093_HB2782

                                     LRB093 10991 NHT 11616 b

 1        AN ACT concerning schools.

 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
 5    Section 3-1 as follows:

 6        (105 ILCS 5/3-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-1)
 7        Sec. 3-1.  Election;  eligibility.   Quadrennially  there
 8    shall  be  elected  in  every county, except those which have
 9    been consolidated  into  a  multicounty  educational  service
10    region  under Article 3A and except those having a population
11    of 2,000,000 or more inhabitants, and beginning  in  1994  in
12    that  portion of a Class II county outside a city of  500,000
13    or more inhabitants and constituting an  educational  service
14    region, a regional superintendent of schools, who shall enter
15    upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  on the first Monday of
16    August next after his election; provided, however,  that  the
17    term  of office of each regional superintendent of schools in
18    office on June 30, 2003 is terminated on July 1, 2003, except
19    that an incumbent regional superintendent  of  schools  shall
20    continue   to  serve  until  his  successor  is  elected  and
21    qualified,  and  each  regional  superintendent  of   schools
22    elected  at the general election in 2002 and every four years
23    thereafter shall assume office on the first day of July  next
24    after  his  election. No one is eligible to file his petition
25    at any primary election for the nomination as  candidate  for
26    the office of regional superintendent of schools nor to enter
27    upon  the  duties  of  such  office  either  by  election  or
28    appointment unless he possesses the following qualifications:
29    (1)  he  is  of good character, (2) he has a master's degree,
30    (3) he has earned at least 20 semester  hours  of  credit  in
31    professional  education at the graduate level, (4) he holds a
 
                            -2-      LRB093 10991 NHT 11616 b
 1    valid all grade supervisory  certificate  or  a  valid  state
 2    limited  supervisory  certificate,  or  a  valid  state  life
 3    supervisory    certificate,   or   a   valid   administrative
 4    certificate, (5) he has had at least 4  years  experience  in
 5    teaching,  and (6) he was engaged for at least 2 years of the
 6    4 previous years in full time teaching or supervising in  the
 7    common  public  schools or serving as a county superintendent
 8    of schools or  regional  superintendent  of  schools  for  an
 9    educational service region in the State of Illinois. A person
10    elected or appointed to the office of regional superintendent
11    of  schools on or after the effective date of this amendatory
12    Act of the 93rd General Assembly must have and  maintain  his
13    or  her  principal  residence  within the educational service
14    region he or she was elected or appointed  to  administer.  A
15    failure to have and maintain a principal residence within the
16    educational service region constitutes a resignation from and
17    creates a vacancy in the office of regional superintendent of
18    schools.
19        No  petition  of  any  candidate  for  nomination for the
20    office of regional superintendent of schools may be filed and
21    no such candidate's name  may  be  placed  on  a  primary  or
22    general  election ballot, unless such candidate files as part
23    of his  petition  a  certificate  from  the  State  Board  of
24    Education certifying that from the records of its office such
25    candidate  has  the  qualifications required by this Section;
26    however, any incumbent filing his petition for nomination for
27    a succeeding term of office shall not be required  to  attach
28    such certificate to his petition of candidacy.
29        Nomination  papers filed under this Section are not valid
30    unless the candidate named  therein  files  with  the  county
31    clerk  or  State  Board  of Elections a statement of economic
32    interests as required by  the  Illinois  Governmental  Ethics
33    Act.  Such receipt shall be so filed either previously during
34    the calendar year in which his nomination papers  were  filed
 
                            -3-      LRB093 10991 NHT 11616 b
 1    or  within  the period for the filing of nomination papers in
 2    accordance with the general election law.
 3        The changes in qualifications made by Public Act  76-1563
 4    do not affect the right of an incumbent to seek reelection.
 5        On and after July 1, 1994, the provisions of this Section
 6    shall  have  no application in any educational service region
 7    having  a  population  of  2,000,000  or  more   inhabitants;
 8    provided  further  that no election shall be held in November
 9    of 1994 or at any other time  after  July  1,  1992  for  the
10    office of regional superintendent of schools in any county or
11    educational  service  region having a population of 2,000,000
12    or more inhabitants.
13    (Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 90-280, eff. 7-31-97.)

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