of grades one through twelve (1-12) in keeping with standards established by the state board of education.(b) In establishing the standards, the state board is authorized and directed to take into consideration such factors as: (1) The scholastic population of the city or special school district according to the most recent census;(2) The financial ability per pupil of scholastic population; and(3) The expressed willingness of the people of the city or special school district, as indicated by a majority of its legal voters in a referendum, to raise local funds, which, together with school funds received from the state and other sources, shall be sufficient to provide adequate educational opportunities for their children.Acts 1961, ch. 113, § 1; 1981, ch. 510, §§ 1, 2; 1981, ch. 540, §§ 1-3; T.C.A., § 49-233.
Tennessee Legal Code