HB5399 Engrossed LRB095 19345 NHT 45640 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 11E-35 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/11E-35)
7     Sec. 11E-35. Petition filing.
8     (a) A petition shall be filed with the regional
9 superintendent of schools of the educational service region in
10 which the territory described in the petition or that part of
11 the territory with the greater percentage of equalized assessed
12 valuation is situated. The petition must do the following:
13         (1) be signed by at least 50 legal resident voters or
14     10% of the legal resident voters, whichever is less,
15     residing within each affected district; or
16         (2) be approved by the school board in each affected
17     district.
18     (b) The petition shall contain all of the following:
19         (1) A request to submit the proposition at a regular
20     scheduled election for the purpose of voting:
21             (A) for or against a high school - unit conversion;
22             (B) for or against a unit to dual conversion;
23             (C) for or against the establishment of a combined

 

 

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1         elementary district;
2             (D) for or against the establishment of a combined
3         high school district;
4             (E) for or against the establishment of a combined
5         unit district;
6             (F) for or against the establishment of a unit
7         district from dual district territory exclusively;
8             (G) for or against the establishment of a unit
9         district from both dual district and unit district
10         territory;
11             (H) for or against the establishment of a combined
12         high school - unit district from a combination of one
13         or more high school districts and one or more unit
14         districts;
15             (I) for or against the establishment of a combined
16         high school - unit district and one or more new
17         elementary districts through a multi-unit conversion;
18             (J) for or against the establishment of an optional
19         elementary unit district from a combination of a
20         substantially coterminous dual district; or
21             (K) for or against dissolving and becoming part of
22         an optional elementary unit district.
23         (2) A description of the territory comprising the
24     districts proposed to be dissolved and those to be created,
25     which, for an entire district, may be a general reference
26     to all of the territory included within that district.

 

 

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1         (3) A specification of the maximum tax rates for
2     various purposes the proposed district or districts shall
3     be authorized to levy for various purposes and, if
4     applicable, the specifications related to the Property Tax
5     Extension Limitation Law, in accordance with Section
6     11E-80 of this Code.
7         (4) A description of how supplementary State deficit
8     difference payments made under subsection (c) of Section
9     11E-135 of this Code will be allocated among the new
10     districts proposed to be formed.
11         (5) Where applicable, a division of assets and
12     liabilities to be allocated to the proposed new or annexing
13     school district or districts in the manner provided in
14     Section 11E-105 of this Code.
15         (6) If desired, a request that at that same election as
16     the reorganization proposition a school board or boards be
17     elected on a separate ballot or ballots to serve as the
18     school board or boards of the proposed new district or
19     districts. Any election of board members at the same
20     election at which the proposition to create the district or
21     districts to be served by the board or boards is submitted
22     to the voters shall proceed under the supervision of the
23     regional superintendent of schools as provided in Section
24     11E-55 of this Code.
25         (7) If desired, a request that the referendum at which
26     the proposition is submitted for the purpose of voting for

 

 

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1     or against the establishment of a unit district (other than
2     a partial elementary unit district) include as part of the
3     proposition the election of board members by school board
4     district rather than at large. Any petition requesting the
5     election of board members by district shall divide the
6     proposed school district into 7 school board districts,
7     each of which must be compact and contiguous and
8     substantially equal in population to each other school
9     board district. Any election of board members by school
10     board district shall proceed under the supervision of the
11     regional superintendent of schools as provided in Section
12     11E-55 of this Code.
13         (7.5) For the combining of Westmer Community Unit
14     School District 203 and Aledo Community Unit School
15     District 201, if desired, a request that the referendum at
16     which the proposition is submitted for the purpose of
17     voting for or against the establishment of a combined unit
18     district include as part of the initial proposition the
19     election of board members by a combination of members
20     representing each of the forming unit districts and members
21     at large rather than solely members at large and the
22     election of all board members at large for each election
23     thereafter. The format for the election of the new unit
24     district school board must be defined in the petition. When
25     a combination of board members representing each of the
26     forming unit school districts and at-large formats are

 

 

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1     used, 3 members must be elected from each of the forming
2     unit school districts and the remaining member must be
3     elected at large.
4         (8) If desired, a request that the referendum at which
5     the proposition is submitted for the purpose of voting for
6     or against the establishment of a unit to dual conversion
7     include as part of the proposition the election of board
8     members for the new high school district (i) on an at large
9     basis, (ii) with board members representing each of the
10     forming elementary school districts, or (iii) a
11     combination of both. The format for the election of the new
12     high school board must be defined in the petition. When 4
13     or more unit school districts and a combination of board
14     members representing each of the forming elementary school
15     districts are involved and at large formats are used, one
16     member must be elected from each of the forming elementary
17     school districts. The remaining members may be elected on
18     an at large basis, provided that none of the underlying
19     elementary school districts have a majority on the
20     resulting high school board. When 3 unit school districts
21     and a combination of board members representing each of the
22     forming elementary school districts are involved and at
23     large formats are used, 2 members must be elected from each
24     of the forming elementary school districts. The remaining
25     member must be elected at large.
26         (9) If desired, a request that the referendum at which

 

 

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1     the proposition shall be submitted include a proposition on
2     a separate ballot authorizing the issuance of bonds by the
3     district or districts when organized in accordance with
4     this Article. However, if the petition is submitted for the
5     purpose of voting for or against the establishment of an
6     optional elementary unit district, the petition may
7     request only that the referendum at which the proposition
8     is submitted include a proposition on a separate ballot
9     authorizing the issuance of bonds for high school purposes
10     (and not elementary purposes) by the district when
11     organized in accordance with this Article. The principal
12     amount of the bonds and the purposes of issuance, including
13     a specification of elementary or high school purposes if
14     the proposed issuance is to be made by a combined high
15     school - unit district, shall be stated in the petition and
16     in all notices and propositions submitted thereunder.
17         (10) A designation of a committee of ten of the
18     petitioners as attorney in fact for all petitioners, any 7
19     of whom may at any time, prior to the final decision of the
20     regional superintendent of schools, amend the petition in
21     all respects (except that, for a unit district formation,
22     there may not be an increase or decrease of more than 25%
23     of the territory to be included in the proposed district)
24     and make binding stipulations on behalf of all petitioners
25     as to any question with respect to the petition, including
26     the power to stipulate to accountings or the waiver thereof

 

 

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1     between school districts.
2     (c) The regional superintendent of schools shall not accept
3 for filing under the authority of this Section any petition
4 that includes any territory already included as part of the
5 territory described in another pending petition filed under the
6 authority of this Section.
7     (d)(1) Those designated as the Committee of Ten shall serve
8 in that capacity until such time as the regional superintendent
9 of schools determines that, because of death, resignation,
10 transfer of residency from the territory, failure to qualify,
11 or any other reason, the office of a particular member of the
12 Committee of Ten is vacant. Upon determination by the regional
13 superintendent of schools that these vacancies exist, he or she
14 shall declare the vacancies and shall notify the remaining
15 members to appoint a petitioner or petitioners, as the case may
16 be, to fill the vacancies in the Committee of Ten so
17 designated. An appointment by the Committee of Ten to fill a
18 vacancy shall be made by a simple majority vote of the
19 designated remaining members.
20     (2) Failure of a person designated as a member of the
21 Committee of Ten to sign the petition shall not disqualify that
22 person as a member of the Committee of Ten, and that person may
23 sign the petition at any time prior to final disposition of the
24 petition and the conclusion of the proceedings to form a new
25 school district or districts, including all litigation
26 pertaining to the petition or proceedings.

 

 

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1     (3) Except as stated in item (10) of subsection (b) of this
2 Section, the Committee of Ten shall act by majority vote of the
3 membership.
4     (4) The regional superintendent of schools may accept a
5 stipulation made by the Committee of Ten instead of evidence or
6 proof of the matter stipulated or may refuse to accept the
7 stipulation, provided that the regional superintendent sets
8 forth the basis for the refusal.
9     (5) The Committee of Ten may voluntarily dismiss its
10 petition at any time before the petition is approved by either
11 the regional superintendent of schools or State Superintendent
12 of Education.
13 (Source: P.A. 94-1019, eff. 7-10-06.)
 
14     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
15 becoming law.