Public Act 0881 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4310 Enrolled LRB094 14855 RAS 49857 b

Public Act 094-0881

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 adding Sections 10-16.5 and 10-16.7 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-16.5 new)

Sec. 10-16.5. Oath of office. Each school board member, before taking his or her seat on the board, shall take an oath of office in substantially the following form:

I, (name of member or successful candidate), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of member of the Board of Education (or Board of School Directors, as the case may be) of (name of school district), in accordance with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the laws of the State of Illinois, to the best of my ability.

I further swear (or affirm) that:

I shall respect taxpayer interests by serving as a faithful protector of the school district's assets;

I shall encourage and respect the free expression of opinion by my fellow board members and others who seek a hearing before the board, while respecting the privacy of students and employees;

I shall recognize that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can be made only by a majority vote at a public board meeting; and

I shall abide by majority decisions of the board, while retaining the right to seek changes in such decisions through ethical and constructive channels.

(105 ILCS 5/10-16.7 new)

Sec. 10-16.7. School board duties with respect to superintendent. In addition to all other powers and duties enumerated in this Article, the school board shall make all employment decisions pertaining to the superintendent. The school board shall direct, through policy, the superintendent in his or her charge of the administration of the school district, including without limitation considering the recommendations of the superintendent concerning the budget, building plans, the locations of sites, the selection, retention, and dismissal of employees, and the selection of textbooks, instructional material, and courses of study. The school board shall evaluate the superintendent in his or her administration of school board policies and his or her stewardship of the assets of the district.

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