093_HB2782eng HB2782 Engrossed 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 HB2782 Engrossed -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 HB2782 Engrossed -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.