A petition filed under this Section shall be filed with the State
Superintendent of Education and shall be signed by all of the owners of record
of the
vacant land that comprises the portion of the district that is to be detached
and annexed to the adjoining elementary or high school district under the
provisions of this Section. The State Superintendent shall: (i) hold a
hearing on the petition within 90 days after the date of filing; (ii) render a
decision granting or denying the
petition within 30 days after the hearing; and (iii) promptly serve a copy of
the decision by certified mail, return
receipt requested, upon the petitioners and upon the school boards of the
school districts from which the territory described in the petition is sought
to be detached and to which that territory is sought to be annexed.
The State Superintendent of Education has no authority or discretion to hear
any evidence or consider any issues at the hearing except those that may be
necessary to determine whether the limitations and conditions of this Section
have been met.
The State Superintendent of Education: (i) shall give written notice of the
time and place of the hearing, not less than 30 days prior to the date of the
hearing, to the school board of the school district from which the territory
described in the petition is to be detached and to the school board of the
school district to which that territory is to be annexed; and (ii) shall
publish notice of the hearing in a newspaper that is published in the county in
which the territory described in the petition is located and that has
circulation within the school districts whose school boards are entitled to
written notice of the hearing.
In the event that the granting of a petition filed under this Section has
become final, either through failure to seek administrative review or by the
final decision of a court on review, the change in boundaries shall become
effective forthwith and for all purposes, except that if the granting of the
petition becomes final between September 1 and June 30 of any year, the
administration of and attendance at the schools shall not be affected until the
following July 1, when the change in boundaries shall become effective for all
purposes. After the granting of a petition has become final, the date when the
change shall become effective for purposes of administration and attendance may
be accelerated or
postponed by stipulation of the school boards of the school districts from
which the territory described in the petition is detached and to which that
territory is annexed.
The decision of the State Superintendent of Education
shall be deemed an "administrative decision" as defined in Section 3-101 of the
Administrative Review Law, and any petitioner or the school board of a school
district affected by the detachment and annexation of the territory described
in the petition may within 35 days after a copy of the decision sought to be
reviewed was served by certified mail upon the party affected thereby, or upon
the attorney of record for such party, apply for a review of such decision in
accordance with the Administrative Review Law, and all amendments and
modifications thereof and the rules adopted pursuant thereto.
The commencement of any action for review shall operate as a supersedeas, and
no further proceedings shall be had until final disposition of such review.
The circuit court of the county in which the petition is filed with the State
Superintendent of Education shall have sole jurisdiction to entertain a
complaint for such review.
This Section: (i) is not limited by and operates independently of all other
provisions of this Article, and (ii) constitutes complete authority for the
granting or denial by the State Superintendent of Education of a petition filed
under this Section when the conditions prescribed by this Section for the
filing of that petition are met.
(Source: P.A. 90-459, eff. 8-17-97.)
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