HB5399eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5399 Engrossed LRB095 19345 NHT 45640 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 11E-35 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/11E-35)

Sec. 11E-35. Petition filing.

(a) A petition shall be filed with the regional superintendent of schools of the educational service region in which the territory described in the petition or that part of the territory with the greater percentage of equalized assessed valuation is situated. The petition must do the following:

(1) be signed by at least 50 legal resident voters or 10% of the legal resident voters, whichever is less, residing within each affected district; or

(2) be approved by the school board in each affected district.

(b) The petition shall contain all of the following:

(1) A request to submit the proposition at a regular scheduled election for the purpose of voting:

(A) for or against a high school - unit conversion;

(B) for or against a unit to dual conversion;

(C) for or against the establishment of a combined elementary district;

(D) for or against the establishment of a combined high school district;

(E) for or against the establishment of a combined unit district;

(F) for or against the establishment of a unit district from dual district territory exclusively;

(G) for or against the establishment of a unit district from both dual district and unit district territory;

(H) for or against the establishment of a combined high school - unit district from a combination of one or more high school districts and one or more unit districts;

(I) for or against the establishment of a combined high school - unit district and one or more new elementary districts through a multi-unit conversion;

(J) for or against the establishment of an optional elementary unit district from a combination of a substantially coterminous dual district; or

(K) for or against dissolving and becoming part of an optional elementary unit district.

(2) A description of the territory comprising the districts proposed to be dissolved and those to be created, which, for an entire district, may be a general reference to all of the territory included within that district.

(3) A specification of the maximum tax rates for various purposes the proposed district or districts shall be authorized to levy for various purposes and, if applicable, the specifications related to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, in accordance with Section 11E-80 of this Code.

(4) A description of how supplementary State deficit difference payments made under subsection (c) of Section 11E-135 of this Code will be allocated among the new districts proposed to be formed.

(5) Where applicable, a division of assets and liabilities to be allocated to the proposed new or annexing school district or districts in the manner provided in Section 11E-105 of this Code.

(6) If desired, a request that at that same election as the reorganization proposition a school board or boards be elected on a separate ballot or ballots to serve as the school board or boards of the proposed new district or districts. Any election of board members at the same election at which the proposition to create the district or districts to be served by the board or boards is submitted to the voters shall proceed under the supervision of the regional superintendent of schools as provided in Section 11E-55 of this Code.

(7) If desired, a request that the referendum at which the proposition is submitted for the purpose of voting for or against the establishment of a unit district (other than a partial elementary unit district) include as part of the proposition the election of board members by school board district rather than at large. Any petition requesting the election of board members by district shall divide the proposed school district into 7 school board districts, each of which must be compact and contiguous and substantially equal in population to each other school board district. Any election of board members by school board district shall proceed under the supervision of the regional superintendent of schools as provided in Section 11E-55 of this Code.

(7.5) For the combining of Westmer Community Unit School District 203 and Aledo Community Unit School District 201, if desired, a request that the referendum at which the proposition is submitted for the purpose of voting for or against the establishment of a combined unit district include as part of the initial proposition the election of board members by a combination of members representing each of the forming unit districts and members at large rather than solely members at large and the election of all board members at large for each election thereafter. The format for the election of the new unit district school board must be defined in the petition. When a combination of board members representing each of the forming unit school districts and at-large formats are used, 3 members must be elected from each of the forming unit school districts and the remaining member must be elected at large.

(8) If desired, a request that the referendum at which the proposition is submitted for the purpose of voting for or against the establishment of a unit to dual conversion include as part of the proposition the election of board members for the new high school district (i) on an at large basis, (ii) with board members representing each of the forming elementary school districts, or (iii) a combination of both. The format for the election of the new high school board must be defined in the petition. When 4 or more unit school districts and a combination of board members representing each of the forming elementary school districts are involved and at large formats are used, one member must be elected from each of the forming elementary school districts. The remaining members may be elected on an at large basis, provided that none of the underlying elementary school districts have a majority on the resulting high school board. When 3 unit school districts and a combination of board members representing each of the forming elementary school districts are involved and at large formats are used, 2 members must be elected from each of the forming elementary school districts. The remaining member must be elected at large.

(9) If desired, a request that the referendum at which the proposition shall be submitted include a proposition on a separate ballot authorizing the issuance of bonds by the district or districts when organized in accordance with this Article. However, if the petition is submitted for the purpose of voting for or against the establishment of an optional elementary unit district, the petition may request only that the referendum at which the proposition is submitted include a proposition on a separate ballot authorizing the issuance of bonds for high school purposes (and not elementary purposes) by the district when organized in accordance with this Article. The principal amount of the bonds and the purposes of issuance, including a specification of elementary or high school purposes if the proposed issuance is to be made by a combined high school - unit district, shall be stated in the petition and in all notices and propositions submitted thereunder.

(10) A designation of a committee of ten of the petitioners as attorney in fact for all petitioners, any 7 of whom may at any time, prior to the final decision of the regional superintendent of schools, amend the petition in all respects (except that, for a unit district formation, there may not be an increase or decrease of more than 25% of the territory to be included in the proposed district) and make binding stipulations on behalf of all petitioners as to any question with respect to the petition, including the power to stipulate to accountings or the waiver thereof between school districts.

(c) The regional superintendent of schools shall not accept for filing under the authority of this Section any petition that includes any territory already included as part of the territory described in another pending petition filed under the authority of this Section.

(d)(1) Those designated as the Committee of Ten shall serve in that capacity until such time as the regional superintendent of schools determines that, because of death, resignation, transfer of residency from the territory, failure to qualify, or any other reason, the office of a particular member of the Committee of Ten is vacant. Upon determination by the regional superintendent of schools that these vacancies exist, he or she shall declare the vacancies and shall notify the remaining members to appoint a petitioner or petitioners, as the case may be, to fill the vacancies in the Committee of Ten so designated. An appointment by the Committee of Ten to fill a vacancy shall be made by a simple majority vote of the designated remaining members.

(2) Failure of a person designated as a member of the Committee of Ten to sign the petition shall not disqualify that person as a member of the Committee of Ten, and that person may sign the petition at any time prior to final disposition of the petition and the conclusion of the proceedings to form a new school district or districts, including all litigation pertaining to the petition or proceedings.

(3) Except as stated in item (10) of subsection (b) of this Section, the Committee of Ten shall act by majority vote of the membership.

(4) The regional superintendent of schools may accept a stipulation made by the Committee of Ten instead of evidence or proof of the matter stipulated or may refuse to accept the stipulation, provided that the regional superintendent sets forth the basis for the refusal.

(5) The Committee of Ten may voluntarily dismiss its petition at any time before the petition is approved by either the regional superintendent of schools or State Superintendent of Education.

(Source: P.A. 94-1019, eff. 7-10-06.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.