Occasionally a school district gets asked for "proof" of its status as a school corporation. (For instance, when applying for grants from the charitable branch of companies such as Kodak, Wal-Mart, etc.) Because school districts are creatures of statute, they are not required to file articles of incorporation or bylaws such as other corporations must do. There is no paper trail. Do not despair. Districts are indeed school corporations, and here is the means of "proof":

Several decades ago the Iowa Legislature enacted what is now Iowa Code chapter 594A, making all existing school districts "legal." Specifically, various sections of chapter 594A provide that all existing school corporations are "hereby legalized, validated and confirmed." Combine the provisions of chapter 594A with Iowa Code section 274.1 (which states, "Each school district shall continue ... as a school corporation ... ."), and there is the statutory proof of the corporate status of all Iowa school districts.

Please give a copy of this item to your district's business officer, because s/he is usually the person that outsiders turn to for "proof" of corporate status.