97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB1886

 

Introduced , by Rep. Robert Rita

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/10-0.01 new

    Amends the School Code. Provides that within 60 days after the effective date of the amendatory Act, on a date set by the State Board of Education, a special election must be held in each county to elect members to a county school board. Provides that on July 1, 2012, (i) all school districts in this State in existence on June 30, 2012 (other than the Chicago school district) are dissolved; (ii) their school boards are abolished; (iii) the terms of all board members end; and (iv) all of the powers, duties, assets, liabilities, employees, contracts, property, records, pending business, and unexpended funds of each school board are transferred to the appropriate county school board or boards. Provides that on July 1, 2012, each county shall constitute one school district to be governed by a county school board, unless the county school board has divided the county into 2 or more school districts, in which case each of those school districts shall be governed by a school board elected as provided under the Code, and the county school board shall be dissolved upon those school board members taking office. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
510-0.01 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/10-0.01 new)
7    Sec. 10-0.01. County school board; dissolution of existing
8school districts.
9    (a) This Section applies notwithstanding any other law or
10special charter to the contrary. This Section applies to all
11school districts in this State other than a school district
12organized under Article 34 of this Code.
13    (b) In this Section, "county", with respect to Cook County,
14means that portion of the county outside of a city of 500,000
15or more inhabitants.
16    (c) Within 60 days after the effective date of this
17amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, on a date set by
18the State Board of Education, a special election must be held
19in each county to elect members to a county school board. The
20county school board shall consist of 15 members, serving
21without compensation except as otherwise provided by law. Each
22member of the county school board shall be elected for a term
23of 4 years, except that for the initial members of the board,

 

 

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1(i) 7 shall be elected to serve a term that begins immediately
2after being elected and expires upon the initial member's
3successor being elected at the regular school election in April
4of 2013 or upon dissolution of the board under subsection (g)
5of this Section and (ii) 8 shall be elected to serve a term
6that begins immediately after being elected and expires upon
7the initial member's successor being elected at the regular
8school election in April of 2015 or upon dissolution of the
9board under subsection (g) of this Section.
10    Each member of a county school board, on the date of his or
11her election, shall be a citizen of the United States of the
12age of 18 years or over, shall be a resident of this State and
13the county for at least one year immediately preceding his or
14her election, shall be a registered voter as provided in the
15general election law, shall not be a school trustee, and shall
16not be a child sex offender as defined in Section 11-9.3 of the
17Criminal Code of 1961.
18    Nomination papers filed under this Section are not valid
19unless the candidate named therein files with the secretary of
20the county school board or with a person designated by the
21board to receive nominating petitions a receipt from the county
22clerk showing that the candidate has filed a statement of
23economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental
24Ethics Act; however, with respect to initial candidates for the
25county school board the receipt must be filed with the State
26Board of Education. The receipt must be so filed either

 

 

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1previously during the calendar year in which his or nomination
2papers were filed or within the period for the filing of
3nomination papers in accordance with the general election law.
4    A county school board may appoint a student to the board to
5serve in an advisory capacity. The student member shall serve
6for a term as determined by the board. The board may not grant
7the student member any voting privileges, but shall consider
8the student member as an advisor. The student member may not
9participate in or attend any executive session of the board.
10    (d) Whenever a vacancy on a county school board occurs, the
11remaining members shall notify the regional superintendent of
12schools of that vacancy within 5 days after its occurrence and
13shall proceed to fill the vacancy until the next regular school
14election, at which election a successor shall be elected to
15serve the remainder of the unexpired term. However, if the
16vacancy occurs with less than 868 days remaining in the term or
17if the vacancy occurs less than 88 days before the next
18regularly scheduled election for this office, then the person
19so appointed shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term,
20and no election to fill the vacancy shall be held. Should they
21fail so to act, within 45 days after the vacancy occurs, the
22regional superintendent of schools for that county shall,
23within 30 days after the remaining members have failed to fill
24the vacancy, fill the vacancy as provided for in this Section.
25Upon the regional superintendent's failure to fill the vacancy,
26the vacancy shall be filled at the next regularly scheduled

 

 

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1election.
2    (e) All provisions of this Code that apply to school boards
3and school board members also apply to county school boards and
4county school board members.
5    (f) After members of a county school board have initially
6been elected, they shall immediately take office and begin the
7transition to county school districts as provided under
8subsection (g) of this Section. School districts within the
9county shall cooperate in all ways necessary to facilitate the
10transition. Within 90 days after the initial election of county
11school board members, the board shall divide the county into as
12many school districts as it deems appropriate in accordance
13with Article 11E of this Code.
14    (g) On July 1, 2012, (i) all school districts in this State
15in existence on June 30, 2012 are dissolved; (ii) their school
16boards are abolished; (iii) the terms of all board members end;
17(iv) all of the powers, duties, assets, liabilities, employees,
18contracts, property, records, pending business, and unexpended
19funds of each school board are transferred to the appropriate
20county school board or boards; (v) references in statutes,
21rules, forms, and other documents to a school board shall, in
22appropriate contexts, be deemed to refer to the county school
23board; and (vi) rules, resolutions, standards, policies, and
24procedures of a school board in effect on June 30, 2012 shall
25be deemed the rules, resolutions, standards, policies, and
26procedures of the appropriate county school board and shall

 

 

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1remain in effect until amended or repealed by the county school
2board. The rights of school district employees under applicable
3collective bargaining agreements and retirement plans are not
4affected by this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly.
5All transferred employees who are members of collective
6bargaining units shall retain their seniority, continuous
7service, salary, and accrued benefits.
8    On July 1, 2012, each county shall constitute one school
9district to be governed by the county school board elected
10under this Section, unless the county school board has divided
11the county into 2 or more school districts under subsection (f)
12of this Section, in which case each of those school districts
13shall be governed by a school board elected as provided under
14this Code, and the county school board shall be dissolved upon
15those school board members taking office.
16    (h) The State Board of Education shall adopt all rules that
17are necessary to implement this Section.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.