94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
SB1492

 

Introduced 2/23/2005, by Sen. Don Harmon

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/5-1   from Ch. 122, par. 5-1

    Amends the School Code with regard to county school units. Allows the school board of any school district whose territory forms a part of a Class II county school unit (now, allowed only for certain school districts) to withdraw that school district from the jurisdiction and authority of the trustees of schools of the township or townships in which the school district is located and from the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer in the Class II county school unit, provided that the school board of the school district elects or appoints its own school treasurer. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
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 Section
5 5-1 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/5-1)  (from Ch. 122, par. 5-1)
7     Sec. 5-1. County school units.
8     (a) The territory in each county, exclusive of any school
9 district governed by any special act which requires the
10 district to appoint its own school treasurer, shall constitute
11 a county school unit. County school units of less than
12 2,000,000 inhabitants shall be known as Class I county school
13 units and the office of township trustees, where existing on
14 July 1, 1962, in such units shall be abolished on that date and
15 all books and records of such former township trustees shall be
16 forthwith thereafter transferred to the county board of school
17 trustees. County school units of 2,000,000 or more inhabitants
18 shall be known as Class II county school units and shall retain
19 the office of township trustees unless otherwise provided in
20 subsection (b) or (c).
21     (b) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (c), the school
22 board of any school district whose territory forms a part of a
23 Class II county school unit may, by proper resolution, withdraw
24 that school district from the jurisdiction and authority of the
25 trustees of schools of the township or townships in which the
26 school district is located and from the jurisdiction and
27 authority of the township treasurer in the Class II county
28 school unit, provided that the school board of the school
29 district shall, upon the adoption and passage of the
30 resolution, elect or appoint its own school treasurer as
31 provided in Section 8-1 of this Code. Upon the adoption and
32 passage of the resolution and the election or appointment by

 

 

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1 the school board of its own school treasurer: (1) the trustees
2 of schools in the township or townships shall no longer have or
3 exercise any powers or duties with respect to the school
4 district governed by the school board or with respect to the
5 school business, operations, or assets of the school district;
6 (2) all books and records of the township trustees and all
7 moneys, securities, loanable funds, and other assets relating
8 to the school business and affairs of the school district shall
9 be transferred and delivered to the school board of the school
10 district; and (3) all legal title to and all right, title, and
11 interest formerly held by the township trustees in any common
12 school lands, school buildings, or school sites used and
13 occupied by the school board of the school district and all
14 rights of property and causes of action pertaining to or
15 constituting a part of the common school lands, buildings, or
16 sites shall be deemed transferred by operation of law to, and
17 shall vest in, the school board of the school district.
18 Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (c), the school board of
19 any elementary school district having a fall, 1989 aggregate
20 enrollment of at least 2,500 but less than 6,500 pupils and
21 having boundaries that are coterminous with the boundaries of a
22 high school district, and the school board of any high school
23 district having a fall, 1989 aggregate enrollment of at least
24 2,500 but less than 6,500 pupils and having boundaries that are
25 coterminous with the boundaries of an elementary school
26 district, may, whenever the territory of such school district
27 forms a part of a Class II county school unit, by proper
28 resolution withdraw such school district from the jurisdiction
29 and authority of the trustees of schools of the township in
30 which such school district is located and from the jurisdiction
31 and authority of the township treasurer in such Class II county
32 school unit; provided that the school board of any such school
33 district shall, upon the adoption and passage of such
34 resolution, thereupon elect or appoint its own school treasurer
35 as provided in Section 8-1. Upon the adoption and passage of
36 such resolution and the election or appointment by the school

 

 

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1 board of its own school treasurer: (1) the trustees of schools
2 in such township shall no longer have or exercise any powers
3 and duties with respect to the school district governed by such
4 school board or with respect to the school business, operations
5 or assets of such school district; and (2) all books and
6 records of the township trustees relating to the school
7 business and affairs of such school district shall be
8 transferred and delivered to the school board of such school
9 district. Upon the effective date of this amendatory Act of
10 1993, the legal title to, and all right, title and interest
11 formerly held by the township trustees in any school buildings
12 and school sites used and occupied by the school board of such
13 school district for school purposes, that legal title, right,
14 title and interest thereafter having been transferred to and
15 vested in the regional board of school trustees under P.A.
16 87-473 until the abolition of that regional board of school
17 trustees by P.A. 87-969, shall be deemed transferred by
18 operation of law to and shall vest in the school board of that
19 school district.
20     (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the
21 offices of township treasurer and trustee of schools of any
22 township located in a Class II county school unit shall be
23 abolished as provided in this subsection if all of the
24 following conditions are met:
25         (1) During the same 30 day period, each school board of
26     each elementary and unit school district that is subject to
27     the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer
28     and trustees of schools of the township in which those
29     offices are sought to be abolished gives written notice by
30     certified mail, return receipt requested to the township
31     treasurer and trustees of schools of that township of the
32     date of a meeting of the school board, to be held not more
33     than 90 nor less than 60 days after the date when the
34     notice is given, at which meeting the school board is to
35     consider and vote upon the question of whether there shall
36     be submitted to the electors of the school district a

 

 

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1     proposition to abolish the offices of township treasurer
2     and trustee of schools of that township. None of the
3     notices given under this paragraph to the township
4     treasurer and trustees of schools of a township shall be
5     deemed sufficient or in compliance with the requirements of
6     this paragraph unless all of those notices are given within
7     the same 30 day period.
8         (2) Each school board of each elementary and unit
9     school district that is subject to the jurisdiction and
10     authority of the township treasurer and trustees of schools
11     of the township in which those offices are sought to be
12     abolished, by the affirmative vote of at least 5 members of
13     the school board at a school board meeting of which notice
14     is given as required by paragraph (1) of this subsection,
15     adopts a resolution requiring the secretary of the school
16     board to certify to the proper election authorities for
17     submission to the electors of the school district at the
18     next consolidated election in accordance with the general
19     election law a proposition to abolish the offices of
20     township treasurer and trustee of schools of that township.
21     None of the resolutions adopted under this paragraph by any
22     elementary or unit school districts that are subject to the
23     jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer and
24     trustees of schools of the township in which those offices
25     are sought to be abolished shall be deemed in compliance
26     with the requirements of this paragraph or sufficient to
27     authorize submission of the proposition to abolish those
28     offices to a referendum of the electors in any such school
29     district unless all of the school boards of all of the
30     elementary and unit school districts that are subject to
31     the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer
32     and trustees of schools of that township adopt such a
33     resolution in accordance with the provisions of this
34     paragraph.
35         (3) The school boards of all of the elementary and unit
36     school districts that are subject to the jurisdiction and

 

 

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1     authority of the township treasurer and trustees of schools
2     of the township in which those offices are sought to be
3     abolished submit a proposition to abolish the offices of
4     township treasurer and trustee of schools of that township
5     to the electors of their respective school districts at the
6     same consolidated election in accordance with the general
7     election law, the ballot in each such district to be in
8     substantially the following form:
9     -------------------------------------------------------------
10
OFFICIAL BALLOT
11             Shall the offices of township
12             treasurer and                       YES
13             trustee of                      ---------------------
14             schools of Township .....           NO
15             Range ..... be abolished?
16     -------------------------------------------------------------
17         (4) At the consolidated election at which the
18     proposition to abolish the offices of township treasurer
19     and trustee of schools of a township is submitted to the
20     electors of each elementary and unit school district that
21     is subject to the jurisdiction and authority of the
22     township treasurer and trustee of schools of that township,
23     a majority of the electors voting on the proposition in
24     each such elementary and unit school district votes in
25     favor of the proposition as submitted to them.
26     If in each elementary and unit school district that is
27 subject to the jurisdiction and authority of the township
28 treasurer and trustees of schools of the township in which
29 those offices are sought to be abolished a majority of the
30 electors in each such district voting at the consolidated
31 election on the proposition to abolish the offices of township
32 treasurer and trustee of schools of that township votes in
33 favor of the proposition as submitted to them, the proposition
34 shall be deemed to have passed; but if in any such elementary
35 or unit school district a majority of the electors voting on
36 that proposition in that district fails to vote in favor of the

 

 

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1 proposition as submitted to them, then notwithstanding the vote
2 of the electors in any other such elementary or unit school
3 district on that proposition the proposition shall not be
4 deemed to have passed in any of those elementary or unit school
5 districts, and the offices of township treasurer and trustee of
6 schools of the township in which those offices were sought to
7 be abolished shall not be abolished, unless in each of those
8 elementary and unit school districts remaining subject to the
9 jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer and
10 trustees of schools of that township proceedings are again
11 initiated to abolish those offices and all of the proceedings
12 and conditions prescribed in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this
13 subsection are repeated and met in each of those elementary and
14 unit school districts.
15     Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section
16 or any other provision of the School Code, the offices of
17 township treasurer and trustee of schools of a township that
18 has a population of less than 200,000 and that contains a unit
19 school district and is located in a Class II county school unit
20 shall also be abolished as provided in this subsection if all
21 of the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of
22 this subsection are met and if the following additional
23 condition is met:
24         The electors in all of the school districts subject to
25     the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer
26     and trustees of schools of the township in which those
27     offices are sought to be abolished shall vote at the
28     consolidated election on the proposition to abolish the
29     offices of township treasurer and trustee of schools of
30     that township. If a majority of the electors in all of the
31     school districts combined voting on the proposition vote in
32     favor of the proposition, then the proposition shall be
33     deemed to have passed; but if a majority of the electors
34     voting on the proposition in all of the school district
35     fails to vote in favor of the proposition as submitted to
36     them, then the proposition shall not be deemed to have

 

 

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1     passed and the offices of township treasurer and trustee of
2     schools of the township in which those offices were sought
3     to be abolished shall not be abolished, unless and until
4     the proceedings detailed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of
5     this subsection and the conditions set forth in this
6     paragraph are met.
7     If the proposition to abolish the offices of township
8 treasurer and trustee of schools of a township is deemed to
9 have passed at the consolidated election as provided in this
10 subsection, those offices shall be deemed abolished by
11 operation of law effective on January 1 of the calendar year
12 immediately following the calendar year in which that
13 consolidated election is held, provided that if after the
14 election, the trustees of schools by resolution elect to
15 abolish the offices of township treasurer and trustee of
16 schools effective on July 1 immediately following the election,
17 then the offices shall be abolished on July 1 immediately
18 following the election. On the date that the offices of
19 township treasurer and trustee of schools of a township are
20 deemed abolished by operation of law, the school board of each
21 elementary and unit school district and the school board of
22 each high school district that is subject to the jurisdiction
23 and authority of the township treasurer and trustees of schools
24 of that township at the time those offices are abolished: (i)
25 shall appoint its own school treasurer as provided in Section
26 8-1; and (ii) unless the term of the contract of a township
27 treasurer expires on the date that the office of township
28 treasurer is abolished, shall pay to the former township
29 treasurer its proportionate share of any aggregate
30 compensation that, were the office of township treasurer not
31 abolished at that time, would have been payable to the former
32 township treasurer after that date over the remainder of the
33 term of the contract of the former township treasurer that
34 began prior to but ends after that date. In addition, on the
35 date that the offices of township treasurer and trustee of
36 schools of a township are deemed abolished as provided in this

 

 

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1 subsection, the school board of each elementary school, high
2 school and unit school district that until that date is subject
3 to the jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer and
4 trustees of schools of that township shall be deemed by
5 operation of law to have agreed and assumed to pay and, when
6 determined, shall pay to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
7 a proportionate share of the unfunded liability existing in
8 that Fund at the time these offices are abolished in that
9 calendar year for all annuities or other benefits then or
10 thereafter to become payable from that Fund with respect to all
11 periods of service performed prior to that date as a
12 participating employee in that Fund by persons serving during
13 those periods of service as a trustee of schools, township
14 treasurer or regular employee in the office of the township
15 treasurer of that township. That unfunded liability shall be
16 actuarially determined by the board of trustees of the Illinois
17 Municipal Retirement Fund, and the board of trustees shall
18 thereupon notify each school board required to pay a
19 proportionate share of that unfunded liability of the aggregate
20 amount of the unfunded liability so determined. The amount so
21 paid to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund by each of those
22 school districts shall be credited to the account of the
23 township in that Fund. For each elementary school, high school
24 and unit school district under the jurisdiction and authority
25 of a township treasurer and trustees of schools of a township
26 in which those offices are abolished as provided in this
27 subsection, each such district's proportionate share of the
28 aggregate compensation payable to the former township
29 treasurer as provided in this paragraph and each such
30 district's proportionate share of the aggregate amount of the
31 unfunded liability payable to the Illinois Municipal
32 Retirement Fund as provided in this paragraph shall be computed
33 in accordance with the ratio that the number of pupils in
34 average daily attendance in each such district as reported in
35 schedules prepared under Section 24-19 for the school year last
36 ending prior to the date on which the offices of township

 

 

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1 treasurer and trustee of schools of that township are abolished
2 bears to the aggregate number of pupils in average daily
3 attendance in all of those districts as so reported for that
4 school year.
5     Upon abolition of the offices of township treasurer and
6 trustee of schools of a township as provided in this
7 subsection: (i) the regional board of school trustees, in its
8 corporate capacity, shall be deemed the successor in interest
9 to the former trustees of schools of that township with respect
10 to the common school lands and township loanable funds of the
11 township; (ii) all right, title and interest existing or vested
12 in the former trustees of schools of that township in the
13 common school lands and township loanable funds of the
14 township, and all records, moneys, securities and other assets,
15 rights of property and causes of action pertaining to or
16 constituting a part of those common school lands or township
17 loanable funds, shall be transferred to and deemed vested by
18 operation of law in the regional board of school trustees,
19 which shall hold legal title to, manage and operate all common
20 school lands and township loanable funds of the township,
21 receive the rents, issues and profits therefrom, and have and
22 exercise with respect thereto the same powers and duties as are
23 provided by this Code to be exercised by regional boards of
24 school trustees when acting as township land commissioners in
25 counties having at least 220,000 but fewer than 2,000,000
26 inhabitants; (iii) the regional board of school trustees shall
27 select to serve as its treasurer with respect to the common
28 school lands and township loanable funds of the township a
29 person from time to time also serving as the appointed school
30 treasurer of any school district that was subject to the
31 jurisdiction and authority of the township treasurer and
32 trustees of schools of that township at the time those offices
33 were abolished, and the person selected to also serve as
34 treasurer of the regional board of school trustees shall have
35 his compensation for services in that capacity fixed by the
36 regional board of school trustees, to be paid from the township

 

 

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1 loanable funds, and shall make to the regional board of school
2 trustees the reports required to be made by treasurers of
3 township land commissioners, give bond as required by
4 treasurers of township land commissioners, and perform the
5 duties and exercise the powers of treasurers of township land
6 commissioners; (iv) the regional board of school trustees shall
7 designate in the manner provided by Section 8-7, insofar as
8 applicable, a depositary for its treasurer, and the proceeds of
9 all rents, issues and profits from the common school lands and
10 township loanable funds of that township shall be deposited and
11 held in the account maintained for those purposes with that
12 depositary and shall be expended and distributed therefrom as
13 provided in Section 15-24 and other applicable provisions of
14 this Code; and (v) whenever there is vested in the trustees of
15 schools of a township at the time that office is abolished
16 under this subsection the legal title to any school buildings
17 or school sites used or occupied for school purposes by any
18 elementary school, high school or unit school district subject
19 to the jurisdiction and authority of those trustees of school
20 at the time that office is abolished, the legal title to those
21 school buildings and school sites shall be deemed transferred
22 by operation of law to and invested in the school board of that
23 school district, in its corporate capacity Section 7-28, the
24 same to be held, sold, exchanged leased or otherwise
25 transferred in accordance with applicable provisions of this
26 Code.
27     Notwithstanding Section 2-3.25g of this Code, a waiver of a
28 mandate established under this Section may not be requested.
29 (Source: P.A. 91-269, eff. 7-23-99; 92-448, eff. 8-21-01.)
 
30     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
31 becoming law.