§ 1501. Existing school districts continued. 1. All school districts organized either by special laws or pursuant to the provisions of a general law are hereby continued.

2. a. Common school districts and union free school districts so organized may be altered or dissolved as provided in this article.

b. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or of any other general or special law to the contrary, all school districts which do not maintain a home school on March first, nineteen hundred sixty-six, and had not prior to October first, nineteen hundred sixty-five voted to reopen such home school and expended monies for construction or rehabilitation of such home school, provided that they are contiguous, either directly, or through other such districts, to a union free, central or city school district maintaining a twelve grade school system (not counting kindergarten) and with which such school districts are scheduled to be reorganized pursuant to the state plan for school district reorganization under section three hundred fourteen of this chapter, are hereby abolished as of July first, nineteen hundred sixty-nine, and are hereby made a part of such contiguous union free, central or city school district. The provisions of section fifteen hundred fourteen, fifteen hundred seventeen and fifteen hundred eighteen of this chapter shall apply in all such cases.

c. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph b of this subdivision, any such district desiring a change in such state plan may petition the commissioner for such change as provided in section three hundred fourteen of this chapter. The status of such district shall be maintained pending such proceeding, and if any other such district or districts is or are contiguous to a union free, central or city school district only through such petitioning district, then and in that event, the status of such other district or districts shall also be maintained pending such proceeding. The petitioning district and such other district or districts contiguous with a union free, central or city school district only through such petitioning district shall become a part of such other union free, central or city school district as the commissioner or the court may order; in such case the provisions of paragraph b of this subdivision shall become applicable, and the abolition of such school districts shall become effective as of July first next following the final determination of the petition; if, in such case, any other school district or districts indirectly contiguous to such union free, central or city school district loses its contiguity therewith, the commissioner or the court, as the case may be, in the order, shall make an appropriate disposition of such district or districts.

3. Central school districts may be organized under and are subject to the provisions of article thirty-seven.

4. Central high school districts may be altered under and are subject to the provisions of article thirty-nine.