103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2225

 

Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/11E-140 new

    Creates the Classrooms First Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the electorate on the number of school districts in this State and where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial. Sets forth what areas the recommendations must focus on, including drafting recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of school districts through the reorganization of school districts into unit districts. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2024, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit districts shall be filed with the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. Sets forth the regional superintendent's and State Superintendent of Education's duties with respect to the recommendations. Repeals these provisions on January 31, 2026. Effective immediately.


LRB103 30694 RJT 57167 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2225LRB103 30694 RJT 57167 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Classrooms
5First Act.
 
6    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
711E-140 as follows:
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/11E-140 new)
9    Sec. 11E-140. Classrooms First Commission.
10    (a) The Classrooms First Commission is created. The
11Commission shall consist of all of the following voting
12members:
13        (1) one member appointed by the Governor, who shall
14    serve as the chairperson;
15        (2) one member appointed by the State Board of
16    Education;
17        (3) one member appointed by the Speaker of the House
18    of Representatives;
19        (4) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
20    House of Representatives;
21        (5) one member appointed by the President of the
22    Senate;

 

 

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1        (6) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
2    Senate;
3        (7) a representative appointed by the head of the
4    largest statewide professional teachers' organization, as
5    measured by the number of members reported in its most
6    recent federal Form LM-2 Labor Organization Annual Report;
7        (8) a representative appointed by the head of the
8    second largest statewide professional teachers'
9    organization, as measured by the number of members
10    reported in its most recent federal Form LM-2 Labor
11    Organization Annual Report;
12        (9) a representative appointed by the head of an
13    organization that represents school boards, appointed by
14    the head of that organization;
15        (10) a representative appointed by the head of a
16    statewide organization that represents school principals,
17    appointed by the head of that organization;
18        (11) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
19    administrator employed by a school located in the West
20    Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
21    System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-B), appointed
22    by the chairperson of the Commission;
23        (12) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
24    administrator employed by a school located in the South
25    Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
26    System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-C), appointed

 

 

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1    by the chairperson of the Commission;
2        (13) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
3    administrator employed by a school located in the North
4    Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
5    System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-D), appointed
6    by the chairperson of the Commission;
7        (14) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
8    administrator employed by a school located in the
9    Northeast region of the State Board of Education's
10    Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 1-C),
11    appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
12        (15) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
13    administrator employed by a school located in the
14    Northwest region of the State Board of Education's
15    Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 2),
16    appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
17        (16) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
18    administrator employed by a school located in the West
19    Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
20    System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 3), appointed by the
21    chairperson of the Commission;
22        (17) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
23    administrator employed by a school located in the East
24    Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
25    System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 4), appointed by the
26    chairperson of the Commission;

 

 

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1        (18) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
2    administrator employed by a school located in the
3    Southwest region of the State Board of Education's
4    Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 5),
5    appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
6        (19) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
7    administrator employed by a school located in the
8    Southeast region of the State Board of Education's
9    Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 6),
10    appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
11        (20) a representative appointed by the head of an
12    association that represents school business officials;
13        (21) a representative appointed by the head of an
14    association that represents school administrators;
15        (22) a representative appointed by the head of an
16    association that represents administrators of special
17    education;
18        (23) a representative appointed by the head of a
19    statewide parent organization;
20        (24) a representative appointed by the head of an
21    organization that represents high school districts; and
22        (25) a representative appointed by the head of an
23    association that represents regional superintendents of
24    schools.
25    Members shall serve without compensation, but shall be
26reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from

 

 

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1funds appropriated for that purpose. Members shall be
2reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to
3the State Board of Education available for that purpose and
4subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control board.
5The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chairperson, with
6the initial meeting of the Commission being held within 90
7days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
8103rd General Assembly, and shall hold public hearings
9throughout this State, including at least one hearing in each
10of the nine school district support regions that do not
11include Chicago (Region 1-A). The State Board of Education
12shall provide assistance and necessary staff support services
13to the Commission.
14    (b) The purpose of the Commission is to make
15recommendations to the electorate, the Governor, and the
16General Assembly on whether the number of school districts in
17this State is appropriate and whether reorganization and
18realignment of those districts would be beneficial. The
19Commission's recommendations must take into consideration the
20school needs and conditions of the affected districts and in
21the area adjacent to the district, the division of funds and
22assets that will result from the action described in the
23petition, the best interests of the schools of the area, and
24the best interests and the educational welfare of the pupils
25residing in the district, and shall focus on all of the
26following areas:

 

 

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1        (1) reducing the money spent on the duplication of
2    efforts;
3        (2) improving the education of students by having
4    fewer obstacles between qualified teachers and their
5    students;
6        (3) lowering the property tax burden;
7        (4) providing recommendations on what the net cost
8    savings of realignment is to this State;
9        (5) with a view toward reducing unnecessary
10    administrative costs, improving the education of students
11    and lowering the property tax burden, drafting specific
12    recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of
13    school districts by no less than 25% through the
14    reorganization of school districts into unit districts as
15    provided by Section 11E-25. Each recommendation under this
16    paragraph (5) must include all of the following:
17            (A) a request to submit a proposition at the next
18        general election for the purpose of voting for or
19        against the establishment of a combined unit district;
20            (B) a description of the territory comprising the
21        districts proposed to be dissolved and those to be
22        consolidated into unit districts, which, for an entire
23        district, may be a general reference to all of the
24        territory included within that district; and
25            (C) a specification of the maximum tax rates the
26        proposed unit district or districts are authorized to

 

 

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1        levy for various purposes and, if applicable, the
2        specifications related to the Property Tax Extension
3        Limitation Law, in accordance with Section 11E-80.
4    The Commission may not make any recommendations under this
5subsection that would provide for the consolidation of
6individual schools.
7    (c) On or before May 1, 2024, Commission must vote on its
8recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the
9General Assembly. If the Commission adopts the report by an
10affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the
11Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of
12school districts into unit districts under paragraph (5) of
13subsection (b) shall be filed with the appropriate regional
14superintendent of schools in the same form as petitions filed
15under Section 11E-35. A copy of the Commission's specific
16recommendations shall be provided to the regional
17superintendent of schools of each educational service region
18situated in the territory described in the specific
19recommendation or that part of the territory in which the
20greater percentage of equalized assessed valuation is
21situated. Petitions submitted by the Commission under this
22Section shall be treated as properly filed petitions under
23Section 11E-35, but the petitions submitted are not subject to
24the requirements under subsection (a) of Section 11E-35.
25    (d) Upon receiving the filed petition as provided in
26subsection (c) from the regional superintendent of schools,

 

 

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1each school board of the affected school districts shall
2publish a copy of the petition on its official Internet
3website, if available, with a link to the recommendation shown
4prominently on the homepage of the website until the date of
5the next upcoming general election.
6    (e) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of Section 11E-50,
7within 14 days after the conclusion of the hearing under
8Section 11E-45 regarding a petition filed by the Classrooms
9First Commission, the regional superintendent shall, upon
10determining that the petition is in compliance with all
11applicable requirements set forth in the Election Code,
12through a written order, approve the petition, or, if the
13regional superintendent determines that the amended petition
14is not in compliance with the Election Code, the regional
15superintendent shall deny the petition.
16    (f) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of Section 11E-50,
17within 21 days after the receipt of the regional
18superintendent's decision regarding a petition filed by the
19Classrooms First Commission under this Section, the State
20Superintendent of Education shall, upon determining that the
21petition is in compliance with all applicable requirements set
22forth in the Election Code, through a written order, approve
23the petition, or, if the State Superintendent determines that
24the amended petition is not in compliance with the Election
25Code, the State Superintendent shall deny the petition.
26    (g) The Classrooms First Commission shall serve as and

 

 

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1take on the responsibilities of the designated Committee of
2Ten for the purposes of petitions filed under this Section,
3except that notwithstanding paragraph (10) of subsection (a)
4of Section 11E-35, any amendments to petitions filed by the
5Commission and any binding stipulations made to any question
6with respect to a petition under this Section shall be made by
7at least 13 members of the Commission.
8    (h) Incentive payments required under Section 11E-135
9shall be made for the purposes of this Section, subject to
10appropriation by the General Assembly. The failure of the
11General Assembly to appropriate incentive payment funds under
12Section 11E-135 shall not be a bar to reorganization under
13this Section.
14    (i) This Section is repealed on January 31, 2026.
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16becoming law.