93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
SB3094

 

Introduced 2/6/2004, by Dan Cronin - Dan Rutherford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/3A-3   from Ch. 122, par. 3A-3

    Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning educational service regions.


LRB093 21112 NHT 47164 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3094 LRB093 21112 NHT 47164 b

1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
5 3A-3 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/3A-3)  (from Ch. 122, par. 3A-3)
7     Sec. 3A-3. Voluntary consolidation of educational service
8 regions. Any 2 or more educational service regions may be
9 consolidated into a single region in the manner provided in
10 this Section. All of the territory of any educational service
11 region shall be determined by county boundaries, but
12 supervision and control over school districts that are divided
13 by a county line shall be determined under Section 3-14.2 of
14 this Code Act.
15     Each regional superintendent of a region that does not
16 conform to the population requirements of Section 3A-4 and
17 seeks voluntary consolidation under this Section shall appoint
18 a nonpartisan citizens committee consisting of 5 members to
19 consider the advisability of such a consolidation. Such
20 regional superintendent shall serve as ex officio secretary to
21 the citizens committee. This citizens committee may petition
22 the regional board of school trustees serving each of the
23 regions involved for consolidation of those regions into a
24 single educational service region. When such a petition is
25 filed, the regional board of school trustees shall conduct a
26 hearing on the petition, after notice of the hearing has been
27 published once, not more than 15 nor less than 10 days before
28 the day of the hearing, in a newspaper having general
29 circulation in the region. The secretary of the regional board
30 of school trustees shall also notify the secretary of each
31 school board affected by the proposed consolidation, the
32 chairman of the county board of each county affected thereby

 

 

SB3094 - 2 - LRB093 21112 NHT 47164 b

1 and the State Board of Education that such petition has been
2 filed. The notice shall state the date when the petition was
3 filed, the prayer of the petition and the date, time and place
4 of the hearing. Such hearing shall be held jointly by all of
5 the regional boards of school trustees affected by such
6 petition and the State Board of Education shall arrange for
7 such joint hearing and pay the expenses thereof. Evidence
8 admissible at the hearing shall include, but not be limited to,
9 the school needs and conditions in the territory affected by
10 the proposed consolidation, whether or not such area is compact
11 and contiguous; and whether or not the proposed consolidation
12 would be in the best interests of the schools of the area and
13 the educational welfare of the pupils of such schools. At the
14 hearing each resident of the region shall have the rights
15 provided for residents under Section 7-6 and the final order of
16 the regional board of school trustees shall be subject to
17 review as provided in Sections 7-6 and 7-7.
18     Within 10 days after the conclusion of the joint hearing
19 each regional board of school trustees shall meet and render a
20 decision with regard to the hearing on the petition. A copy of
21 the final order of each regional board of school trustees shall
22 be filed with the State Board of Education within 30 days after
23 the conclusion of the joint hearing. If the regional board of
24 school trustees in each of those regions enters an order
25 approving the consolidation, those regions shall be
26 consolidated into a single educational service region, and the
27 State Board of Education shall authorize the establishment of
28 such single educational service region and to notify all
29 interested parties, including the county clerks of the counties
30 affected thereby and the State Board of Elections.
31 (Source: P.A. 88-89.)