Full Text of HB0007 102nd General Assembly
HB0007ham003 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Rep. Rita Mayfield Filed: 4/13/2021
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 7
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 7 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Classrooms | 5 | | First Act. | 6 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | 7 | | 11E-140 as follows: | 8 | | (105 ILCS 5/11E-140 new) | 9 | | Sec. 11E-140. Efficient School District Commission. | 10 | | (a) The Efficient School District Commission is created. | 11 | | The purpose of the Commission is to provide recommendations to | 12 | | the Governor, the General Assembly, and the electorate | 13 | | regarding the number of school districts in this State and | 14 | | where the reorganization and realignment of school districts | 15 | | would be beneficial. The Commission shall consist of all of |
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| 1 | | the following voting members: | 2 | | (1) One member appointed by the Governor, who shall | 3 | | serve as the chairperson. | 4 | | (2) One member appointed by the State Board of | 5 | | Education. | 6 | | (3) One member appointed by the Speaker of the House | 7 | | of Representatives. | 8 | | (4) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 9 | | House of Representatives. | 10 | | (5) One member appointed by the President of the | 11 | | Senate. | 12 | | (6) One member appointed by the Minority Leader of the | 13 | | Senate. | 14 | | (7) A representative appointed by the head of the | 15 | | largest statewide professional teachers' organization, as | 16 | | measured by the number of members reported in its most | 17 | | recent federal Form LM-2 Labor Organization Annual Report. | 18 | | (8) A representative appointed by the head of the | 19 | | second largest statewide professional teachers' | 20 | | organization, as measured by the number of members | 21 | | reported in its most recent federal Form LM-2 Labor | 22 | | Organization Annual Report. | 23 | | (9) A representative appointed by the head of an | 24 | | organization that represents school boards, selected by | 25 | | the chairperson of the Commission. | 26 | | (10) A representative appointed by the head of a |
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| 1 | | statewide organization that represents school principals, | 2 | | selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 3 | | (11) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 4 | | administrator employed by a school located in the West | 5 | | Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide | 6 | | System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-B), appointed | 7 | | by the chairperson of the Commission. | 8 | | (12) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 9 | | administrator employed by a school located in the South | 10 | | Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide | 11 | | System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-C), appointed | 12 | | by the chairperson of the Commission. | 13 | | (13) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 14 | | administrator employed by a school located in the North | 15 | | Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide | 16 | | System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-D), appointed | 17 | | by the chairperson of the Commission. | 18 | | (14) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 19 | | administrator employed by a school located in the | 20 | | Northeast region of the State Board of Education's | 21 | | Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 1-C), | 22 | | appointed by the chairperson of the Commission. | 23 | | (15) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 24 | | administrator employed by a school located in the | 25 | | Northwest region of the State Board of Education's | 26 | | Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 2), |
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| 1 | | appointed by the chairperson of the Commission. | 2 | | (16) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 3 | | administrator employed by a school located in the West | 4 | | Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide | 5 | | System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 3), appointed by the | 6 | | chairperson of the Commission. | 7 | | (17) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 8 | | administrator employed by a school located in the East | 9 | | Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide | 10 | | System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 4), appointed by the | 11 | | chairperson of the Commission. | 12 | | (18) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 13 | | administrator employed by a school located in the | 14 | | Southwest region of the State Board of Education's | 15 | | Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 5), | 16 | | appointed by the chairperson of the Commission. | 17 | | (19) A parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an | 18 | | administrator employed by a school located in the | 19 | | Southeast region of the State Board of Education's | 20 | | Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 6), | 21 | | appointed by the chairperson of the Commission. | 22 | | (20) A representative appointed by the head of an | 23 | | association that represents school business officials, | 24 | | selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 25 | | (21) A representative appointed by the head of an | 26 | | association that represents school administrators, |
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| 1 | | selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 2 | | (22) A representative appointed by the head of an | 3 | | association that represents administrators of special | 4 | | education, selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 5 | | (23) A representative appointed by the head of a | 6 | | statewide parent organization, selected by the chairperson | 7 | | of the Commission. | 8 | | (24) A representative appointed by the head of an | 9 | | organization that represents high school districts, | 10 | | selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 11 | | (25) A representative appointed by the head of an | 12 | | association that represents regional superintendents of | 13 | | schools, selected by the chairperson of the Commission. | 14 | | Members shall serve without compensation, but shall be | 15 | | reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from | 16 | | funds appropriated for that purpose. Members shall be | 17 | | reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to | 18 | | the State Board of Education made available for that purpose | 19 | | and subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control | 20 | | board. | 21 | | The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson, | 22 | | with the initial meeting to occur within 90 days after the | 23 | | effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General | 24 | | Assembly. The Commission shall hold public hearings throughout | 25 | | the State with at least one public hearing in each of the 9 | 26 | | regions of the State Board of Education's Statewide System of |
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| 1 | | Support Fiscal Agents that do not include the Chicago region | 2 | | (Region 1-A). | 3 | | The State Board shall provide administrative assistance | 4 | | and necessary staff support services to the Commission. | 5 | | (b) The Efficient School District Commission's | 6 | | recommendations must take into consideration the school needs | 7 | | and conditions in the affected districts and the surrounding | 8 | | area, the division of funds and assets that will result from | 9 | | the action described in the petition, the best interests of | 10 | | the schools in the area, and the best interests and the | 11 | | educational welfare of pupils residing in the area and must | 12 | | focus on all of the following areas: | 13 | | (1) Reducing the money spent on the duplication of | 14 | | efforts. | 15 | | (2) Improving the education of students by having | 16 | | fewer obstacles between qualified teachers and their | 17 | | students. | 18 | | (3) Lowering the property tax burden. | 19 | | (4) Providing recommendations on what the net cost | 20 | | savings of realignment is to this State. | 21 | | (5) With a view toward reducing unnecessary | 22 | | administrative costs, improving the education of students, | 23 | | and lowering the property tax burden, drafting specific | 24 | | recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of | 25 | | school districts by no less than 25% through the | 26 | | reorganization of school districts into unit districts |
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| 1 | | under Section 11E-25. Each recommendation under this | 2 | | paragraph (5) must include all of the following: | 3 | | (A) A request to submit a proposition at the next | 4 | | general election for the purpose of voting for or | 5 | | against the establishment of a combined unit district. | 6 | | (B) A description of the territory comprising the | 7 | | districts proposed to be dissolved and those to be | 8 | | created, which, for an entire district, may be a | 9 | | general reference to all of the territory included | 10 | | within that district. | 11 | | (C) A specification of the maximum tax rates the | 12 | | proposed district or districts are authorized to levy | 13 | | for various purposes and, if applicable, the | 14 | | specifications related to the Property Tax Extension | 15 | | Limitation Law, in accordance with Section 11E-80. | 16 | | The Commission may not make any recommendations under this | 17 | | subsection that would provide for the consolidation of | 18 | | individual schools. | 19 | | (c) On or before May 1, 2024, the Efficient School | 20 | | District Commission must vote on its recommendations and file | 21 | | a report with the Governor and the General Assembly. If the | 22 | | Commission adopts the report recommendations by an affirmative | 23 | | vote of at least 13 of its members, then the Commission's | 24 | | specific recommendations for reorganization of school | 25 | | districts into unit districts under paragraph (5) of | 26 | | subsection (b) shall be filed with the appropriate regional |
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| 1 | | superintendent of schools in the same form as petitions filed | 2 | | under Section 11E-35. A copy of the Commission's specific | 3 | | recommendations shall be provided to the regional | 4 | | superintendent of schools of each educational service region | 5 | | situated in the territory described in the specific | 6 | | recommendation or that part of the territory in which the | 7 | | greater percentage of equalized assessed valuation is | 8 | | situated. Petitions submitted by the Commission under this | 9 | | Section are not subject to the requirements under subsection | 10 | | (a) of Section 11E-35. | 11 | | (d) Upon receiving the filed petition as provided in | 12 | | subsection (c) from the regional superintendent of schools, | 13 | | each school board of the affected school districts shall | 14 | | publish a copy of the petition on its official Internet | 15 | | website, if available, with a link to the recommendation shown | 16 | | prominently on the homepage of the website until the date of | 17 | | the next upcoming general election. | 18 | | (e) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of Section 11E-50, | 19 | | within 14 days after the conclusion of the hearing under | 20 | | Section 11E-45 regarding a petition filed by the Efficient | 21 | | School District Commission, the regional superintendent shall, | 22 | | upon determining that the petition is in compliance with all | 23 | | applicable requirements set forth in the Election Code, | 24 | | through a written order, approve the petition, or, if the | 25 | | regional superintendent determines that the amended petition | 26 | | is not in compliance with the Election Code, the regional |
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| 1 | | superintendent shall deny the petition. | 2 | | (f) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of Section 11E-50, | 3 | | within 21 days after the receipt of the regional | 4 | | superintendent's decision regarding a petition filed by the | 5 | | Efficient School District Commission under this Section, the | 6 | | State Superintendent of Education shall, upon determining that | 7 | | the petition is in compliance with all applicable requirements | 8 | | set forth in the Election Code, through a written order, | 9 | | approve the petition, or, if the State Superintendent | 10 | | determines that the amended petition is not in compliance with | 11 | | the Election Code, the State Superintendent shall deny the | 12 | | petition. | 13 | | (g) The Efficient School District Commission shall serve | 14 | | as and take on the responsibilities of the designated | 15 | | Committee of Ten for the purposes of petitions filed under | 16 | | this Section, except that notwithstanding paragraph (10) of | 17 | | subsection (a) of Section 11E-35, any amendments to petitions | 18 | | filed by the Commission and any binding stipulations made to | 19 | | any question with respect to a petition under this Section | 20 | | shall be made by at least 13 members of the Commission. | 21 | | (h) Incentive payments required under Section 11E-135 | 22 | | shall be made for the purposes of this Section, subject to | 23 | | appropriation by the General Assembly. The failure of the | 24 | | General Assembly to appropriate incentive payment funds under | 25 | | Section 11E-135 shall not be a bar to reorganization under | 26 | | this Section. |
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| 1 | | (i) This Section is repealed on January 31, 2025.
| 2 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 3 | | becoming law.".
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