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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Studies have shown that school districts operate | ||||||
| 3 | more efficiently with a set ideal enrollment of students, | ||||||
| 4 | whether it is deconsolidating large districts or consolidating | ||||||
| 5 | small districts; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois currently has 869 public | ||||||
| 7 | school districts, the third most school districts in the nation | ||||||
| 8 | next to California and Texas; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, City of Chicago School District 299 has an | ||||||
| 10 | enrollment of 404,589 students and 611 schools in one district; | ||||||
| 11 | and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, There are 82 school districts in the State of | ||||||
| 13 | Illinois with an enrollment of less than 200 students; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, During this time of fiscal crisis, school district | ||||||
| 15 | reorganization has the potential to save valuable State dollars | ||||||
| 16 | and use that money more effectively; therefore, be it
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| 17 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 18 | NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 19 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created the School | ||||||
| 20 | District Realignment and Consolidation Task Force within the | ||||||
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| 1 | State Board of Education; and be it further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That the task force is charged with examining the | ||||||
| 3 | number of school districts in this State, the optimal amount of | ||||||
| 4 | enrollment for a school district, where consolidation and | ||||||
| 5 | realignment would be beneficial, reducing the money spent on | ||||||
| 6 | duplication of efforts, improving the education of students by | ||||||
| 7 | having less obstacles between qualified teachers and their | ||||||
| 8 | students, and lowering the property tax burden; and be it | ||||||
| 9 | further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That the task force shall be comprised of the | ||||||
| 11 | following members, all of whom shall serve without | ||||||
| 12 | compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and | ||||||
| 13 | necessary expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose:
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| 14 | (1) members appointed by the State Board of Education;
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| 15 | (2) a representative appointed by the Speaker of the | ||||||
| 16 | House of Representatives;
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| 17 | (3) a representative appointed by the Minority Leader | ||||||
| 18 | of the House of Representatives;
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| 19 | (4) a representative appointed by the President of the | ||||||
| 20 | Senate;
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| 21 | (5) a representative appointed by the Minority Leader | ||||||
| 22 | of the Senate;
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| 23 | (6) a representative of a statewide professional | ||||||
| 24 | teachers' organization appointed by the head of that | ||||||
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| 1 | organization;
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| 2 | (7) a representative of a different statewide | ||||||
| 3 | professional teachers' organization appointed by the head | ||||||
| 4 | of that organization;
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| 5 | (8) a representative of a statewide organization that | ||||||
| 6 | represents school boards appointed by the head of that | ||||||
| 7 | organization;
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| 8 | (9) a representative of a statewide organization | ||||||
| 9 | representing principals appointed by the head of that | ||||||
| 10 | organization;
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| 11 | (10) a representative of City of Chicago School | ||||||
| 12 | District 299 appointed by the general superintendent of | ||||||
| 13 | schools; | ||||||
| 14 | (11) a representative of an association representing | ||||||
| 15 | school business officials appointed by the head of that | ||||||
| 16 | association;
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| 17 | (12) a representative of an association representing | ||||||
| 18 | school administrators appointed by the head of that | ||||||
| 19 | association;
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| 20 | (13) a representative from an organization | ||||||
| 21 | representing large unit school districts appointed by the | ||||||
| 22 | head of that organization;
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| 23 | (14) a representative from the Chicago Board of | ||||||
| 24 | Education appointed by the Chicago Board of Education; and
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| 25 | (15) a representative from an organization | ||||||
| 26 | representing administrators of special education appointed | ||||||
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| 1 | by the head of that organization; and be it further
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| 2 | RESOLVED, That the members of the task force shall be | ||||||
| 3 | reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to the | ||||||
| 4 | State Board of Education available for that purpose and subject | ||||||
| 5 | to the rules of the appropriate travel control board; and be it | ||||||
| 6 | further
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| 7 | RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education shall provide | ||||||
| 8 | administrative and other support to the task force; and be it | ||||||
| 9 | further
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| 10 | RESOLVED, That the task force shall hold public hearings | ||||||
| 11 | and shall report its findings and recommendations to the | ||||||
| 12 | General Assembly on or before July 1, 2012; and that upon | ||||||
| 13 | filing its report the task force is dissolved.
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