CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) -- Charleston County's eight constituent school boards may no longer exist come next school year. A bill that would dissolve the constituent boards on July 1 and transfer their duties to the Charleston County School Board unanimously passed the South Carolina House on Wednesday. Constiuent boards are responsible for considering student transfer requests, drawing attendance zones, and handling student discipline in their respective districts. The boards were formed in 1967 after state lawmakers voted to consolidate eight individual districts into one centralized district with a nine-member board. They are unique to Charleston County in that no other district in the country operates under a similar governance structure. Charleston City Council approves first reading of controversial Radcliffeborough rezoning request Defenders of the current model argue constituent boards are needed, in part, to ensure students' interests from different parts of the county are fairly represented. But, others suggest the boards have become too inefficient and ineffective, especially when it comes to disciplinary matters. District employees, including principals, told lawmakers during a March 7 public meeting that there have been numerous occasions when students who should have been expelled for incidents such as fighting or assaulting teachers were allowed back in school. "Discipline needs to be applied the same across the board," said Republican Rep. Tom Hartnett, who serves as chairman of the Charleston County House delegation. "This would be a step init being equal across the board for everyone [so] that one person is not going to get favoritism from a different constituent school board where the same infraction may have occurred elsewhere, and they've gotten a different outcome." The bill now resides in the Senate, where it is unlikely to face opposition. ...read more read less