If one or more of the districts comprising an approved administrative unit operating a joint school system, or if one or more districts which are part of an approved administrative unit operating a joint school system, fails to unite with the other member districts and other districts comprising the approved administrative unit in the formation of a union or merged school district, the joint school organization shall continue in operation as a joint school system of the newly formed union or merged school district and the remaining districts unless discontinued under the provisions of section 1708,¹ and the several school boards constituting the joint organization shall, prior to the effective date of the union or merged district, amend the articles of agreement to provide for an equitable plan for the continued operation of the joint school organization. In cases in which the member districts of the joint board or the member districts of the joint board and additional districts constituting the approved administrative unit have failed, by the effective date of the union or merged district, to amend the joint agreement or form a new agreement establishing a satisfactory basis of operation, the affairs of the resulting joint school organization shall be supervised and directed by a joint committee, composed of one member from each school board of the original school districts and one member from each additional district within the approved administrative unit operating the joint organization. In cases where an even number of districts are involved, an additional director shall be elected by the joint school committee from the district having the largest pupil population. The joint committee so composed shall have the powers and duties and be subjected to the same liabilities as provided to joint committees under section 1707 of this act.²